In the Lord you are light. Let this truth change how you see yourself & how you live. “You were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— the fruit of light is found in all that is good.” (Eph 5:8-9) Who are you? How would you describe yourself? (what we do, who we’re with, what we like). A larger sense of who you are, the ultimate, largest & most overarching description of who you are: you are Light. Let’s explore the Biblical idea of light & see if we can shed some (light) on it. The 1st instance of light in the scriptures was in the beginning…” when God created the heavens & the earth, the earth was a formless void & darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. God said, Let there be light; & there was light. He saw the light was good; & separated light from darkness.” (Gen 1:1-4). At the end of the biblical story the light of God obliterates all traces of darkness, “Night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light” (Rev. 22:5). Between these, light makes nearly 200 appearances. Light in the Bible is the basis of life. The necessity of light to life itself is signaled by the fact that God’s creation of light is the 1st recorded event: Let there be light; there was light. God saw the light was good (Gen 1:3). The wonder of existence springing from nonexistence, breathtaking in its suddenness & illuminating power & moment of light invading darkness. Throughout scripture light is the conqueror of darkness. “In the beginning the earth was a formless void, darkness covered the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:1-2). The Hebrew phrase for formless void is tohuw bohuw. Tohuw is to lie waste, vain, confusion, formless. Bohuw means empty void. This is described by darkness that covers the face of the deep while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters (Gen 1:2). Over this formless wasteland where darkness covers the gaping abyss, the ruwach (wind, breath, spirit) of God swept (moved, fluttered, softly hovered) over the face (face or beginning) of the waters (the sense of danger, something transitory). God said, Let there be light; there was light (Gen. 1:3). God spoke, there was. Ancient cultures worshipped the sun, moon, stars for giving us light, we worship God who gave us the sun, moon, stars. There was a formless void, then the Spirit of God gently hovered over that darkness, God spoke & there was light. “Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light” (Eph. 5:8). Paul doesn't say you were in darkness. You can’t know how good you have it until you know how bad you had it. You were darkness: the confused wasteland where darkness covered your deepest places. Now in the Lord you are light. Because of the Lord in your life: into your empty darkness & chaos gently swept the wind of God (His Spirit) followed by the voice of God. “You were dead…but God made you alive…It is God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6). “No text is as strong in its explanation of conversion.” “Once, you were darkness, but now in the Lord YOU ARE LIGHT.” No text captures the fullness of ‘conversion’ quite like this one. I’m Mike, a husband, a dad, a preacher, a Browns fan…all true…but WHO ARE YOU IN THE GREATEST, DEEPEST ETERNAL WAY? You are light…IN THE LORD (Eph. 5:8). Sinclair Ferguson writes, “To be in the Lord is to belong to a new world, to inhabit a new kingdom in which we become new. In this new kingdom, new powers are at work in us – the powers of the Spirit of the crucified, risen, ascended, reigning, returning Christ. Once we were in the darkness. Worse, the darkness was in us – we were darkness. Now we have been drawn into the light, illuminated by the Light of the world, invaded & transformed by the Light. In the Lord we are light!” How does this change how you live your life? Live as children of light (vs. 8) for ‘Christian growth’. You are a new person, no longer live as the old one. Put away your former way, clothe yourselves with the new. This is your identity, now live into it! Before we consider how, we ask what does light do in us? Light causes growth. Paul uses a horticultural reference. This is the time of year to enjoy the effects of light. Plants photosynthesize & absorb light energy & convert it into sugar molecules for energy & breaks it down so it literally becomes the plant. You are light – the light of the world comes in us & changes us into a reflection of Himself. Light purifies. If a cow pees in a creek, in 100 yards you can drink the water. Why? (not because you lost a bet) It takes 100 yards for sunlight to purify the water. LIGHT PURIFIES! You're in the process of being purified by the light in you: You are light, live as children of light. Review the Genesis connection & see ourselves as LIGHT IN THE LORD.
