Walk and Shine (Ephesians 5:3-14)
It is one thing to know what you must do. It is another thing to have the strength to do it.
There was once a teenage boy, from a middle-class family, who was ensnared by sin. Reflecting on his earlier years, he wrote, “As I grew to manhood, I was inflamed with desire for hell’s pleasures. My father made no effort to save me. He took no trouble to see whether I was chaste or not. His only concern was that I should learn how to make good speech and how to persuade others by my words.”
He left for university, where, in his words, “I found myself in the midst of a hissing cauldron of lust.” He graduated university, top of his class, and went on to teach rhetoric.
And upon moving to a new city, he met a pastor.
As he listened to this pastor tell him about Christ, he found himself gripped by the truth. The teenage boy, who had become a man, became aware of his need for God — and his need to repent — and yet, every time he tried, he kept getting stuck. He could not get out of it. In his words, “I was still held firm in the bonds of my sin.”
He knew what he had to do. But he did not have the strength to do it.
Have you ever felt like that before? Have you ever felt so sick of your sin and yet, at the same time, so stuck in it? I have. I have been there. I know what that is like.
Whoever you are — wherever you come from — whether you are a teenage boy, a middle aged woman, or a senior man, there is good news for you in Christ Jesus today. He gives strength to the weary. He is near the brokenhearted and He saves the crushed in spirit.
In the Lord Jesus, there is strength.
We have been working our way through the book of Ephesians. We have covered gospel doctrine — chapters 1 to 3. We are in the middle of gospel living — chapters 4 to 6. Throughout it all, we’re seeing God’s cosmic plan to unite all things in His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
If you recall, chapters 1 to 3 only has one imperative: remember.
And chapters 4 to 6... has 40!
We are in the thick of these gospel imperatives right now.
Isn’t God so kind to teach us how to walk? If Ephesians ended at chapter 3, it would be great, but it would be hard to know what to do with it. Praise God He tells us what to do — and praise Him, all the more, that He gives us the strength to do it.
Again, the key metaphor Paul has used to pivot from doctrine to practice, starting in Ephesians 4:1 is the image of a walk. Because being united to Christ by faith means we follow Christ by faith. Just before our text for today, Ephesians 5:2, Paul said that we must “walk in love.” Again, using the metaphor.
And for this week’s sermon, and next week’s sermon, we will consider more of what it means to walk with Christ.
Before we dive in, let us take a look at the structure. Ephesians 5: 3-14 hold together by a reality that produces a command. We will see both — the reality and the command — in Ephesians 5:8. Look there with me now. “For at one time, you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” — that is the gospel reality, and the center of gravity, of our whole text this morning. “You were darkness, but now you are light... in the Lord.”
And notice that reality produces a command: “Walk as children of light.”
That is where we are going this morning.
Walk as children of light.
Our big idea and outline, are straight from Ephesians 5:8. It shows us not just what we must do but where we find the strength to do it: Walk as children of light.
We Were Darkness (Eph 5:3-6)
In other words, in the Lord we have a new identity and new strength.
We were darkness. But not anymore. So that means we must reject darkness. That is what Paul is saying in Ephesians 3- 4: reject darkness, that is not who you are.
Let us look closer at Ephesians 5:3. He starts by saying, “But,” showing contrast. This is not what it means to “walk in love,” as he said above. These sins portray a darkened corruption of love. He says we must reject “sexual immorality... and all impurity or covetousness.” That we must reject these darknesses so thoroughly, that they would not “even be named among us”—not a hint of them, not a rumour of them, let none of this linger.
“Sexual immorality” comes from the Greek word, porneia — which refers to all sexual gratification outside of the marriage covenant between one man and one woman. This includes pornography, and fornication, and adultery, and incest, and prostitution, and homosexuality — all of which, by the way, were rampant in ancient Ephesus. This was a city known for these sins. So yes, God’s truth has always cut against the grain of sinful norms in all kinds of cultures.
These norms could be physical or mental or verbal or visual, which is why Paul says, “All impurity” right after this, because we must reject every kind of impurity! Not the least of one even being named!
After impurity, he says, “covetousness”. Now, at first, that might seem surprising — how do these connect? Sexual sins and impurity over here to covetousness over there? What is the link, Paul?
Let us start by remembering that God put them together in the tenth commandment — “you shall not covet” ... “your neighbour’s house” or ... “your neighbour’s spouse.” There it is — greedy desires and lustful desires working hand in hand because at the root of both, is the same attitude of heart. Greed and lust, at their root, say the same thing: “I want more... than what God has given me. He is stingy... so I have to go get more myself.”
Brothers, sisters, that is what we were like — before we were in the Lord — when we were in darkness. That was the attitude of heart, back in the garden, that plunged the whole world in ruin.
Oh beloved, hear me say this: We serve a generous God. He loves us. And He loves to bless us. So anytime we feel a lack, like He is withholding something from us we can trust Him! It is always for our good.
Reject this darkness. Put it off, and put it away. Sexual immorality and impurity and covetousness are dark poisons to the soul.
That was who you were. But if you are in the Lord, then that is not who you are.
So walk, “as is proper—or fitting—among saints.”
Well, we have more darkness to reject another three-headed beast to put off and put away — Ephesians 5:4, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking...”
We must reject all impurity (Eph 5:3) and all vulgarity (Eph 5:4).
God cares greatly about how we act — and how we speak—every single word. We must reject filthy, foolish, and crude speech. Given the context, Paul likely has sexually-oriented speech especially in view here.
Now, to be clear, Paul knows that God designed sex. That sex, according to God’s design, is good and right and true—we will see more of that design in the covenant of marriage, later on in Ephesians 5. Paul us just saying that sex is so precious, and wonderful, and pure that it is not to be spoken of with filth or foolishness.
And he is saying that sexual sin is so dark and wicked that we must not make crude jokes about it. That would be improper — or not fitting — or “out of place.”
That was who we were, but that’s not who we are!
To hear such filthy speech, coming from the mouth of a saint. Would be like going to a water cooler, putting your bottle against the tap, and getting nothing but sewage waste. That is out of place. That is not proper among saints.
Now, wonderfully, in Ephesians 5:4, he does not just tell us to reject the darkness, he shows us how — “But instead, let there be thanksgiving.”
You can tell a lot about a person by what he laughs about and what he says thank you for. Godward gratitude is the antidote to self-gratification. Greedy, lustful hearts produce foul and nasty speech. Greedy, lustful hearts say “God is stingy! And prude! Come on... live a little...”
And yet, thankful hearts say “O God... have mercy on me, a sinner. I deserve nothing but hell. Thank you, O God, for you have been so generous to me. In the Lord Jesus, you have given me all I could ever ask for... and all I could ever need.”
Friends, when I came to faith in Jesus, my life changed. My old way of life was characterized by Ephesians 5:3-4.
I was living in darkness. Because I was darkness.
And then, God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness...” shined a light upon my soul. He caused me to see His glory in the face of Jesus Christ, and my life was never the same.
But can I be real with you, for a minute? I am still changing.
My life is no longer characterized by Ephesians 5:3-4. And yet, I am not above conviction from these verses. I hope you are not either.
How has your thought life been lately? Have you banished all impurity? How about your spending habits? If your bank statement could speak, would it say, “I want more...” ? Or would it say, “Thank you God... I have far more than I could ever deserve...”?
How about the speech in shows you have been watching, or in conversations around the office? Is it filthy? Foolish? Have the jokes been crude?
Reject the darkness. Do not walk in it. That is who you were. But in the Lord, that is not who you are.
Brother, sister, reject the darkness. Do not walk in it. That is who you were. But in the Lord, that is not who you are. Let us walk as children of light.
Paul has told us to reject the darkness — here and now. And now, moving from obligation to motivation, he is about to tell us why, as he turns our eyes ahead.
For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Ephesians 5:5 uses the same language as Ephesians 5:3 — you see the same triad there?
He told us that we must reject the darkness and now he says, “For, you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is an idolater).” Here is the reason — “has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Earlier in Ephesians, Paul spoke of our inheritance — our future glory in this kingdom. He said if we hear and believe the gospel, we are sealed by the Spirit, as a guarantee of that inheritance that is to come.
So if you truly believe, this inheritance is yours. You are sealed for it, by the Spirit, as God’s own possession. And that will be evidenced by your walking in the light.
But if your life is characterized by persistent, unrepentant sin, then you have not truly believed, you are still darkness and you have no inheritance in this kingdom.
So assess your worship, your longings, the things you think about, when you are not thinking about anything else.
Are you an idolator worshipping self-pleasure and self-gain? Or do you worship Jesus and submit to Him as king?
To ask it another way, is your body and your wallet ruled and reigned by Jesus? Or ruled and reigned by sin?
Do not ignore this warning. Ephesians 5:5 is a sharp verse. Do not shrug it off. Do not try to tamp it down.
Shrugging off Ephesians 5:5 because you do not like how it sounds would be like unplugging your smoke alarm, when there is a fire in your kitchen, just because you do not like the sound of it.
“For you may be sure of this...” — No repentance, no inheritance.
Reject the darkness. Do not be fooled by it. Do not let it linger.
That is what he unpacks in Ephesians 5:6. He says, “Let no one deceive you with empty words”. He says we got to take this seriously!
What do you think these empty words sound like? I tried to meditate on that for a bit. I think they might sound like this — “You can have Jesus... and have your sin...” “Oh come on... don’t be so legalistic...” “I mean it’s not that bad... it’s not as bad as what that other person is doing...” “After all, God is loving, right? He’ll just forgive you a
Beware of empty words, whether you hear them in your own mind or from the mouth of someone else. Beware of empty words.
And remember what Jill observed of Aslan’s enemies in Narnia’s Last Battle — “They make their lies stronger by mixing a little truth with them.”
“Don’t be deceived!”
“For because of these things” (Eph 5:6) —the sins of verses 3 and 4—“the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
God’s good, and righteous, and holy wrath is set against sin and all who make a practice of it — “The sons of disobedience...”.
Notice that the wrath comes upon them — present tense. Not just in the future... but wrath remains on them now as Jesus said.
In the darkness, and futility of their minds, they do not obey the Son. They cherish their sin and persist in it. They would rather choose wrath than repentance, for they are of their father, the devil.
Oh beloved, we were darkness. That is the family tree we came from so we have nothing to boast about here. That is what God saved us out of. But that is not who we are. Not anymore. Not in the Lord. So reject the darkness and walk in the light. Beloved, there is a massive difference — a world of difference — between fighting sin and making friends with sin.
Christians fight sin. Christians do not make friends with sin.
Practically, I would just ask you: Is there any sin in your life that you are making friends with? Any sin that you’re coddling, returning to perhaps under the cover of darkness that no one else knows about?
Oh, beloved, come to the light. Walk in the light. Fight your sin and and find freedom and forgiveness in the Lord.
Talk to a church member today. Before you leave this building. If it is going to be a long and messy conversation, just tell that church member you have got to talk with them soon. Find a time to get together and confess your sins. Bring them to the light.
Do not be deceived by empty words. There is no safety in sin. It deceives you in order to devour you. Do not wait to confess until it’s too late. There is safety here — among God’s people. There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us, always.
So confess your sins. Receive Christ’s mercy — channeled through His body. Reject the darkness—because you were darkness. But not anymore. Walk in the light.
We are Light (Eph 5:7-14)
In Ephesians 5:6, Paul referred to the sons of disobedience. And now, in Ephesians 5:7, he tells us, “Therefore...” … “Do not become partners with them.” So in the verses that follow, he’s going to instruct us how we are to walk as children of light.
But again, we cannot miss our key verse. All of this is held together in Ephesians 5:8 — “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord! Walk as children of light.”
And because this command is grounded in this reality he assures us that we have the strength to do it.
It is not just that “at one time, we were” … “in darkness.” Though that is true, and even that is saying a lot. No he takes it much further. He says that “at one time, we were darkness.” Not just our environment. But our condition.
“But now” — This is another great “but” in the book of Ephesians. Do not forget that one back in Ephesians 2:4 — “but God...”. And do not miss this one right here — “But now... you are light!”
Not in ourselves, not as a result of our works … No, we are “light... in the Lord.”
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). And yet amazingly, He tells us, “You are the salt of the earth... and the light of the world...” (c.f. Matthew 5). He makes us light. And He causes us to shine!
Paul says you can tell the difference. Paul says this isn’t a subtle, temporary, there-it-was-and-there-it-went change. Paul says this reaches into the deepest core of our condition, and it changes us from the inside out.
Ephesians 5:9 says, “For the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.” God’s Spirit transforms us to bear the kind of fruit that you would see in God Himself.
This is real change. It really changes our lives. And walking it out involves real effort. We must “try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph 5:10). Often, the Bible gives us principles but we need discernment to know how to apply them to the specifics of life. So make every effort to know your Bible to pray like crazy to ask a brother or sister for help.
One way to assess whether or not something pleases the Lord going back to Ephesians 5:4 is to ask, “Can I thank God for this?”
That joke, that YouTube channel, that way of interacting with your boyfriend or girlfriend — “Can I thank God for this?” If it does not seem proper to bring it before God with thanksgiving, then I think it is safe to say that it is not pleasing to the Lord.
If you can thank God for it — and you are not mistaken — then you can say that He is pleased by it. So as you walk, “try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”
Paul has told us what not to do — to “not become partners” with the sons of disobedience (Eph 5:7). Paul has told us what to do—to “walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8). And now, for our remaining verses, Paul is going to flesh out those negative and positive commands.
So what does it look like to walk as children of light? It looks like “Tak[ing] no part in the unfruitful works of darkness...” (Eph 5:11). Do you see the contrast with the fruit of Ephesians 5:9? But he continues — “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness... but instead expose them.”
So when Paul told us not to “become partners” with the sons of disobedience (Eph 5:7). Or here, to, “Take no part...” in their works. He is not saying we should avoid non-Christians. No, that’s not what Jesus did! He broke bread with tax collectors and sinners and it pleases Him now when we invite our unbelieving friends over for dinner.
This is not a call to avoid non-Christians. This is a call to be distinct from them — and to “expose” that their works are unfruitful. We do this by shining our light — by living out that which is good and right and true — not putting it under a bowl or a basket.
And when we do this, when we walk with a spiritually provocative life and speak with Godward gratitude for His grace toward us in the gospel, it exposes the rottenness and bitterness and barrenness of life apart from Christ. And here, God’s Word calls us to that very action!
After all, cockroaches will roam and crawl in the dark of night. But when that light switch flips on, when they are exposed, that is when they scatter and flee. There is nothing appealing about cockroaches — and there is nothing appealing about sin. Ephesians 5:12 reads, “For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.”
Here is how Spurgeon put it: “Sins are ‘works of darkness.’ They delight in concealment. They are not fit to be seen. They flourish in the darkness... There is no true light, no real joy, in sin. The man who pursues sin goes from blackness to a deeper blackness, and in the end his portion will be darkness unbroken by a ray of hope.”
Let us walk as children of light. We cannot take part in these shameful works. We must expose them.
Oh beloved, we are light, in the Lord, so let us walk as children of light. We cannot take part in these shameful works. We must expose them.
And in Ephesians 5:13-14, we see two amazing effects of what God can do when His children walk and shine.
First, Ephesians 5:13, “But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible...” The light of Christ, shining through His people, exposes sin for what it is, it becomes visible. It might look okay or even desirable in the dark but not when the light comes on. It is exposed, and it becomes visible. And I think we got that — that makes sense.
Now what’s truly amazing here is the next effect. Ephesians 5:14 says, “For anything that becomes visible is light.” Sin is exposed and thus, made visible. And then, that visible sin is now transformed! Into light!
God uses us to shine the light of His glory to expose sin and bring about conviction, changing dark sinners into radiant saints! Sons of disobedience into children of light!
In other words, light shines and darkness dies.
That is why Paul sums up all this section with a most fitting conclusion in the second half of 14 — “Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’”
Likely, this is an early Christian hymn. Many think it would have been sung at baptisms — marking that change of spiritual condition, “You were darkness... and now you are light, in the Lord.”
This hymn draws from a few places in Isaiah. So yes, even the first Christians were committed to singing biblical truths— putting the truth of the Bible into song. If you have not noticed, that’s what we aim for here too — clear biblical truth, and loud congregational singing.
There are two commands: awake and arise. It is sounding forth the call of the gospel and giving life to the dead. And it ends in one amazing promise: “and Christ will shine on you.”
This is the testimony of every Christian. We were darkness. We were dead. And Christ had mercy on us.
If you are here today, and you are not yet a follower of Jesus, this call goes out to you. Do not slumber, do not wait and do not presume upon tomorrow. Awake and rise. Jesus’s death and resurrection Is the only way you can be forgiven of your sins. The only way you can know God as your Father and the only way you can find the strength to walk in the light. Turn away from the darkness and come to the light.
Remember that teenage boy? The one who needed strength? He was born in the 4th century in North Africa and was named Augustine. Perhaps you’ve heard of him before. For years, Augustine’s life was characterized by Ephesians 5:3-4. He was in darkness because he was darkness. And then, light shined and darkness died.
He wrote, “There was a small garden attached to the house where we lodged ... I found myself driven by the tumult in my body to take refuge in this garden, where no one could interrupt that fierce struggle in which I was my own opponent ... I was dying a death that would bring me life ... I grabbed my hair and hammered my forehead with my fists... In my misery I kept crying, ‘How long shall I go on saying ‘tomorrow, tomorrow’? Why not now? Why not make an end of my ugly sins at this moment... All at once, I heard the singing voice of a child in a nearby house... Whether it was the voice of a boy or girl I cannot say, but again and again it repeated the refrain, “Take it and read, take it and read...” “Instantly, I stood up... feeling urged to take up my book of Scripture... and to read.”
You know the first passage he opened to? It is a parallel passage to our text today. Romans 13:13-14 says, “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
He knew what he had to do. And now finally — in the Lord — he had the strength to do it.
He wrote, “In an instant, it was as though light flooded into my heart and all the darkness was dispelled... How sweet it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose ... You drove them from me, you who are the true, sovereign joy... you drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure.”
The ensnared sinner became a faithful pastor. And Augustine would become, as one scholar put it, “After Jesus and Paul, the most influential figure in the history of Christianity.”
He was darkness. He became light. And he walked as a child of light.
Beloved, let us walk as God’s children, by God’s strength. Because we were darkness. But now we are light, in the Lord.
So let us walk and shine.
Let us pray.