Ephesians 4:17-5:2

5/2/99 Palm Springs Baptist Church, morning service

In a nutshell: A Christian must seek to be a light to the world. This process of being light involves both a Right Relationship and Right Decision Making. In this passage, Paul tells us how to develop a relationship that reflects God’s light, and he identifies decisions that are key ones for reflecting God’s light in a dark world.

Friends maybe you’ve felt that way at times. Maybe you’ve felt that because of what you did or what you said, that you "blowed yourself out". Your testimony is in the trash. Or your witness for Jesus Christ is "caput". If that’s the case, how do you regain it?

Or if you’re a new Christian, maybe you’re thinking, "How do I get a testimony? How can my life affect the world for Jesus Christ? How can I reflect God’s light to the people that are in my circle of influence?"

Well, in the passage we’re going to look at this morning, the apostle Paul tells us about two very important things that will go a long way to helping us let our lights shine and let those lights shine brightly! The two things are: A Right relationship with God; and making Right decisions.

So, if you want to find out how to start reflecting some light, let’s turn in our Bibles to Ephesians 4, starting with verse 17.

The first thing He focuses on is having a right relationship with God. And when I read this, I’m reminded of a three-legged stool. All three legs on a three-legged stool are important. If you take any one of the legs away, the stool will fall over–it won’t work.

That’s the way it is with a relationship with God. We have to understand and follow three ideas–all of them are equally important...

The first thing is in verse 17.

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

The first leg of this relationship involves how we live.

I hope you understand that when Paul uses the term Gentiles he is referring to non-Christians. So what he’s saying in this verse is that we must no longer live as non-Christians.

Now, in my mind, this brings up a question: "What do I have to do differently as a Christian, versus what I did when I was not a follower of Jesus Christ?"

I mean...

Do Christians get out of bed differently than non-Christians?

Do Christians wash their face or brush their teeth differently than non-Christians?

Do Christians wash their cars differently than non-Christians?

Do Christians eat different foods than non-Christians?

Inquiring minds want to know, "How must I live my life differently to no longer live as a non- Christian?

The answer, friends, is in the motivation or focus that is behind everything we do. You see, a non-Christian’s motivation is very different from a Christian’s. The non-Christian’s focus is to please self or focus in on self. But to have a right relationship with God, God needs to be the controlling force in our lives.

So, a Right Christian relationship with God starts with a desire to please God, not a desire to please myself.. We need to be thinking about God and looking to understand how God fits into the circumstances of our life whenever we can. Anything less, is living as the Gentiles.

The second leg of this "relationship stool", is a desire to Know God. Look at verse 18...

18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

This verse is telling us that people who don’t Know God are in a real "pickle". They are called darkened; separated from life; and ignorant.

I like the description Leroy Lawson gives about people who don’t Know God... "They can’t see ahead because they live without vision and purpose. They can’t see around or over, so their troubles defeat them. They can’t see through, so they are easily deceived. They can’t see in because they don’t even really know themselves. And they can’t see up because even God is hidden from their blind eyes." (Guidelines for Growing Christians)

Now, a clue on how we can develop this "leg" of Knowing God is found in the word "hardening" in this verse. This is a medical term. It usually referred to stiff joints that were a result of arthritis or another medical condition.

Illustration: My dad had knee replacement surgery in Phoenix this past winter. Whenever I ask him how the knee is doing he always says that he has to keep exercising it on his stationary bike and climbing stairs. That way the tendons and ligaments don’t get stiff.

Friends, do you know how to exercise spiritual muscles? We exercise those muscles when we read and study our Bibles; and when we pray. The more we exercise our spiritual muscles, the stronger our Relationship with God becomes. The less we exercise, the more "hardened" we become.

The third leg of developing a Right Relationship with God is understanding the consequences of not having Him in your life. Look at verse 19...

Illustration: For the past two years I have been a part of our local school board’s Drug Free School Committee. Through this participation, I was made aware of a study done in 1991 by James Patterson and Peter Kim. It is called, The Day America Told the Truth. It is a study based on an extensive opinion survey which guaranteed the anonymity of its participants. And the truth is shocking! Let me give you a brief sampling of their findings:

If you want to build this third leg of your Relationship with God, then you have to come to a realization, a belief, and a fear. That without God actively present in your life, you will morally decay. The fact is, You don’t have enough good in you, to be good enough.

Now in this context, look at the next group of verses...

20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.

21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.

22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

This is Paul’s point in these verses... If you want to have this Right Relationship with God where you have Him as your focus; where you are Knowing Him better and better; and where you come to grips with your utter need for Him, then follow this process...

Now, that last step brings up another logical question. What do I obey? What are the most important areas that can reflect the light of God to people in my circle of influence? Where do I start? That’s what Paul addresses next. These are the things that make up the second part of a brightly shining life...

...what I call making the Right Decisions...

Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

The first decision you have to make is to tell the truth to your Christian brothers and sisters.

Now, this isn’t just telling the truth. That’s a given. Even atheists are told to tell the truth in various contexts in society.

Rather, this is speaking the truth (in love, according to verse 15) to another brother or sister in this church who may be involved in some kind of practice, or behavior, or decisions, or lifestyle that is not honoring to God. This is a significant decision!

-It means deciding that a person’s right relationship with God is more important than any feelings of uncomfortable ness or inadequacy or embarrassment you might feel in approaching that person about the way they are living.

-It means deciding to love someone enough to keep them from destroying or eroding their relationship with God.

-It means deciding to preserve the witness and integrity of this church, in this community–over against what you think someone might think of you.

Do you know why this decision matters so much to God? Because it places the people He chose to die for, and the relationship He came to bring them, as a top priority to you.

26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

Anger is a common human emotion. And it’s interesting that Paul doesn’t deny the fact that we are going to get angry.

Joke: It seems that this college student needed a small two-hour course to fill out his schedule. The only one that fit was in Wildlife Zoology. He had some reservations as he heard the course was tough and the teacher a bit different. But, it seemed like the only choice so he signed up.

You see, we’re going to get angry in life. And there will be many times when we are justified in getting angry. But Paul’s point is that we must decide not to allow anger to control us.

He gives some great advice in these verses–if you do get angry, don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry. In other words, don’t go to bed angry–husband/wife; parent/child; friend to friend. Don’t go to bed angry. That anger will only fester and get worse. If you go to bed angry, the anger will become a settled disposition when you wake up.

Deal with your anger as soon as possible. If you don’t, the devil will gain a foothold in your life. And when he gains a foothold, you will find that doing something else that is not honoring to God will get that much easier. Decide to handle anger properly.

Look at the next decision in verse 28...

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Howard Hendricks wrote recently in Leadership magazine, "The average person has the idea that his vocation is his penalty."

Friends, when we view work that way, we are setting ourselves up to be thieves. You see we can steal by failing to give our employer a day’s work for a day’s pay. We can steal by manipulating the system so we get what we don’t deserve. We can steal by not being completely truthful.

But Paul is saying, "What matters to God is that you decide to honestly work for what you get... NOT so you can become rich... but so you can have the honest opportunity to help someone who is in need with what you honestly earn. You see, friends, ministering to those who have little, is very pleasing to God."

Example: In the book of Acts, when a man by the name of Cornelius, was seeking after God, God sent an angel to him to tell him about a visit he could expect shortly, from Peter... But look what grabbed God’s attention in Cornelius’ life...

Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.

The point is, decide to honestly derive an income, then use what you earn to help those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ed Cole is a favorite author of mine–mainly because he is a man who writes to men, and gets right to the heart of an issue. He writes this in a chapter in the book, 7 Promises of a Promise Keeper...

I’m not saying to use King James English. But I want to ask you, "How careful are you with your speech?" It is obviously very important to God. He wants you to decide that your speech will be wholesome. So, decide to think before you speak, and speak in a wholesome way.

Finally, a basic decision He wants you to make is to decide to forgive another brother or sister when they hurt you.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

To decide to forgive is one of the most important decisions we can do in God’s eyes.

Malcolm Muggeridge, became one of the more significant Christian apologists in the latter part of this century. Shortly before his death in 1990, he wrote an article in Christianity Today magazine. And in it he said this...

"I am the light of the world," the founder of the Christian religion said. What a stupendous phrase! And how particularly marvelous today, when one is conscious of so much darkness in the world! Let your light shine before men, he exhorted us. You know, sometimes ... someone asks me what I most want, what I should most like to do in the little that remains of my life, and I always nowadays truthfully answer--and it is truthful--"I should like my light to shine, even if only very fitfully, like a match struck in a dark, cavernous night and then flickering out."( Jesus Rediscovered., article in CT)

Friends, listen to me...You can do this. You can shine, even if you "blowed you light out" at one time. Ephesians 4 tells you the most effective way you can ignite that light and keep it shining...

1. Commit to having a Right Relationship with God, and...

2. Make Right decisions based on that relationship. And if you don’t know which decisions are most important, Paul just listed 5 for you.

So, start striking your match. Amen.