Light in the Darkness

Good morning Welcome to online Service. We are in our Sermon Series entitled Way-maker. Over the past few weeks we have looked at how God interacts with his people.. We have seen that God is not at a distance and unconcerned what happens to us … He did not create the world and then step away from His creation… and say good luck... He did not push the start button and let the machinery run apart from himself…

Quite the opposite…..… The Bible teaches that God draws near to us.. God in Christ descended into humanity through the incarnation, He took on human flesh and lived among us and felt every emotion and sensed every pain and every sorrow… He experience joys and tears that life brings....

the book of Hebrews chapter 4:15 tells us we do not have a High Priest who doesn’t sympathizes with our weakness.. rather He experienced every thing we go through… He has been tempted every respect as we have… yet with out sin…

God did everything possible to save e us and deal with every barrier that got in the ways of us having a Personal relationship with Himself…

In this series we have seen that God is a WAY-MAKER.. HE makes a way where there seems to be no way… He provides paths through the wilderness and streams in the dessert… we have seen that..

When Abraham stepped out in Faith and put everything on the line… God provided a lamb a substitute...

When Jesus and his disciples crossed over to the the other-side of Galilee.... to unknown territory— Jesus delivered a man from a legion of demons… and through this one miracle — sparked a revival .. ..

This one miracle brought the gospel of Hope to 10 gentile cities.…

We have seen that God is a Promise Keeper…God not only makes promises, but he is a Promise Keeper.… He is faithful to see his promises come to completion..… He keeps his promises to a 1000 generations. Pauls told church in Philippi.. that they could be confident.. Because He who began a good work in them would be faithful to bring it to completion.. at the day of Jesus Christ… You church...

God is our Way maker.. He is our Miracle worker.... He is our promise Keeper..

Today we are going to see that God is our light in the Darkness.

Years ago when I had an opportunity to travel India and spend 10 days teaching at a Bible college… One evening we were taken to a remote village to hold a service and the road only went so far and so we had to walk some of the distance. It was one of those evenings where it was pitch black outside… we couldn’t see a thing… and one of the student pastors led me by the arm…as we walked into the thickness of the night … I never forget thinking - If I disappeared nobody would ever find me… Here I was in .. a foreign country in the middle of nowhere… … this is before GPS.... I had no idea where I was… and we are walking in absolute darkness… I was fully trusting these bible students.. .. in the distance was a single lantern ... the student holding my arm pointed to the light ands said that’s where we are heading… As long as we walked towards that single light light… were on the right path…heading in the right direction…

Light is a powerful force… think about the planets that we can see with our naked eyes.. The other night we were able to see Saturn and Mars with the naked eye… Saturn is about 888 million miles away… and Mars is about 104 Million miles away..

In the Scripture there is this dualism between Light and Darkness that contrasts the forces of Good and and the forces of Evil that are at work in our world....

We are introduced to the theme of light and darkness in Genesis. we are introduced to a world that is without form and void of creation. The first action in the Bible is God Speaking light into Darkness..

Genesis 1:3 ESV

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

When God speaks light there is this immediate boundary line between light and darkness… What follows light is creation and order … that produces and sustains life... light is essential for life…

If the sun were to shut off today… the earths temperature would drop rapidly and within a couple weeks there would be no life on our planet… light is essential when it comes to sustaining life...

just as Light is essential… to physical world, light is also essential to our spiritual lives.. John the beloved disciple of Jesus gave attention to God being light...…

1 John 1:5 ESV

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

John tells us that God himself is the Light… He doesn’t say that God is like light — but rather God is light.... It is part of his Attributes…

John Piper talks about the theology of light in the Scriptures… that is not only found in God the Father but also in Christ.. Light is found in Christ… We see the divinity of Christ… where the fulness of God is found in Christ…Christ is the source of salvation, he is the source knowledge, revelation, wisdom, healing…

John 8:12 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John says when we follow Christ who is light… we will not be in darkness but we will possess the light of life…One of the fruits of evidences of us being in Christ… is the fact that Christ life and light is evident in our lives..

The truth is that our relation with Christ as light should impact our walk.. our behavior, conduct and lifestyle… Spurgeon said it like this... that there is a difference “between saying and being, between saying and doing.”

If we are walking with Christ.. it impacts our fellowship… the way we deal with each other… the way we live in the world… the way that we live forgiveness..

1 John 1:7 ESV

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

This morning we are going to be looking a passage in Ephesians 5.

The apostle Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians from Prison… It was intended not only for the church in Ephesus but it was a sermon that was to be circulated among churches.

Ephesians is about being the Church… How to live as a transformed community in a world that is marked with darkness. .. What made the church stand out in the culture was it’s marked by its Unity....

This doesn’t mean that it wasn’t with a struggle.. There were internal struggles..

There were false teachers proclaiming a different gospel… there were temptations of the world… Ephesus was dominated by the worship of Diana… the rituals of prostitution was a way of live…As a culture they had accepted sexual perversion as valid and exalt way of life…

But even though the struggles from within and without … We see the power of God’s light in the Church as the Holy Spirit worked and in bring bringing about unity.

You see the early church was not a perfect church… but they were in process of being transformed by the HS into the image of Christ.

T/s How does God's light transform our internal and external worlds? First of all Through..

1. Discerning Spiritual Influences

“Discernment is the ability to make sound judgments by distinguishing the difference between good and evil… it is Recognizing the right way for Gods people… understanding Spiritual realities on a practical level to make correct judgments and avoid the pitfalls of life..

How do we develop Discernment?

Discernment is listed as one of the 9 Spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12;10.. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to distinguish between counterfeit spirits and the Holy Spirit...

When it comes to the gift of discernment there are somethings that spiritual discerned.. There are powers and forces at work in the world… Because of the Holy Spirits indwelling we can have spiritual discernment.. but like all the gifts.. spirit… they need to be put into practice...

Discernment is also something that can be developed…

In his book The Gospel According to Starbucks, Leonard Sweet tells the story of Ed Faubert. Faubert is what you call a "cupper"—in layman's terms, he's a coffee-taster. And his taste buds are actually certified by the state of New York!

Faubert's sense of taste is so refined that even while blindfolded, he can take one sip of coffee and tell you "not just that it is from Guatemala, but from what state it comes, at what altitude it was grown, and on what mountain."

How did Faubert become so good at discerning different kinds of coffee… Well first all --- He must have drunk a lot of coffee… over time he was able to categorize different tastes and make the right kind of associations… Discernment came about through practice…

Spiritual Discernment is a gift and it is learned through the practice of spiritual disciplines..

... If we do something over and over again we will learn to discern the difference between what false and what is true...— Paul encourages the church to Practice Spiritual Discernment..

… lets read our text..

Ephesians 5:6–10 ESV

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Paul says Don't be deceived Empty Words… We need to develop the habit of being aware of Words..

Lets think about — Empty words … Empty words are words that might seem to be valid on the surface .... the idea of philosophy has some truth… but at the end of the day it is simply empty of power or meaning....

Darkness often deals in half truths or deception …… Satan is the master of deception… When tempting Eve… He says to Eve… that when you take of the fruit you will be like God knowing good and Evil… That is half truth… because he left out the part that God said ...that they could eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil because if they ate from that tree they should surely die… that is the Truth..

If we are going to be discerning we have to learn how to discriminate…between light and darkness..

The commandment is a negative imperative.. don't be deceived by empty words...

Here is the problem is we are impacted by our inviroments… — If we live our lives in darkness we are going to lack spiritual discernment…

Paul says Don't partner with darkness... Why? Because that is no longer our identity.....

Notice that Paul did not say that we were “in the darkness,” but that we “were darkness.”

The passion translation say that ...“Once your life was full of sins darkness… In other words… . Darkness was not only the outside environment.. the the night of spiritual darkness penetrated them to the point where Darkness penetrated to the core of their being…

But that is no longer their identity… the contrast is that they are now as Children of Light… Christ has reversed that, so that they are light—so that light now illuminates their lives all the way to the center. our partnership now is with Christ…Christ’s light has Change of identity… we no longer align with darkness..

..because of our union with Christ.. Our lives now reflect the light of Christ. We see the indicative and the imperative..

the indicative is --- Since we become embodied light — what follows is the imperative.... which is to now to live children of light.. The result of living and walking in the light… is bearing fruit...

We don’t associate fruit with light… but nothing grows with sunshine…

The word fruit of light — is speaking what is produced by radiance of Christ presence… Light is the life of Christ… When Christs light shine in and through our lives their it is going to be evidence…

Paul tells us what will be found is that which is good and is right.. and in all that is righteousness...

Goodness is simply “love in action.”… It what do.. and Righteousness speaks of Character… When light is shining we will reflect God’s character…

Both of these qualities are based on truth, which is conformity to the Word and will of God.

You will learn to discern what the Lords will is and be able walk in his will..

Here is the good news of being in Christ.. No matter how dark the night... darkness can never dispel light. . Light always dispels darkness. Light always wins.

T/s How does God's light transform our internal and external worlds?

First of all Through..

1. Discerning Spiritual Influences

2. Delight in the Awakening of Truth

We living at time where we are Grasping for the meaning of Truth? There are so many sides to the story that you end up wondering what to believe… It is a slippery slope when we loose the foundation of truth..

Our world teaches relativism that is Truth is relative… each of us has our own truth.

. Whatever is true for you is true for you and whatever is true for me is true for me. If something works for you because you believe it, that's great. But no one should force his or her views on other people since everything is relative.

In other words there is no standard for what is right and wrong… Can you imagine if you applied this principle to sky diving.. Instead of you instructor giving you some of the standard rules such as… don’t curl up in to a ball (you could slip out your harness … arch you back and hold your arms in front of you… (keep you flying in the right direction) Stick your legs out in front of you when you land…

Imagine you arrive and you meet your smiling instructor at the Relative Diving School and he says… we believe that there are many ways to sky dive.. to get from the plane to the ground… just listen to your inner voice… respond to your feelings… have a memorable experience… see you at the bottom…

One of the distinctions that I love about the Free Church is that we are Bible centered… One of our guiding principles is...What says the Scripture?

Here is the thing the Bible teaches us that truth is Absolute... Jesus said that He is the Way the truth and the life…

The problem is When you abandon the absolute authority of God’s Word, anything goes.

Ephesians 5:11–13 ESV

11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,

Here is a negative imperative again… let no one deceive you with empty words… Now it is Take no part in unfruitful works of darkness...

As Children of light our identity is no longer identify with Darkness… We no longer functioning in the old system the old ways… the old economy… No longer being motivated by darkness..

The Bible tells us that we are new creations in Christ… We are told in Ephesians chapter four that we are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds --

Ephesians 4:24 ESV

24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

This is not one time deal… Walking in the light and bearing fruits of righteousness is ongoing… It is not a one time shop… you got keep on going back for more.

Colossians 3:10 ESV

10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

This is what Paul is talking about when he tells us that

Instead of partnering with unfruitful works of darkness -- rather expose them-- put them under light --

This is practical teaching as you will get… How do you dispel darkness — turn on the light… Turn on God’s revelation of the Word of God… we have been given everything we need in the Bible to live godly lives… We have the light of God’s presence… We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit…

No matter whether darkness is coming at us internally or externally --- Expose it to the Revelation of the Word and revelation of God’s presence..

Here it the thing...

Whatever revelation-light exposes it bring correction

When you think of partnership --- that’s a deep relationship… Marriage is a covenant… these days couples don’t want the traditional vows… but these vows remind us that marriage is more than a commitment… its a covenant before God… for better for worse.... for Richer… for… poorer… in sickness and in health.... This solemn promise that we are making before God..… covenant is not something that you do lightly…

There is a deep connection…

Paul says we have no obligation to the flesh nature… we have no obligation… to darkness… Don’t partner with Darkness.

Rather than being a partner and participants with unfruitful works of darkness.... Expose them..

Darkness is always going to encroach on our lives… But when we see it… coming.. we are to make make auto correct — we convict and approve by exposing it to the light.

Throughout history there have been periods of darkness and periods of light.. we talk about the dark ages and then Enlightenment.. We have the reformation and Spiritual awakenings.. Why is there these fluctuations… Dr Barnhouse gives this illustration — He tells us that when Christ was in the world — He was like the sun shining… The moon is a picture of believers and the church.. The church does not shine with its own light — rather it reflects the suns light.. There are times like under Luther and Wesley where the sun shone with dazzling light… because the reflected the light… in other words light doesn’t originate with us…

Here is the thing..light not only reveals, but penetrates and transforms whatever it illuminates.

A. Let Truth of God's word shine..

Paul us to walk as children of the light…that are producing fruits of goodness and righteousness... What does this look like...

Our mission is to live as Children flooded with his revelation light.. and his supernatural fruits will be seen in you.. his goodness, righteousness and truth.

T/s How does God's light transform our internal and external worlds?

3. Desire Spiritual Awakenings...

If you were asked about your Spiritual Appetite --- How would you rate your desire for Spiritual Food? How about more of God’s presence in your daily life? Let’s say out of 10? Would it be it be… 5 or 6?

What about your desire for Revival or Renewal?

There have been two great Awakening in this Nation… One under Jonathan Edwards… where there was a huge move of God… The Children of the pilgrims had really drifted from faith… focused on material world and possessions … drifted away from their fathers faith… one of the central figures of the Great awakening was Jonathan Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards was known for his preaching and one particular famous sermon… “Sinners in the hand of an angry God’… we told when People heard this we are told were literally holding onto their pews … there was loud wailing ,…as the conviction of the spirit was so strong…

… in the 1700’s brought back reverence for God… God used men like John Wesley and George Whitfield…to reach 100 000’s of people with the gospel and to remind the church what it meant to be a Christian… Those who were renewed in the church were called new lights… and those who resisted the awakening were called the Old lights… then their was the Second Great Awakening — … which has been called an even greater awakening…It was a prayer movement… and prayer concerts that took place on University campuses…Campuses like Harvard, Yale and Williams College… were all impacted…I read that that something like 1 in 4 students came to personal relationship with Christ… These Awakenings not only impacted American culture… but impacted foreign missions movement in America… In 1806, at Williams College , Samuel Mills and four other students hid themselves in a haystack to avoid a summer thunderstorm. While there they united in prayer, and pledged themselves to go as missionaries wherever God might lead them. Out of this group went the first American missionaries… think about all the missionaries that have been sent around the world..

Paul tells us what is needed for transformation is an Spiritual awakening.. an outpouring of the Holy Spirit..

Ephesians 5:14 ESV

14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Paul tells us to wake up… then he says that we are to walk with discernment --- be careful how you walk… how you live…not as unwise — but as wise… Making the most of the time…because the days are Evil...

b. Be filled with the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 ESV

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? The pastor and theologian John Stott has something really interesting to say about this verse… We dealing with contrasts again… Someone who is drunk is out of control… but someone who filled with is in control.. Stots says When we come under the influence of the Holy Spirit we don’t loose control we gain control…

We are able to overcome the temptation… we are able to forgive that person… we are spirit controlled.. Spirit led…

The Holy Spirit Empowers us to live a godly life…

In 1963 the nuclear submarine Thresher engine quit and could not get back to the surface. It sank deeper and deeper into the ocean. The pressure became immense. The heavy steel buckled under the pressure and the crew of 129 Sailors lost their lives..

The navy searched for the and Finally located the submarine at a depth of 8400 feet, one and a half miles down. It was crushed like an egg shell. That was not a surprise,because at that depth their would have been tremendous—3600 pounds per square inch.

What surprised the searchers was that they saw fish at that great depth. And these fish did not have inches of steel to protect them. They appeared to have normal skin, a fraction of an inch thick. How can these fish survive under all that pressure? How come they are not crushed by the weight of the water? They have a secret. Their secret is that they have the same pressure inside themselves as they have on the outside. Survival under pressure.

That is the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.. John tells in 1 john 4

that “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” We will be victorious in the battle against darkness because Jesus poured his Spirit into our hearts. because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Holy Spirit enables us to

c. Live an encouraging life

Ephesians 5:19–20 ESV

19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Paul talks about four areas that will be indicative of the person living in the fullness of the Spirit. Speaking and singing and thanksgiving and submitting are all dependent on being filled with the Spirit.

"Speak to one another," doesn't mean going to church and talking about any old thing the minute church is out. It refers to an upbuilding that is committed to helping people grow.

"Singing" is worship. Singing is not the only kind of worship, and all singing is not worship. The determining factor is whether it's from the heart to the Lord.

You can have superb music that's not from the heart and isn't to the Lord. You can have awful music that is from the heart to the Lord. Personally, I enjoy the former better. God accepts the latter. I think what he really likes is beautiful music from the heart to the Lord.