Lights in the Dark
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Lights in the Dark
Play: https://youtu.be/Sg64LC7--As
Good morning on this fourth of July Sunday.
My family and I were so excited
to watch the fireworks at the park here in Milford.
But unfortunately the rain prevented us from being able to do that
So,
If you have a big back yard with no trees in the way,
Let me know
because I would be glad to purchase some fireworks
In order to celebrate our great country.
Me being a details guy,
I realized that today is actually the first time,
I have ever preached on the Fourth of July.
I actually could not remember
if I had ever even been to church on the 4th of July before
Because, you know I’m getting older
So I had to look back to be certain.
I Started ministry in 1996
and I have actually served in ministry
three other times before today
on the fourth of July
In 1999, 2004, 2010 and because of Leap year
11 years later today in 2021.
All goofyness set aside,
I am truly grateful to live in the United States of America.
I feel more than a little uneasy
about out nation’s future however.
Anyone else feel that way?
With animosity and division at an all-time high
I am not content with the current state of things.
I long for a better future for my children.
Our Founding Fathers
also longed to create a better future for their children.
On July 4th 1776,
the 2nd Continental Congress
adopted the Declaration of Independence.
And a little more than a decade later,
after years of war and blood shed,
our founding fathers drafted the Constitution of the United Sates.
It took them months
of careful consideration and discussion
to write the document
designed to protect American freedoms.
However,
even after all their careful planning
they knew that the Constitution
would not be enough on its own.
John Adams declared,
“Our Constitution
is made only for a moral and religious People.
It is wholly inadequate
to the government of any other.”
James Madison agreed
and wrote that our Constitution requires
“sufficient virtue among men
for self-government,”
otherwise,
“nothing less than the chains of despotism
can restrain them from destroying
and devouring one another.”
These great men understood
that the Constitution
simply outlines the rights and privileges of the people.
Those rights and privileges however
come with a responsibility.
The First Amendment
may give you the freedom to say what you want
but it doesn’t mean you should say it.
The laws of our nation are designed
to tell us what we cannot do with our freedom.
The law is the low end of the stick.
But just following the law is not the standard.
It doesn’t tell us how we should live our lives
just how we cannot live.
Neither the Constitution
nor the laws of our land
will make us responsible,
kind, compassionate,
supportive,
understanding,
or loving citizens.
For example,
traffic laws can tell you the rules of the road
and how not to drive.
But those rules cannot make you
be a kind and courteous driver.
Only you can chose to drive that way.
Likewise,
we must choose to live for a higher standard,
a moral standard.
As Christians,
Jesus gave us that standard
in John 13:34
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Earlier this year
we talked about what loving one another looks like.
As followers of Jesus
we are to:
Accept one another
Speak truth to one another
Forgive one another
Serve one another
Carry one another’s burdens
Encourage one another
And Build one another up
If we love like this,
if we follow Jesus’ instruction
to love God with all our hearts
and to love our neighbor as ourselves,
there is no room
for animosity and division-
political or otherwise.
God is calling us to live
for something greater than ourselves.
Take a look at what the Apostle Paul teaches us
in Philippians 2:14-18,
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
The goal,
the reward even,
of loving like Jesus
is that we will “shine like stars in the sky.”
Did you know that when the fireworks are over,
a light remains in the sky?
You see church,
The stars continue to shine
and they outlast anything that is manmade-
lighting up the darkness.
Church our actions must reveal our convictions,
we must live like Jesus
so that we will shine like stars in the sky.
I want you to pay close attention
to several words in our text for today.
The first is Paul’s description of our world.
He calls it
“a warped and crooked generation.”
Dr. David Jeremiah explains,
“You know, the word "crooked"
in the language of the New Testament
is the word "scolios"
from which we get the word "scoliosis"
which is the medical term
for the curvature of the spine.
It's a tremendous picture.
Paul says,
"The world is crooked.
Stand up straight".
When you stand up straight for God,
you will be noticed.
I promise you.
If everyone else is bending down
and you're standing up straight,
you're going to get some attention.” End Quote
Next,
let’s take a look at Paul’s use of the words,
“blameless,”
“pure,”
and “without fault.”
These are a bit troubling to me
because I know from Scripture
and from personal experience
that perfection is not a human possibility.
Mistakes will be made.
In James 3:2
Jesus’ brother
and the head of the Jerusalem church
confesses, “For we all stumble in many ways.”
At church
little Jane had listened to a sermon titled
"Let Your Light Shine."
The only part she remembered
was the text,
but she didn't understand what it meant
until her mother explained,
"It means being good,
obedient, and cheerful.
Then you will be like a candle
with a beautiful glowing light.”
In the afternoon Jane got into trouble.
Realizing she had been naughty
Jane lamented,
"Oh no!
I've blown myself out."
Oh little Jane-
you are not alone.
There has only ever been One
Who was and is perfect.
Church,
when we try to present ourselves
as perfect
what really comes across to others
is a lack of authenticity
Because,
they know,
what we know-
that we’re not perfect.
So,
when we try to come across
as being perfect,
what people really see,
is hypocrisy,
and inauthenticity.
One of the top defining characteristics
of this up-and-coming generation called Gen Z
is the way they value authenticity.
The Gen Z crowd,
born between 1997 and 2012
are the first generation of children
with direct access
to the internet
and portable digital technology
from a young age.
They have been dubbed “Digital Natives”
Whose preoccupation with authenticity
has driven them away from traditional celebrities
in favor of more intimate social media
and YouTube influencers.
It also makes them skeptical
of the motives of large organizations,
institutions,
and especially churches.
They want to know what YOU believe
and if you live out those convictions.
So if perfection is impossible
then
What does “blameless” mean?
What does “blameless” mean?
First, “blameless” speaks to an attitude of the heart- an innocence of intention.
What is it that you desire?
On your own,
you may not be able to accomplish it,
but what is it that you want?
The thing about sin is
it appeals to our appetites.
It often feels good in the moment.
And there are many people
who willfully choose to feed their appetites.
They don’t care what God says,
they don’t care about moral responsibility,
they want what they want
and they choose to pursue it.
On the other hand,
if you look at the bad that you do,
at the sin in your life
and you say-
I don’t want it-
instead
I want freedom from my sin
and I want to become
a more kind, compassionate,
loving, caring, considerate,
forgiving, generous, humble,
gentle, patient,
and accepting person
that intention is pure
that intention is innocent.
Let’s take a hint from Psalm 19:12-13. (HCSB)
Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule over me.
Then I will be innocent
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.
The English Standard Version
translates that word “innocent” in verse 13
as blameless.
It reads:
“Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.”
The Psalmist identifies
Two types of sin.
Type A, is unintentional sins or hidden faults.
Most of us are not self-aware enough
to even know all of our sin behaviors,
thought processes, and failures.
We need grace to cover that kind of sin
and for God to cleanse us
from what we don’t even see in ourselves.
Type B, is intentional or willful sin.
When you know you shouldn’t do something,
but you choose to do it anyway,
that is the kind of sin the Psalmist is talking about
in verse 13.
I love how he prays,
“do not let them rule over me.”
They know that this kind of sin
is like a slave master.
It cracks its whip
and we submit-
giving in and doing what we know
we should not do.
We need deliverance from that kind of sin-
we need Jesus to help us find victory over them.
The Psalmist is saying
that if God redeems them from their hidden faults
and helps them overcome
those sins they do willfully-
then they will be blameless.
Second, “blameless” speaks to a state of being,it speaks of justification.
When Jesus died on the cross
He took on your sin.
When you put your faith in Christ
and accept His gift of forgiveness and grace,
the way God sees you changes.
When He looks at you,
He sees the purity and holiness of His son Jesus.
It is as if your old sinful self
was nailed to that cross.
It died with Jesus and was buried.
Why is it that
so many times we want to resurrect
that dead and decaying self.
As if we can take it out of the grave,
animate it,
and somehow
make it look better with a good make up job.
Friends,
its dead, keep it in the grave.
Your spirit has been re-born.
In Christ,
you are made new.
You have been justified.
And when God looks at you
He doesn’t see the decay of sin,
He sees His pure and blameless Son.
Third, “blameless” is a process.
Some call it
the process of sanctification.
It starts the moment we put our faith in Jesus
and are justified.
Throughout our lives we work out this salvation
by pursuing godliness.
Not presuming it.
We aren’t perfect-
not yet
but God is working in us as Philippians 2: 13 states,
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Later in Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
When we die and go home to heaven,
Then, the process is completed.
Paul is pressing onward towards a goal.
It is his intention
his aim
to be more like Jesus.
At that time,
He wasn’t there yet-
he wasn’t perfect-
but he was pursuing godliness.
Going back to our text for this morning
Philippians 2:14-16a,
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.
As we learned last week,
Paul is encouraging us
to stop grumbling and arguing
and to find the secret to contentment
by holding fast to the word of life.
The outcome of this
is that we will shine like stars.
However,
I don’t believe that is only what Paul is saying here.
The first part of Paul’s instruction in verse 14
is “do everything.”
The second section
is how we are to “do everything”
we are to do it
without grumbling and arguing.
Before that though,
we need to ask ourselves
what the word “everything” implies.
Take a moment and consider
all of what Paul has written to the Philippians up unto this point.
The diagram on the back of your sermon notes
may help you.
Paul has taught us how to conduct ourselves
in a manner worthy of the gospel
by standing firm,
striving together, without fear.
We are to live in unity
by having the same mindset as Christ.
Thus we are to share Christ’s servant mindset,
His humility,
and His mindset of obedience.
All of this we are to do
without grumbling and complaining.
I believe this
is the “everything” that Paul indicates in verse 14.
When we do all of this,
when we make living this way our moral standard,
THEN we will shine like lights in the darkness.
Friends,
I know that this isn’t an easy message.
It is easy to say-
go be a light in the darkness,
but it is often difficult to live it out.
It wasn’t easy for Paul or the Philippians either.
Paul was in prison because of his faith
and the Philippians were suffering intense persecution as well.
I hope to encourage you today
to keep your light burning with one more story
That S.S. Banner published.
“On the coast of Norway
is a lighthouse where a keeper lived
with his two children.
One day he went to the distant shore for provisions.
A storm arose,
and he was unable to return.
The time for lighting the lamp came,
and Mary, the elder child, said to her little brother,
"We must light the lamp, Willie."
"How can we?" asked Willie.
"We ain't big enough."
But the two children climbed the long,
narrow stairs to the tower
where the lamp was kept.
Mary pulled up a chair
and tried to reach the lamp in the great reflector;
it was too high.
Groping down the stairs,
she ascended again
with a small oil lamp in her hand.
"I can hold this up," she said to her little brother.
She climbed on the chair again,
but still
the reflector was just beyond her reach.
"Get down," said Willie;
"I know what we can do."
She jumped down,
and Willie stretched his little body across the chair.
"Stand on me," he said.
And she stood on the little fellow
as he lay across the chair.
She raised the lamp high,
and its light shone far out across the water.
Holding it first with one hand,
then with the other, to rest her little arms,
she called down to her brother,
"Does it hurt you, Willie?"
"Of course it hurts," he called back,
"but keep the light burning."
Are we keeping the light of God's love burning in the world
even though it hurts?
Are we holding it up
so that others may see its beams afar?”
As I invite the worship team to come up,
Please take a moment to bow your heads with me.