Walk in Light (Part 4 of 4)

Remember those bracelets years ago. The war that were stamped with WW JD.

They were meant to prompt us to do the right thing by asking ourselves the question what would Jesus do problem was, not everyone knew what Jesus would do today.

Untruthful life. Alister Greg explains what looks like to be imitators of Christ and to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, or in Ephesians chapter 5.

Look at this date. No part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but now he tells them something that they need to be doing something they shouldn't be doing so he turns positively. What we do expose them, expose that. Who or what is the dam then refers to the unfruitful works not to the unfruitful workers, some of us so perfectly happy to get an education. I go I expose all these people die every so often I see something here on local TV there some fellow comes on as is 7 o'clock tonight.

We will expose you know whatever it is you nicely and never really gets me that excited I was.

Nobody cares what does or doesn't, but you know, that sort of idea of Yahweh that I do expose some questions and then they got that in in. If you've got and you need to get out where yeah that's what were supposed to do a sponsor. Expose the how does the exposing take place here how you exposed the unfruitful works of darkness. There is there's a tendency in some of us that died these centers he administers talking about things pastors talk about things in such a way that you wonder whether there actually getting the jollies out of describing these dreadful thing and running. There's a can of voyeuristic element in I think is probably why goes on to say what he says is shameful even to speak of the things they do in secret so that others don't waste your time talking about all this stuff you don't need to give illustrations people know everybody knows you don't need all the poison out and put pictures on the screens is actually shameful. He says so, then how in the world is the exposing take place. While I think it's pretty straightforward and it is this what he is saying is the essential difference in the believer's life. The shining light that is present in the life of the believer. However strong or damn it may be at any point along the way but the light in the believer shows up.

The dark stuff for what it is.

It shows of the dark stuff for what it is when Peter writes in his first letter again, I look for this. Yesterday I had a word in mind from the King James version and I kept looking for and I couldn't find it because it's not there. It's is a great word is the WordPress legacy and but is not in the ESV but it took me ages and I finally found it is his first Peter chapter 4 and verse three, where he is. He is writing to the to the believers and he says for the time that is passed suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do is is long past time for that stuff. He says what one of the Gentiles are the pagans want to do says living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, lawless idolatry with respect to this, they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery and they malign you.

He says here is where the light is going to shine. It's gonna actually shine because it's passive if you like this process is it silent and in many ways. This process should be surprising. The surprise is a surprise that comes know when the people say you know she has always come to these things. What happened to you know Bill was built was a he was always at this EC is not that he's down there with the big Thompson chain reference Bible trying to give his friends a little gospel is the absence of his presence is the silence of his voice. It is the thankfulness of his heart for things that other people regard as trivial and sensual and base which actually then exposes the darkness shows the people say well you know he did. He used to cuss like a sailor in East way stop that. I'll tell you why he stopped because he be made a new person. He then started to try and become a new person.

He is been made a new person in Jesus, and Jesus is changing. Sometimes he slips sometimes evolves.

Sometimes our light isn't as strong as it might be, but there is no quest what's happening.

The darkness is being exposed expose the also walk as children of light walk as children of light.

That's the exhortation that accompanies what we looked at last time your darkness know your item. Lord walk as children like it always lived like men and women who are at home in daylight lived like men and women are a woman daylight you little secret things in your life in five secret things in my life I going to go away and find a place to hide from all of you to engage in that you can be sure on the walking in the light if I can give you access to my checkbook access to my diary accepted my iPad that then I'm in trouble and so are you.

You see, the real practicality of this is really practical, expose them walk as someone who can walk in the light just went live in such a way that you assume everybody knows everything everyone knows everything then fine know everything because I had nothing to hide from you. That's what you want to be able to say when I thought about being being and enjoying privacy. It's unusual. I would talk about that.

There is no incongruity.

You see, we don't have to go away and and and hide in the darkness because they were still living in the pagan culture of Ephesus, but rather than being part of it. They were to be distinct from it.

The works of darkness are unfruitful. The works of the fruit of light is wonderful light is necessary for fruitfulness is this. It is working here comes and goes.

All she comes and goes and comes and goes. Depending on how is doing but I know for sure that it needs light in the end and forward to me in the darkness sold during the week is not good for needs alike and fight. One day I came in and they had to artificial lights to shining on on this day for that very reason. The picture is perfectly clear what is the light what is the fruit of the light we could do a entire address on it. We want but it's there in verse nine. Incidentally verse nine is parenthetical is if you dig the end of verse eight and go immediately to the very beginning of verse 10.

You can see, it is one straightforward statement walk as children of light and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Parenthetically, he then says incidentally, the fruit of life and it light if you want to know what it is.

It's good it's right it's true good right through what you want to see instilled in your children, that which is good right through straightforward wears goodness to be found where his righteousness to the file where is truth to be far all in the Lord Jesus Christ.

As I was studying during the week, I brought to mind as I just came upon that that trilogy an event in London in in 1971 I was 19 at the time and the they convened a thing called the festival of light and the festival of light. We gathered in Trafalgar Square about $100,000 and then we process through the streets of London to Hyde Park and then in Hyde Park we had more music and festival in and singing in speakers and everything else as we stood there in Hyde Park.

I realized at one point that I was standing next to an Afghan hound the Afghan hound. I was at the other end of the lease and on the other end of the leash was Eric idle and Eric idle IDL E was something of an idea oil to me because of his role in Monty Python's flying Circus and I realized that I'm standing next to the Afghan and to him and I didn't have the courage to do anything other than just be impressed that he was there but I realize that I was in the section that was throwing raw eggs at the platform and laying off stink bombs in the in the crowd. Indeed, that they Gay liberation front, which was infuriated by the prospect of this festival of light. I determined it would do everything I possibly could to disrupt. I went yesterday to see what Rolling Stone magazine did with this and I found November 11 I think it is 571. They covered the festival of light in the most scornful terms you could imagine casting our scorn on the ideas of truth and purity and light and taking their stand very clearly with the shouts of profanity and darkness that were represented in the response to a commitment to the light to the good to the true. That was 46 years ago. Ephesus is over 2000 years ago. Anybody that wants to tell us that the Bible somehow or another does not speak to the issues of the day either is oblivious to the issues of the day or never reads the Bible or both ready to wrap this up negatively. He says this is what you need to do positively. You need to expose immunity to walk as children of light, and you will notice in verse 10, you need to try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. I every so often I come against the well-meaning Christian who tells me that she doesn't try in her Christian life Christian life is not about trying look out for her.

She would be a problem to herself and everybody else the Christian life is about. Try old notes about trust.

Yeah when you trust. You try your own trust and try your in trouble. Otherwise, why would Paul like to say try to discern what the will of God. In other words, this is not something that comes upon us unexpectedly. This is not a feeling that rises up somewhere in our solar plexus. This is an exercise in bringing the word of God to bear upon our thinking.

It is if you like for impulse terminology.

Romans 12 one and two I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. What is your reasonable service of spiritual worship.

And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve talking mad so the same word is here tested approve what the will of God is the same word that he uses in two Timothy 240 sensitivity study to show yourself approved unto God is so that is the kind of thing that where your windshield your or your windscreen has one of those little things on it that says this. This has gone through the process and has been approved, in order that you may drive in in relative safety. So that's the picture that is given here you're not taking part in unfruitful works of darkness you're exposing them. You've got better things to talk about than that stuff and so here's what you need to do discern what God wants you to be and do what is that mean what it means that our Bibles are very important. Doesn't it means that we need to be focused on the Bible. It means that we need to be directed by the Bible and it means that our minds have to be filled with the Bible is a happy thing if your children or your grandchildren are learning the Bible because if they're not learning the Bible to be learning something else if they're not being saturated by the truth of Scripture will be saturated by some other kind of truth what is the will of God. Our sanctification, how will we discovered as I was thinking about that I had my mind went to a song that I remembered again from my childhood.

I could only remember one line of it to me ages to finally track it down. I eventually did and I was intrigued to realize that it was pretty well grounded in Romans 12 one and two, and it begins like this living for Jesus life that is true, striving to please him in all that I do yielding allegiance.

Glad hearted and free. This is the pathway of blessing for me, say doesn't sound that good. I don't care if you like it or not, I'm just telling you it and the chorus goes. Oh Jesus Lord and Savior. I give myself to the for thou and thy atonement. It's give thyself for me.

I own no other master my heart shall be thy throne my life I give henceforth to live.

Oh Christ for the long written by a guy who was born in Franklin Kentucky in 1886 died in 1960 was a schoolteacher at age of 16, and once one room school room thing and wrote 800 podiums and some were sent to music and this was one of them. How it got from Kentucky to Glasgow, Scotland. I don't know but I'm very glad to bring it back to you and I and and I want to say particularly to young people who are here to teenagers to two students to guidance boys 789 those are trying to figure the whole world out put God to the text, take him at his word. Take a song like this writing in the back of your Bible. Ask God to make it your own. Asking to fulfill his purposes in you and through you. God is nobody's debt he does what he promises in the future of the church in the United States of America lies largely in the hearts and minds of youngsters, schoolboys, schoolgirls that are finding that their hearts are constrained and framed by these things.

That's why it's so vital to be building in to the coming generations say well thank you for telling us about Thomas Chisholm. Well, you know, Thomas Chisholm, because he wrote great is thy faithfulness he might not know that one you know that he prove the faithfulness of God prove the things he wrote so the challenge negatively, positively, and I want just to say a word and and and say event holistically evangelist today this is this what I'm trying to make sense of the close of this when anything is exposed by the light becomes visible. I find it helpful to read this in light of front are John John chapter 3, I command that to you.

See if it helps you and this is the judgment, John 319. The light has come into the world and people of the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil, frantic for everyone who does wicked things hates the light doesn't come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

But whoever does what is truth comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

This is the great transformation you see previously rewriting previously was shameful previously was unfruitful previously was dark previously. We went in those places where the weather was very bright on the outside register you got inside. You can find out where you are. I was in the hotel this week in New York and myself and myself and affect was on the fifth floor I was on the second floor. After I got to my room drop my bag came back down he still hadn't found his room your benefit for wandering all around. He finally got somebody to help.

Why, because the place was pitchdark. It was pitchdark on a bad place but it was just dark while you don't like so well who knows who knows who you see men loved darkness rather than light, you're not going to come into the light and so liquidy say when everything is exposed by the light.

How does it become exposed by the light when the light shines where is the light shine from shines from Christ change from those who are in Christ. I am the light of the world said Jesus and he said you are the light of the world first 14 for anything that becomes visible is light's not easy.

This is when everything is exposed by the light becomes visible.

Makes me think of my grandmother used to go shopping with her and Glasgow and and have very vivid affection. However, always asking of something she can I take this outside and look at what's up with you.

Granny amended what you can see it in here is a hat for crying out loud. No, no, no, I need to see it in the daylight, I need see what is really like fine you out.

Come back in.

That's what he saying here when everything is exposed by the light becomes visible. Therefore, here's the evangelistic call away cosleeper and rise from the there's a word for some of you this morning first part at least, I can see you. I can see you.

Sorry it's all right sometimes you need a good snooze no better place comfortable seats dimly lit away cosleeper arise from the dead in Christ will shine on you.

In other words, the unbeliever is is is suffering from STD, not ADD three metaphors. The unbeliever is asleep and needs to be awakened up the unbeliever's data needs to be made alive.

The unbeliever is.needs the light of Christ to shine in him that is Alister Berg reminding us that it takes a work of God's spirit in us for us to be able to live godly lives that glorify Christ you're listening to Truth for Life. Please keep listening.

Alister will return in just a minute to close with prayer is Alister just said we need to be focused on directed by and filled with the Bible so to help you spend time in God's word is a part of your daily pattern we want to recommend to you a Bible reading calendar that will help keep you on track. The Bible reading program we have available to you from Truth for Life will guide you through all of Scripture during the course of the year.

You can download the plan for free Truth for Life.org/Bible reading plan or you can purchase a printed copy for a dollar a Truth for Life.org/store. As followers of Jesus. Our aim is to grow in holiness and we pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to that end, to understand more about how spiritual growth takes place in our lives. We encourage you to request the classic book, spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. This is an updated 30th anniversary edition.

It's available for just a few more days when you make a donation to Truth for Life. You can give your gift and request the book online at truthforlife.org/donate now, here's Alister with the closing prayer father. It only takes a spark to get a fire going. We know that some of us are aware this morning of her difficult it is to navigate the tension that is conveyed in these versus how we find ourselves with 1 foot going one way and one food going the other attempted to be drawn back again into the darkness from which you set us free, tempted and going just fiddle around again with some of those unfruitful works and so we pray this morning that you will sold by the Holy Spirit reveal the darkness to us disclose it to us disclose a dark base in us, and then by the Holy Spirit to spell and then enabled us to shine. Not in the way that draws attention to ourselves for points away from ourselves causes us to be surprised when people say you know I noticed large grant that we might and live as lights in a dark place and thank you that the call of the Lord Jesus is an extensive call so that whoever hears his call comes, you will never turn them away awaken us raisins. Shine in us and through us. We pray for Jesus sake on Bob Lapine. Thanks for listing today. Did you know it's possible to be extremely intelligent and yet totally unwise sure to join us tomorrow to find out how to wisely process knowledge.

The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living