WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:13.540 It was the week before Christmas, 10 o'clock at night, very dark, and I had to take my garbage 00:00:13.540 --> 00:00:20.500 bins out. Of course, my garbage bins needed to be empty for all of the empty boxes and wrapping 00:00:20.500 --> 00:00:27.760 that comes from Christmas. And I was walking my bins out down my driveway and something tickled 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:34.620 my face. And I did what every sane person would do in that situation. I leapt back and did one of 00:00:34.620 --> 00:00:46.900 these dances. I did a spider dance, we may call it. But I had to get those bins out. So I moved back, 00:00:47.680 --> 00:00:51.980 and I wish I had Coe's torch. That would have been much more helpful. I grabbed my phone out, 00:00:51.979 --> 00:00:59.359 and I swiped up and got my torch on, and there was a stick nearby. So I grabbed the stick and my torch, 00:00:59.579 --> 00:01:06.459 and I went spider hunting. And I went out, and I thankfully wiped off all the spider web at this 00:01:06.459 --> 00:01:11.560 point. And I went out to the driveway, and I was looking around, and I looked up, and there was a 00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:18.579 big fat orb spider, I think it was. You know, my wife is shivering right now. She hates spiders. 00:01:18.579 --> 00:01:24.900 And it was, you know, the ones with the really big abdomens? And it was making the biggest web it 00:01:24.900 --> 00:01:28.280 could. And I thought, all right, what I'm going to do is I'm going to whack it on the ground, 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:32.819 and I'm going to stamp on it, and I'm going to deal with this problem. So I whacked it. But I whacked 00:01:32.819 --> 00:01:39.819 it too hard, and it disappeared. Anyway, I got my bins out. It all was well. Now, I'm sure you've been 00:01:39.819 --> 00:01:46.400 in a situation like this before. Maybe you've had a physical reaction to my horror story this morning. 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:54.240 But there's something terrifying about the unknown dark. What is out there? What's going to crawl on 00:01:54.240 --> 00:02:00.140 my face? What's going to crawl up my leg? What piece of Lego will I step on? What furniture will 00:02:00.140 --> 00:02:07.920 I walk into with my little toe? Now, in so many ways, we as people have fought back the dark and the 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:13.379 fears that come with it. We have streetlights, and, you know, they reduce, you know, fear of criminals and 00:02:13.379 --> 00:02:20.539 reduce crime. We have headlights to reduce car accidents. But we are also contradictory people, 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:28.319 because we avoid the dark and there's the fears associated with it, but we can also do the opposite, 00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:36.180 and we can also love to embrace the dark. One of my kids recently over this Christmas period has been 00:02:36.180 --> 00:02:41.539 stealing lollies. I won't tell you which of my children it is. They can put their hand up and 00:02:41.539 --> 00:02:45.859 say who it was. And so what they've been doing is they've been stealing lollies and going off and 00:02:45.859 --> 00:02:50.959 hiding in a dark spot to eat them. And then they come out later and tell you, I've been eating lollies 00:02:50.959 --> 00:02:59.459 that I stole. So, you know, but we can see that the dark is also a place of protection when I am in 00:02:59.459 --> 00:03:05.579 the wrong. When I want to do the wrong thing, I want to hide because I still want to do it, but I don't 00:03:05.580 --> 00:03:12.060 want the guilt and shame that's associated with it. We can embrace the dark too, just like one of my 00:03:12.060 --> 00:03:19.680 kids. I might want to embrace the dark to do what I want, to do what I want and not have the consequences. 00:03:19.939 --> 00:03:27.560 I might hide things from family members. I might hide problems at work out of fear of punishment and 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:34.680 retribution. So we can live this double life. We fear the dark and we want to be in the light, 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:43.860 but we also can embrace the dark so we can get things that we want. And so instead of walking 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:50.340 in the light, we do this staggered walk where we're sometimes in the light and sometimes in the dark. 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:57.539 Today, we are starting in this short book that John wrote, a letter, the first of his three 00:03:57.539 --> 00:04:04.239 letters, and he was writing to a church who were being deceived. People had come into this church 00:04:04.239 --> 00:04:09.939 and were trying to get them to follow a different path, to follow a different version of Jesus. And 00:04:09.939 --> 00:04:15.919 they were taking them down a different path, a path that was not following God, but a path that would 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:23.139 take them into the dark. The challenge for us today will be to check where we are walking. 00:04:23.139 --> 00:04:32.000 We've just started a new year. It's 2021 now. We can't make any of those Vision 2020 jokes about 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:39.719 our eyesight. But right now, it is a good time to be checking what path we are going down. Are we 00:04:39.719 --> 00:04:46.620 having a staggered walk where we follow God, where we do the right thing? You know, we come to church. 00:04:46.979 --> 00:04:51.680 We want to spend time with God and we want to love Him and get to know Him, but we are also 00:04:51.680 --> 00:05:00.420 embracing our sin and hiding away things from the people that we love and hiding things from God. 00:05:01.340 --> 00:05:07.660 There is a God who loves us, who wants us to follow Him, who wants us to walk following Him wholeheartedly. 00:05:08.420 --> 00:05:16.259 And so are we following Him? Or are we embracing darkness out of fear and desires to get what we want? 00:05:16.259 --> 00:05:21.480 And so today, as we look at this piece from 1 John, we'll see the God who is revealed. 00:05:22.259 --> 00:05:26.680 And we'll see that God is light and that He is the God that we should walk with. 00:05:26.860 --> 00:05:32.560 So let me pray for us as we spend time in God's Word. Heavenly Father, as we look at Your Word this 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:42.319 morning, we ask that You would help us. God, reveal Yourself to us and give us eyes to see, 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:48.860 to see who we are and what we are like, and how amazing You are that Your Son has died for us 00:05:48.860 --> 00:05:53.060 so that we can walk in the light following You. Amen. 00:05:54.180 --> 00:05:58.759 So first of all, this morning and today, we will see the God who has been revealed. 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:03.480 You can be following along in the app. I'd also want to encourage you to have your Bibles 00:06:03.480 --> 00:06:04.879 open in 1 John today. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:12.459 Now, it appears that John is writing to a group of people who had had others come in 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:18.159 to try and deceive them. He is trying to encourage this church to continue down the right path. 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:22.920 And he brings up a number of claims that these people have brought in, and he refutes them. 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:29.540 They claimed to be sinless. They denied that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. 00:06:29.540 --> 00:06:36.580 They denied that Jesus' blood brought forgiveness. They didn't show love to each other. 00:06:36.760 --> 00:06:42.260 And they continued to choose sin without care at all of the consequences. 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:48.180 Now, over the next couple of weeks of January, as we look at this book, we'll look at a number 00:06:48.180 --> 00:06:55.439 of these claims. But it starts with the Apostles' resume, in one sense. 00:06:55.439 --> 00:07:01.139 John's going to refute these claims, but before he gets to it, he sets out his resume. 00:07:01.560 --> 00:07:03.939 Have a look with me, 1 John 1, 1. 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:10.379 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:16.100 which we have looked at and our hands have touched, this we proclaim concerning the word 00:07:16.100 --> 00:07:22.579 of life. And in these first three verses, John repeats himself three times to emphasize 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:30.199 his point. The promised Christ, well, we have seen him, we have heard him, and we have touched him. 00:07:31.219 --> 00:07:36.199 We celebrated this, how long ago was Christmas? Was it a week or two ago? I can't remember. 00:07:36.279 --> 00:07:42.060 That whole period blows into just a day or two. But we celebrated this at Christmas, that God 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:47.240 himself came and could be touched and could be seen and could be heard. That the mighty, 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:53.360 all-powerful creator of the universe became someone that we could touch and see and know. 00:07:54.379 --> 00:08:01.540 God revealed himself. He's come out into the light, so to speak, and made himself knowable. 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:05.220 And it is this which unites us in verse 3. 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:12.259 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. 00:08:12.259 --> 00:08:16.620 And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 00:08:18.019 --> 00:08:22.779 And so John is saying at this point, don't be deceived by the people coming in and saying 00:08:22.779 --> 00:08:27.599 that Jesus didn't come in the flesh. Don't be deceived, people saying that Jesus really 00:08:27.599 --> 00:08:37.600 wasn't God. We saw him. We saw him when he was alive, and then we saw him dead on the cross, 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:46.279 and then we saw him raised to life again. And he is the only reason that this church stays together. 00:08:47.019 --> 00:08:52.000 If we take away these things, if we take away Jesus' divinity, and that he was really flesh, 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:56.600 if he was fully human and fully God, if we take those away, the church just falls apart. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:05.120 This is the only reason that the church stays together. So we walk together as a church, 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:11.000 as a body of believers following this God. Christianity is not an individual sport. 00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:17.500 I was watching some dragon boat racing videos the other day. I don't know why that came up, 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:22.139 but I was watching them. And it reminded me that in dragon boat racing, correct me if I'm wrong, 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:27.379 but there's one person that lays down the beat on the drums. Thank you, John, nodding for me. 00:09:27.379 --> 00:09:35.139 And everyone else rows in time. And the more in time you row to the beat of the drum, the faster you go. 00:09:35.340 --> 00:09:41.000 And then they cut through the water like a knife. It's amazing. In so many New Testament letters, 00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:48.080 including this one, the author calls the church back from where they've been going. You have been 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:55.700 rowing to your own beat of your drum. Row in time to the beat of God, because it matters for the whole 00:09:55.700 --> 00:10:03.860 church. If one of us goes off, there is a consequence for the whole church. Our faith is not individual. 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:11.879 We are all connected and we all impact each other positively and negatively. And so John starts 00:10:11.879 --> 00:10:20.879 by reminding them of who sets the beat. For this church, it was John. For us, our church is built on 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:29.179 the Bible. And so we don't just go out of God's word and set our own agenda. But everything we do 00:10:29.179 --> 00:10:37.259 as a church is built on God as he has been revealed to us in his word. So God has been revealed to us. 00:10:38.419 --> 00:10:43.519 We have the apostles who have seen him. They have written it down. And that is how God has been 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:50.019 revealed to us. We don't go away from that. But that is what unites us as a church. God revealed 00:10:50.019 --> 00:10:57.939 Jesus Christ in his word. And now John explains more about who this God is, that this God is light. 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:06.399 He says this in verse 3. And it's a picture of God and his character. At the very start of the Bible, 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:13.079 when God was making the world, the very first thing he made, the first thing he said was, 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:23.120 let there be light. It's an expression of who he is. He makes light. He pushes back darkness. He reveals 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:31.780 things. And it's from the light that everything else grows. Plants grow, animals, humans, everything 00:11:31.779 --> 00:11:43.819 needs light. All creation owes its existence and its sustenance to the God who is light and Jesus who is 00:11:43.819 --> 00:11:52.579 the light of the world. C.S. Lewis said that we believe that the sun has risen, not because we see the sun, 00:11:52.580 --> 00:12:03.220 but because we see everything else by it. Where the sun is, there is no darkness. Where God is, there can 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:12.560 only be truth and there is no error. Where God is, there can only be good. There is no place for evil. 00:12:13.540 --> 00:12:21.000 And we get to be in close relationship to this God. I know what it's like when I try and stare at the sun 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:26.039 for too long. You know, you get that image burnt into your eyes and you can't see very well. Can you 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:32.259 imagine being right next to the sun? It wouldn't last very long. But the great God of the universe, 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:39.600 who there can be no evil, who is only truth and is only goodness, we get to be with. 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:47.220 John paints a wonderful picture of what walking with this God is in verse 6. He paints a positive 00:12:47.220 --> 00:12:54.139 picture and a negative picture. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, 00:12:54.639 --> 00:13:02.740 we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have 00:13:02.740 --> 00:13:10.440 fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin. Some have been 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:17.200 claiming to have fellowship with God, but they're in the darkness. They're lying. Some claim to have no sin, 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:25.920 but they've been deceived and effectively they're calling God a liar. A Christian is instead someone 00:13:25.920 --> 00:13:34.480 who has had their sin brought into the light and exposed. And that can be a painful thing to have 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:42.379 our darkest moments, our deepest fears, our darkest shames brought into the light. 00:13:42.379 --> 00:13:50.700 But instead of being pushed away, being expelled from God's presence, all our sin is dealt with 00:13:50.700 --> 00:13:58.860 and purified by the blood of Jesus. We can only walk in God's light by his grace, that God would 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:05.100 choose to deal with us by the blood of Jesus so that we're not left in the dark without him. 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:11.700 I really love this picture on the screen. Kev, if you can put that so that everybody can see that 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:20.139 on the stream as well. I love this picture. I think it's a really wonderful image of the walk of a 00:14:20.139 --> 00:14:30.759 Christian. God has lit our path following him, and yet we are surrounded on all sides by darkness. 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:37.480 On the one hand, we can walk in the darkness thinking that everything is fine with our life. 00:14:37.559 --> 00:14:42.720 You know, I'm going okay without God. I don't need to obey him. I don't need to follow him. 00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:48.980 I can figure out things on my own. I can do things on my own. But the reality is if we are walking 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:54.600 in that part of the forest without God, without the path, we're going to stumble. We're going to fall. 00:14:54.679 --> 00:14:57.840 We're going to hurt ourselves, and we're going to be left in the darkness. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:02.320 But we can also be tempted to think that there is no problem, that we're fine. 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:09.080 Well, I'm not really that bad. It's not really that dark. I can kind of see. I've got my iPhone 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:16.600 torch out. I'm a good person. You know, God loves me the way I am. I can choose to go on my own path. 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:22.400 Actually, I know there's a path that God has there for me, but I've got this other path that's down here, 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:28.259 and I want to follow that instead. And God, well, he said he's love. You know, 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:32.879 Coe said that for us this morning as well. So I'm just going to go down my own path. 00:15:34.199 --> 00:15:41.959 Instead, chapter 2 tells us that we have Jesus. We have the advocate. In his death and resurrection, 00:15:42.199 --> 00:15:48.399 he takes our hand and he brings us into the light. The word advocate here is... 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:54.559 Kev, you can take that picture down now, mate. The word advocate here is also the same word for lawyer. 00:15:55.159 --> 00:15:58.620 Usually, we would think about that as a really negative thing. You know, lawyers are terrible 00:15:58.620 --> 00:16:04.539 people. I know some that are great. But Jesus here is like the lawyer who stands next to us when we 00:16:04.539 --> 00:16:12.439 are condemned. He stands next to us, the guilty person in court. And Jesus pleads our case for us. 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:19.320 And he guides us. Come this way. Come into the light. Walk on this path following God. 00:16:20.620 --> 00:16:26.600 You're lost in the dark. You are not a good person. You cannot go that way. That way will lead to death 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:33.420 and destruction. But I am with you to make you good, to help you so you can walk in this path. 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:45.279 Brothers and sisters, are we choosing to embrace the light following God? Or are we choosing to embrace the dark? 00:16:46.539 --> 00:16:52.639 What secret sins are you hiding that draw you into the dark that you need to confess? 00:16:52.639 --> 00:17:01.919 We have Jesus the advocate with the Father. And I think this is a really wonderful thing that we have a Christian faith 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:08.599 where we don't need to have guilt. We don't need to be laid down by the burden of our sin. 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:14.680 We actually have an advocate who will guide us into the light. An advocate who will say, 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:20.599 I know you have sinned, but I love you and you can find forgiveness in God. 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:30.919 As we start off 2021, it is a good place to start by bringing our hidden sins into the light. 00:17:32.019 --> 00:17:37.599 Bring them to Jesus, first of all, our advocate, who stands by our side as we confess. 00:17:38.719 --> 00:17:43.959 But also, bring your sins to a friend. Bring your sins to a Christian brother or sister, 00:17:45.399 --> 00:17:48.459 someone in a community group, someone that you're sitting with. 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:51.000 Bring your sins to a Christian brother or sister, you know, 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:53.519 mate, I've been really struggling with this sin. 00:17:54.840 --> 00:18:00.120 God has convicted me about it. This is keeping me in the dark, not from following God. 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:02.980 And he wants me to change. I know I've been forgiven. 00:18:04.059 --> 00:18:06.100 Keep me accountable to this sin. 00:18:07.420 --> 00:18:12.299 Start your year off following and obeying God, not in the dark. 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:18.639 God is light and he calls us to walk in the light with him. 00:18:19.579 --> 00:18:22.180 It's our second point today that God is light. 00:18:22.879 --> 00:18:25.599 Thirdly, that this God is the God to walk with. 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:32.539 John now illustrates what walking with God in the light looks like and how our God is the God. 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:35.000 Chapter 2, verse 3, have a look with me. 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:41.019 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:44.700 We can actually check where we are on this path. 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:47.200 You know, there's that golden path before us. 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:52.779 We can check how we're going by whether we are keeping his commands. 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:54.200 Are we obeying him? 00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:59.380 That's what that golden path illuminated in the forest looks like. 00:18:59.859 --> 00:19:01.579 Walking, following God. 00:19:01.579 --> 00:19:04.879 That's what walking in the light looks like, obeying him. 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:11.159 Verse 5, if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.319 This is how we know we are in him. 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:18.480 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. 00:19:19.439 --> 00:19:23.339 Now, we could get a big list of all the commands in the Bible. 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:26.639 We could go through the 10 commandments in the Old Testament. 00:19:26.779 --> 00:19:28.819 We could look at all the commands in the New Testament. 00:19:28.819 --> 00:19:32.079 But that really is the journey of a Christian. 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:34.519 Reading God's word. 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.019 Comparing our life to Jesus'. 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:41.679 And seeing where we are at that point. 00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:49.200 And the reality is, for all of us, we walk not in a straight line, but at zigzag. 00:19:49.879 --> 00:19:50.960 It really is zigzag. 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:53.759 As we change, our sin changes too. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:59.519 I have different sins now as a father than I did before when I was not a father. 00:20:00.619 --> 00:20:05.059 I have different issues with patience than I did before I was a father. 00:20:05.379 --> 00:20:13.200 And so as life changes, God is convicting me of different sins that I need to be aware of so I can be walking in the light. 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:16.100 So we don't need to necessarily go through all these commands. 00:20:16.420 --> 00:20:17.620 I want you to do that. 00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:19.620 Read your Bible. 00:20:20.620 --> 00:20:26.519 Ask God, God, how do I need to be following you and obeying you in this moment? 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:28.860 Where am I letting you down? 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:31.840 How do I need to be made more like Jesus today? 00:20:33.100 --> 00:20:35.700 And the journey of a Christian is in the Bible. 00:20:36.120 --> 00:20:37.380 It is asking God. 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:40.880 It is walking with brothers and sisters. 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:43.200 It is doing it as a church. 00:20:44.800 --> 00:20:48.640 Asking that question, am I on the path when it comes to whatever it is? 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:52.180 Patience, loving you more than anything else, my own pride. 00:20:52.940 --> 00:20:57.460 God, how am I embracing the darkness of lying or lust and theft? 00:20:58.780 --> 00:21:04.040 And here for us, John illustrates one aspect of walking in the light and the dark. 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:07.340 It's all to do with our love and hate. 00:21:07.840 --> 00:21:09.120 Chapter 2, verse 9. 00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:17.079 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:24.959 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:30.919 John asked this church to test how their love of the church is going. 00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:36.720 One test to see how you're going, walking in the dark or whether you're in the light, 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:42.279 is to check your love for those who should be the easiest to love. 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:50.320 The family that was created by Jesus' blood should be the easiest to love. 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:58.460 If you don't love other Christians, people that God himself loves, are we really walking in the light? 00:21:58.460 --> 00:22:04.120 God has united us in Jesus' blood. 00:22:04.420 --> 00:22:07.299 And so when we see other people in this church, it shouldn't just be, 00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:10.740 oh, there's that person I know, there's that person I don't know. 00:22:11.059 --> 00:22:13.019 We are brothers and sisters. 00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:16.840 And the check here from John is, 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:27.379 We live in an individualistic intellectual society. 00:22:28.259 --> 00:22:31.379 We can check our Christianity by thinking, 00:22:31.659 --> 00:22:34.099 well, I'm a good Christian because I know a lot. 00:22:34.699 --> 00:22:37.039 I'm a good Christian because I'm really skilled. 00:22:37.199 --> 00:22:38.819 I serve in many ways. 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:43.339 And there is a danger for all of us to forget to love. 00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:46.220 And instead, we focus on our own knowledge. 00:22:46.419 --> 00:22:49.000 We focus on our own self-centeredness. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:52.339 If we claim to be following Jesus, 00:22:53.559 --> 00:22:55.220 who have you loved recently? 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:58.099 Not necessarily been nice to. 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:00.199 Being nice is easy and fine. 00:23:00.619 --> 00:23:02.099 But who have you spent time with? 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:04.980 Who have you sacrificed for? 00:23:05.799 --> 00:23:07.779 Who have you shared with? 00:23:07.779 --> 00:23:13.940 When we do that, we will be a community united by Jesus, 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:15.299 walking in light. 00:23:15.399 --> 00:23:18.039 We will be attractive to our neighbors. 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:23.119 We will be building each other up in love. 00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:27.960 As we say goodbye to 2020 and journey to 2021, 00:23:28.819 --> 00:23:32.779 there has been much reflection about how bad 2020 was 00:23:33.420 --> 00:23:35.079 or how good it was for certain people. 00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:39.740 But I've seen people also hoping for a much better 2021. 00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:41.439 And I can understand that. 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:43.359 2020 wasn't great for many people. 00:23:44.099 --> 00:23:47.019 But the hope for 2021, I've seen, 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:48.960 has been focusing on personal freedoms. 00:23:49.679 --> 00:23:52.599 You know, I'll get that holiday that was denied to me 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:53.579 by border closures. 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:55.839 You know, when we get rid of that plague, 00:23:56.059 --> 00:23:59.019 I won't be full of fear and anxiety 00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:02.599 and the anxiety of constant restrictions coming on 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:03.859 and lockdowns. 00:24:03.859 --> 00:24:06.179 2021 is going to be the greatest year. 00:24:06.959 --> 00:24:08.639 And I feel the pull of that too. 00:24:09.219 --> 00:24:11.879 For me, I'm a cup is half full person. 00:24:12.139 --> 00:24:13.819 I love looking to the future 00:24:13.819 --> 00:24:15.939 and being excited about tomorrow. 00:24:17.399 --> 00:24:20.719 But God has a much better 2021 for us 00:24:20.719 --> 00:24:24.759 than just those things. 00:24:25.299 --> 00:24:27.419 If we would walk with God in 2021, 00:24:27.959 --> 00:24:29.579 God has a better future for us. 00:24:29.579 --> 00:24:32.279 Because it's not just about personal freedoms, 00:24:32.579 --> 00:24:35.980 but the freedom that comes from walking in the light 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:37.919 with the one who made light itself. 00:24:39.079 --> 00:24:41.399 At 2021, that's not just about getting rid of fear 00:24:41.399 --> 00:24:44.859 and anxiety of lockdowns or catching COVID, 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:46.879 but trusting in Jesus 00:24:46.879 --> 00:24:50.119 because he has defeated death and disease. 00:24:50.119 --> 00:24:55.179 I want a 2021 where I walk in the light closer with Jesus 00:24:55.179 --> 00:24:59.019 and walk out of the darkness controlled by my sinful desires. 00:25:00.579 --> 00:25:03.959 American pastor John Piper uses an illustration 00:25:03.959 --> 00:25:08.919 of a man sitting in a dark room all alone. 00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:12.060 He feels around with his hands. 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:14.019 And with one hand, 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:16.680 he can feel something that is warm 00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:19.100 and soft and fluffy. 00:25:20.380 --> 00:25:21.539 And with the other hand, 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:23.200 he feels something that is cold 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:25.480 and hard and sharp. 00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:27.820 And so in the dark, 00:25:27.900 --> 00:25:30.279 he draws close to this warm, 00:25:30.800 --> 00:25:31.259 soft, 00:25:31.779 --> 00:25:32.519 fluffy thing, 00:25:33.160 --> 00:25:34.600 snuggling in close. 00:25:34.599 --> 00:25:37.559 But when the light goes on, 00:25:38.199 --> 00:25:39.679 he sees that the warm, 00:25:40.099 --> 00:25:40.459 soft, 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:41.480 fluffy thing 00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:42.839 is the underbelly 00:25:42.839 --> 00:25:45.299 of a horrid man-eating monster. 00:25:46.459 --> 00:25:47.719 And the cold, 00:25:47.879 --> 00:25:48.279 hard, 00:25:48.439 --> 00:25:49.639 sharp edge that he felt 00:25:49.639 --> 00:25:50.719 is the sword 00:25:50.719 --> 00:25:52.819 of the majestic Jesus Christ. 00:25:54.079 --> 00:25:56.339 The reason he was controlled 00:25:56.339 --> 00:25:57.639 by his desire for that, 00:25:57.859 --> 00:25:59.419 for the man-eating monster in the dark, 00:25:59.939 --> 00:26:01.259 was because he was in the dark. 00:26:02.639 --> 00:26:03.659 He couldn't see 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:04.660 what was around him. 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.680 Everyone who loves 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:09.540 the world more than God 00:26:09.540 --> 00:26:11.340 is in the dark. 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:14.259 When we walk in darkness, 00:26:14.740 --> 00:26:15.940 we are controlled 00:26:15.940 --> 00:26:17.040 by the desires 00:26:17.040 --> 00:26:18.140 for the soft, 00:26:18.560 --> 00:26:20.200 warm underbelly of sin, 00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:23.060 of filling our pride, 00:26:23.380 --> 00:26:24.600 of prestige 00:26:24.600 --> 00:26:26.960 amongst our friends and family, 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:30.160 for chasing two-second pleasures 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:31.300 that don't last. 00:26:31.299 --> 00:26:33.460 But that is not 00:26:33.460 --> 00:26:34.279 following God 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:34.960 in the light. 00:26:36.279 --> 00:26:37.299 Following God means 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:39.019 seeing the world 00:26:39.019 --> 00:26:39.940 as he sees it 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:42.200 and having the same desires 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:42.720 as him. 00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:44.119 If we are controlled 00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:45.339 by desires for the world 00:26:45.339 --> 00:26:46.960 instead of desires for God, 00:26:47.159 --> 00:26:48.200 it doesn't matter 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:48.980 whether we say 00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:50.299 we have fellowship with God, 00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:51.839 we don't have it. 00:26:52.680 --> 00:26:53.119 Instead, 00:26:53.339 --> 00:26:53.899 we are walking 00:26:53.899 --> 00:26:54.779 in the dark. 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:57.079 Brothers and sisters, 00:26:57.379 --> 00:26:58.319 we risk having 00:26:58.319 --> 00:26:59.179 a Christian faith 00:26:59.179 --> 00:27:00.460 where we are happy 00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:01.859 to stagger between 00:27:01.859 --> 00:27:03.519 walking with God 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:05.299 and walking in the dark. 00:27:06.359 --> 00:27:07.200 Let's not have 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:08.759 a half-hearted Christianity, 00:27:09.259 --> 00:27:10.740 a half-hearted Christian faith 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:11.339 in 2020. 00:27:13.059 --> 00:27:14.379 If you're in the dark 00:27:14.379 --> 00:27:14.939 about this God, 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:16.279 if you don't know this God, 00:27:16.339 --> 00:27:17.259 let me encourage you 00:27:17.259 --> 00:27:18.119 to do two things. 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:19.679 Grab a Bible 00:27:19.679 --> 00:27:22.119 and start reading 00:27:22.119 --> 00:27:22.799 Mark's Gospel. 00:27:22.899 --> 00:27:23.960 It's a good place to start. 00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:25.900 And get to know this Jesus. 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:27.720 And the second thing, 00:27:27.860 --> 00:27:29.279 talk to somebody else. 00:27:30.200 --> 00:27:31.180 If you're watching 00:27:31.180 --> 00:27:32.019 on the stream right now, 00:27:32.140 --> 00:27:32.759 send us an email, 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:34.519 office at stpauls.org.au 00:27:34.519 --> 00:27:37.279 and ask some questions. 00:27:38.600 --> 00:27:40.500 Ask about who this God is. 00:27:41.840 --> 00:27:43.259 If you want a closer walk 00:27:43.259 --> 00:27:43.960 with Jesus, 00:27:45.059 --> 00:27:45.920 there's a couple of things 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:47.160 I want to encourage you to do. 00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:47.840 First of all, 00:27:48.140 --> 00:27:49.120 let me encourage you 00:27:49.120 --> 00:27:50.519 to be bringing your sins 00:27:50.519 --> 00:27:51.840 out into the light. 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:54.039 As I said before, 00:27:54.839 --> 00:27:55.879 find somebody else. 00:27:56.199 --> 00:27:57.379 Walk with somebody else 00:27:57.379 --> 00:27:58.720 closely. 00:28:00.419 --> 00:28:01.279 Jesus himself 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:02.639 walked with people. 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.599 Bring your sins 00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:05.240 out into the light. 00:28:05.399 --> 00:28:06.179 Confess them to God. 00:28:06.500 --> 00:28:07.519 Confess them to a brother 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:08.039 or sister 00:28:08.039 --> 00:28:09.480 so they can hold you accountable. 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:11.439 But also, 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:12.319 start a new habit 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:13.519 of walking with God today. 00:28:14.059 --> 00:28:14.919 Today's a good day. 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:16.179 It's not the first of January. 00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:16.959 That's okay. 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:19.159 It's still early in January 00:28:19.159 --> 00:28:19.819 that we're thinking 00:28:19.819 --> 00:28:21.000 about New Year's resolutions. 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:23.079 My New Year's resolutions 00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:25.459 always revolve around 00:28:25.459 --> 00:28:27.359 learning a certain language 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:28.159 that I've been trying to learn 00:28:28.159 --> 00:28:29.359 for 45 years now 00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:31.759 and about health. 00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:34.399 They're my two main resolutions 00:28:34.399 --> 00:28:35.959 and they always fail, 00:28:36.679 --> 00:28:37.399 give or take. 00:28:39.480 --> 00:28:41.339 Reading the Bible and prayer 00:28:41.339 --> 00:28:43.019 doesn't need to be 00:28:43.019 --> 00:28:43.959 a New Year's resolution 00:28:43.959 --> 00:28:44.559 that fails. 00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:48.220 Let me encourage you today 00:28:48.220 --> 00:28:50.700 to plan to walk with God. 00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:54.559 Today is a good day to plan 00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:56.519 because it's still early in January 00:28:56.519 --> 00:28:58.519 so we can make plans. 00:28:58.659 --> 00:28:59.639 We're not at the end of January 00:28:59.639 --> 00:29:00.579 where we just give up 00:29:00.579 --> 00:29:01.879 on all our New Year's resolutions. 00:29:02.879 --> 00:29:03.599 But plan 00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:05.659 and start it tomorrow. 00:29:06.539 --> 00:29:07.960 Make your plan today 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:09.399 and then start it 00:29:09.399 --> 00:29:10.139 first thing tomorrow. 00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:11.419 Remember that great old saying, 00:29:11.420 --> 00:29:12.720 if you fail to plan, 00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:14.039 you plan to fail. 00:29:15.180 --> 00:29:16.160 So today, 00:29:16.420 --> 00:29:17.580 figure out what part of the Bible 00:29:17.580 --> 00:29:18.259 are you going to read? 00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:20.940 What time of the day 00:29:20.940 --> 00:29:22.300 are you going to read it? 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:24.779 Are you going to pray 00:29:24.779 --> 00:29:26.019 before or after? 00:29:26.800 --> 00:29:27.700 What is prayer 00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:28.539 going to look like? 00:29:28.600 --> 00:29:29.800 Are you going to be reading 00:29:29.800 --> 00:29:30.720 through, 00:29:31.300 --> 00:29:32.000 say praying through 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:32.779 the Lord's Prayer? 00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:34.400 Praying through 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:36.420 the template acts, 00:29:37.220 --> 00:29:37.680 adoration, 00:29:38.039 --> 00:29:38.519 confession, 00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:39.500 thanksgiving, 00:29:39.880 --> 00:29:40.460 supplication? 00:29:40.460 --> 00:29:43.840 Plan what it looks like 00:29:43.840 --> 00:29:45.160 for you to be walking 00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:46.059 with God. 00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:47.620 Do that today 00:29:47.620 --> 00:29:49.420 so that we can have 00:29:49.420 --> 00:29:51.120 a wholehearted Christian faith 00:29:51.120 --> 00:29:52.720 following God in 2021. 00:29:53.259 --> 00:29:54.299 Let me pray for us now. 00:29:57.500 --> 00:29:58.420 Heavenly Father, 00:29:58.779 --> 00:29:59.500 I thank you 00:29:59.500 --> 00:30:00.700 for all of your goodness 00:30:00.700 --> 00:30:01.319 to us 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:02.920 that you have not 00:30:02.920 --> 00:30:04.400 left us in the dark, 00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:05.860 stumbling, 00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:08.100 hurting ourselves, 00:30:08.500 --> 00:30:09.460 hurting each other, 00:30:09.460 --> 00:30:11.480 and left for destruction. 00:30:12.799 --> 00:30:13.380 But Lord, 00:30:13.460 --> 00:30:14.019 we thank you 00:30:14.019 --> 00:30:14.799 that you have 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:16.539 revealed yourself 00:30:16.539 --> 00:30:17.920 to us in Jesus 00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:20.120 so that we can walk 00:30:20.120 --> 00:30:20.960 in the light 00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:21.819 following you. 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:23.620 Heavenly Father, 00:30:23.720 --> 00:30:24.940 help us to do that. 00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:25.180 Lord, 00:30:25.259 --> 00:30:26.019 help us to 00:30:26.019 --> 00:30:28.340 bring out our sins 00:30:28.340 --> 00:30:29.299 before you 00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:30.360 because, Lord, 00:30:30.460 --> 00:30:31.799 you know all of them. 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:34.200 Help us 00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:35.920 to walk with you 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:36.539 this year, 00:30:37.800 --> 00:30:39.640 walk closer to you, 00:30:40.220 --> 00:30:41.039 loving you more 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:42.480 than we did last year 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:44.940 so that you would have 00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:45.640 all the glory. 00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:47.019 And we ask this 00:30:47.019 --> 00:30:47.920 in your son's name. 00:30:48.420 --> 00:30:48.759 Amen.