Two Brothers, One Bible
Two Brothers, One Bible
Episode 295 - How Bright is Our Light?
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So you enjoy singing this uh this song that we uh we I do.
SPEAKER_00Oh I loved it.
SPEAKER_01Do you hum it going down the street or anything? Love the big symbol crashes there. Yeah. But it's great. It's really good. And uh I I think we're we're we're taping right now, by the way. Oh yeah. Oops. Let me get my shirt on.
SPEAKER_00Please. Please put your shirt back on.
SPEAKER_01Oh my gosh. All right, welcome to Two Brothers One Bible Podcast. I'm Robert Twakefield. I'm Peter Sterk. And we are in uh Ephesians chapter five. I thought the first five verses were really incredible. Yeah. And then we're gonna see a shift again. I t Paul is really boy, what a great writer he was. He really is. I mean, you know, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I understand that, but gosh, these ideas all mesh together so well. Yeah. And and we left the last episode with uh, you know, church behavior and uh personal behavior on how we do those things. And now we're gonna be he's talking about walking in love in those first ones, and now we're gonna be talking about walking in light. Exactly. In this section. So it's uh it's again this metaphor of walking, this uh this whole thing. So let's do uh verses six through fourteen in today's podcast.
SPEAKER_00All right, very good. So uh starting in verse six, let no one deceive you with empty words, for before such things, God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light, for the fruit of the light consist in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention that the disobedient do in secret, but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said, Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
SPEAKER_01And that is the word of the Lord. So when we go back to uh verse six in today's uh podcast, uh it says, Let no one deceive you with with empty words. And I think about this is the early church, right, and there were influences uh uh entering the church with new ideas and trying to deceive people. That same thing is going on today.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you would think after two thousand years we kind of got this thing figured out, right? But no, it is it is the same, and and there's so many voices out there. And so who do I listen to? What do I pay attention to? What's what's truth? And and then we've got a great liar within our own mind. Sure. Trying to twist the truth or make it bent towards our you know, I I wrote down this when looking at verse six, I said, we lean on God's grace, mercy, and love thinking our actions do not matter.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00So when we when we misstep, when we're not walking properly, as Paul's telling us, we say, Well, fortunately my God loves me and he's got grace enough for me and he's gonna extend his mercy, that would just get tiring. Right. You know, it's it's like the person who calls only when they want something. You know, and so you you know, and you you hear the voice and you go, Oh, here we go.
SPEAKER_01Here we go. What do what does it call it?
SPEAKER_00And then they start with this whole, well, how's things going? Let me tell you and either you say it out loud or you're thinking in your head, just get to the point. Yeah, how how much do you mind? You know, what what do you want me to do? Exactly. And and I think that's we just take advantage of our father that way.
SPEAKER_01Well, we do. And this whole idea of the smooth talk uh to normalize what God calls destructive. Yeah. Boy, we do that all the time. Yeah. You know, we we w w the voices will say, Well, it's not that big of a deal. Right. Like like you were just mentioning, or everybody does it. Right. Or God understands.
SPEAKER_00Sure.
SPEAKER_01You know, so he's gonna let me get by with this this one thing. But but Paul is telling us that what this uh this empty words, uh, it leads people away from God instead of bringing them closer together. Sure. So that's the whole point of of the uh verse uh six, I think.
SPEAKER_00Well, I mean, you think about it, if if the world wants something different, they've got to see something different. Right. But if we're acting just like the world, well, what's the point? Exactly. You know, if our behavior and our talk and everything is just like the world's, and yet we say I'm a Christian.
SPEAKER_01We're a Christian, and they don't see any difference.
SPEAKER_00It's like, well, if you're going to heaven, I'm going to heaven because we're all doing the same thing.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. And these empty words, yeah. One of the things about empty words that I keep going back to that because that was big when I read this. Um, it when you're going to go with deception, it begins with reframing it. Oh, you're right. It be we gotta reframe this. We gotta make this that that's why we have uh holidays for that celebrate sinful behavior. Right. You know, uh we have a whole month that celebrates sinful sexual behavior in June. Yeah. And and and and the the world celebrates that. Yeah. And and it's because it got reframed. Right. Uh well these people love me, which they I'm not, you know, I'm not going to judge. I'll let God do that. Sure. Uh I'm just inspect inspecting fruit, is all I'm saying. Yeah. Um, but yeah, it it begins with this uh reframing, and Paul is trying to protect the uh community, the church of that, because it's a subtle drift. Right. You know, we talked in Hebrews about drifting and how easy drifting is. He is trying to warn these uh these brothers and sisters, don't get into this drift and don't let these subtle words, these good smooth talkers come in and stray you away from God.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Yeah. Good good point.
SPEAKER_01Thank you very much. Uh you know, I I was very proud of that. I I have nothing else to say the rest of the podcast. Uh verse seven uh mentions in part, therefore do not be partners with them. When I think of a partner, I think of, you know, somebody, well, you're a partner of mine. Yeah. Two brothers, one Bible. There we are. There you go.
SPEAKER_00What a great title. Why don't we call it that earlier?
SPEAKER_01We did call it that earlier. Oh, okay. But you know, the thing is, when you think of a partner, you think you don't want to partner with that. Going back to verse six, you don't want to partner with that. You don't want to be a co-worker in that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01You want to be uh set apart from that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I wrote down for verse seven, fellowship with the wicked.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's good.
SPEAKER_00You know, it's dancing with the devil.
SPEAKER_01Sure.
SPEAKER_00You know, it's just it's just it's just a little sorry. You know, it's no no big deal.
SPEAKER_01It's not a problem.
SPEAKER_00And that's that's how we dismiss it. It's like, uh, you know, I'm I'm having a hostess cupcake with a bad person.
SPEAKER_01A bad person That was about as visual as I've heard we heard you say. That was awesome. What else about verse seven that uh jumped out at you? Anything?
SPEAKER_00Well, you know, you got that therefore. He's he's saying, you know, not just verse six, but all these things he's talked about. Right. You know, how we should walk, what we should be careful of, don't have any hint of anything in your life. He says, because, you know, and this is this is like you say, it's these little missteps. You know, it's it's not this continental divide, it's just this gentle shift. Right. And so I think it begins with this this associating, this, this just hanging around. And and you know, a lot of times, especially in dating, we'll date someone who's not not a really committed Christian, and and what's the number one excuse? Well, I'm gonna influence them to become Christ. That's right. And how many times do we see it works the other way? It's so easy to do. You don't want to go to church today, you know. Yeah, well, you know, come come move in with me, you know, and then it's just just one thing after another. Next thing you know, you you literally wake up one day and you say, How in the world did I get here?
SPEAKER_01Right. That that and that's the thing about that partners that I wanted to talk about. It doesn't mean Paul doesn't mean avoiding unbelievers. No. Uh it just simply means not participating in the behaviors or the value systems uh that oppose God's exactly.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, if we want to be salt and light, which is what he's talking about, we've got to associate with the world. You know, he's not saying, well, then you need to buy a resort retreat in the middle of the mountain and live by yourself.
SPEAKER_01Right. He's not saying that at all.
SPEAKER_00No, he he we've got to be in the world, but not of the world.
SPEAKER_01Right. And this guy used the illustration. You can sit at the same table with someone without eating the same meal.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh Paul is saying, stay at the table, but don't eat what they're eating.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've heard this illustration. It's pretty popular, but you know, uh, a ship is meant to be on the water, but when the water gets in the ship, you've got a problem. Oh, that's so true. And and that's exactly right. Yeah, so we're meant to be on the world, but when the world gets in us, we're we're not good for anything.
SPEAKER_01That's right. All right. Verse 8 for you are once in darkness, uh, but now you are light in the Lord, live as children of light. And the thing here that jumped off the page to me, yeah, and I wanted your opinion on this. Paul didn't say that you were in darkness. Right. He said you were darkness. Yeah. I think that's a huge difference. Right. So, what are what are your thoughts on the light area?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, when he says that, I'm thinking, okay, one, I I had no understanding, uh, I was clueless, I fumbled around. I didn't know where I was going. I hadn't I was aimless, I had no direction, had no perspective. And that's that's where I was. Pre-Christ, I saw things the way I wanted to see them. Exactly. And so until I was enlightened by the Lord, I didn't I didn't have any idea where I was or what I was doing. I had no aim, no direction. And so he says, Why in the world would you want to be enlightened and then still act like you're in darkness? Right. Yeah. And we're so it's so easy to do.
SPEAKER_01And it goes back to that verse six. It's you know you're just listening to people that are giving you this subtle talk. Yeah. The smooth operator. There's a song. Yeah. Should we sing it? No, we should not. Okay. There's there's some things that we're just not gonna do on this podcast, and that's what I love.
SPEAKER_00Keep those emails and cards coming.
SPEAKER_01Well, one of the other thing about this verse is that he again is identifying that identity is the one that drives the behavior. Yes. If you are a member of his body, then you're not going to identify with the behaviors that he's been mentioning. Yeah. Because you were you were darkness, yeah, but now you're light. Yeah. And I think that's that's huge.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've I've have not heard it with my own ears, but I've heard reports of of people in the in the pulpit pastors who are using profanity and and their their rationale is they want to be more relatable. To me, they've lost their holiness. I think so too. Because, you know, this whole thing that Paul's talking about is someone should look at you and how you act and react and say, Why do you why are you so different from the world? Right. Why do you not act like I do? And it's gotta point people to Christ. Right. If it's not, we're not walking right.
SPEAKER_01That's exactly it. Because when you're light and you're up against darkness, that that's those are two polar opposites. It's night and day. Oh, I saw what you did there. It's night and day. That was beautiful. All right, so let's go.
SPEAKER_00Well, you know, verse nine, he, you know, because if if you say, I don't understand what eight is, he said, Well, let me tell you about it in nine.
SPEAKER_01He does. And it's even in parentheses for the fruit of the light, it consists of all in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Light is the one that produces the fruit, it's visible. Yes, it's tangible. You can see it. Yeah. Because if you're darkness, nobody else can see that.
SPEAKER_00No. You know, I looked at the these three words goodness, righteousness, and truth. And I went, okay, what what's the opposite? So the opposite of goodness is badness, it's malice, it's just this this evil streak and self-serving. Righteousness is unrighteousness. It's it's that lust, that covenantness, it's it's serving self. Right. And then the opposite truth is lying. Lying, yeah. You know, and we know what those things look like because we see them in our own lives.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Man, he says, get rid of those things.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this guy wrote, uh, it's interesting you mentioned that. This guy wrote this. He says, Paul gives three markers. The goodness is generosity, kindness, and moral beauty. Oh. I hadn't thought of that. I like that. Yeah. Uh, righteousness is integrity, justice, and right relationships. And truth is honesty, transparency, and alignment with God's reality.
SPEAKER_00Perfect.
SPEAKER_01Oh. So I I like the way we did both sides of that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh we we showed what Paul was talking about and shows what it looks like in the real world.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So that uh that verse nine, it just really he really does. He says, all right, let me bring it, bull it down to the low gravy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's the uh Robert uh version.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I love that. Yeah. I need to get a copy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Pull it down to the low gravy. Verse 10, he says this at part, he says, and to find out what pleases the Lord. And what isn't that what we're all about?
SPEAKER_00You know, I think verse 10 would be a great Christmas sermon.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I haven't thought of that.
SPEAKER_00Well, you know, what you got something there?
SPEAKER_01Uh uh no, I'd find what pleas I wanted to see what verse 10 said. And find out what pleases the Lord have nothing to do with the fruitlessness, deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. So how would you make that into a Christmas sermon?
SPEAKER_00Well, verse 10 just says find out what pleases the Lord. And I'm thinking at Christmas time, I I think our biggest struggle is is trying to figure out what to get who. And there's some people, some who's we just we just can't. You know, they have everything or they're very picky and and we don't know really what they like. And I think when it comes, if we were assigned, let's give God a gift, we'll go, well, you know, what does he not have? He's got three of everything. And if he wanted something, he would just say speak it into, you know, so what do I give him? Paul's telling us this is what our father wants us to give him, not just at Christmas time, but all the time.
SPEAKER_01Right, right.
SPEAKER_00And so because of all that he has done for us, the least we could do is shower him with gifts. It goes back to that, the the offerings and the sacrifices that are pleasing them.
SPEAKER_01That pleasing him. I like that because this this guy wrote this along those same lines. Uh the words uh that find out, duckanis. Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_00I get goosebumps every time you speak Greek.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. You should hear me in a grocery store when I speak Greek. Oh, it's it's fabulous. Uh it but it was this word means the forge find out means to test, examine, and discern. Uh it's the language of someone testing a sauce and adjusting the seasoning.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I like that. Okay. So does this need more of this? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It's active, you know, it's relational, it's all that good stuff, it's ongoing. So that's what uh this uh this is talking about. Find out what pleases the Lord. It's kind of like um, you know, I'm in a in a band. What? I know. Uh it's it's shocking, but uh we're hugely popular within a five-mile radius. Okay. And uh but a musician tunes their instrument, and but he doesn't do it just once. They adjust they adjust it the whole show. Constantly. Yeah. So this is what find out what pleases the Lord. Just keep adjusting that. Yeah. Keep fine-tuning. You know, okay, this I I want to please the Lord, but I I've got to I've got to fine-tune this just a little bit to please him even more. Because if your drums get out of key, you're not playing with the guys. I'm not playing with the guys. Yeah, that's exactly right. Verse 11, have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. And Paul's just simply saying, don't participate.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. You know, the thing in verse 11 is is plants do not produce anything without light.
SPEAKER_01That's the same thing.
SPEAKER_00If you put a plant in the closet, it's gonna be a dead plant pretty soon. Right. And so if we're going to produce good fruit, we've got to stay in the light.
SPEAKER_01And we've got to stay in the light.
SPEAKER_00But what he says at the end of 11 is really interesting because he says, but rather expose them. Again, it goes back to this comparison and contrast. By us living light, we shine ourselves on darkness. Darkness sees the light, and and they're drawn to the light. And so it is as part of our Christian duty to be people of the light.
SPEAKER_01It is. It is absolutely uh one thing that this guy wrote exposure uh is not about humiliation, it's about liberation.
SPEAKER_00There you go.
SPEAKER_01And if if we can expose light on the darkness, it will liberate those folks to come to see Jesus as who he really is. Yeah and how to please him. Yeah. So that that's that's really good. Uh let's see, verse 12 says it is it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. Wow. Yeah, you know, I think about the what's what's the verse that says that it's gonna be shouted from the rooftops by a judgment, you know, everything you've ever done. And I picture a guy on the roof. Yeah, Robert Wakeville did this.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I picture this as your life.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's uh oh no, you should have to bring that up. But that's uh that's basically what he's uh talking about. It's gonna it's it's uh it's shameful even to mention what the dis disobedient do in servant in secret.
SPEAKER_00You know, and there's some things people wait till darkness to do.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. You don't you don't break into people's home in the daylight. No, you break in at night. Yeah. Because that's that darkness conceals you. Yeah. All right. So let's finish up this uh what's the last two verses we're gonna be.
SPEAKER_00Well, but everything exposed by the light becomes visible and everything illuminated becomes a light. Paul talks about our our light as a Christian should expose darkness. So the brighter we are, the more it's going to permeate the darkness. So the question we have to ask ourselves is how bright am I shining? You know, am I a dim bulb or a dim wit, you know, or or am I a you know, like a floodlight of Christ that's that's penetrating the darkness. Right. You know, I think we're meant to be a lighthouse and not a night light.
SPEAKER_01Uh exactly. Yeah. That's exactly it. Uh one one thing too that I read as far as verse 14 is uh it says, this is why it is said, wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. This guy thinks that was a uh a song that they sang in worship. Because it's not it's it's because it's not script. He's not quoting scripture, he's just saying, this is as it's said. Yeah. So he thinks it might have been a a Christian song that they sing. Yeah. I've never thought of that.
SPEAKER_00No, but wake up, oh sleeper, just says pen attention. Exactly. You know, just wake up.
SPEAKER_01Do the right thing. Oh, that's it. Oh, this was a great study right here. And so thank you so much for listening to Two Brothers One Bible Podcast. I'm Robert Wakefield.
SPEAKER_00I'm Peter Sterre.
SPEAKER_01And we will probably. You think we'll get through? No, we've got it. Oh we've got a lot to go to. Yeah, there's 33 verses here. Oh, yeah, we're not gonna get it done next time. So stick around, and we will talk more about Ephesians chapter 5 in our next podcast. Thanks so much for listening, and God bless you.