Thank you again Mark for leading us this morning. Good morning to everyone. Hope you're having a great day in the Lord. 

We are continuing our study in the book of Ephesians this morning in chapter 5, and this is a section of practical application, instructing us on how we should live in light of who we are, as we've been talking about. What's interesting is when you get into application, where the rubber really meets the road and the doctrine is applied in your life, then it gets to be a little bit uncomfortable. So when we come to these sections, we need to think through what God says, what the truth is, and this section is all about the light, the truth, speaking the truth, living the truth. 

Paul began back in 4:1 imploring us to walk in consistency. The words were with equal weight, according to who we are in Christ, and he continues this instruction, making application to how we walk, how we live within the various relationships in this world through the end of the epistle. What we notice as we study the words before us is that Paul continually takes us back to who we are in Christ and what we have in Him as a foundation, as a solid reasoning as to how we should now live.

In this section, he's been using the metaphor of darkness and light. If you look at chapter 5 verse 8, he says, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." 

We see Paul pick up the same language in our text today: darkness and light, walking in the light, exposing the darkness, finding out what the will of the Lord is from His word and walking in it. Light exposes darkness. Truth exposes error, and we are light in this world in the sense that we bring the truth of God's Word as a light in our lives to expose that which is dark, that which is false. Where there is light, there cannot be darkness.

Well, you can imagine with me one of our dark nights up here, one of those nights where you cannot see your hand in front of your face—no light in the woods, no cities nearby, just total darkness. I remember one time when my brother was up from the city visiting, and he was staying at our camp up in Pence. He'd been there many times, but it was a long walk in from the highway. We had been fishing for salmon out on Lake Superior and got back well after dark. He told me to drop him off at the road, and he would walk in since I was pulling the boat. 

I told him that it's a lot darker here than it is in the city, and he didn't have a light. This was before we had iPhones. He said, "I'll be fine." So, I dropped him off. Well, he couldn't see anything and he felt his way down the road, but he took a wrong turn at the Y in the road and he ended up at the neighbor's cabin. He said he was feeling the deck and up the walls and he couldn't find the door, and then he realized he was at the wrong cabin, groping in the darkness. 

This is a picture of our world and those who walk in darkness. But do you know in that kind of darkness, even the smallest light would drive it away? If we would have had one of those little, remember when you get a happy meal or something and get those little squeeze lights? If he'd had just a light like that shining into the darkness exposing what was hidden, he would have had no trouble finding his way down the right path. Paul is giving us this picture. 

We used to walk in this kind of darkness. We used to be darkness, lost and groping our way through the world in Adam, and we lived in darkness and sin, driven by the lust of the flesh, by the sin that dwells in us. But now we are no longer darkness; rather, we are light, and therefore we walk in the light. 

I think about the difference of walking that long road into my camp on a bright sunny day, breeze blowing through the leaves, sun shining down warm on your shoulders. I see my brother practically crawling, stumbling, not knowing what was before him, lost in the darkness, ending up at the wrong place. This is the walk of the world in darkness. But for those who are in Christ, we walk in the light with a spring in our step, a song in our heart, and thankfulness to God on our lips to our Savior Jesus Christ. 

It is our purpose. It is our calling to walk in the light, to walk in the Spirit, to shine the light of truth into the darkness of this world, exposing the darkness, living in the light. And this is where it gets a little bit difficult. 

Let's look at our text together, Ephesians 5 verse 13. Paul writes, "But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore he says, awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." 

See then that you walk respectfully, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is, and do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

I've given you six points on your outline this morning: First, speak the truth; live the truth. Second, come out. Third, careful now. Fourth, know the Word. Fifth, spirit-filled singing, psalms, giving thanks. And finally, submitting to one another. 

Verse 13 again: "But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light." This is a somewhat difficult, but interesting verse. The main message here is that we are again to live in consistency with who we are, with the emphasis being on our speech and holy living, being light that exposes the darkness of who the lost man is in Adam. 

The language has a view to bringing the darkness into the light, making it light. So the focus out of verse 12 is on all these works of darkness, but the conclusion or consequence of shining light into that darkness on the lost who are in darkness is the lost becoming light, bringing them into the light. Cambridge quotes, "The drift of this is somewhat different; it is a somewhat difficult verse, suggested by the context seems to be you are light in the Lord. Use this character upon the surrounding moral darkness in order to bring the rescue of its victims that they may also become light." 

Nothing but light will do this work. No conquest over darkness, literal or spiritual, is possible except through light. One evidence of this is that every such real consequent conquest results in the subjects of darkness becoming, now subjects of light, becoming lights. More briefly, he says, "You are light. Keep pure then, but shine far into the dark." 

In another quote, Peter teaches us back in 1st Peter 2. Let's turn to 1st Peter 2:9. In 1st Peter 2:9 he writes, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people." Now here, why did God call us out? Why did God save us and transform us and regenerate us and make us His own special people? "That you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 

"Who once were not a people, but now are the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims," you'll remember that those words mean that we live in the world, amongst—we used to say down south—amongst the pagans, right? Sojourners, pilgrims. He says, "Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." 

This is the exact same message. We see Paul say this twice in chapter 5 and in our text, and Peter makes it clear here. It's a beautiful structure. Go back to Ephesians 5 and look at verse 7. In verse 7, he says, "Therefore do not be partakers with them, for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." 

For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. The same points are made in Peter: Do not be partakers with them, put away fleshly lusts which war against the soul, and then he gives the reasoning, the sweet reasonableness, if you will, for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. 

Peter said you are a chosen generation, once not a people, now the people of God. So live such a good life among the pagans, so that they will see the light. Then Paul says in verse 9 that the Holy Spirit is the power to live this life, walking by the Spirit, and the means is the Word of God and faith, finding out what the will of the Lord is. If you go down to our text in verse 13, he lines out those same points and he instructs us with the exact same principles and instruction. 

He says you are light. Walk as light. Walk carefully, finding out what the will of the Lord is. Do not partake or fellowship with the works of darkness. Do not be drunk with wine, but be being filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit, and the light that you are will make manifest the darkness that the lost man is. 

I can't emphasize enough what the words are saying here, and this has some very practical applications for us. I think that this can be a tricky thing for us in the church. In this world, what does it mean to expose the darkness? What does it mean to shine the light into the darkness? How do I practically apply that? 

Take for example what the world is celebrating this month: sinful pride. Pride is highlighted as the root of sin and all sins in the Word of God. Proverbs 8:13, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance, and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." 

"When pride comes, then come shame, but with the humble is wisdom. By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom. A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor." Humility comes from a right estimation of ourselves and of God. Pride is the opposite of this and is the sin of exalting ourselves above who we are, thinking more of ourselves than we ought. 

The essence of the gospel is grace, is humility—that I am darkness, a sinner deserving only of hell and death. It is only God's love, mercy, and grace in the person and work of Jesus Christ that can save me from God's wrath. And even as a believer, grace is all I have. God's grace: nothing is from ourselves, nor are we sufficient of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. 

So what does this mean for my attitude, my life? It means thankfulness. It means dependence. It means humility. Pride is a sin and it's interesting to me that those of the world would choose this word for the celebration of all kinds of sin and also that men and women would define themselves—who they are, as Jordan Peterson said—by their basest carnal desires rather than all the remaining details of their lives. 

I would never think to define who I am or describe myself, or my personality, my nature, my being simply by what happens in the bedroom. I am much more than that. And yet we see this as the public celebration, as the great affirmation given a whole month in our society and culture. Drive into Ironwood, Michigan in the UP, vloggers and minors, and look at the celebration of sin. 

Every person is so much more than this—a precious creation of God bearing the image of God, with a heart and a mind, and uniqueness, and gifts and talents, desire, hopes and dreams, heritage, history, accomplishments in their lives—and yet they reduce their identity to this one thing. And they're haughty and prideful, flaunting this in our face not to be tolerated, as they used to say, or to be loved as one for whom Christ died. 

But they want affirmation that their behavior is good and righteous and true, and it is that affirmation that we cannot give. As much as adultery or fornication or anything else, it is a lie to say that it is good. 

So how do we respond? How does the church, the light, the child of God respond? What is Paul telling us here? The emphasis here is that we were darkness, that lost men are darkness, and that we are now light in the Lord. The light makes manifest the darkness. 

The bottom line is we have to tell the truth. Speak the truth in love. It's not a matter of hate. There is no love apart from truth. I spent some time the day with a man I hadn't seen in many years, and we were out in creation on a beautiful sunny day enjoying nature. This man is very religious, a very accomplished man, well thought of in the community, successful, and he kept talking to me about creation and about God. 

All the while, there was the palpable presence of darkness—coarse joking, vile language, pride, setting himself above others, speaking of his brilliance, his prowess. Not really used to that—I don't really hang out with those kinds of people, you know. 

It was not the environment—the beautiful day in the Northwoods, sun shining, birds singing—amazing, you and I could have had wonderful fellowship there in that time, in that place, singing the praises of God. But no, the problem was that he is darkness, and that's the message of the verse before us. He does not understand that he's darkness. He believes in a sort of New Age spirituality that he is far more enlightened than we are, and yet I had not been around such a manifestation of darkness coming from him, sort of polluting that wonderful environment. 

I want you to understand what Paul's saying. The lost man, whether he be vile and wretched, a drunkard, an adulterer, or whether he be a moral and religious man speaking of his God, his religion, appearing to be a pillar of the community, he is darkness. And my brother, my sister in Christ, you are light, and the only way that the darkness can be light is if the light makes manifest the darkness. 

How do we apply this? We see it in the flow of our text as well as in many other New Testament places. You are light—this must be understood first. This is the first three chapters of Ephesians, as we've emphasized. Who you are, what you have in Christ. You are light, and therefore you must walk as children of light, beginning in 4:1, emphasized over and over through our text. 

He says don't be partakers with them in darkness; don't have fellowship with them in their evil deeds. Rather, expose the darkness by being light, and in this way, and only this way, will their darkness be made manifest to them so that they may become light. So when you are with a lost person and they start to tell dirty jokes, how can you be light? Don't fellowship with them in that, and certainly don't pull out your best dirty jokes and partake in the darkness. 

The message here is to live in consistency with who you are, to speak the truth and to live truth. With the lost, speaking truth is primarily centered around the gospel because this is their need, but we must always speak truth. We do not need to attack them or even their many manifestations of the darkness in them. 

In other words, the problem of the drunk is not that he drinks, so beating him over the head with that probably isn't the answer. Rather, he drinks because he is a drunk. He is darkness. He sins because he is a sinner. We need to bring him into the light, yet in this we do not affirm drinking. You see? 

We do not encourage it or recognize it as right, and we certainly should not partake in it with them. This is all part of our witness, and in the same way, we do not affirm the aberrant sexual pride going on in the communities and world now. We speak the truth, and we live the truth, and so we do not affirm or approve of the darkness with our words, and we do not confuse the issue by partaking with them in their evil deeds. 

We speak the truth, and we walk in the light as children of light. So how does this work out practically? Well, if someone says to you, “All religions are the same,” this might be a time for you to speak some truth. Or if a man says, “I want you to refer to me as she or her,” this is a time for you to speak the truth. Do not lie. You don't need to go out and aggressively fight this issue, but you do need to speak the truth and not tell lies of affirmation. 

Some might say, “Well, that's not loving,” or “That will offend.” The issue is speaking the truth and living in righteousness. There's no love apart from truth, and let me remind you of Peter's words: when they speak of you as evildoers, they will be offended at the truth. But it is only the truth that can shine light into the darkness, make manifest their condition and who they are, so that they might realize their need and come out of the darkness, come out of the darkness and become light. 

So we don't have to be fighting all the evil of the world or trying to correct it. What we must do is walk as children of light, which means speaking the truth, first and foremost concerning the gospel, but in all areas of life. And then we must live in righteousness, separate, different from the world. 

In short, we must live such a good life among the pagans. We must make manifest darkness by light. Look at verse 13 with me again: "All things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore he says, awake you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." 

"You who sleep," this is a gospel verse in my opinion. This is a call. Your darkness has been made evident by the light, the words and witness of those who are light. Now you come out of darkness, awake, arise from the dead, receive the truth, the light, and Christ will save you, will give you light. 

There could be an application for believers in this verse, if you're partaking in darkness, living like the world, then you're not making manifest the darkness, you're not shining a light into who the lost man is and showing him his need. If that's true, then you need to come out and live like the one who has been raised out from among the dead as a child of light so that you can expose the darkness. 

And my friends, this is why we must walk circumspectly, carefully. Verse 15: "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." 

This word translated "circumspectly" is wonderful. It speaks of exactness, accuracy, diligence, carefulness. I love the illustration of stalking a white-tailed deer. Think about stalking up on a big buck with your bow—nearly impossible. He has such keen hearing, eyesight, sense of smell. All these things keep him alive and have allowed him to reach this size and age. How carefully must you gauge your approach, place your steps in order to get close to your prey? 

We had a man from Sweden come to hunt white tails with us many years ago. His name was Magnus. He was a very quiet, gentle guy, but he was reluctant to sit in a tree stand, and we'd set up a guide service down southern Indiana where I'm from. He wouldn't go up in the tree. We thought he was afraid of heights at first. He wanted to sit on the ground and stalk the deer. 

Well, in our minds, this was nigh to impossible in the October forest floor. In southern Indiana, leaves and sticks and no cover—it's much better to sit in a tree. So we went to Anders and we said, “Hey, I think he's afraid of heights, and I don't know what's going on.” Anders said, "You just put him where the deer are, and he will kill them." 

So we dropped him off on an oak flat on a lake, and he put on his special hunting slippers that he had made from a seal that he killed in the south of Sweden. He went off into the dark with his bow. When we came to pick him up at lunchtime, he had two does gutted and lying on the lakeshore waiting on us. Impressive. The next day, we put him on the end of the lake we were staying on, on a deer trail on top of one of the stripper knobs made by the coal mining 80 years ago. 

I was fishing that morning out on the lake while they were hunting, and Magnus called me and he said, "I have shot a buck in self-defense." He was sitting on the trail, stalking just below the crest of this hill. He heard the buck coming and he went down on one knee and drew his bow. When the buck crested the hill at about four yards, Magnus shot him in the chest, and as he rolled down the steep hill below, Magnus knocked another arrow and put one directly through his heart before he came to his final rest in the bottom of the valley. 

I never doubted him again. Magnus hunted carefully. He walked circumspectly with exactness and forethought and planning to approach his prey. 

How is it that you walk day by day in your Christian life? Do you have a careful, thoughtful planning in your steps, a clear goal in mind? Do you walk with accuracy and exactness, carefulness in order to live the way that facilitates the accomplishment of this goal—to be a witness, to shine the light into the darkness? This is the way that Paul prescribes. 

We must be making wise use of our time, buying up the valuable moments, making the most of our opportunities because evil is taking over during this time. The evil deeds of darkness are coming out into the open, and our world is affirming these things as God gives them over to their sin. The days are evil. We must redeem the time and not walk carelessly as fools, but rather constantly, continually be renewing our minds to the will of the Lord, to the Word of God. 

Careful now, careful now as you walk. Know the Word of God. Know what the will of the Lord is so that you might walk circumspectly and be the light that manifests the darkness. 

And we go back to Paul's words at Ephesians 4:22, where he says that you have put off concerning your former conduct the old man, which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Remember that verb there is in the aorist tense, speaking of a one-time accomplished event in the past. Don't be trying to put off your old man; you have put off your old man. 

Then in 23, he says present tense, "And you are being renewed in the spirit of your mind." And verse 24, again the aorist, "That you have put on the new man, which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness." 

Be being renewed in the spirit of your mind to the truth of the Word of God, the will of the Lord, finding out what is acceptable to God. And walk not in the ways of the world but be controlled, filled, influenced—not by alcohol or drugs or the philosophies and wisdom of men—but be being filled, controlled by the power of the Holy Spirit living in you. 

In Ephesians 5:17, Paul says, "Therefore do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is, and do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation, but be being filled with the Spirit." 

Remember the repeated structure that we've seen here in our text and in our previous text as well as in Peter: This is who you are, therefore this is how you live, so that you might show the lost who they are, and that they might become light in the Lord. 

And this life and light, such a good life lived among the pagans, is lived in the Spirit, by the power of the Spirit, under the control of the Spirit. He is our power and our resource. 

Turn back to Ephesians 1:17 with me. Paul's praying here. There are two prayers in the book of Ephesians, chapter 1 and chapter 3. Here he says he's praying that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. 

The very power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you to accomplish God's will and purpose. If you go over to 3:16, he's praying again. He says that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

It is the divine nature that has been given to us; it is the power of the Holy Spirit, the very life of Christ living in and through us by faith. This is what empowers and strengthens us as we abide in Him, to live this life of light in consistency with who we are, to manifest the darkness and bring men from darkness to light that they may be light through the grace and mercy of God. 

So we do not live by the letter, but by the Spirit. Paul says, "For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." We must be being controlled by the power of the Spirit in us, and this is done by renewing our minds to the Word of God, finding out what the will of the Lord is by His Word, and living in dependence on Jesus' life and power in us. 

Sanctification, Christ-likeness, holy living, is by grace through faith, abiding in the vine. We see the fruit of this in our last points: first, spirit-filled singing, psalms, giving thanks, and then finally, submitting to one another. 

He says, "Be filled with the Spirit," verse 19, "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God." 

Boy, I'd like to have that for my life. Wouldn't you like to have it? Stop grumbling and complaining. Be thankful. Singing psalms and hymns and praise the Lord. Submit yourself to one another. 

Here we see that the truth, that we were darkness and now are light, means that our mindset, our thinking, our attitude, and our living will sit in stark contrast to that of the world. Think again about my brother groping in the darkness down that camp road trying to find his way. You can imagine stumbling, grumbling, cursing, lost in the darkness. Jim knows my brother. He'd be cursing, wouldn't he, Jim? 

Now think about that sunny, beautiful afternoon, taking a stroll down the road through the beautiful trees, a pep in your step, a song in your heart, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Singing His praises, His goodness, seeing His hand in the creation all around you. 

All things are of God because you're a new creation in Christ. This is the picture. This is the contrast. My friends, this is who you are if you believe Jesus. Notice the word thankfulness. This should define our attitude, our living, our relating to one another. Thankful to God because of His grace. Always thankful, with a heart of submission to God and to one another because of what He has done for us, who we are, what we have in Him, and the promise of what is to come. 

We are light. We must live as light. The world is out for number one. The world is in ever-increasing competition, walking over others to get to the top, using and abusing, selfish and malicious. It's stunning to see what men do to one another, how men think about each other and themselves. But we have not so learned Christ. We know the grace of God. We make a right estimation of ourselves by the Word of God, and the gospel brings humility to our hearts and minds and love for one another, esteeming others and their needs higher than our own. 

The opposite of the darkness of the world—hedonism, humanism, utter selfishness—is submission to place yourself under the needs and desires of others. And this we can only do in response to grace, to the love of God. And only He can live this life of love and submission out through us to others. 

But this is who we are. And my friends, this is the greatest desire of our hearts—that desire that God has put in us to glorify Him, to love and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to shine the light into the darkness, making manifest the darkness of lost men and bringing them through the good news of the gospel into the light as God makes them light, just as He did for us, solely by His grace. 

Thanks be to God. Praise the Lord for His marvelous works. Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're so thankful for Your Word, Your truth. We're thankful for this place that You've given us and our fellowship here, the people who want to know You, who want to know Your Word, who want to live for You, who want to be a light in the darkness. Help us to understand what that means practically day to day in the various situations in our lives. Help us to be wise, to know Your will, to choose to believe You and trust You, and by Your grace and power in us, to glorify You in all that we do and to bring men to Jesus. 

In His name we pray, amen.