San Antonio is a city that is known as "The City of light"
Every year right after thanksgiving the city bursts forth into color as millions of brightly colored lights illuminate the night sky. Unfortunately, the light on the outside is not a true picture of this city. It is a city of darkness. Violent crime has escalated. Gang warfare increases. Divorce is rampant. Homelessness rises daily. All symptoms of the darkness that is within the human heart. San Antonio is just a microcosm of the rest of society. We have already seen in the last message how depraved and immoral society is. Paul has been reminding us that we were once the same way, but now we are different. We were once darkness ourselves, but now, because we are in the Lord, we are light. The point here is that as darkness we were ineffectual in the world, because the world is by nature dark. When you introduce darkness into darkness it does nothing for it. It all just melts into one. But when you introduce light into darkness, the darkness disappears. That is what ought to be happening in a society where there is a strong Christian influence. The society improves.

So Paul reminds us of the fact and calls us to a response , "…now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light…"
Ephes. 5:8-13 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light [9] (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) [10] and find out what pleases the Lord. [11] Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. [12] For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. [13] But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

This is not the first time we receive this information. Paul is echoing the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Family, what Jesus, and then Paul are saying to the church here is more than a cute slogan to write on a T shirt or write songs about. He meant for us to do this thing. "Live as children of light", he says, and then goes on t talk about "fruit" that arises out of this living. Oh, Paul is so practical in everything he teaches. He means for it to be far more than simply head knowledge. He expects the church to make a difference by the fruit that is produced through living lives that are Christ like.

The phrase is in the present indicative and is in imperative form. Absolutely live as children of light. Taken from the root peripateo which is the root for walk. So that this living is not simply waking up and breathing, but rather a walking on in.

As we look at Paul's instructions here we can see that they are very similar to Jesus'

Notice the parallel in the words of Jesus in Mt 5:16 and Paul in Eph 8. Jesus says,"… let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven…" Paul says, "live as children of light, (for the fruit of light consists of ..etc).
This phrase speaks to us of:
I. The Potential Available
Ephes. 5:8-13 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
There is within every believer the potential to live a live worthy of the calling we have received. Paul does not say that we must go and light our candle over there in the dark. He does not expect us to create that light. The great news here is that we are light in the Lord. Christ in us is that light, and it now remains that we must walk in that light. We have the light. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world," and Paul said that it is Christ in us the hope of glory. Or as we say, "Christ in us the hope of glorious living." John 1:9 says that apart from Him, none of us have any light. Well, if Christ is in us, and he is the light, then we are the light, and we have the potential to shine. Every Christian can shine for Jesus, and in Matthew 28 He commanded us to do so. He wants us to do this. To allow Him to shine through us. But it takes surrender. It takes letting. Jesus said, "Let your light shine." Don't stifle it. Let the love of Christ shine out of your life. This is the potential available within us to shine.

The second parallel here speaks to us of:
II. The Proof That Attests
vs. [9] (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) [10] and find out what pleases the Lord. Jesus says, in Mt. 28:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Paul says that if we let our lights shine, that there will be proof of this in our lives.

This confirms again that this is a practical kind of righteousness. It is more than simply talking a good talk. It is more than knowing a lot of slick religious cliches, or arming ourselves with a few powerful Scriptures to fire at anyone who shows even the remotest tint of grey. This is practical faith. Living out His light in our lives. Doing and saying those things which are pleasing to the Lord. Those things which are a sweet aroma. Those things which bring glory to Him. We may say, "Well what things are those?" Paul says that it is our responsibility to find out what it is that pleases Him.

Now, it may well be that some things which are pleasing to Him may not necessarily be pleasing to us. That does not mean we avoid those things. He is the one that matters. Some would say, "If it is not pleasing to me, how can it be pleasing to Him. Surely only those things that I do for Him with joy are the things He wants me to do?" Family, that has to do with personal happiness. Christ is concerned with personal holiness. We never set aside holiness, responsibility and obedience based upon our personal comfort. Jesus' tears in the Garden of Eden were not tears of joy. They were tears of anguish as he cried out, "Father, let this cup pass from me, but nevertheless, not my will but yours" When we read about Paul's expectations in Acts 20, we see that he was not deterred by the discomfort and persecution that awaited him in every city. He said, "I consider my life nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. The task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

Here is one thing that pleases God. Testifying to His grace. Another is living pure lives. Another is demonstrating His love through acts of compassion. Another is fellowshipping with the saints. This one is so close to His heart that He made special provision for His presence in an unusual way when He said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." We don't have to look too far and too hard to know the things that are pleasing to Him. The things that bare fruit. On the contrary, the things that do not bear fruit, the things that are fruitless are all of the things that Paul instructs us to avoid. See Vs. 11. Have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness. The deeds of darkness bear no fruit. Only consequences. The deeds of light will always bear fruit, and it is in this that we see a third principal related to light bearing. We have seen the potential available, the proof that attests, and finally:
III. The Power That Is Activated.
Vs. 13 [13] But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
There is tremendous power that is activated when the believer allows the light of Christ to shine in our lives. When we are living in the light it is very difficult to continue a life of sin. In fact it impossible without serious consequences as Father disciplines us. Jesus had this in mind in Matthew 5:15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Jesus knows the power of His light to dispel the darkness and so He commands us to go public with that light. He wants us to shine His light through our lives so that the world may be exposed to the darkness of evil and turn to the light.

Now, we must be careful about how we live that light. Jesus and Paul are not saying that we must use this light as a tool to flush out the evil deeds of darkness.. When you are letting your light shine you don't have to look for the bad in everyone. It becomes exposed automatically. That bad that Paul is speaking of in vs. 11 has no desire to be around light, so it becomes exposed and ineffective. It is like a bunch of cockroaches. In our previous home there was a serious problem with those large water roaches. Especially in the garage which was always dark. They thrive in the dark. That's where they live. They only come out at night or in dark places. Whenever we opened the garage door from the kitchen, and turned on the light, these critters scattered. It was like the floor moved. That is what happens when you really live the life of Christ. That light is so powerful that it is impossible for darkness to prevail. So the light exposes and scatters the deeds of darkness.

But the light does something else. It reveals the fruit of righteousness. Vs. 9. These are the things that are authentic and that now become attractive to those who have been in the dark. This is the same idea promoted in the words of Jesus. He says in Mt 28:16 that we must live this light so that men may see our good deeds. The word "good" that Jesus uses here is the Greek word kalos which means beautiful, attractive, winsome. Winsome is the word I like, because it reminds me that if our lives are winsome, we will win some. And that is what it is all about.

This is what we are called to family. To be imitators of God. Living a life of love. This is the source of true light. The power of God's love. Not with a critical spirit. Not with consistent anger at the world for all of it's depravity and darkness. Not with hate towards those who would violate everything that is precious and good, but with the deep, deep love of Jesus shining as a beacon from our lives, exposing the rocks and reefs that the enemy has placed in order to shipwreck human life.

Family, this is only possible with Christ in us. This is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit living in and through us. The Bible says in John 7:37-39 that-"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive..."

The problem with believers today is that we are more like reservoirs than streams. We are keeping those rivers of living water to ourselves. Jesus calls this sin. He says that the light in us must not be covered, but that it must testify to the Father because of the good works produced in us. Those good works are produced through a life that is spirit filled and consecrated to Jesus.

Let me ask you something. Where is the best place to place lights?

A young Christian girl had just got her first job after graduating from High school. Her first day of work she was completely unprepared for the things she heard and saw. The language shocked her, and the lifestyles sickened her. In great despair she went home and told her Christian parents that she was not going back. She just could not put up with that kind of sin. In the middle of her complaining her dad asked, "Where do you place lights?" She shrugged the question off. What could that have to do with her problem? She carried on telling them all about the horror stories, and again her dad interrupted. "Honey, where do you place lights?" "Dad, what do you mean? You know that you place lights where it is dark." "Exactly" said her dad. As a Christian you are a light and lights are placed in dark places. You go on to work tomorrow and be careful to let your light shine before those godless men and women so that they may see you good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

In the new testament we read a story of a man who was demon possessed being brought to Jesus. Jesus healed him, and immediately the man said, "Let me come with you to where you are going" and Jesus' answer to him might be puzzling to us, but in essence He said, "No, you must go and live your new life in old places. Go and let your light shine where you used to live"

So we have heard the words of Paul, "For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.." We have heard the words of Jesus -"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify, be attracted to, be drawn towards, and come to know, your heavenly Father.." We have heard it, now we must do it.