Lights in a World of Darkness September 22nd, 2024
Shine the light of your Word on the path ahead, O God. Help us choose the way of your wisdom, so that we may bear fruit that is pleasing to you and shine your light into the world around us. Amen.
In today’s New Testament reading we hear of Paul setting up some guidelines for the members of the church in the city of Ephesus on how to be lights in a world of darkness. This was important, as the majority of them had come out of a pagan background and had a history of worshipping a variety of gods, the most well-known being Artemis, who was the god of nature and hunting. Similar to today, where many have false gods or idols that take up much attention and energy.
At the time of Paul, Ephesus was celebrated for the splendor of the Temple of Artemis which is known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. As well, it was also a major seaport on the Mediterranean and so had a diverse population who had landed there from throughout Asia and the Middle East.
The Ephesian church had been formed by a small group of followers of John the Baptist and also had been influenced by other early followers of Christ such as Priscilla and Aquila, and also Apollos. The disciple John also spent some time in Ephesus in his later life and wrote two of his three epistles while there.
Interestingly enough, John wrote his first letter to encourage the members of the churches in Asia in their faith, give them advice on righteous living, and to warn them of false teachers. These are the same subjects which the Apostle Paul addresses in the section from his letter to the church in Ephesus that we heard read this morning.
Paul begins with these words of warning, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore, do not be associated with them.” Here he is speaking of the false teachers and their variety of messages which were contrary to the teaching of Jesus. With so many different cultural backgrounds and pagan religions in Ephesus this was a constant threat to the church.
And Paul wasn’t the only one to give this warning, both the disciples John and Peter spoke against such heretics. Even Jesus himself gave similar advice, most notably in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, “‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.’” And things haven’t changed today, we too must always be on our guard against those who would lead us astray.
Paul then explains why they must always be cautious, he reminds them, “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.” Most of the members of the Ephesian church had come out of a similar background as those false teachers so the temptation was strong to slip back into their old ways.
Here Paul contrasts the believers’ past and present states. Before knowing Christ, they were in “darkness,” symbolizing ignorance, sin, and separation from God. Now, as followers of Christ, they are “light in the Lord,” which means knowledge, righteousness, and a close relationship with God. Paul encourages them to “live as children of light,” meaning their lives should reflect their new identity. The “fruit of the light” refers to the visible evidence of their transformation which shows in the way they conduct themselves and live a life in the light of the Lord.
And what does light mean? If we are to live in light, we have to know what light is. Light is a symbol in the Bible, and it symbolizes two things, truth and holiness. Living in light then, means living in truth and living in holiness.
On the contrast, darkness refers to ignorance and to evil. And you find this all throughout the Scriptures. Sometimes the Bible talks about darkness, and it means peoples minds are darkened. Back in chapter 4 of Ephesians, Paul had given a similar warning, he said, “Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.? (Ephesians 4:17-18) So light is knowledge, darkness is being blinded to knowledge, blinded to the Gospel.
After coming to faith in Christ, Christians undergo a dramatic transformation which Paul describes as having been transformed from darkness to light. In the Bible, salvation is never spoken of as a trivial matter. Those who are saved by faith in Christ are not merely improved, they are radically transformed. They have been delivered from death and given eternal life and they have been saved from a life of sin to a new life which is characterized by good works and love of God.
Becoming a Christian is not so much a matter of adding Christ to your life as it is abandoning your life to find true life in Christ. And when one thus trusts in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the change is not small. It is a radical transformation. It is a change from death to life, from darkness to light.
John, in the opening words of his Gospel presents Jesus as being “the light”. He writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not over come it. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light but came that he might bear witness of the light. There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him (John 1:1-10).
Paul then tells the Ephesians that they must be lights in the world, he writes, “Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light.”
Paul is urging the Ephesians to live in a way that is transparent and righteous, exposing and rejecting sinful behaviors, and seeking to understand and do what pleases God. In these words, he’s telling us that we must first of all seek to please the Lord. And to do so we need to avoid participating in sinful or immoral activities, which he calls “works of darkness.”
We can do this by making sure our actions align with our values and what we believe is pleasing to God. We should engage in and promote positive, constructive activities, such as volunteering, helping others, and being a source of encouragement and support in our community.
We need to try to live a life of integrity where our actions match our words. Being honest and open can inspire others to do the same and create a more positive environment around you. Being a light for others can give them hope and courage that is so needed in darkness. And finally, keep learning and growing in your faith and understanding. Make a regular routine of reading and studying the Bible and always remember to spend time in prayer.
Earlier, Paul had said that “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light.” And what that means for us, is if we walk as children of light, we will be good. If we walk as children of light, we will be righteous. If we walk as children of light, we will be people of truth. If we walk as children of light, we will learn what is pleasing to the Lord. We will be God’s people.
In summary, what Paul has said is that becoming a true follower of Christ calls for a completely new lifestyle and a new relationship with the world and with those who have yet to accept Jesus as their Saviour. Jesus is the light of the world, and all who call him Lord are to walk in the light and to walk as lights, just as he did when he was physically here on this earth. Let the Lord be your light and salvation.
Each Christian is a new self which has been created by God. But this new self does not live in isolation. Rather, each new self exists as a member of the body of Christ, joined in faith to the body’s other members. In this way, we live both with each other and for each other. As well, our new self is created to be active by doing good works and not to be inactive or isolated. Living faithfully together, worshiping together, spreading God’s light means allowing the Holy Spirit to work the will of Christ in all aspects of our lives so that who we are Christians are to live as Christians.
When Robert Louis Stevenson, best known for his novel, Treasure Island, was a young child, he was sick much of the time. He couldn’t go out and play like the other children, so he spent a lot of time watching at the window. One evening he sat and watched as a man came down the street lighting the gas lamps. His nurse said to him, “What are you doing?” “I’m watching the man knock holes in the darkness,” he replied. And what a beautiful picture. And we are called to knock holes in the darkness in Jesus’ name. We were made for times like these. Let no one despair. The darker the night, the brighter the light shines. It is precisely when the world is at its worst that the people of God should be at their best.
We aren’t called to save the world. Only God can do that. But we are called to make a difference. We can’t do everything, but we can do something. What we can do, we ought to do. Let’s go knock some holes in the darkness this week. Be God’s light!
Let us Pray:
Thank you, Father, that you’re a God of light, who sent the light into the world that we might become children of light, that our lights could so shine that we would light the darkness, and that all people would come to the light. Amen