Praise God.
Sweet, sweet to be here with you all again.
I was telling Seth, we get to see some of the guys' faces in the Workman's Trust every week,
but others that we are so used to seeing we don't see anymore.
And we were having dinner last night with a couple that's been attending Bellicose.
He's come out of a rough situation from a previous ministry,
and I was explaining to them what it was like when we prayed for the team that was going out.
And how for a few decades plus I had prayed that we would be able to equip and send workers in such a way
that in some measure resembled the departure of Paul from Miletus with the elders of Ephesus
when they wept at his departure.
That's not the kind of thing that happens when you're just building a missions and church planting portfolio
where you're trying to beef up the amount of production that you've had in ministry as a church
or you're posting on the wall how many missionaries you give $10 a month to so that you can have a larger number.
So this is what it's like when the Lord at work in his church sends part of his body from another local body,
and we actually feel it almost like an arm was cut off.
Except it's not negative in that sense because it's not an arm being cut off.
It's the body being sent by the Lord for the purpose of spreading what we heard about in this Proto-Evangelion,
the good news.
And so it's a wonderful thing, and yet there are tears and there's a sense of loss.
I was explaining that to this dear couple that has passed through so much trial,
and they said, we have never seen anything like that.
We've only known what it meant to be instruments in the part of a machine.
It was that kind of dynamic.
So I'm grateful for that.
And when I think of some of you that I don't see as often, I think, oh man, I miss seeing them.
But then I get to come here, and so I feel doubly rich in that sense.
Well, there's my introduction.
It's good to be here with you all.
I want to think this morning.
I was praying for you and thinking about what would be most helpful to share.
Dear heavens, we don't have a clock.
We're going to need that.
Okay.
I'll just click on this and see.
How long do you all normally go on Sunday mornings?
Just till 2?
Okay.
Make it 8 hours.
Good to know.
All right.
Well, you guys are kind of modeling after the Indian church.
Just these 12-hour gatherings.
No.
I'm actually picking up from where I began.
I think it was last week at Bellicose Church in 1 John 1.
Some of you may have caught wind of that.
You may not have.
But I only made it through about a third of my notes last week.
And the more I prayed and thought about coming here to Christ Church, I couldn't extricate myself from 1 John 1.
And so here we are.
And if you want to open there to 1 John 1.
I want to begin briefly by laying a backdrop for this theme that God is light.
In my notes I have this titled, God is light, subtitle, a meditation for dark times.
So I begin just by reading Matthew 24, verses 4 to 6, and then a portion from Psalm 27, and then we'll get to 1 John 1.
I don't know if you've been looking around at the world.
You don't need to look very far.
But if you've been looking around at the world, you might have a sense, as I do in these days,
that there seems to be an unparalleled concentration and volume of darkness at play.
It's not just in America.
It's in the cities of the earth.
I have never seen a more global spread of jihadist Islam, for instance,
of overt anti-Semitism, of immorality in a thousand different forms.
One needs only to watch the intro to the Olympics, which I hope you didn't.
I didn't, but I saw it after the fact, to see open blasphemy on display.
The world has always been a dark place since the fall,
but the darkness is getting more boastful and pronounced, it seems to me.
And between the weight that I feel from those things and the weight that I feel from struggles
within the church, walking through marital strife and other kinds of trials that are profound
morally, doctrinally, and across the board, I have found myself over the last several weeks
feeling a little heavier than normal and finding it more difficult to walk out of my study in
the morning, even after a rich time in the word with the kind of lightness that I had in times past.
Well, I don't know if it's going to be this way until the Lord returns, and I'm not without hope,
but I do feel the prevalence of the darkness, it seems to me, in a way in which I haven't always felt it.
Perhaps I'm just discerning better.
Or maybe it is that, as Paul said, in the last days, there will be an increasing darkness.
I believe we're seeing that personally.
And when Jesus in Matthew 24, 4 to 6, answered his disciples, when they asked,
when will these things be?
What will be the sign of the coming and of the close of the age?
He responded by saying, See to it that no one leads you astray, for many will come in my name,
saying, I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray.
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,
and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
The end is not yet.
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars and all manner of tumult,
as my disciples, in this fallen world.
But don't be alarmed to the point of despair.
Don't be alarmed to the point of hopelessness.
The end is not yet.
That's a little anchor point for us to consider.
And I would like to make note of the fact that our Lord himself says just there
that things are going to get difficult in the world.
And particularly for believers in this world, he said,
You will have tribulation, but take courage.
I have overcome the world.
So there's a lot of claiming of certain kinds of promises and misusing of them.
I heard another prosperity guy boasting just the other day that someone had gifted him
with some kind of a really fancy clock that cost thousands of dollars,
and that he already had 36 of them in his closet.
And he said, Well, praise the Lord, brother, that's good.
And then the guy said, But there's more to it.
I'm giving you this particular kind of Bentley that has a clock,
that clock mounted in it, which amounts to $350,000 worth of vehicle and clock.
And he was boasting in that and treating it nonchalantly and saying,
See, the Lord's blessings upon me.
Ha ha ha.
Well, there's going to be false teachers as well that are treasuring everything
but Jesus Christ and him crucified.
And we can count on that, which is why we need to know that God is light
and what that means.
Before I get to that, I want to open with Psalm 27,
and let's use it as our prayer this morning.
Psalm of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life.
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear.
Though war arise against me,
yet will I be confident.
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
and that will I seek after,
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble.
He will conceal me under the cover of his tent.
He will lift me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord,
when I cry aloud.
Be gracious to me and answer me.
You have said,
seek my face.
My heart says to you,
your face, Lord,
do I seek.
And in no better way,
Lord,
could we seek your face
than by opening our hearts to you in prayer,
than by opening your word
to see the light
that is in your word,
than believing the gospel
and looking upon your Son,
who in these last days,
after having spoken through the prophets
and through the patriarchs,
you have spoken to us supremely
and chiefly and perfectly in your Son.
And so we look to him this morning,
and we pray
that as we think about this theme from your word
that you are light
and that in you is no darkness,
that you would establish us as your people
and establish this church
as a bulwark of light
in Raytown,
in Kansas City.
Lord,
I ask your blessing.
I pray that the light of God,
I pray that the God who is light
that we would be aware of you.
We ask for the ministry of the Holy Spirit
and the ministry of the word
to the praise of your Son's name.
Amen.
1 John chapter 1.
A few notes to think about
with 1 John as a letter
and 1 John chapter 1.
There are many debates
as to who wrote
this letter.
I hold to the traditional view
that it was John the Apostle,
but there are many debates among scholars.
Don Carson and Douglas Moo
say that throughout church history,
apart from more modern scholarship,
never have these books
been attributed to anyone
other than John the Apostle,
the son of Zebedee.
And so it's not until we get
to more modern critical scholarship
that new suggestions are made,
and I don't have a whole lot of room
in my study for those suggestions.
John most likely wrote from Ephesus,
according to these two brothers,
in the early 90s.
And the point of the first letter of John
in encouraging the churches
to whom he's writing
is to hold forth the supremacy of Jesus
and what it means that Christ is light
and life and our advocate
and what it means to love him
and to love the brethren.
Adolf Zephyr, who I'll refer to later,
said the whole first epistle of John,
listen to this,
is an exposition of this,
that love to God,
that's the only way of saying love for God
and love unto God,
love to God and love to man
go hand in hand together.
Love to God and love to man
go hand in hand together.
So let's just think about chapter one
for a few moments.
The apostle writes, verse one,
that which was from the beginning,
which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes,
which we looked upon
and have touched with our hands
concerning the word of life.
The life was made manifest
and we have seen it
and testify to it
and proclaim to you
the eternal life,
which was with the father
and was made manifest to us.
That which we have seen and heard,
we proclaim also to you
so that you too
may have fellowship with us.
And indeed,
our fellowship is with the father
and with his son,
Jesus Christ.
And we are writing these things
so that our joy
may be complete.
Well, just thinking about
these first four verses
for a few moments,
it's important to note
that John in his letter
is not primarily polemical,
meaning for many,
this book has been known
mainly as a book
from which we argue Christology
or argue the gospel.
That is, it's polemical.
It's argumentative
in the right sense
that that is its main purpose.
But I think it is right
to, of course,
acknowledge that
you can't read
apostolic teaching
without there being
a polemical intensity.
They are passionate
about the glory of Jesus.
They're passionate
about what God has revealed
in Christ.
They are passionate
about the churches.
They want the church
rightly to understand
who Christ is,
what the gospel is,
and they're going to argue
about that
if you're pressing
for some kind
of erroneous view.
So we find that,
of course,
John is dealing
with what might be called
proto-Gnostics.
The Gnostic movement
had not fully taken up
steam by now,
but the seeds
of what became
the Gnostic movement
evidently were creeping
into the churches
that John is writing to.
So he wants to confront
that dualistic heresy
that twists the nature
of Christ.
So there is obviously
something polemical
about this letter,
but I would argue
that it's not primarily
polemical or argumentative.
It's primarily pastoral.
What he is most concerned
about is the joy
of God's people
in Christ.
And from that fatherly heart,
he calls himself
a father to the church
and his other epistles.
From that heart,
he writes,
John desires the deepening
of the holiness
of God's people,
the deepening of their joy,
the deepening of their assurance
and peace in Christ.
And so he writes,
that which was from the beginning,
which we have heard,
which we have seen
with our eyes,
which we looked upon
and have touched
with our hands
concerning the word of life.
Think just for a moment
about the eyewitness dynamic
and nature
of who is writing to us.
Here we have John,
who it seems regarded himself
especially as the disciple
whom Jesus loved,
who is writing about our Lord
not only as a cosmic figure
that reigns over the nations,
but as one
with whom he walked,
one upon whose shoulder
he laid his head,
one whose voice he heard,
one whose grief he witnessed,
one whose joy
and celebration
of the children
in Jerusalem
he was rebuked by.
This is the one
that he is saying
is light.
So this eyewitness dynamic
is very precious
for us to consider.
The life was made manifest.
That would be a way
of saying
the glory of God
in Christ
has shown.
The light
is the glory.
And the glory
is not
some cloud
that comes through
the air duct system.
The glory
is the showing forth
of the holiness
and person
of God himself.
That's what glory means
in the Bible.
It means
the holy God
is being revealed
or shown
or magnified.
That's what God's glory
is.
And never had his glory
been revealed
though it had been revealed
but never had it been revealed
in the same way
as it was revealed
in his son
which is what John
is describing here.
the life
was made manifest
and we have
seen it
and testified
to it
and proclaimed
to you
the eternal life.
So it means
we touched him
we heard him
we laughed
with him
we wept
with him
we were baffled
at what he was teaching
we understood
what he was teaching
Peter went on
so far
as to rebuke him
and then to get rebuked
in return.
We saw
all of this
we saw his miracles
we saw his care
for sinners
but it wasn't just
that they beheld
that he was truly
man
they did
they beheld
and came to believe
and recognize
also that he was
truly
God
therefore he is
the eternal life
that has been granted
to us
and Jesus says
in John 17
this is eternal life
that they
may know you
the one true God
and Jesus the Messiah
whom
you have sent.
So it's good
for us to note
the dynamic here
that John was an eyewitness
of the glory
of God
and he's writing
for the sake
of the churches
along those lines.
Verse 3
that which we have
seen and heard
we proclaim
also to you
so that you too
may have fellowship
with us.
We are focused
on Christ himself
with you
and reminding you
of his glory
and of himself
and of his cross
because we want
Christian fellowship.
It brings me
such joy
to visit a church
plant some months
into existence
and to hear
that the primary
song
the primary
encouragement
has to do
with Jesus Christ
and him crucified.
We have seen
the ramifications
of megachurches
and large ministries
that have been
brought to dust
because they were
built on something
other than Jesus Christ
and him crucified
and therefore
they may have had
fellowship
around missions
or around theology
or around prayer
or some other thing
but they did not
have this fellowship
for which the apostle
is pleading
and encouraging.
If we don't have
fellowship in Christ
in the gospel
then we don't have
Christian fellowship
and we will use
one another
for our own purposes
and hold envy
and pride
and suspicion
toward one another
because
we don't have
fellowship with each other
as sinners
who have been redeemed
and are being sanctified.
Only that kind
of fellowship
which is only
to be experienced
for those who are
looking unto Jesus
is Christian fellowship.
Every other kind
of fellowship
even if it's around
Christian things
will lead to destruction
for the want
of that foundation.
So the apostle
again tells them
I am heralding
this one
to you
so that
you too
may have fellowship
with us
and indeed
our fellowship
is with the Father
and with his Son
Jesus Christ.
Isn't it a marvelous
thing to think
that throughout
the world
today
and
well there's a gap
of hours
with the time
zones
there are brothers
and sisters
gathering
in large
and small
gatherings
in the name
of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
some of them
reports I've
just seen
again that have
been multiplying
in Nigeria
are experiencing
profound persecution.
I saw a video
the other day
of a congregation
who had a few
of its members
martyred
and their church
building burned down
all that was left
was the shell
of the building
and the next Sunday
there is the rest
of the congregation
in the middle
of the shell
on an ash heap
singing hymns
unto God.
Those are our
brothers
and sisters
and this ought
to be a great
encouragement to us
a reminder as well
to put away
our excess
as American dreamers
but also
a profound
encouragement
that the name
of Christ
is being magnified
in nations
and in places
where ancient
demon spirits
and ancient
gods
false gods
have had
the preeminence.
Weak
brothers and sisters
are singing songs
to the Lamb
and so are we.
Paul says
remember
my chains
as an apostle
but he says
remember those
who are persecuted
as well.
Well one of the things
it does
is it reminds you
that you're not
the center of the world
and it reminds you
that Christ
is the one
who keeps his people
and perhaps
we're not experiencing
the same kind
of persecution
but we might
be experiencing
sufferings
or discouragements
and the remembrance
of Christ
and that he's the head
of the church
and he upholds
the universe
by the word
of his power
is what keeps us
as God's people
looking unto Jesus.
It's to cling
to his promise
of faithfulness
to us.
Sometimes you need that
when you're planting
a church
and you go through
the encouragement
of the newness
of the season
and then it's down
to the nitty gritty
as a people
and what does it
actually mean
for us
to walk
in the light
as his disciples
not that you guys
had a whole lot
of bells and whistles
or kind of
worldly American ideas
about church
but the bottom line
is when you get down
to the real
knit and grit
of the life
of discipleship
and building up
of the church
there are times
where it can be
profoundly discouraging
or you feel
a loss of vision
you feel a loss
of clear conviction
you ask questions
that don't make any sense
in other times
like why are we
doing this again
or what exactly
is it that we're
doing right now
or what was the point
of that gathering
you usually only think
those things privately
or maybe with your spouse
but they happen
and the only way
for us to understand
the magnitude
preciousness
sacredness
and glory
of what it is
that we are about
as the church
is to be looking
to the one
who is
its light
so the apostle
proclaimed
that Christ
that that same
fellowship
which was already
theirs
might be made
more robust
and we are writing
these things
so that our joy
that's a manuscript
question
it could be
our joy
or your joy
either way
I like to take it
to say
the joy of the apostles
and of the churches
why
because what's the same joy
that Jesus promised
to all of his disciples
that your joy
may be
complete
okay
well there's a few thoughts
on one through four
and we're about
halfway done
walking in the light
verses five to ten
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
well let's
let's dwell
on verse five
just for a few moments
and then
we will
walk
through six
through ten
God is light
what does it mean
that God
is light
it doesn't mean
that light
is God
it's not an
ontological statement
in that sense
that wherever you see
light
and not darkness
that is the divine person
no don't do that
that'd be the same
as
as worshipping trees
no
he is the author
of light
but the
the metaphor
of light
is being used
to point
to something
more eternal
and greater
and more glorious
which is God himself
he's the creator
of physical light
as we know it
but he himself
is greater
than the greatest
of the sun
or the stars
he is light
he is God
and in him
is no darkness
there's no darkness
in many respects
this is what the apostle
is getting at here
but I have three
that I shared briefly
and I might spend
a little more time
on here
than I did
at Bellicose Church
that God is light
means at least
three things
it means
and this is
an alliteration
for you
well three
three Ps
anyway
makes it easy
for you
he is pure
God is pure
number two
God is precise
and number three
God is
paternal
he is pure
of all of God's
attributes
the one that serves
in the Bible
speaking on human
terms here
as something
more like
the foundational
attribute
of God
from which
all of the others
can be better
perceived
is that he is
holy
and when the angels
cried out
they didn't cry out
righteous
though he is
powerful
though he is
merciful
though he is
they cried out
in that
thrice
remarkable
declaration
holy
is the Lord
back and forth
one to another
for thousands
of years
marveling
at the brightness
and purity
of the holiness
of God
that God is light
means
that he is holy
that he is pure
that's number
one
God is precise
what do I mean
by this
I mean he is
the one
we see most
clearly in Christ
is full of
grace
and truth
none of us
take
too well
to the idea
of being
consistently
misrepresented
if I caught
wind that
people were
starting to hang
out with my
wife
and they
came and
met with me
and said
we have been
spending time
with Audrey
and we feel
like we know
you now
and I said
really
what have you
all been
talking about
and she said
and the person
says well
we just learned
how much of an
expert you are
on country
music
I would step
back and say
are you sure
you didn't
misunderstand
her
and that your
favorite dish
that you always
want on
anniversaries
is liver
and onions
and
and that
you've got
a really long
history of
consistently
working out
at the gym
I would look
at them and
say which
Audrey were you
talking to
because
I would
be in that
moment
misrepresented
and how strange
I would feel
and even
concern for my
wife
if I found
out it really
was the same
Audrey
and she was
saying those
things
in the same
way we see
of the God
of Israel
his declaration
that among
the nations
he is blasphemed
because of
them
because of
what they're
saying about
him
and how
they're living
as those
who bear
his name
God is
holy
and precise
and doesn't
take it lightly
when his
people misrepresent
him
that should
give us
a new
sense of
the fear
of God
a new
sense of
reverence
for his
word
and a new
desire
that we
should not
misrepresent
him
now he's
not insecure
like we
men are
insecure
so that when
he's misrepresented
he's full of
fear
and pride
and anger
and impatience
and condescension
that's not
why he's
concerned
he's concerned
for the glory
of his name
because it
is true
and holy
and number
two
it is
he is
for the
flourishing
of his
people
who cannot
flourish
or have
joy that
is complete
in John's
words
unless they
are seeing
him
and believing
him
and trusting
him
and knowing
him
and serving
him
as he
is
that's
why the
apostle
preaches
Christ
again
this is
part of
what it
means
that God
is light
we should
take very
seriously
how we
study
his word
and how
we speak
of him
and just
then when we
hear those
two and we
feel perhaps
crushed under
the weight
of that
we get to
the third
point
which fleshes
things out a
bit better on
biblical terms
that God
is light
means that
he is
paternal
it means
that he's
our father
it means
that he's
not like
earthly
fathers
who are
impure
and who
are not
precise
but who
are still
offended
when you
misrepresent
them
he is
pure
and he
is
omniscient
he knows
everything
he's
precise
and he
is
paternal
he cares
for his
people
may it
be banished
from the
church
the idea
that Jesus
came to
save us
from the
father
he did
not come
to save
us from
the father
sent him
in love
what kind
of twisting
is that
well I
understand
why it
happens
because we
acknowledge
that Jesus
is our
redeemer
and mediator
and that he
bore the
wrath of
God on
our behalf
but we
need to
know that
the lamb
of God
also bore
the wrath
of the
lamb
on our
behalf
not just
the wrath
of the
father
the wrath
of the
triune
God
he did
save us
from the
wrath
of God
but not
merely the
wrath of
the father
that's an
important
distinction
to make
lest you
begin projecting
your failure
of a father's
attributes
on God
the father
no
we were
under the
wrath of
God
we were
but we
were under
the wrath
of the
triune
God
he was
not
divided
and Jesus
died upon
the cross
willingly
and with
profound
love
to save
sinners
but
underneath
that
we have
this truth
that he
was sent
by the
father
it pleased
the father
to crush
his beloved
son
so that
we
might be
atoned
for
and saved
see
when I
say
God
is
precise
I'm
thinking
about
things
like
this
the
father
has
been
misrepresented
by so
many
by not
thinking
clearly
enough
about
the
fact
that
God
sent
his
son
in
love
and that
we
were
under
the wrath
deservedly
of the
triune
God
I
understand
how we
have
gotten
there
in many
respects
but we
need to
clear that
up so
that we
know that
God is
not
divided
and
that we
may know
that God
is
paternal
that we
may cast
our cares
upon him
for he
cares
for us
that we
may know
that he
doesn't
abandon
us
even in
moments
where we
find that
we have
been
imprecise
about
him
or
impure
in his
presence
he cares
for us
and he
cares for
us
perfectly
and
infinitely
in his
son
this is
what it
means
that God
is light
he is
pure
he is
precise
and he
is
paternal
God
is light
there is
no
darkness
in him
in the
face of
our sin
in the
face of
our
sufferings
in the
face of
chaos
in the
world
or in
the
church
in the
face of
our fears
our
uncertainties
God
is light
he is
absolute
light
he is
truth
he is
the writer
to the
Hebrews
says
faith is
to believe
that he
is
he is
holy
and he
is good
that
God
is
light
means
that
he is
trustworthy
that
God
is
light
means
that
he
is
immutable
he
does
not
change
or
waver
or
diminish
that
God
is
light
and
that
he
has
sent
his
son
means
that
the
people
of
God
have
all
of
Christ
for
all
of
our
lives
there
is
no
sin
in
him
and
there
is
no
error
in
him
there
is
no
darkness
there
is
no
ill
will
in
God
there
is
no
selfishness
in
God
there
never
has
been
and
never
will
be
there
is
no
sin
in
him
he
is
holy
there
is
no
manipulation
in
him
he
is
not
crafty
he
is
wise
and
trustworthy
he
is
never
misguided
he
is
never
in
error
ever
he
is
faithful
and
true
confession
time
here
at
our
elders
retreat
I
was
told
that
if
I
could
weave
Kamala
Harris
word
salad
into
the
sermon
a
certain
elder
whom
you
probably
would
not
guess
would
give
me
a
$20
bill
so
last
week
I
did
it
I
said
our
God
is
perfect
and
true
and
when
he
speaks
it
is
never
word
salad
he
never
says
to
us
that
we
shall
look
to
be
unburdened
by
what
has
been
and
I'll
add
to
that
he
doesn't
have
very
much
to
say
not
in
the
same
way
that
she
did
about
the
significance
of
the
passage
of
time
which
she
repeated
I
think
five
times
in
one
paragraph
and
made
no
sense
when
God
speaks
it
makes
sense
now
there
might
be
mystery
and
glory
that
is
too
much
for
our
finite
brains
to
grasp
in
certain
things
that
he
says
but
it
is
always
spirit
and
life
truth
perfect
authority
love
it
is
always
precise
it
is
always
paternal
our
God
speaks
it's
part of
what it
means
that
he's
light
it's
part of
what it
means
that
there
is
glory
in
his
son
because
by
his
son
he
speaks
and
has
spoken
some
of
you
perhaps
need
to
hear
him
speak
to
you
afresh
in
his
word
even
about
specific
struggles
weaknesses
fears
things that
have developed
patterns
in your
life
I don't
know
I haven't
been in
much
fellowship
with most
of you
lately
but I
know
what it's
like
to be
a
Christian
in a
body
of
death
and I
know
that I
need
every
day
desperately
to
see
his
light
and so
do you
and so
does
Raytown
I just
thought on
the way
down here
there's this
book by one
of my
favorite
authors named
David
Barron
he was a
kind of
student of
Adolf
Sophia
who you've
also
some of
you have
heard of
Adolf
Sophia
was converted
through the
preaching of
Robert Murray
McShane's
evangelistic
friends in
Hungary
and came to
faith at
age 8
and ended
up being
a pastor
on the
outskirts
of London
contemporary
with
Spurgeon
some of
you don't
care about
that
some of
you do
I do
so that's
why I'm
saying it
one of
these days
you're going
to meet
Adolf
Sophia
if you're
in
Christ
and I'm
just trying
to help
you not
be embarrassed
when you
bump into
him in
the age
to come
but one
of his
students
David
Barron
wrote many
wonderful
books
and one
of them
is about
the prophecies
about the
Messiah
in the
Old
Testament
he's a
Messianic
Jew
scholar
evangelist
and the
name of
the book
is
Rays
of Messiah's
Light
Rays
of Messiah's
Light
and
maybe I'm
just tired
but I
thought
yeah
may there
be Rays
of Messiah's
Light
in Raytown
may the
Rays
may Raytown
be known
for the
Rays
of Messiah's
Light
may it
be
through
the
church
and the
advance
of the
gospel
for his
namesake
no
word
solid
with
God
he's
never
double
tongued
his
warnings
are
ponderous
and
weighty
if you
are under
his
warnings
you
cannot
escape
them
on your
own
and his
promises
are true
and sweet
if you
are under
his
promises
then there
is no
power
in hell
that can
divert
their
fulfillment
this is
precious
this is
part of
what it
means
that God
is light
okay
well I made
it one page
made it a half page
last week
one page this week
we're on our way
maybe I need to
write a book
or something
what does it
mean in
verses 6
and 7
this phrase
walking in
the light
walking in
the light
well some
synonyms of
this in the
New Testament
could be
keeping in
step with
the spirit
in Galatians
5
or abiding
in Christ
which we see
on various
occasions
or walking
in love
or Acts
9 walking
in the fear
of the Lord
and the comfort
of the Holy
Spirit
it means
feasting
and trembling
before God's
word
it means
a life
of prayer
and communion
with God
that's part
of what it
means to
walk in
the light
there is
no walking
in the light
without prayer
brothers and
sisters
is your
life of
prayer
is your
time
logged
in
prayer
is it
absent
or growing
thin
well then
so will
it be
more
profoundly
challenging
for you
to walk
in the
light
it's
in beholding
him
that we
are changed
and you
don't need
some legalistic
thing to
I've got to
log three
hours of
prayer today
and then
God will
love me
it's not a
he loves
me he loves
me not
kind of
thing
it's a
he loves
me and
therefore I
want to
see more
of his
light
it only
makes sense
it would be
a strange
thing if I
had married
my wife
and then
never talked
to her
never dated
her
never enjoyed
anything about
her
never cared
for her
never wanted
to be in
her presence
never wanted
to laugh
with her
never wept
with her
when she
was grieved
over something
and then when
you came to
me and said
brother you're
neglecting your
wife what is
the deal
with you
and I said
hey we're
married man
yeah that's
why I'm
bringing this
up to you
I'm bringing
this up to
you because
she's your
wife and
you're supposed
to be caring
for her and
loving her
you should be
concerned about
things that have
to do with
her and then I
say yeah but
at one point
in the past
we were
separate and
now we're
together
Brian that's
not the point
I mean that's
a beautiful
thing there's
a union there
it's beautiful
but you didn't
get that union
just so you
could sit once
a week and
say I have
the union
you pursued
that union so
that you could
know her and
love her and
fellowship with
her and it
makes no sense
for the church
of God to
be in union
with Christ
and to be
his bride and
to have no
concern to
spend time with
him to hear
him to cherish
him it's not
the hours logged
in prayer that
will earn that
for you it's
the upshot it's
it's the fruit
of the union
like Bonhoeffer
says about
marriage it's
it is not we
who keep the
covenant but the
covenant that
keeps us so
we are kept
by this new
covenant but
it doesn't make
sense to be in
the new covenant
and not to
pray not to
learn to love
prayer even if
you have times
that are difficult
in prayer even
if you have
prayer meetings
that are never
seem to get much
more than a foot
off the ground
I remember when I
was trying to
work out about
a year and a
half ago I
was got the
subscription to
the Y membership
at the Y and
I was spending
time shooting
by myself
shooting hoops
every now and
again with
somebody else
and I told
the guys in
my missional
community hey
yeah I got
I got an hour
and a half of
shooting around
and I'm a little
sore and they
said hey send us
a video next time
set your phone up
send us a video
of you shooting
so I did for
their sake and I
recorded about five
minutes of myself
shooting getting
rebounds shooting
you know making
most of them I
will say making
most of the
shots but in
my mind having
grown up watching
Michael Jordan I
envisioned that
when I was fading
for this jump shot
that I was probably
at least three feet
off the ground
and when I looked
and I thought I'm
going to cut this
video down to a
minute send them
the best minute
I looked and
every time I shot
my feet they came
about this three
inches off the
ground I thought
what in the world
is going on
I used to be able
to I used to be
able to jump
and I can't jump
so much anymore
why did I bring
that up
there was an
analogy there
thank you
maybe the prayer
meetings feel
afterwards like
they've barely
gotten off the
ground
that's not the
point
pray that you may
better be able to
pray together in the
spirit and keep
praying
as one great man
of prayer said a
long time ago when
he was asked how do
you grow in prayer
he said pray until
you pray
keep going saints
not so that you may
earn the light of
God but because the
light has already
shown
well that's what it
means to walk in the
light it also means
real life in the
local church
real fellowship
something that is a
rare phenomenon on
planet earth
real fellowship in
the light
this is absolutely
vital
this includes then
what we think about
in verse 9 with
confession
and forgiveness
believers should pray
for forgiveness
for their sins
and they should pray
for one another
and forgive
one another
confession is not a
negative thing
it is a Christian
reality
and in fact it is
only a Christian
reality
a heathen man
can say
I shouldn't have
done that
that was bad
that's a kind of
confession
but Christian
confession
does something
that no other
confession can do
it renews our
conscience and
awareness of the
union that we have
with Christ
and it renews and
strengthens our
fellowship one with
another
and so it's a
troublesome thing if
churches are being
built and
established by people
that are not walking
in the light with one
another
and secret
jealousies and
envies gossip about
one another
hidden sins
pornography here
drunkenness here
other sins are being
held in the
darkness
and then and then
people are relating
to one another in
terms of that kind of
darkness and then
slapping on top of it
bless you brother
oh praise God
the gospel is good
that that's not
fellowship in the
light in fellowship in
the light there is
liberty and only in
that place
almost done
kids
that God is light
means that he is
pure
that God is light
means that he is
precise
that God is light
means that he is
paternal
that he is pure
means that he's
holy
that he is
precise
means that he is
true and beautifully
and precisely
true
it means the light
is true
it means the light
is clear
that he is paternal
means that he is
warm
toward his children
the light
is warm
warms our cold
hearts
in times of
backsliding and
repentance
it warms our
fellowship with one
another
it makes it
something that is
no longer a
playground for the
powers of darkness
where we can speak
Christian platitudes
but not actually have
the love of the
brethren
a knowledge of God
as light
establishes these
realities and
therefore we must
see
that he
is light
well I had about
40 verses I was
going to read on
this truth that God
is light
but you can go
and do that
word study on
your own
let us remember
brothers and
sisters that the
light has come
that the light
who is Christ
has come
the light has
shone in our
hearts
by the grace of
God
2nd Corinthians 4
the light is
spreading
and will continue
to spread
the gospel is not
imprisoned
and let us remember
that the light
will prevail
our Lord will
return soon
and when he
comes everything
will be made
new
clear thinking
about God
as light
helps us rightly
to think about
ourselves
about the world
about the church
and about the
mission
that we've been
given
closing passage
1st John 3
1 to 3
see what kind
of love
the father
has given
to us
that we should
be called
children
of God
and so we
are
the reason
why the world
does not know
us is that it
did not know
him
beloved
we are God's
children now
and what we
will be
has not yet
appeared
but we know
that when he
appears
we shall be
like him
because we
shall see him
as he is
and everyone
who thus hopes
in him
purifies
himself
as he
is pure
are you
walking in the
light
brothers and
sisters
Christ Church
may Christ
Church
and all the
churches of God
among the nations
walk in the
light
together
the purity
of God
the preciseness
of God
and the paternal
warmth
of God's
grace
must be
central to
our fellowship
and worship
may we dwell
together in the
light
and like John
the Baptist
proclaim the
supremacy
and excellency
of the one
who is the
light
the light
of the world
God is light
and in these
last days
he has spoken
to us
in his son
may we hear
him
and love
him
and herald
him
he