Walk as Children of Light

In one paragraph

This message walked through Ephesians 5:8, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." The three parts of that verse shaped the whole sermon: what we were, what we have been made, and how that changes the way we live. It was a call to take the reality of rescue from darkness seriously enough to let it show in the way we walk every day. The sermon...

Read together

1. Ephesians 5:8 core verse: 'you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord, walk as children of light'
2. Ephesians 2:1-3 dead in trespasses and sin, walking according to the ways of the world, children of wrath
3. Ephesians 2:4-7 'but God, being rich in mercy' made us alive with Christ, raised and seated with him to show immeasurable riches of grace
4. Philippians 3 Paul counts his former gains as rubbish and loss, only Christ's work counts as gain
5. Philippians 2:6-11 hymn of Christ: humbled himself, took form of a slave, died on a cross, God highly exalted him, every knee will bow
6. Colossians 1:15-20 image of the invisible God, all things created through and for him, reconciling all things through his death
7. Galatians 2 crucified with Christ, no longer I who live but God who lives in me, live by faith in the Son of God
8. 2 Corinthians 5:9 it is our aim to please God
9. Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God
10. Colossians 1:9-10 praying to be filled with knowledge of his will, to walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, bearing fruit
11. 1 John 1:5-7 God is light, no darkness in him; if we walk in darkness we lie; if we walk in the light the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin
12. Ephesians 5:9-14 fruit of light is goodness, righteousness, truth; testing what pleases the Lord; 'get up sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you'

What was said

• Write down the name of one person in your long-term life who does not know Jesus and commit to inviting them to come and see who He is.
• Write down the name of someone you work with or see regularly this season who is not following Jesus, and pray for an opportunity to speak with them.
• If you thought of someone you ran into recently and wished you had said something, write their name down and pray that God gives you the words when you see them again.
• Ask a fellow believer sitting near you to hold you accountable to the names you wrote down this week.
• When your flesh pulls you toward darkness this week, pause and confess it to God, trusting that He welcomes you back and promises to wash you clean.

Talk about it

1. The message opened with the reality that we were once in total darkness, hostile toward God and without hope. What does it mean to you personally that your starting point was darkness, not just imperfection?
2. The preacher confessed envy during a meeting that week, and said he noticed he had not been putting scripture on the situation to see it clearly. What role does scripture play in helping you recognize sin you might otherwise justify?
3. The illustration was used of a person given a million dollars who spends it on a truckload of suckers, and it was connected to choosing temporal things over eternal investment. Where do you find yourself most tempted to settle for the temporary instead of investing in the eternal?
4. First John 1:5-7 was read, which says that if we claim fellowship with God while walking in darkness, we lie, but if we walk in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. What does it look like practically in your life to walk in the light rather than just claim it?
5. The sermon closed by asking everyone to write down names: someone long-term in your life who does not know Jesus, someone short-term, and a random encounter. Who came to mind, and what is one step you could take this week to invite that person to come and see?