When We Walk In The Light

From: August 16 – 22, 2011

Mega Zoe Christian Church Pastor: Edith Cruz

TOPIC: “When We Walk In The Light” Ephesians 5: 1 – 20 In order to live our lives properly we should follow the example that God gives us. What God does not accept we do not accept it either; these are decisions we take or we leave. The closer you are to God the more you will know Him and will be more capable of imitating Him. We should follow everything from God as the example. We must know how God is, imitate Him and practice what He lived and walked and dedicated His life. We must imitate God in His love and in His forgiveness. Jesus gave His life for us and His surrender was like a fragrant scent (Ephesians 5: 2) What Jesus did for you was like an aroma from a perfume to the Father. Paul uses the phrase “fragrant scent” because it was a typical phrase from the Old Testament, and he applies it to the sacrifice that Jesus presented to God on the cross for us. Jesus’ sacrifice was extremely pleasing to God. That sacrifice was the surrender of a life of perfect obedience to God and of a perfect love to men, obedience so absolute and a love so infinite that it finally led Jesus to the Cross and, therefore, was accepted by the Father as the greatest of sacrifices. Let us follow Jesus’ example. We can only do this by loving mankind with the same sacrificial love that Jesus loved us and forgave us as God has done with us.

Ephesians 5:3–5 Immorality in these days is something that is taken lightly, and some don’t even consider it a sin. They say that everything is well; they fornicate and do not want to get married. They accept that you can have other “lovers” and for this world full of sin this is fine. But Paul emphasizes on what moral purity is, the apostle was writing a list of sins which the normal pagans never dreamed of. Paul exhorts all this so seriously and clearly establishes the law of purity with great severity. We should be aware of the kind of debauchery and sinful society from which these Christian converts came from in Ephesus. Let us take into consideration that in the antiquity there is nothing, or throughout the history that is similar to the moral miracles that Christianity operated and operates in those who receive it. As Paul instructs in Verse 3, to not even mention these sins in our conversations; Paul warns the believers of those shameful sins which should not even be mentioned. It is said that the Persians (according to the ancient historian Herodotus) declared, “it should not be allowed to speak about the things that are not allowed to do.” So, to make jokes of something bad or filthy, or to use it as a normal topic of conversation, is to introduce it in the minds and therefore, bring it closer to the practice. Paul warns that some things are dangerous even in a conversation or a joke. It is a fact of the human nature that many books, comedies, and movies become famous simply because they deal with things that are forbidden and dirty. Be careful with all this and with the dishonest and vain words.

There are voices in some churches that teach you to think about the sins of the body as something slight and of little importance. Some teach that the body is not important, that what matters is the spirit; it is taught by those who have made themselves great teachers, but God is the Creator of both the body and the spirit, and we cannot separate one from the other. Jesus Christ sanctified us forever; the flesh and the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The teaching of Christianity is that the salvation of a person is complete: body, spirit and soul. The very fact that God loves us imposes the obligation to do all that is possible to deserve His love. The greatest damage that any person can do to one of his fellow men is to induce him to consider sin as something light and of little importance. Paul exhorts the converts to not let anyone deceive them with empty words that want to relinquish sin of its horror. Ephesians 5:8 tells us that now we are light, we are not darkness. A pagan life is somewhat sinister as Paul used to see it and the Christian life is like a radiant life. Pagans are from the darkness and Christianity is light. Ephesians 5:9 In the light we produce good fruits of goodness, righteousness and truth. Goodness is benevolence; it is a certain generosity of spirit. Justice is the integrity to give others and to God what is due. The truth is not merely something intellectual that is captured with the mind; it is more of a moral truth, not just something that is known but something that is done. We would never fail to the human duty or divine to do what needs to be done; the truth will make us strong to do what we know that is true and correct. Ephesians 5:13 The light allows us to distinguish between what is pleasing to God and what is not. All the motives and all the actions will be tested at the light of Christ. Our duty is to expose all the actions, decisions and reasons in the light of Christ. The light exposes what is wrong. As long as something is being done in secret it will continue, but when it is exposed to the light of the day it will die of a natural death. Everything that is illuminated will turn into light; this means that the light has in itself a purifying quality. Ephesians 5:15 We must live wisely because we are living in bad times. One has to be filled with something. Many turn to alcohol and indulge in worldly pleasures. But, for the ancient believers happiness was being filled with the Holy Spirit. They sang and thanked the Lord. They respected each other and honored God; the reason why they honored Christ was because they were looking to the light of Christ and therefore, they could see the dignity of each person. Let us also be wise in these times. Les us follow the teachings of the Master; the world is in darkness but the light of life has shined upon us. Let us walk in that light, please God, and shine upon others with our good deeds. Amen.