THE MOVE FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT.
You were once darkness. Now you are light in the Lord. See Ephesians 5:8–11.
What does Jesus show us about God? John sums up the message of Jesus Christ in
1st John 1:5, that God is light in Him there is no darkness at all.
God is light has a moral meaning. God is pure and good and true. In Him there is no darkness at all means. He rejects all form of sin and falsehood. This message molds us morally. We too must love the light and leave the darkness. We walk in the light, as He is the light. 1st John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” We stay in the light by learning to love. 1st John 2:10-11. “Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”
When we follow Jesus, He ends our night of ignorance, evil and death. He is the dawn of a bright new day for us. John 8:12, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said” I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Before we turn to Jesus, we all are like light bulbs stacked on the shelves in a store. At night, when the store is in darkness, those bulbs do no good at all. They have no power of their own. They can shine only when they have electrical power. Jesus has all power. He is the light of the world. Light by its very nature, always shines. When Christ enters us, therefore, He keeps right on shinning. His power fills us. Like light bulbs, we were made for this purpose. From the moment we connect with Jesus, we too light up with dazzling brilliance as He shines through us. Acts 26:17–18; “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
In Satan’s « dark world » people stay spiritually and morally blind. Ephesians 4:18, “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.” 2nd Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Worse than that, the sinner becomes darkness. Paul reminded the Christians “in Ephesus 5:8,” For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Darkness took over their character or nature. Darkness defined who they were or still are but going to church even teaching or preaching but when you become light. What a contrast! Light reaches to the core of our being and transforms our very nature. As says Peter, you “participate in the divine nature” 2nd Peter 1 :4, “Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
The move from darkness to light changes three things: - the way God views us, the way we view ourselves, and the way we view life’s purpose. See Ephesians 5:8–10, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth, and find out what pleases the Lord.”
God views us as light “in the Lord.” In the Lord we enjoy all spiritual blessings, including grace and forgiveness. In the Lord the spirit builds us into His temple, and makes us a glorious new creation. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
When we were “baptized into Christ” we became “clothed with Christ” Hence God the Father no longer sees us as we were or as we are by ourselves, rather, He views Jesus over us, completely covering us. He sees us in His son, so pure, so holy, so right with God. “In His sight” therefore, we are innocent of all blame. Ephesians 1:4, “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.”
The problem today is that many regard “faith” as just a thought, a mental agreement to certain facts. That is not how the Bible defines the faith that saves. In the book of Romans, the letter that promotes grace, Paul begins and ends by referring to the obedience of faith. In the book of Galatians, the letter that defends grace, Paul insists that faith working through love is what matters. True faith is active. It confesses Jesus as “Lord” not by words alone, but by doing His will. That is the kind of faith that plugs into Jesus, letting Him shine in the true believer.
Some Christians have fallen asleep spiritually. Their minds and hearts are closed. They pay little or no attention to the will of Jesus Christ. Worst of all, they do not even realize their deadly condition. If sleepy or dead members truly want Jesus to shine for them, they must repent and take decisive action. Ephesians 5:14, “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.”
You were once darkness. Now you are light in the Lord. See Ephesians 5:8–11.
What does Jesus show us about God? John sums up the message of Jesus Christ in
1st John 1:5, that God is light in Him there is no darkness at all.
God is light has a moral meaning. God is pure and good and true. In Him there is no darkness at all means. He rejects all form of sin and falsehood. This message molds us morally. We too must love the light and leave the darkness. We walk in the light, as He is the light. 1st John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” We stay in the light by learning to love. 1st John 2:10-11. “Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”
When we follow Jesus, He ends our night of ignorance, evil and death. He is the dawn of a bright new day for us. John 8:12, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said” I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Before we turn to Jesus, we all are like light bulbs stacked on the shelves in a store. At night, when the store is in darkness, those bulbs do no good at all. They have no power of their own. They can shine only when they have electrical power. Jesus has all power. He is the light of the world. Light by its very nature, always shines. When Christ enters us, therefore, He keeps right on shinning. His power fills us. Like light bulbs, we were made for this purpose. From the moment we connect with Jesus, we too light up with dazzling brilliance as He shines through us. Acts 26:17–18; “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
In Satan’s « dark world » people stay spiritually and morally blind. Ephesians 4:18, “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.” 2nd Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Worse than that, the sinner becomes darkness. Paul reminded the Christians “in Ephesus 5:8,” For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Darkness took over their character or nature. Darkness defined who they were or still are but going to church even teaching or preaching but when you become light. What a contrast! Light reaches to the core of our being and transforms our very nature. As says Peter, you “participate in the divine nature” 2nd Peter 1 :4, “Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
The move from darkness to light changes three things: - the way God views us, the way we view ourselves, and the way we view life’s purpose. See Ephesians 5:8–10, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth, and find out what pleases the Lord.”
God views us as light “in the Lord.” In the Lord we enjoy all spiritual blessings, including grace and forgiveness. In the Lord the spirit builds us into His temple, and makes us a glorious new creation. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
When we were “baptized into Christ” we became “clothed with Christ” Hence God the Father no longer sees us as we were or as we are by ourselves, rather, He views Jesus over us, completely covering us. He sees us in His son, so pure, so holy, so right with God. “In His sight” therefore, we are innocent of all blame. Ephesians 1:4, “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.”
The problem today is that many regard “faith” as just a thought, a mental agreement to certain facts. That is not how the Bible defines the faith that saves. In the book of Romans, the letter that promotes grace, Paul begins and ends by referring to the obedience of faith. In the book of Galatians, the letter that defends grace, Paul insists that faith working through love is what matters. True faith is active. It confesses Jesus as “Lord” not by words alone, but by doing His will. That is the kind of faith that plugs into Jesus, letting Him shine in the true believer.
Some Christians have fallen asleep spiritually. Their minds and hearts are closed. They pay little or no attention to the will of Jesus Christ. Worst of all, they do not even realize their deadly condition. If sleepy or dead members truly want Jesus to shine for them, they must repent and take decisive action. Ephesians 5:14, “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.”