Title: Children of Light

Proposition: We must imitate God as his children

Text: Eph 5:1-14

Intro:
 	1.  Blind Man’s Bluff
	2.  Context, Text (Eph 5:1-14)
	3.  We need to be imitators of God
		-Children often imitate their parents, we should imitate God as his children

		How?  Ways:


I. Pure speech (v. 1-6) (tone turns from selfless love of Christ to a perversion of love in sexual
abuse...)
	A.  Things that must not even be named (talked about)
		1.  Immorality - Pornia (any sexual indulgence outside of the permanent relationship 
			of marriage
		2.  Impurity - This word is used of the content of graves (filth)
		3.  Greed - This is greed because it is pleasure at the expense of others
		4.  These things are not to even be named among us (verse 3)
			a.  Some people, that is all they talk about
			b.  There is proper speech among the saints
			c.  We should not take pleasure in talking about such things
			d.  Paul is writing to a permissive society that saw nothing wrong with sex
				1 - Temple of Aphrodite, money from prosituttion built this temple
				2 - Classical Greek writers thought that prohibiting sex was extreme
				3 - Having a mistress was commonplace
			e.  TALKING FRANKLY ABOUT SHAMEFUL THINGS ONLY PUTS OUR
			     MINDS ON THEM EVEN MORE IN A PERMISSIVE SOCIETY

	B.  HE HAS A LOT TO SAY ABOUT SPEECH (Verse 4)
		1.  Filthiness - (Foul talk)
		2.  Silly Talk - (Stupid talk, foolish talk, liike the talk of one drunk)
		3.  Coarse Jesting - (Facetiousness, boorishness, witt)
			a. ILL: Contending for the Faith (should be called contentious for the Faith)
			b.  He is not prohibiting humor, but “coarse” humor that degrades
		4.  WE NEED TO NOT BE CAREFUL TO BE DECEIVED (6-7)
			a.  By empty speech - Hey, its okay to talk about such things
			b.  Or “we need to stand for truth” and use it as an excuse to beat people 
			    up with our speech
			c.  Diong this speech means being partakers with them
		
	C.  ILL:  Alvie and his sermon on modest dress (it was shocking with the bathing suit)

	D. THE BEST SPEECH IS THANKSGIVING (V. 4)
		1.  Reflects our graciousness
		2.  If we are to speak of these things, our speech needs to be with grace,
		    seasoned with salt 
		3.  We should be known by EXCELLENT SPEECH


II.  By producing fruit (v. 7-9)

	A.  We were darkness but are now light
		1.  Notice he did not say you were in darkness and are now IN the light
		2.  Jesus used this same metaphor, light of the world
		3. Notice Verse 14 - Happened at conversion

	B.  We produce fruit of the light
		1.  Goodness (generosity) can also be translated benevolence
			a.  Barnabas was benevolent (
				- One of the few called good Acts 11:24
				- Name was actually Joseph (Acts 4:36)
				- He was called Barnabas by the Apostles (son of encouragement)
				- Was the only one who stood up for Paul
				- Later stood up for John Mark
			b.  Implies hospitality (Early preachers supported by brethren in homes)
			c.  Implies giving (Macedonian churches gave out of their poverty)
		2.  Righteousness
			a.  Doing what is right
			b.  “Giving to God and to men what is their due”
		3.  Truth
			a.  Is not just a body of knowledge
			b.  Is always used of something to be believed and acted upon
		4.  Trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord
			a.  Word is a participle
			b.  The above three things while trying to learn....
			c.  To truly try and learn takes an attitude of HUMILITY
			d.  What matter is the DIRECTION you are going
				- Open mindedness
				- Loyalty to the text, not the past victories
				- Constantly struggling with the text, not “I’ve got it all figured out)

	C.  ILL:  The fruit of the Christian tree is unique



III.  Shine in Darkness (v. 11-13)

	A.  Not only did he not to participate, but to expose them

	B.  ILL:  IN ancient Bazzar’s, shops often had not windows, would have to take silk, brass, 
		etc, out to the street and hold in in the sun to expose flaws

	C.  What does it mean to expose them, how are we to do it?
		1.  The word “expose” has a wide range of meaning
			a.  Originally meant to disgrace, or put to shame
			b.  Later meant  to examine in order to reprove or convict, approve, judge
		2.   Because of the range of meaning, the context must determine exactly
		      what is meant by “exposing them”
		3.  The following verse - 12 
		4.  IT DOES NOT MEAN WE BECOME OUTSPOKEN MORAL  DETECTIVES
			a.  NOt use this to be obnixious for truth
			b.  Does not mean we go down and picket abortion clinics
			c.  We can be known as a self-righteous HATE CHURCH, or a loving,
			     caring, serving church who stands on truth
			d.  Not just what we say, but what we do
	D.  Notice the effect of the light (v.13)
		1.  All things become visible
		2.  All things that becomes visible BECOMES LIGHT
		3.  2 WAYS TO REACT TO LIGHT  1) Shun it   2) Accept it and become light (v.14)

CONLUSION:  1) Pure speech, Bearing fruit of the Light, and by letting light shine
		2)  Challenge  Use your speech and actions to let you light shine