Advent 1999 -3- Coming Light-The Glory of the Lord Shines upon Us

Readings: Isaiah 60:1-7; 15-22; 1John 1:1-7
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. Isaiah 60:1 (NIV)

I.   Our light Has come

     A.  Darkness Covers the earth

           1.  In our world were evil gets the headlines.

                 a.  A negligent fire claims 6 firefighters.

                 b.  A plane goes down over the Atlantic, possibly intentional.

                 c.  WTO protests become violent.

           2.  We have not “evolved” beyond violence, abuse, addictions, and lies.

                 a.  The Columbine killings.

                 b.  The vulnerable are still abused physically, verbally and emotionally.

                 c.  We all accept the fact that politics is a dirty business: we expect lies.

           3.  A spiritual darkness covers our earth too.

                 a.  The TV lineup is filled with shows that celebrate the occult.

                 b.  Christians are being slaughtered for our faith in numbers never seen before.

     B.  God’s light enters our Darkness

           1.  God’s light enters our dark world.

                 a.  He enters through His people.

                 b.  He enters it Himself.

                 c.  He guides history toward His end.

           2.  God’s light enters our personal darkness.

                 a.  God enters our heart of darkness, to transform it into a shining light.

                 b.  God enters our hearts through faith.

                 c.  God’s Spirit enters our hearts to produce faith and obedience in us!

           3.  Jesus was born into our dark world.

                 a.  Into our dark world, while our hearts were still dark, Jesus comes as a baby.

                 b.  Born in a barn, in a small town in an oppressed country.

                 c.  A king tries to murder him before his second birthday.

     C.  Hear, see and Touch the Light (1John 1:1-7)

           1.  Jesus became touchable, visible, audible.

                 a.  John is telling us that God became tangible, visible, audible.

                 b.  You could shake his hand, count the whiskers on his chin, hear his accent.

                 c.  This is the most amazing event in the history of redemption: God was born!

           2.  The message is God is light without darkness–so leave the darkness.

                 a.  God’s light enters our darkness so that we don’t have to live in the dark.

                 b.  There is no darkness in God, so those who live there, live without Him.

II.  The Lord’s glory Rises on us

     A.  The Lord rises over Us

           1.  God’s glory is God’s very presence.

                 a.  It is God Himself who comes to us.

                 b.  God Himself rises upon us/over us!

           2.  His glory rises like the sun chasing away the darkness of the night.

                 a.  When God shows up, darkness runs off.

                 b.  When God shows up, we can see things as they really are.

     B.  It is a new Day

           1.  The rising of God’s glory means it’s a new day for us.

                 a.  The night is over, the day has come.

                 b.  It’s time to start over, start afresh, start with the freshness of the morning dew.

           2.  We still measure history on the pivot-point of Jesus’ birth.

                 a.  The day of Jesus birth marks the transition from one era to the next.

                 b.  The impact of Jesus’ birth is still felt today, about 2003 years later.

     C.  He will be our Everlasting light (Is.60:19)

           1.  Light bulbs burn out. So will the sun.

                 a.  Nothing lasts forever.

                 b.  No insight seems completely reliable.

                 c.  No moral code seems quite enough.

           2.  The light that Jesus brings won’t go out.

                 a.  It’s still shining today!

                 b.  It’s still shining through us!

           3.  In fact we won’t even need the sun or moon! (Is.60:19-20)

III. Get up and Shine!

     A.  Walk in the light

           1.  We shine because God shines on us (v.1)

                 a.  Shine because our light has come!

                 b.  It’s not our own inner light that’s bright.

                 c.  God shines on us and through us!

           2.  We can’t walk in both light and darkness at the same time!

                 a.  If God there you’re not in the dark

                 b.  If you’re in the dark, God isn’t there.

           3.  Not about being completely sinless (v.8) but about walking with God.

                 a.  We aren’t slaves to sin anymore!

                 b.  But we still sin sometimes.

                 c.  Even so, God’s always with us!

     B.  People are Attracted to the light

           1.  In a dark world, the light is a beacon of hope

                 a.  Most people know this world is a mess.

                 b.  The good news about God’s love, is a light in the window to a world trying to get home.

           2.  We don’t need to “filter” the light.

                 a.  The light isn’t too bright or too harsh.

                 b.  If the light exposes problems, don’t blame the light!

                 c.  Folks want true, full spectrum light!

           3.  God’s promise: nations will come to you.

                 a.  When we shine out God’s glory, the nations will come. (v.3)

                 b.  We go out to the ends of the earth and shine so that they will come.

                 c.  Evangelizing is sometimes simply taking the bushel off of the lampstand!

     C.  We are the light of the World!

           1.  Jesus tells us that’s who we are.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matt. 5:14-16 (NIV)

           2.  Shine!

The Bottom Line:

(HoR: R# 205 Go, Tell it on the Mountains)