(singing) It’s the most wonderful time of the year, everyone is store hopping and selfies are popping, there’s lots of good cheer….It’sthe most wonderful time of the year!....
Well, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, when we ventured out into the world of Christmas shopping. Comparing prices on the items which we hope to secure. We always begin by checking what works among the house and yard decorations, and what is to be assigned to the Christmas decorating grave yard. Next there is the task of replenishing our house and yard decorations and replacing them with items which will complete our decorating dreams, or at least hopefully come close. In the process of doing all this, it occurred to me that along with getting the house and yard shiny and bright, what about being the light while we’re doing our decorating and putting up the lights.
As I was running cords to put up some Christmas lights…I attempted to do it in such a way that the cords would not be visible and there be the appearance of light without cords. It occurred to me that this is what we try to do so often, when we try to be lights in the world, but try to hide from our friends, co-workers and neighbors, the source of our light, which is Jesus Christ. To attempt to shine and hide the cords that connect us, because we might offend or upset someone, or we want to avoid a confrontation, butwe may end up turning off our light if we try to separate ourselves from our source….
Luke 11:33 “No man, when he has lit a candle, puts it in a secret place, or under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light”.
Let’s put the emphasis on being the light in our family, by brightening up our conversations and our interactions with the hope and peace which we promote at this season. Let’s brighten up our work environment, or wherever we spend our work time energy. Be the light by volunteering to a worthy cause, serving in meaningful ways that will bring cheer and good will. So, with all this said, I have decided to begin a personal BE THE LIGHT campaign for myself. Amidst all the shopping and the crowded shops and malls, I am reminding myself that THE LIGHT starts with me.
My message today is exactly that….. BE THE LIGHT…
When your life is full of darkness, pray to God and ask him to...free you from the darkness and if you pray and you’re still in darkness...
then please pay your Electricity Bill!!!
When we think of lights in the darkness, that we may have experienced, there are the Northern lights which scientists still aren’t agreed on what causes these amazing spectacles….We all deal every day with traffic lights….hopefully we don’t see those warning lights on the dash of our car that tell us we’ve got a problem….and we wouldn’t do well driving at night without head lights….A very important light to us is that refrigerator light that let’s us see what our hunger is craving…. We have lights that are used to lure little critters, and it does not end well for them in the bug zapper….. And there are some scary lights, like the ones in the dentist’s chair, or those flashing ones behind you when you drive too fast…. Then there was the guy who was very depressed, because he thought he was a 25 watt light bulb. He went to see his psychiatrist who told him that he wasn’t very bright! Someone said that when they were young, they were afraid of the dark, now, when they get the electric bill, they’re afraid of the light.
With all that said, we live in a world, that puts a great value on light! Jesus spoke often about light and darkness, and it is very significant that in a world with alternating light and darkness, He would tell us that we are the light of the world.
The darkness is subject to the light and must flee before it…. We don’t fear the darkness, because we don’t just have access to the light, scripture tells us “We are the light of the world”….
The Lord has called us to be “glow in the dark” people! We dance in the dark, we sing in the darkness, we still shout even when it’s dark, we celebrate in the darkness because even though we may be in the darkness, the darkness is no longer in us!!!! Here’s what Jesus said about that…. Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. There is no darkness that God is not there, the people of the light know that God is there and they enter in with confidence….
I found a very interesting scripture in Exodus 20:21 “And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was”. This scripture is describing a scene, when the people came to Mount Sinai or the mountain of fire, and God called Moses up into the mount to receive His guide lines for their lives. The people were afraid, because all they saw was the darkness but what Moses saw was the God of the darkness….Ihave always thought of the Glory of God as something so bright that you couldn’t look at it….But I never thought of God’s glory as being in the darkness….That seems so contradictory, but God is telling us something very important here…..
Let’s take a look at another curious scripture…1 Kings 8:10 “And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, v11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. And Solomon Blessed the Lord v12 Then spoke Solomon, The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness”.
What Solomon wants the people to know, is that when they cannot see and feel God’s visible glory, His glory is still there where we must see it and believe it by faith. Because the darkness can’t stop His glory. He was telling them, “Yes darkness will come, but we no longer need to fear the darkness, because Jehovah Jirah (our provision) Jehovah Nissi (our victory) Jehovah Shalom (our peace) Jehovah Rapha (our healer) Jehovah ad-o-noy' (our strength)…. He is with us and in us!
Let me show you another powerful scripture where we see the glory of God in the darkness…..Joshua 24:6 “And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and you came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. v7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them..”
The glory of God appeared as a cloud of darkness unto the Egyptians, but on the side where the Hebrews were, it was light... Not only is our God in the darkness, but He will use the very darkness for His glory. You will come forth in a place you could never have planned or achieved in your own strength or power….
When I pastored in Maryland, we had a large parking lot in back of the church and we would hear cars coming and going at all hours of the night. Kids would park and make out…. So we called the electric company and had them put a pole with a 400 watt light on it and it immediately stopped the late night traffic. Man, it flooded the parking area with light and everything else around!
That’s what God did when He put the light of His glory inside every Christian… He flooded the darkness with light!
When the plagues came upon Egypt, because it was time for them to go free… one of the plagues was darkness upon the land… look at it in… Exodus 10:22 “And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. v23 They could not see one another, neither could any go out from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings”. Think of it, darkness so deep, that lanterns would not shine, fire would not give light, darkness so deep it quenched the light…..
But every Hebrew carried God’s light with them, in their homes, feeding their herds, and conducting their business from house to house….while the land of Egypt was covered with darkness. Their light was a powerful witness of God’s presence with them, when everyone else was stumbling around, confused in the darkness. God was moving in the darkness (don’t ever forget it, child of God)!
A crew of men were wiring a new building when the lead man, who had been putting in too many hours, just totally lost it, went wacko, and walked off the job. When the boss stopped him, he said that he had been transformed into a light bulb and he had gotten unplugged. The boss said, go home and take some time off. When three of his crew went to follow him, the boss said, “So what’s your problem”… they said, “The light is gone and we can’t work in the dark”….
Those who are the light because they have the light of Glory, are able to rule the darkness!
Most of us have had the experience of visiting one of the caverns which have been made safe for tourists to explore. For me it was the darkest darkness I have experienced, but it wasn’t frightening because I knew that the guides who were leading us, were familiar with the path we were taking. I also knew that every precaution had been taken to ensure that we would reach the exit safely. Sowhen we were deep in the depths of the cavern, the guides announced that they were turning off all the lights for a few seconds (which always seem a lot longer!). You couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face. For a few awful seconds, you realize what it would be like to be totally without light.
And yet, God tells us that He is there in the darkest places in our lives.
I understand that one of the very popular tattoos people are getting currently, is the “Semi-colon” tattoo…. A semicolon is a point in the sentence when the sentence could end with a period, but the writer decides to continue to write…. The Semi-colon tattoo represents those with depression who attempted suicide or they have had thoughts of ending their lives, but something happened and they decided to live and seek help.
Jesus tells us that Satan has come to steal, kill and destroy, but He has come that we may have life, and that more abundantly!
David was inspired to write “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He (the light, the life, the joy, the peace, and redemption) is with me”…. He is there at all the “Simi-colons” of our lives, when it looks like the story could end, but the master composer of our destiny, has continued to write of victory, overcoming, and glorious endings! Greater than the miracle of water turned to wine, was the miracle of His death transformed into our redemption!
I remember a group of young men came to the altar at one service, and I was praying for one of them who was a former gang member from New York, and the Holy Spirit had me pray that his mind would be opened to understand, and that the word of God would come alive to him. A week later he returned with his friends and they were all excited that he was able to read the bible. They told me that he was illiterate and had never learned to read or write. The only thing he could read was the bible. He tried to read other books and couldn’t. He wrote the first letter in his entire life to his mom.
Well that’s what the Holy Spirit does….
2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. v7 Forwe have received this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us”.
The story of the 10 virgins in Matthew’s gospel, is a story of keeping our light shining bright in a dark world. It’s telling us that we can’t depend on others to get us to heaven (our parents, our spouse, or our friends) and we can’t ride on someone else’s experience. But we must always be pressing in to know the Lord more intimately. We must press in to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit’s oil, and push beyond our feelings, our disappointments, our hurts and offences, and stay open to God’s truth or we will fall for Satan’s deceptions. Stay in forgiveness, walk in love, keep humble and teachable, live in an attitude of prayer, and keep moving forward in your spiritual growth and development…..
Let’s look at this parable, beginning with verse 1 of chapter 25… Matthew 25:1 “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. (understand here that at this wedding, the redeemed are the bride and Christ is the bridegroom) v2 Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. v3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: v4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. v5 While the bridegroom tarried His coming (the rapture) they all slumbered and slept. v6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes. go out to meet him. v7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. v8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out”.
Tell someone, “get yourself ready, and stay ready, He’s on His way”….
The question this parable poses for all of us today is, are we further along in our spiritual walk than we were this time last year? Have we developed our gifts to be used by the Lord more effectively than at this time last year? Are we witnessing more, praying more, involved in God’s kingdom more than we were at this time last year?
Now I don’t want to get anyone under condemnation, but just as the doctor wants you to be physically well….as a pastor, I want to know that you are Spiritually well, because I know that if you are spiritually healthy, then it will effect your physical health and your relational health, as well as your productivity and general well being in a positive way!
I want to close today, with a challenge that comes from God’s instruction to Israel, as they were in the wilderness, on their way to the promised land, which God gave them before they ever got to it! Our lives each day are to be a fulfillment of prophetic promise. Each choice and each situation is bringing us to our promise. When the wolves gather, we cling closer to the shepherd. Also, their camp was to be set up in the shape of a cross. Every day, they were living out a prophecy, which was being fulfilled through them, of a greater time to come. A time when the demands of the law would be fulfilled through a loving and merciful redeemer. Their lives were to be shaped by the cross. They worked, ate, fellowshipped and slept within the cross…. Then, I see that at the center of the entire camp, was the tabernacle. Every tent faced it and it was the center of all activity. By day, the glory of God rested over it with a cloud, that blocked the heat of the sun, and shielded the camp. By night, the glory of God was a pillar of fire, which lit up everything in the darkness, and provided warmth and comfort, from the perils of the night. It protected them from their enemies and beast of prey.
Every night, the last thing they experienced before going to bed, was the glory of God. Every morning as they awakened, the first thing they experienced, was the glory of God. Throughout the day, whatever they were doing, they experienced the glory of God. Every tent, and every individual lived their lives in the glory!
That’s God’s challenge to us today….live in the glory, and be the light!
Communion….
Today I’m calling this the “Lord’s Feast”, because the Last supper took place exactly at the time of the Passover celebration, when they were eating the meal which commemorated their release from bondage and their freedom from slavery. Hallelujah, we are no longer slaves to sin, but we are now the family of God, and heirs through Christ.
This is a declaration of our freedom.
This is a covenant meal…It declares that we have been given things that we haven’t even realized yet, but they are ours by covenant.. It assures us that there are things which God will provide, based on His own nature, identity and reputation. It goes beyond our efforts, our goodness, and our abilities. It is based on the covenant truth, that “The Lord Will Provide”…….
Through His body and His blood, we have received the down payment on our promise…
