Changed by the Light — Phil Beach Jr.

Prayer for the Light of Christ to Expose Darkness

Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would continue His ministry in our midst, exposing through the brilliant light that comes from the perfect Lord Jesus, all darkness, all the mountains of pride, all the rooms of our heart and our home that host darkness, any form, any shape of darkness, Lord.

We invite you, Lord Jesus, the light of heaven, the absolute moral perfection of all that God ever was, is, and shall be. We invite you, Lord Jesus, and the brilliance of your light, the brilliance that comes from your Word, we invite you into every area of our home and heart to cast out all darkness.

Lord, we are keenly aware that the serpent is the master deceiver, himself being deceived and loving to sow into the hearts and minds of proud hearts his own deception, resulting in the turning away from walking in the light to walking in the shadows and sometimes even in the blatant darkness.

Father, we pray that today, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you would declare war on the serpent on our behalf. You would declare war on the darkness on our behalf. And as the mighty warrior, out of whose mouth proceeds a two-edged sword, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, you would utterly slay and destroy and cut to pieces the darkness, rescuing our minds and our souls from its deadly poison, unlocking every door, smashing the padlocks with thy great power and booming voice, which is as the sound of many thunders.

Oh, Jesus, have mercy upon us. Rescue us by thy Word and thy truth. Only you can, Lord, and only the Word that proceeds from your mouth can do this. We ask that you would, Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Walking in the Light Through Ephesians 4

Hallelujah. Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse number 17. Father, we thank you that Jesus has promised to be in the midst of those who gather in his name. We are here in your name. Lord, we pray that the Holy Spirit will take this Word and penetrate into the depths of our spirit, implanting this Word into our spirits so that Jesus and his light and his power can work in us the truth of this Word.

We beg you, Lord, to do this for Jesus' sake. Beginning in verse 17, this I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord that you no longer walk as the Gentiles, as unbelievers, Gentiles there refers to unbelievers, in the vanity of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart, who being past feeling gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you did not so learn Christ, if so be ye heard him and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus Christ, that you put away as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that wax corrupt after the lust of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man that after God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Wherefore putting away all falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not, let not the sin go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.

Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying, as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear.

And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God in whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and railing be put away from you with all malice, and be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.

Holiness and the Fruit of Walking in the Light

Be ye imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you as becometh saints, nor filthiness, nor foolish talk, or jesting, which are not befitting, but rather giving of thanks.

For this know of a surety, no fornicator, no unclean person, no covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no man deceive you with empty words, for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them, for ye were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but even reprove them, for the things which are done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of. But all things, when they are reproved, are made manifest by the light, for everything that is made manifest is light.

Wherefore he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee. Look therefore carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Wherefore be not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father, subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.

The Transforming Power of the Light

Ephesians chapter 3, beginning in verse number 14, all that we just read in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 17 through 21, all that we just read teaches us the nature of walking in the light and how it radically changes those who stay under its power.

The light has power to change. The things that we just read are not commandments that you and I can keep if we walk in the darkness. They are only commandments that we are able to keep if we walk in His light, because it's walking in His light that empowers us and enables us and strengthens us and energizes us to do what we naturally cannot do.

The nature of the light is it has this most supernatural effect on the human soul when the soul is under its gaze. And all of that wonderful, wonderful truth that we just read is summed up in this prayer that we're about to read.

It's all found in the ever-increasing, ever-expanding love of God being shed abroad in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians chapter 3, beginning in verse 14. Before we read that, remember last week we talked together in the presence of the Lord about the devices of the enemy.

Overcoming the Enemy Through Prayer in Ephesians 3

And we learned about how He has many devices. He tries to pit us against one another. He tries to get us to fight against one another. He tries to get our attention off of the real battle, which is between the Lord and His Christ and the devil and His angels.

The real battle is between the Lord Jesus Christ getting more and more and more of Himself in our lives. That's the real battle. The enemies against Christ, the enemies against the Lord, and those who are His, He seeks to turn their hearts from the Lord.

Now this is God's remedy. This is how God empowers us to overcome the wicked one and His many devices. And this is what we ought to be praying. How many, I just want to make this passing note, how many have ever said, Lord, I just sometimes don't know what to pray or pray about?

Let me tell you what to do when you feel that way. Go to the Word and start praying God's Word. You pray God's Word. This ought to be a section of Scripture that we're reading about now that we pray daily because in it is found the wonderful, wonderful power of a transformed life.

Verse 14, chapter 3, Ephesians,. For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith to the end, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to fully apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

And then verse 20,. Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations forever and ever.

Amen. Father, help us today. Help us, Lord, we pray, to be attracted and drawn to your light, your love, and your truth. Lord, we are up against an enemy that is stronger than we are, more subtle than we are, wiser than we are, much more experienced than we are in knowing how to deceive us, in knowing how to set traps for us.

He has had experience from the very beginning of time with working in the hearts of men. He has studied human nature, has observed it, has learned it. He knows every single stage of our spiritual growth, and with each stage he knows exactly the kind of trap to set to get us to fall.

And Lord, he's even now plotting and scheming and strategizing against every one of us, and only you know his devices, know his schemes, know his plots and strategies, and can keep us safe. Help us, Lord.

Humility as the First Work of Grace

To be ever so mindful of our need for you and run to you. Run to you, Lord. Run to you. Verse 14, I bow my knees unto the Father. Please listen carefully. To bow one's knees is to demonstrate a posture of reverence and awe to the one that you are bowing to.

Paul bowed his knees. Paul was saying, God has given me a broken, contrite heart toward the God of glory. And out of that broken and contrite heart did this prayer burst. Brothers and sisters, we are not going to be able to see what is in this prayer and the riches that God wants to give to us unless together with Paul we beg God to bow our knee to him.

We must bow before we can even see. You remember when Paul was on the road to Damascus, a light from heaven came and he was blinded. And he cried out and said, Lord, is this you, Lord? And something began to happen in Paul's heart.

He went from a strong man to a broken man. A broken man who was blinded. A broken man who couldn't see. A man who had to be led by someone else. A man whose sight was gone. A man who came to realize his true condition.

His true condition. He really always was blind. But you know what Paul's problem was? He thought he saw. He thought he saw. And then when he saw the light from heaven, what did the light from heaven do?

Showed him his true state. He was blinded. He couldn't see. His knee was broken. He bowed. God wrought a humbling in his life and he bowed. And as he bowed, he broke. And as he broke, he said, Lord, what would you have me to do?

Lord, you're the master. I'm the servant. You're the king. I'm the servant. A proud heart cannot say that before God. But a broken heart does. But a broken heart is a heart that says, I can't see. I don't know the way.

I don't know the way. A broken heart is blinded. When it seeks to look, when it seeks to see, it's blinded. The only thing a blind eye can see is the light of Jesus. It's the only thing Paul could see when he was blinded.

The first work of grace that must be wrought in our lives if we are to be free and ever kept from the hungry lion who stalks hearts and minds. The first work of grace, we must bow before our king and stay bowed before him.

Real low, real broken. And the quality, the major feature of staying bowed before the Lord is acknowledging, I am blind. I don't know what's best for me. I don't know what's best for my life. I don't know what's best.

But I know one who does. I know one who does. I'm blind, a sign that our heart is no longer bowing. Listen carefully. A sign that our heart is no longer bowing is we begin to walk by the sight of our eyes, what's right in our own eyes.

And then what happens is we begin to shuffle around the light because the light blinds us. The light reminds us we can't see. But that cramps the style of a man or woman who says, I can see. And so not only do we begin to see with our own eyes, but we avoid the light.

We avoid the light. And we begin to order our lives in shadows. We like the shadows. Because when we walk in the shadows, we don't feel troubled about the fact that we're walking by our own sight. Number two, I bow.

True Wealth Is Found in Christ

Number two, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory. Stop right there. Number two, the second work of grace that must be raw in us and maintained by the power of God is we must begin to see what true riches are.

True wealth has nothing to do with anything that you can find on earth or anything that you can make yourself in the eyes of the world. True wealth has nothing to do with the status of your bank account.

True wealth has nothing to do with the size of your business. True wealth has nothing to do with the title that you wear. True wealth has nothing to do with anything that comes from earth, that is given to you by earth, that has a corruptible nature to it.

Nothing. Number one, a broken heart before a broken Savior. Number two, the blinded eyes. I cannot see, Lord. Number three, a revelation of what true wealth is. According to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his spirit in the inward man.

The revelation of true wealth, and that is Christ himself as your life, enables you to experience the daily strengthening and empowering of your spirit in your inner man, enabling you to walk in the light, to live in the light, and to love the light.

Christ's Permanent Residence in the Believer

Write these down, please. We're going to close in five minutes. Write these down, please. Meditate on this. The revelation of true wealth. Jesus. Jesus. Strengthens my spirit, my inner man. Listen, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Brothers and sisters, this is more than the idea of, well, Jesus does dwell in my heart. The idea here that the Holy Spirit is wanting to communicate is that Christ might find a permanent, as opposed to a temporary, lodging place in our hearts.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is after securing a permanent home for Christ in our hearts, where he reigns continuously, day and night, 24 -7, as the resident king and boss, calling the shots, saying yes to that and no to that.

And we, as his servants, saying yes, Lord, whatever. Whatever you say, Lord. Not a sensual infatuation about the king, but a place of permanent residence in our heart, where we lose the rights over our heart and over our mind.

We lose the rights because Christ has now taken up his permanent residence. It's his home. What? Know ye not that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that it's God who dwells in you by faith? How are we going to be able to be free from the wiles of the serpent, brothers and sisters?

How are you and I going to be able to be free from the prowling lion, whose hunger is insatiable, who wants to devour and destroy? How are we going to? By being broken before God, by realizing we're blinded, by seeing what true wealth is.

And then, brothers and sisters, by praying, Lord, I want my heart to be your home, your place of permanent residence, where you're the boss. How many of you people, listen please, go to a friend's house, walk in and take over?

Do you make it a practice to do that? Usually you sit on the couch or you sit on the chair and you let your host tell you what the agenda is, right? That's what Jesus wants. He wants the heart to be his house and he wants us to come and bow before him.

Being Filled With the Fullness of God's Love

And now lastly, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God's love, an ever-increasing, ever-expanding, ever-growing capacity for God's love to be flowing through our lives. That's God's end, brothers and sisters.

I know we've run out of time. Let's bow our hearts for a moment. Father, please help us today, Lord, to see you. Perform your word in our spirits and in our hearts. Make us to see, Lord, more and more, thyself and thy beauty.

Remove the mountains in our lives, Lord, and help us to bow like Paul, to see the riches that you want to give us and the great love that you want to fill us with, Lord. We pray you'll do this, Lord, in Jesus' name.

Amen.