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*Illustration- Pulsing sirens for Tornadoes.  People have said that they would never live in Kansas due to Tornadoes. My question to you Pennsylvania long timers “Where were you on March 28, 1979?”  In 1994, I moved from the Midwest to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  One afternoon I was startled by the sound of sirens filling the air.  I could see nothing that would suggest a storm, but then I was informed that it was a Three Mile Island radiation emergency alarm system. And you worry about Kansas!?!

Warning signs, sirens, and messages are for the safety of the public and for you!  To dismiss them could be to your detriment.  

Today’s text is a warning.  A warning to the health of your soul and the health of your church family.  Let’s take these verses seriously and heed the warnings for each other’s sake. 

Prayer

Read Ephesians 5:5-14

Warning! Do not be deceived by pretenders or prodigals of the “Christian” church. (5-6)

• Promoters and practitioners of immoral behavior should not feel confident they have citizenship in the Kingdom of God.
  
  
• People whose character seem uncleansed (impure) are not speaking on behalf of the Kingdom of Christ.
  
  
• A person whose pursuits are of material things (idolatry) is not a leader within the Kingdom of God.

1 John 1:5-10

God is light and so are those who follow him.

To embrace sin in your life and claim God as your Lord, you have become the pretender, fraud, or minimally a liar.

The light of God cause grief over sin and leads to repentance.

Those who grieve sin and cling to the light are the true followers of Christ. 

Warning! Do not partner with people who do not measure up to the light of the Gospel. (7-9)

• In Christ, if we are walking with him our lives will not be shrouded in secrecy or concealed living.

John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

• We are called to a life that reveals the truth of Christ in us and is evidenced in our behavior with others. Darkness will only build deeper brokenness between us and others.  1 John 2:7-11
  
  
• We hitch our wagons to people who are pursuing goodness, righteousness, and truth. (9)
  
  
• Our daily delight is in finding out what pleases the Lord. (10)

Warning!  Do not conceal dark things but call them out.  (11)

• Reveal truth about sin in your life and in the church. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
  
  
• When exposing sin there is caution in the details, for our goal is promoting truth that leads to protection of the body. Too much information of the sin can entice. (12) 
  
  
• That which is visible comes under the authority of the light. (13)

Two Invitations for you to consider doing today:

1. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal dark things you have concealed.
   
   
2. Invite a fellow believer into a moment of confession where light can be invited in, and healing can begin. James 5:16

Benediction:

Wake up!  Invite the light of Christ to shine on you and on us.  (14) 1 John 1:9