October 9, 2011

Scotty Mccreery won the American Idol contest and his life has change. I mean it will never be the same. His life is one big stage and he is always on display. Of course Scotty professes to be a committed follower of Christ. It is critical that he be careful about what he says and does. He doesn’t just represent himself. He represents Christ.

But what is true of Scotty is also true for every follower of Christ. Our lives are on a stage. People who know we are Christians watch us. What we say and do is very significant.

In Eph.5 Paul refers to believers as children of light. So this morning I want to emphasis this truth. Believers must live as children of light.

 

I. TURN OFF THE CALL OF THIS WORLD IN YOUR LIFE. Eph.5:3-6

In the fourth century A.D. many men began to leave the pagan cities in order to live in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Arabia and Persia. Thomas Merton, in his book, “The Wisdom of the Desert,” writes, “In those days men had become keenly conscious of the strictly individual character of ‘salvation.’ Society, which meant pagan society,...was regarded by them as a shipwreck from which each single individual man had to swim for his life.” In other words, these early followers of Christ believed that in order to keep themselves unspotted from the world, they had to flee the world.

On the opposite side we read about Lot. Lot was Abraham’s nephew. Lot left Abraham and in Gen.13 we are told that Lot pitched his tents near Sodom. But in Gen.19 we discover that Lot owned a house in the city of Sodom. As you may remember, Sodom was a wicked, pagan city. In 2Pt.2:7-8, it says, “and if he [God] rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)....” Lot lived among pagans as was tormented in his soul at their depravity.

Ever since God has revealed himself to mankind, those who embrace God and his ways find themselves in conflict with the world. When we say, ‘the world,’ we mean, the thinking and conduct of society apart from God. In 1Jn.2:15 we read, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Here in Ephesians, Paul puts his finger on worldly ways of living that ought not be found in a Christian’s life. He speaks about sexual immorality, greed, and sinful speech. This is what we find in the world

What is included in sexual immorality and impurity? Well, let me give you a list. We are talking about incest, sexual promiscuity, the use of pornography, being with a prostitute, homosexuality, or any other kind of illicit sexual activity outside of marriage. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that we live in a sexualized society. Sexuality is powerful. It’s used to sell everything from cell phones to soda. It’s a staple of just about every movie and T.V. program available. The message that is proclaimed is that having sex in any way or any form is perfectly normal. Little recognition is given to the personal guilt and pain that sexual sin brings. Living together outside of marriage is the preferred way to see if marriage is even a possibility for you. (Let me just point out here that again and again, studies show that couples who live together before getting married, tend to divorce when they do get married far more than couples who don’t live together.)

But here’s my question. Are we tormented in our souls by this, or have we become accustomed to it? Men and women, let’s be candid. Sexual desires and temptations are strong. From what I can tell, generally men struggle more than women in this area. We have all fallen in one way or another. But as we grow and mature in Christ we seek sexual purity in the way we conduct ourselves. If you are living with someone outside of marriage, it’s sinful. If you are sleeping with someone outside of marriage, it is sinful. If pornography has a hold on your life, it is sinful. Paul says that this should not even be named among us.

So if this is an area of struggle for you, you need to take steps to unmask the problem and forsake it. As long as you keep it a secret you will be defeated. If you struggle with the internet, get a filter. Here at the church we have Covenant Eyes as our internet filter.

Then Paul mentions greed. Greed is the desire to have more and more. Our desires become more important in our life than God. Greed is idolatry. Obviously for many, greed is all about money, possessions, status and pleasure. But greed can be linked to anything, including sexuality. You can tell what you are living for by evaluating what you think about and pursue most in your life. What occupies your mind and your time the most? Is it your business, your sexual desires, the things you want? Complete this sentence, “All I really want is....” That might help you discern the place that greed has in your life.

Next Paul puts his finger on our speech. He says that Christians should drop all obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking. This kind of conversation springs from a dirty mind. We all know what a dirty mind is like. I hear coarse joking in the locker room every week. This kind of conversation should not be part of our speech. Instead, Paul urges us to focus on thanksgiving. Having a thankful heart draws us to God and his goodness. A thankful heart focuses our thoughts on that which is good and noble. Just try going through an entire day giving thanks to God. See what a difference it makes in your conversation.

Now we cannot leave this without seeing v.5-6. Those who consistently walk in these kinds of behaviors cannot inherit the Kingdom of Christ and God. Did you get that? You say, “Well when I was young I asked Jesus into my heart.” That is wonderful. But now, if sexual immorality, greed, and coarse speech is the way you roll in life, you had better think twice about your standing with God. This kind of a lifestyle is not in keeping with being a part of God’s holy people. This is why I say, “Turn off the call of this world in your life.” You ask how? Well...

 

II. TURN ON THE LIGHT OF CHRIST TO THIS WORLD. Eph.5:7-14

Now sometimes we think it would be wonderful to flee from the world and its influence, but we can’t really do that very well. In Jn.17 when Jesus prays for his disciples, he says that they are not of this world. They are in the world, but Jesus says, “the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” The goal for us as Christians is not to escape from the world. Rather we are called to let our light shine to the world.

Paul writes, “you are light in the Lord.” Don’t miss the significance of this. Who you are is light. In Christ your life is characterized by light. Now light in the Scripture is often used as metaphor for the things of God. When you repented of your sin and called upon the name of the Lord to be saved, you were brought out of darkness into light. Christ, the light of the world is dwelling in you, and that makes all the difference in the world. Just in case you are not sure what it means to be light in the Lord, Paul spells it out for us. He says, the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.” But look, in life we are presented with many choices and situations that we must deal with and we don’t always know how to honor God in any given situation, so Paul says, “find out what pleases the Lord.”

How do we do this? We do it by being familiar with God’s Word and in prayer. Many Christians think that the Word of God is an ancient book with little relevance to their lives. That is not true. It is an ancient book, but it is very relevant. I want to say something that not everyone may agree with, but I have come to believe it is true. When we consistently read the Bible we are not just learning bits of information. We are taking into ourselves the thinking and way of God. We are being informed, formed within as we read and reflect on God’s Word on a regular basis. As we fill our hearts and minds with God’s word, we will cultivate a heart and mind filled with the good things of God.

But there’s another aspect to living as children of light. In v.11, Paul tells us to “have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” In other words, let your light shine in the darkness. So how are we to go about exposing the deeds of darkness?

First, we need to heed what Paul says in v.7. We are not to become partners with those who walk in the dark ways of this world. The way we walk or live, must flow from the light of Christ within us. We will not participate in anything dishonoring to the Lord. So we won’t lie for our boss or anyone else. We won’t participate in the dirty conversations. We won’t expose ourselves to sexually explicit movies and the like.

And then we need to heed Eph.4:2. Our approach to exposing the deeds of darkness must be characterized by being completely humble, gentle, and patient. It’s not a time for us to be on our high horse in judgment. We are not the judge. Rather, we want to speak the truth in love, with concern for the overall welfare of those involved. Our goal is not to win, rather our goal is to shine the light of God’s goodness and purity in every corner of life.

Christian author and speaker Dennis Rainey recounts a story of visiting a clothing store with his 13-year-old daughter. While he was waiting inside the store for his daughter to pick out a sweater, Rainey noticed a life-sized poster of a young man who was completely nude. When Rainey asked to speak to the store’s manager, the following conversation ensued:

I shared with him that I had six children and was a good customer; then I said very kindly, “This picture ... I’m sorry, but it’s just indecent.” I thought I’d get agreement. Instead he quipped, “I beg to differ with you, sir. By whose standards?”

A little stunned by his response, I replied with measured firmness, “By any standard of real morality .... Sir, if that picture is not indecent, then I’d like you to get in a similar pose to that guy in the picture.” He looked at the picture, looked at my daughter, then back at me .... There was a moment of silence, full of anticipation. Then he shook his head and said, “Huh-uh.” I smiled and said, “You know, it’s a good thing you didn’t drop your pants, because you could have been arrested for indecent exposure.”

Then he replied, “If you think that’s bad, you should see our catalog.” So I went over and opened the catalog. One photo showed four teenage girls in bed with a boy .... I pushed the catalog back and said, “I’d like you take my name and phone number. I’d like someone from your corporate office to give me a call.” To which he politely said, “Sir, I can take your name and address, but they’re not interested. They really don’t care what you think.”

My response was kind but firm: “I just want you to know I’m only one customer. I’m just a daddy of six kids, but I have a lot of friends. And I want you to know that wherever I go, I’m going to use this episode as an illustration of a company that doesn’t care about the future of our young people, their morality, or the future of our nation.”

Dennis Rainey concluded this story with a challenge: One of the greatest lies of our day is that one man, one husband, or one dad can’t make a difference. As a single man, you can protect the innocence of a single woman you are dating by being a noble man of character .... As a husband and father, you are the warrior who has been charged with the duty of pushing back against the evil that seeks to prey on your wife, daughters, and sons. Stepping up to courageous manhood starts here. If you don’t step up, who will?

Suffice it to say that if we live or walk as children of light, we will expose the deeds of darkness just by our living with integrity. Of course, as we live in this way, people may be offended and angered because of our integrity. We may experience rejection, marginalization, and even persecution of some kind. On the other hand we never know when our Christ-like living may actually play a role in transforming unbelievers. In v.14 Paul quotes from an early confession or hymn when he writes, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” As the light of Christ is revealed in our lives, those who walk in darkness may wake up and turn to Christ.

As I have been thinking through Eph.4-5 I can tell that one of my frustrations in preaching is to communicate the reality of what Paul is saying. When I was a boy, sometimes my grandfather would say, “David, we don’t do that, or we do this, because we are Steinharts.” In other words, there is a Steinhart identity and since I am a Steinhart, what I do or don’t do is affected. But being a Christian, a Christ one, goes far deeper than any kind of family identification. If you have given your life to Christ and have become his disciple, then who you actually are has been transformed and is being transformed. God has given you a new life. It’s the very life of Christ. I am different on the inside and as I yield my body and mind to the Holy Spirit that new life will be expressed more and more in my speech and conduct.

 

Shawna Pilat had had enough. It was Sunday morning in January of 2000, and her husband, Rick, still wasn’t home from his Saturday night partying. “I was at home with my son, Drake, who was 3 at the time,” Shawna remembers. “It was very common for Rick to be out all night....I always knew there was unfaithfulness. That bothered me, naturally, but I was worried about Rick’s safety-that he was going to turn up some place dead. And that morning I was at the end of my rope.”

As Shawna angrily washed dishes in the kitchen, she noticed a man speaking on the television. She was quickly drawn to his message-he was funny and warm, and seemed to be speaking at her level. “I felt something come over me that I can’t explain,” she remembers. “I couldn’t quit crying. At the end of the program it said, ’Join us,’ and it gave the name of a church in Winnipeg. I couldn’t get my son dressed fast enough.”

On the way to the church, Shawna had one purpose in mind: getting emotionally strong enough to kick Rick out. She had tried using marijuana, alcohol, and various relationships to put Rick out of her heart. Now she thought she’d found the answer. But God had a surprise for her. At the end of the message, the pastor invited people to give their lives to Christ. Shawna raised her hand. “I never looked back,” Shawna says. “Three weeks later, Rick asked if he could join me at church.”

Rick knew that his behavior was hurting his family, but he was held captive to drugs and sexual addictions. After four or five weeks of attending church with his wife, he recognized his need for Christ. Still, the following months weren’t easy. “I was going to church and wanting to do right,” he says, “but I kept doing wrong.” It wasn’t until a Promise Keepers seminar that he finally came to understand the importance of repentance and accepting the forgiveness God offers through Jesus Christ. That day, Rick went home and told his wife, “I can be the husband you need me to be now.”

Rick and Shawna’s lives took a 180-degree turn that day. They became active in their church and through Promise Keepers began sharing the hope of God’s restoration and forgiveness with struggling couples. “When I think how Jesus can change people-no matter how deep in sin they are-that overwhelms me,” Rick says. “If he did it for us, he can do it for anybody.” (This article was taken from Decision magazine, December 2006). Well Christ changes lives and as we live in this world as children of light, God will use us to change lives. Amen