Introduction and Context

Weaver introduces the passage and reminds listeners that Paul has just warned against partaking in sins and being deceived about salvation. Walking in love is about obedience, not feelings.

Chapter 5, verses 8 through 14. This is still in the series, Walking with the Lord, and this is lesson number 10. So we will probably end up having 12 or 13, depending on how I can handle the last point. So, notice if you would, Ephesians chapter 5, beginning there with verse 8. The Apostle writes,

We've been talking about walking with the Lord and walking before the Lord, walking in faith, walking worthily, walking differently, and walking in love. Now we come to walking in light. And interestingly enough, in Ephesians chapter 5, verses 3 through 7, Paul has just warned these Ephesian believers that they are not to be like unbelievers. They were not to partake in the sins mentioned there in verses 3 through 7 basically. And also he tells us that we're not to think that those who engage in those sins are saved. And if anyone who thinks that way, he is certainly deceived. So he tells us to walk in love in this passage.

Please remember that I told you that walking in love has nothing to do with feelings, has nothing to do with emotions or sentiments. It does indeed have to do with obedience, because the Bible says that love is the fulfilling of the law, and obedience will always be distinguishable from disobedience. And so when you get to verse 8, Paul says, "For you were sometimes darkness, but now you light in the Lord, walk as children of light." Now, before he explains what it means to walk in the light, he reminds these Ephesians that they were once darkness. This reminder is therefore mentioned by the Apostle Paul in order to stir up their thankfulness, their gratitude, their love, and their remembrance of what God has done for them. The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter chapter 2 in verse 9, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, listen now, that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." So, he tells us that God has called us

We Were Darkness, Now Light in the Lord

Paul reminds believers they were once darkness itself, not just in darkness. Only light from outside can dispel darkness, and God is that light.

out of darkness. Now, the Greek word for darkness is the word skotos, and it literally refers to darkness, obscurity, and blindness. This word is used metaphorically to describe our ignorance of divine truth, our ignorance of morality, and even salvation. It's translated as darkness 32 times in our Bibles. Now the word darkness in this text describes what we were before God regenerated us and God saved us. The same word also describes people today who are unregenerate and unconverted. And I want you to note what the Apostle says in verse 8. Look at it very closely. He says, "For you were sometimes darkness, but now you light in the Lord." In other words, we were not just in darkness, we were darkness. And do you understand? Darkness itself cannot dispel darkness. If we are darkness, only light can dispel darkness, and the light must be from a source outside of darkness. Let me just give you some scriptures very quickly. Now, I want you to just listen.

We're going to be turning to a lot of them. But in Psalm 18 and verse 28, David said it like this,

So David said God is a source of light and God will lighten his darkness. Now God, in describing the wicked in Psalm 82 in verse 5, says this, "They know not, neither do they understand; they walk on in darkness. The foundations of the earth are out of course." So he says they walk on in darkness. Now when you get to Proverbs 4 and verse 19, he says it like this, "The way of the wicked is darkness; they know not at what they stumble." The way of the wicked is darkness. And we've looked at this passage before, but in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 14, where God is demanding separation, he says it like this, "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." Now listen, "For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? Or what communion hath light with darkness?" So he's now setting the stage and saying that there is a light and there is a darkness as well.

Walking in Light vs. Walking in Darkness

Using 1 John, Weaver shows that claiming fellowship with God while walking in darkness is a lie. There is no middle ground; one is either in light or darkness.

So walking in the light demonstrates and evidences that we're not in darkness. When one refuses to walk in the light, he's in darkness still. As I pointed out earlier, darkness is only dispelled by light. I want you to turn, hold in Ephesians chapter 5, first of all, to 1 John chapter 1. And you might as well mark and hold 1 John. We will come back there a little bit later. But look in 1 John chapter 1, if you would, and let's begin reading there at verse 6. I want you to note what he says. 1 John 1 and verse 6. Here John writes,

that is with God,

Now notice that. Anyone who says that he's having fellowship with God and he is walking in darkness, God says he's a liar. And he does not do the truth. Look in 1 John 2, verses 8 and 9. He says, "Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you," now watch, "because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth."

So, again, God says if there is no obedience, you're still in darkness. Skip down, if you would please, to verse 11. He says it again, 1 John 2, verse 11.

Now, here's something that you should consider. Men, according to the Scripture, either walk in darkness or they walk in light. And let me say this another way. Men are either darkness or men are light. There's no in between. You're either in the dark or you're in the light. You're either saved or you're unsaved. I used to tell people that being saved is like a woman being pregnant. Either you are or you ain't. There's no in-between. It's just that simple. And so that's what light and darkness symbolizes. You're either saved or you're lost. It's just that simple.

Now, I want to call your attention to Ephesians 5 and verse 8 again. Look what he says. "For you were sometimes darkness." That's past tense. "But now are you light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light." Now, he says that you're a light in the Lord. We're not light in and of ourselves. We cannot be light in and of ourselves. If we were in darkness, there's absolutely no way that darkness can light itself. We must be lighted by another. And the Apostle Paul makes that clear that the another is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I want you to hold Ephesians 5 but look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 4. Let me show you a prophecy concerning Christ. Matthew chapter 4 and we'll begin there with verse 14. Matthew 4 and verse 14. Look, if you would, at this prophecy. Matthew 4 verse 14. The Bible says, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond

Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up." Now watch, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And so Isaiah is prophesying concerning Jesus Christ. And he's talking about this great light and now Jesus Christ comes preaching. And notice if you would in verse 14, he said, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet." Well, where did Isaiah say that? And the answer is Isaiah chapter 9 verse 2, where he said, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." So, what we're being taught with this prophecy, and what the Apostle Paul is teaching us in Ephesians 5, is indeed that salvation is of the Lord. He is the light of the world, and that He must lighten our eyes, He must illuminate our minds, He must release our wills from the bondage of sin, and enable us to come to Him in repentance and faith. Now before we get back to Ephesians 5, I want you to turn in your Bibles

Christ as the Light of the World

Jesus fulfills Isaiah's prophecy as the great light. He claims to be the light of the world, and following Him means not walking in darkness.

Now, I want to call your attention to Ephesians 5 and verse 8 again. Look what he says. "For you were sometimes darkness." That's past tense. "But now are you light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light." Now, he says that you're a light in the Lord. We're not light in and of ourselves. We cannot be light in and of ourselves. If we were in darkness, there's absolutely no way that darkness can light itself. We must be lighted by another. And the Apostle Paul makes that clear that the another is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I want you to hold Ephesians 5 but look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 4. Let me show you a prophecy concerning Christ. Matthew chapter 4 and we'll begin there with verse 14. Matthew 4 and verse 14. Look, if you would, at this prophecy. Matthew 4 verse 14. The Bible says, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond

Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up." Now watch, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And so Isaiah is prophesying concerning Jesus Christ. And he's talking about this great light and now Jesus Christ comes preaching. And notice if you would in verse 14, he said, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet." Well, where did Isaiah say that? And the answer is Isaiah chapter 9 verse 2, where he said, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." So, what we're being taught with this prophecy, and what the Apostle Paul is teaching us in Ephesians 5, is indeed that salvation is of the Lord. He is the light of the world, and that He must lighten our eyes, He must illuminate our minds, He must release our wills from the bondage of sin, and enable us to come to Him in repentance and faith. Now before we get back to Ephesians 5, I want you to turn in your Bibles

to the book of John chapter 8. John chapter 8, because I want you to see what the Apostle Paul is really enunciating when he says that you're a light in the Lord and walk as children of light. So in John 8 and verse 12, I want you to look at the claim that Jesus Christ makes. John 8 verse 12,

So Christ says he is the light of the world and if we follow him, we're not going to be walking in darkness. We're not going to be doing the deeds of darkness, but we are going to have the light of life. Now if you will look in John 12 and verse 46, John 12 and verse 46. Again, Jesus Christ says it like this, John 12 verse 46, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."

Note,

Now, I want you to turn back to John chapter 1. Here's an interesting passage because John the Baptist is speaking, and of course it's being spoken about John the Baptist I should say. So notice if you would, John the Apostle is writing about John the Baptist and he says in John 1 in verse 6, "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." Now I want you to see what is said of the forerunner of Jesus Christ. "The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light," and notice the word Light is capitalized, "that all men through him might believe. He," that is John the Baptist, "was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." And then you go on down, and of course you find out that we're speaking here of Jesus Christ.

The Deity of Christ and the Light

Jesus' claim to be the light is a claim to deity, as God is called a sun and light in the Old Testament. The Jews understood this and accused Him of blasphemy.

"No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Note, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield." Now, God is likened unto the sun, the giver of light. If you will look in your Bibles now to 1 John 1 in verse 5, we did not read that verse earlier, we read verse 6. But notice what the Bible says concerning God in 1 John 1 in verse 5. John writes, "This then is the message that we've heard of him and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Now, let me show you what I'm trying to do. I want you to look now in your Bibles to the book of Malachi chapter 4, that's the last book in the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 4. And I want you to understand that this is a messianic title, and you can understand from this, I'm sure, how Jesus Christ is claiming to be the light of the world.

I want you to watch. Malachi 4 and verse 2, "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts." Now go back and look at verse 2. "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings."

So Jesus Christ is claiming to be the light of the world. Since in the Old Testament the sun was a representative of God himself, the true giver of light. Now we read about the Sun of Righteousness arising. I want you to understand that Jesus Christ isn't only claiming this messianic title when he claims to be the light of the world. He is also saying, I am God.

Now, there's a passage in the Bible, 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. It says this, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." But note what he said, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh." Now, Jesus Christ claimed to be God over and over in the scripture. I want you to look in John chapter 10. I want you to see that the Jews understood the implication of Christ's claim in this passage. In John 10 and verse 30, look what our Lord says. John 10 verse 30,

Now, Jesus Christ was calling God his Father. Moreover, he says,

So he is identifying himself now with God the Father. We know that there is one God. One God who has revealed himself in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But he said,

Now look what happens. Because the Jews understand this implication. Look in verse 31.

Wow! You know, every time I get to this passage and read it, I always smile. And the reason I smile is because of the stupidity and the ignorance and the blindness of unsaved men. They got it backwards. Note what they said. In verse 33, "The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." No, no, no. God made himself man.

That's the way it is. That's why the Bible says in Philippians 2,

So it was not man making himself God, God had made himself man. So Jesus Christ is saying, I'm the light of the world. The Apostle Paul says that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. If Jesus Christ is the light of the world and we are his children, we are indeed children of light. Now look back in your Bibles to Ephesians 5 and verse 8. Look what he says. Watch this carefully. "For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."

The Duty to Walk as Children of Light

Believers are children of light and must not walk in darkness. Walking in darkness is dangerous and foolish; believers are to be sober and watchful.

So we have a duty, we have a responsibility, we have an obligation to walk as children of light. We're not to walk in darkness. Walking in darkness is not only foolish, it's dangerous. I dare say probably everyone in this room has gotten up out of bed during the night without a flashlight, without turning a light on, and you either stumbled and fallen or at least you've stubbed your toe, as we say, you've run into something. Yeah, but I have known of people who actually stumbled and fell and killed themselves. In fact, it happened to two recently. So I'm just simply pointing out the fact we're to walk in the light.

Well, let me show you some scriptures. I want you to turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Then we're going back to John 12 and then Romans 13. Okay, so let's look at our Bibles, if you would please, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Notice if you would please verse 5. What does the Apostle tell us? He says,

So if we're in Christ, we're children of light. We're children of the day. We're not of the night. We're not of darkness. Well, what does it mean to be children of light and children of the day? He says,

Notice, if you would, there's a vast difference here between children of the light and children of the night. Hmm. Look in your Bibles at John 12 and verse 35. John 12 verse 35. Our Lord says it like this, John 12 and verse 35, "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light." So he said, I'm here with you, and as long as I'm here with you, you walk in the light, that you may be the children of light. Then if you look in Romans chapter 13, and we will probably come back to this passage as well, but look in Romans chapter 13 and notice if you would verse 12. Romans 13 and verse 12. Here the Apostle says, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."

Now what is involved in casting off the works of darkness and putting on the armour of light? Well, he tells you in verse 13 and 14, "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." So over and over it is repeated that we are children of the light and if we are following our Lord, we are walking in the light. Now go back, if you would please, to Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 8. I want you to put all of these thoughts together because I'm going to show you how they mesh in this passage. So you have to ask yourself this question. Verse 8 tells us, "For you were sometimes darkness, but now you light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." What then are the implications of walking in the light? Well, he says, walk as children of light.

The Fruit of the Spirit and Proving What is Acceptable

Verse 9 is a parenthetical explanation: walking in light means walking in the Spirit and in truth, producing goodness, righteousness, and truth, and proving by experience what pleases God.

Now, I want you to note verse 9 and verse 10. He says in verse 9, "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord." Now, I hope that you have noticed that verse 9 is in a parenthesis. I hope you've also noticed that at the end of verse 8, there is a colon, which means, hold on, wait a minute, something else is coming, which is important. And in verse 9, there's a semicolon, which means that verses 9 and 10 go together. So, why is verse 9 in a parenthesis? In fact, you will find in the Bible many times there are words or there are clauses or sometimes a whole sentence that happens to be in a parenthesis. Why do you have a parenthesis? Well, let me tell you the use of a parenthesis. When you have something in a parenthesis, usually it is a word, a clause, or a sentence, and it is inserted as an explanation or as an afterthought into a passage that is grammatically complete without it.

Now, let me explain. Look in verse 8. "For you were sometimes darkness, now you light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." That could be grammatically correct right there. That's a sentence. You can understand verse 8 and you can understand verse 10 without verse 9. But the parentheses, here's what it does. The parentheses then puts in an afterthought or at least something else that will further explain the truth that is enunciated. So, verse 9 is put in the parentheses because it further explains what Paul meant by walking in the light.

Now, let me just point out. Paul is not giving us a complete description here of what it means to walk in the light. But what he is doing is this. He is giving us a few parts of what walking in the light consists and entails. He's showing us part of a holy and pious and godly life by way of example. So, look in verse 9. He says in verse 8, "For you were sometimes darkness, but now you light in the Lord, walk as children of light." Then he says, let me add this, "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth."

Now, before I explain verse 9, let me just remind you of something that you've heard today you may not have put together yet. But here it is. God the Sovereign is light. 1 John 1:5, "God is light, in him there's no darkness at all." So the Sovereign is light. Okay, the Son is light. Jesus Christ said, "I am the light of the world." The Spirit is light. He's the one that enlightens our minds and impresses us with the truth of God. So we have the Sovereign is light, the Son is light, the Spirit is light, but may I point out the fact that the Scriptures are light. In other words, the Apostle Paul tells us in Acts chapter 26 and verse 18 exactly why God sent him. Here's what he said, "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God." Well, what was Paul doing? He was preaching. Now, let me just show you how the Scriptures are light.

So, look in your Bibles, hold Ephesians 5, but go to 2 Timothy 1, and then we're going to 2 Peter. So, 2 Timothy chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 10. 2 Timothy. 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, notice 2 Timothy chapter 1 in verse 10. The Apostle Paul says this, "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." How did he bring it to light? Through the gospel. What? The gospel is light. It reveals the Son who is light, and it reveals the Sovereign who is light, and it's the Spirit who is light who gives us understanding. Now, turn right over to 2 Peter 1. 2 Peter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 19. 2 Peter 1, verse 19. Look what he says.

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed." Here it is. Now he's talking about the Word of God. "As unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

Now, since you understand the Sovereign is light, the Son is light, the Spirit is light, the Scriptures are light, go back to verse 8 and 9 of Ephesians chapter 5. He says, "For you were sometimes darkness, but now you light in the Lord: walk as children of the light: for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth." If you want to know what it means to walk in the light, Paul says walking in the light means that we're walking in the Spirit and that we're walking in the truth. And may I remind you that in John 14, John 15, and John 16, the Holy Spirit is specifically called the Spirit of Truth. It is He alone that guides us and leads us into goodness and righteousness and truth. So here's what Paul was saying, if you're walking in the light, you're walking in the Spirit, and you're walking in the Scriptures. Which now leads us to verse 10. That's why he says, "Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord." Now, how do you prove what is acceptable to the Lord?

And the answer is, by living it. By actually doing it. As we study and as we see the scripture, we find out what pleases God. That's how He's telling us how to walk. And we do it. And He blesses us.

Now, let me tell you something. I don't know everything. I don't even know everything about the Bible. There's a lot about the Bible I don't know. But I'll tell you one thing. After over 50 years of preaching, there are a number of things that I have proved in my life. I have proved the Word of God true in numerous ways through obedience. You can't out give God. You can't out mercy God. You can't help being kind. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whenever you please God and do that which is right, God's gonna always bless you and you're gonna prove it in your life. Now let me show you something. So here's what Paul is saying. We're to walk in the light. We're not to be children of darkness. We're to walk in the light. We're walking in the light, we're walking in the Spirit, we're walking in the Scriptures, and we're proving that which is acceptable unto God in our lives.

Now, I've told you that any time you come across a positive in the Scripture, you should always ask about the negative. And any time you come across a negative in the Scripture, you should always ask about the positive, because positive and negatives go together.

No Fellowship with Darkness, But Reproving It

Believers must not participate in unfruitful works of darkness but instead reprove them by exposing them to the light of Scripture, not by anger or human methods.

Now, what the Apostle Paul has done so far is he's given us all positives. Now he's fixing to give us some negatives, which is going to ultimately end up with a positive. So, I want you to watch this. If we are walking in the light, that is, we're walking in the Spirit and we're walking in the Scriptures, here's the negative. Look in verse 11. "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness." That's a negative. Here's a positive. "But rather reprove them." Wow. Wow. First of all he tells us we're not to have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. In all probability Paul probably has in mind the mystery religions of the heathen. It would certainly include anything that is wicked, ungodly, sinful, and rebellious, and contrary to the Word of God. So the command then not to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness means that we're not to be a partaker with, we're not to communicate with, we're not to join together with. We're not to be joined with such unfruitful works in any manner.

Now they're called unfruitful works not only because they are unbiblical, but because they're absolutely, totally worthless and useless. Many such unfruitful works oblige the initiated upon the pain of death to keep secret what they have seen, heard, and done. They're called unspeakable mysteries. There are people who take oaths that if they reveal anything that they have seen or heard, their tongue is to be torn up by the roots, their guts are to be ripped out and buried for the sea ebbs twice and twenty-four. I just crazy things. You know what our Lord said in John 18 in verse 20? Jesus said, "I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing." So our Lord was open with everything that he said and everything that he taught. Paul could also be referencing

here Gnosticism. John certainly preached against Gnosticism in 1 John very clearly. And Gnosticism was supposed to be a secret way to heaven through knowledge. And you had to be initiated, you had to have the secret passwords and all this secret stuff in order to be accepted by God. And we've got many cults and isms and schisms and everything else that goes through the same thing, you know. No, he says, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. That's a negative. But notice if you would, in verse 11, "but rather reprove them." Wow. Reprove them. Now, the word reprove is a very interesting word. It's from the Greek word elegcho. It's elegchō here. And it is answering to the metaphor of darkness. And here's literally what the word means. It means to drag them to the light. Yeah, convict them, yes. Convince them, yes. That's how the word is interpreted in the Bible. But it means, if we're going to reprove them, we're going to drag them to the light. We're going to expose them to the light. We're going to let them see their error. We're going to let them see their wickedness. You see, the truth of the matter is this.

The wicked always seek to keep their deeds secret. Many sins are committed in the dark. That's why you have these secret initiations and secret passwords and secret this and secret that. The Bible tells us about these wicked. And God says, no. We reprove them. We bring them to the light.

Now, I want you to watch verse 11. "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Why are we to reprove them? Here's why. Look in verse 12. "For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret." Well, there are all kinds of religions and there are all kind of initiations. You remember Corinth had five seaports. There was a huge temple in Corinth and they worshipped there through prostitution. I understand there were a thousand prostitutes at that one temple for the free use of the visitors. That's... and God says whatever they did in secret, it's a shame. You look in the Old Testament and you read about Baal worship and Moloch worship and it's... it's vile. So he says their lives and their actions and their conduct happens to be so shameful that we're not even to speak of that. Now look what he says in verse 13. "But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light. All things that are reproved," that is, rebuked, or convicted, "are made manifest by the light."

"For whatsoever doth make manifest is light." Now, how do we reprove the wicked? He said have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them, convict them, convince them, drag them to the truth. The reason being it's a shame to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. Now he says, "But all things that are reproved are made manifest," how? "by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest is light." I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of 2 Timothy chapter 4 and let me show you. 2 Timothy chapter 4. Let me try to give you a good illustration. Let's suppose that Pat has done something wrong. I like to use Pat. I like to pick on him. Let's suppose Pat has done something wrong and I just get so irritated with what he does and what he has done. Now I just cuss him out, I tell him off, I rip him up one side and down the other, I chew him up and spit him out as they say. Now here's my question. Although I may have relieved a lot of anger in myself, have I helped Pat? No.

I probably made an enemy, probably made him even madder, probably made him more determined. And if he found out that it irritated me that much, he'd probably keep on irritating me just because he's that big a sinner. You know, that's the way people are. You try to push me and I don't want to be pushed. I'll just show you, you know. Now, here's the thing. When he tells us whatsoever reproves or makes manifest is light, I want you to see what the Apostle Paul

tells Timothy. Watch in chapter 4 of verse 1 of 2 Timothy. He says, "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;" now watch, "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and" what's that last word? "doctrine." So, if Pat has done something wrong or is doing something wrong, instead of me cussing him out or getting angry and telling him off, what I should do is say, Pat, let me show you what the scripture says about your actions. Here's how God says your conduct is wrong. Here's how God says you're to change that conduct so that you can please him.

Now, I'm making manifest his wickedness. I'm exposing it to the light. I'm reproving it by the light. Now, hopefully he would repent. But if he doesn't, he still has been brought to the light. This has nothing to do with feelings, per se, and certainly our emotions oftentimes get involved, but it does have to do with doctrine.

Now, Hebrews 4, verse 12, most of you can quote it. Listen carefully. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." So if I'm going to reprove, rebuke, and convince, and drag someone to the truth, I better be using the truth. Hadn't I? I better be saying, here is the light. And the light is none other than the Word of God. Now, I want you to look at verse 14. After he tells us that we're the children of light, and we're to walk as children of light, he gives us a good example of how by walking in the Spirit and walking in the Scriptures. Then he tells us to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, rather reprove them, tells us why. He tells us how to reprove, and that is Bible light, the light of Scripture. Now he says in verse 14, "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Wow. "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall

give thee light." Now, we know that Jesus Christ is the light giver. No one can see anything without Jesus Christ. That's why he told Nicodemus in John 3 in verse 3, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven." Unless God turns the lights on, nobody's going to see. So here's the question. Does verse 14 apply to saints, or does it apply to sinners? Now look at it. "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Hmm. Now, there's plenty in the Bible about saints sleeping, and of course, arising from the dead. We understand that only God can quicken us. But do you understand that sleep, in reality, is a picture of death? In fact, the Bible talks about those who sleep in Jesus.

Awake and Christ Will Give Light

The call to awake from sleep is primarily to believers, urging them to wake from spiritual stupor and walk in the light Christ provides through His Word.

Now, Hebrews 4, verse 12, most of you can quote it. Listen carefully. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." So if I'm going to reprove, rebuke, and convince, and drag someone to the truth, I better be using the truth. Hadn't I? I better be saying, here is the light. And the light is none other than the Word of God. Now, I want you to look at verse 14. After he tells us that we're the children of light, and we're to walk as children of light, he gives us a good example of how by walking in the Spirit and walking in the Scriptures. Then he tells us to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, rather reprove them, tells us why. He tells us how to reprove, and that is Bible light, the light of Scripture. Now he says in verse 14, "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Wow. "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall

give thee light." Now, we know that Jesus Christ is the light giver. No one can see anything without Jesus Christ. That's why he told Nicodemus in John 3 in verse 3, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven." Unless God turns the lights on, nobody's going to see. So here's the question. Does verse 14 apply to saints, or does it apply to sinners? Now look at it. "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Hmm. Now, there's plenty in the Bible about saints sleeping, and of course, arising from the dead. We understand that only God can quicken us. But do you understand that sleep, in reality, is a picture of death? In fact, the Bible talks about those who sleep in Jesus.

Well, let me try to answer that for you. Are we talking about saints? Are we talking about sinners? Or are we talking about both? Well, go back in your Bibles to Romans chapter 13. And let's look at verse 11. Romans chapter 13 and verse 11. Look what he tells these believers. Romans 13 verse 11. "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Obviously he's talking to Christians. And if you look in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 1, he's talking to dear children. He's talking about walking in love. Now he's talking about walking in light. And so actually, in the context of Ephesians chapter 5, he's talking to Christians when he says, "Awake thou that sleepest."

In other words, wake up and learn how to walk. Wake up and learn how to live. Arise from the dead, that stupor that you're in, and Christ shall give thee light. Because Christ is the light of the world. He will give us understanding as to how to live and how to conduct our lives. If we're walking in the light, we are not walking in darkness. You cannot walk in the light and walk in darkness at the same time.

Now, let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. I hope you understand that for the child of God, the word of God is our light. David said in Psalm 119 verse 105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Thy word. We lighten our way by walking in the scripture. God's word is a light and a lamp.

Applications: Believers as Light and Motivation for Repentance

Believers are the light of the world as reflections of Christ. The Word is our lamp. The coming judgment should motivate repentance, as all secrets will be exposed.

Now, let me tell you something else that may shock you. You remember I showed you all these verses where Jesus Christ said, "I am the light of the world"? Let me show you a verse that may shock you. Look in your Bibles in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 14. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 14. Jesus has said, "I am the light of the world." Now if you look in Matthew 5 in verse 14, he says this, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." Well now wait a minute. If Jesus Christ is the light of the world, how can we his disciples, his followers, be the light of the world as well? Well, we're the light only because we have been lighted by him. He is not in the world physically today. He is here spiritually. That is true.

And He is here in us and through us. But may I remind you that the moon has no light of its own. The light you see on the moon is a reflection of the sun. And so we are a reflection of the light of the world, which is Jesus Christ. We're a reflection of the light of the Spirit and the light of Scriptures. So he tells us then, "Ye are the light of the world." Let me point something else out. I always tell people this is an excellent motivation to seek repentance. Our Lord will bring to light every secret of man and every secret sin, because he is light and light exposes darkness. In 1 Corinthians 4 in verse 5, the scripture says this, "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness," listen, "and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God." He'll make manifest the counsels of the heart. And then Paul said in Romans 2 and verse 16, "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." So all of these sins that men think that have been well hidden, but all of a sudden, be brought into full light. So that sure makes me want to make sure that my sins are forgiven. And I want to make sure that I walk in the light as he is the light. Paul is teaching us how to walk, how to walk pleasingly and acceptably to the Lord.

And if we're walking in light, we're walking in the Spirit, and we're walking in the Scriptures, because they are truth. And they are light, just like Jesus Christ is light and truth, just like God the Father is light and truth. Walk in the light as children of light. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And we pray that You would indeed teach us, Father, how to walk. And may we walk before Thee. May we walk in faith. May we walk worthily. May we walk differently. May we walk in love. And may we walk in light. And please Thee in all things. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.