Acceptable Unto the Lord
A Sermon on Ephesians 5:8-10
Originally preached Dec. 7, 1958
Scripture
8For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Sermon Description
How can one know if they are in the faith? In this sermon on Ephesians 5:8–10 titled “Acceptable Unto the Lord,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides one such test that a Christian can measure their lives up against to see if they have been made new by Christ. The test that one must apply to their lives is this: are they bearing fruit? What is this fruit? Paul writes that it is all forms of goodness, righteousness, and truth. But how are these different from each other? Goodness, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is one of the characteristics of God. It means “benevolence,” and it points to an understanding of balance and desire for the happiness of others. The next is righteousness which might seem to mean the same as goodness. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that it carries a legal concept with it— it means that someone is right and just. Paul is saying that a believer’s life should be characterized by these principles. A Christian knows what they are doing and why they are doing it. Finally, what is truth? It is the light that illustrates and makes manifest. Those who have been saved by Christ are called to be His witness to the world. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that in seeking these traits, the goal should never be to reach this in and of themselves, but rather in order to please the Lord. This is what sets Christians apart from good people.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon focuses on Ephesians 5:8-14 which contrasts darkness and light. Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses how Christians were once darkness but are now light in the Lord.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses the characteristics of darkness - ignorance, dullness, deadness, and unfruitful works. The characteristics of light are knowledge, feeling, and proving what is acceptable to the Lord.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones holds up Ephesians 5:9 as a "prism" to the light which breaks it up into goodness, righteousness and truth. These are the fruits of the light.
- Goodness means benevolence, promoting the happiness of others, and being concerned with benefiting others. It is the opposite of selfishness and mirrors God's goodness.
- Righteousness means conforming to the law, uprightness, and justice. It means treating others fairly and not violating rules or coveting other's possessions. Righteousness comes from godliness.
- Truth means openness, transparency and honesty. It is the opposite of deceit, hypocrisy and pretense. Light exposes the truth. Christians should be open and honest, with nothing to hide.
- Proving what is acceptable to the Lord means discovering what pleases God. It is the key to manifesting goodness, righteousness and truth. It differentiates Christians from moral non-Christians.
- Christians seek to please God, not themselves or others. They live to God's glory, not their own standards. They owe everything to Christ's sacrifice.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes that only Christians live to please God and do all for His glory. Love for God demands our all.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About Being Light in the Lord?
What are the three characteristics of the "fruit of light" according to Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Ephesians 5:8-14?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the three characteristics of the "fruit of light" mentioned in Ephesians 5:8-9 are:
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Goodness - which he describes as benevolence and a perfect balance in the personality, showing concern for others. He says, "A good man is a man who has thoughts of love... concerned in turn to alleviate suffering, to mitigate wrongs... His heart is one which is full of benevolence."
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Righteousness - which involves legal notions and conformity to law. Lloyd-Jones explains it as "uprightness" and "being just and manifesting justice." He says the righteous person is "fair in his treatment of others" and "never violates the rules or the laws."
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Truth - which is in contrast to deceit and hidden things. Lloyd-Jones describes this as "openness" and being "transparent," where "there is no deceit in it, nothing hidden, nothing underhanded, nothing dishonest, nothing that savors of hypocrisy or pretense."
How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish between a Christian and a moral non-Christian?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the key distinction between a Christian and a merely moral person is found in verse 10: "proving what is acceptable unto the Lord." He explains:
"The Christian is not interested in them [goodness, righteousness, truth] as abstract principles. He is interested in them because he knows it is the will of the Lord."
Unlike the moral non-Christian who might: - Follow goodness and truth as abstract virtues - Live by a code to please himself or maintain self-respect - Be governed by others' opinions - Follow Jesus' ethics because they're "the highest and the best"
The Christian's ultimate motivation is personal relationship with the Lord: "The thing that proves that we are Christians is that over and above every other consideration, our ultimate, our final consideration, is our desire to seek and to know to discover the will of the Lord in order that we may please him."
What does it mean to be "light in the Lord" according to Lloyd-Jones?
According to Lloyd-Jones, being "light in the Lord" means a complete transformation of the whole person. He emphasizes:
"The apostle doesn't say that we have just received light. We have become light. The whole of our personality is involved."
This transformation affects three areas: 1. The intellect - moving from ignorance to knowledge 2. The heart/emotions - moving from dullness to being moved by the truth 3. The will - producing fruit of light in conduct and behavior
Being light means radiating beneficence: "We in turn are the light of the world, and we are to radiate this beneficence amongst our fellow men and women." It also involves exposing what is wrong and making things clear and plain.
What does Lloyd-Jones teach about the relationship between godliness and righteousness?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that godliness and righteousness are inseparably connected. He states:
"When you lose godliness, you always lose righteousness. There is no greater fallacy than the fallacy that has characterized the moral teaching of the last hundred years or so, which has been this, that you could shed the godliness and hold on to the righteousness, that you could dismiss the Bible but still get the conduct that the Bible inculcates. It just can't happen."
He references Romans 1:18 where Paul speaks of "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness first, and then unrighteousness of men." Lloyd-Jones affirms that conversely, coming back to God and having His light shine in our hearts leads to both the goodness that characterizes God and to righteousness in character and conduct.
What does Lloyd-Jones teach about the ultimate motive of Christian ethics?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that the ultimate motive of Christian ethics is to please the Lord out of gratitude and love. He says it is "proving what is acceptable unto the Lord" that differentiates Christian ethics from all other ethical systems.
He explains: "The Christian is a man who realizes that he owes everything that he is and has and hopes to be to this Lord, to the one who so loved him that while he was yet in darkness, while he was yet a sinner, while he was yet ungodly, while he was yet an enemy, so loved him that he gave himself for him."
Lloyd-Jones concludes with Isaac Watts' words: "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all," explaining that this is the constraint and demand of Christ's love that motivates true Christian living.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.