We're going to jump back into Philippians tonight.
Let's see.
For those of you who haven't really been with us throughout the study,
! Just to tell you where we've been in chapter 2.
Paul begins chapter 2 by exhorting the Philippians to not do things out of selfishness or rivalry,
but rather be united in love and humility towards one another.
And love and humility are the two things that actually hold the church together,
keeps them from dividing.
And then after verse 4, he gives you the ultimate example of sacrificial love and humility in the person of Christ
and how Christ left the glory of heaven and came as a man and lived a perfect life of obedience
and then died the most horrendous death on the cross.
And then God exalted him as a result.
But then last week, we talked about the mystery of how it is God who is at work in us,
supposed to work and will for his good pleasure,
and the mystery of our responsibility and how we're supposed to step forward and be obedient
and to labor and fight and strive.
But the whole time, it is God's power that works within us.
We learned about that mystery last week.
So with all this stuff in mind, with all this heavy doctrinal truth that we just read,
obviously Paul has in mind that there's application for life after this.
Remember that like no theology, no doctrine,
all theology is practical and all theology actually plays out into our lives.
It's not like we have the really easy theology that's like live this way and act that way,
and then we have the upper level thinking.
It all plays into how we live.
All of it does.
All of it.
And this is where we're going to go.
So in light of what they discussed in the previous verses,
Paul says live this way,
how we're to work out our salvation,
not work for our salvation,
but rather to press into the fullness of what is ours in Christ.
So we get to verse 14,
and we're going to jump around a little bit,
but first of all,
I want to just talk about the world that we live in,
okay,
the world that we live in.
And there's two things from this passage that we can note about the world that we live in.
The first one is,
can be seen in verse 15,
we live in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,
or a crooked and perverse generation.
And definitely was true of Paul's days,
but it's definitely true of our day.
So we need to kind of address this.
And the word crooked here,
it means like scoliosis.
It means like something that is like bent out of shape,
and it's deviated from the intended path.
It's twisted and perverted,
and it kind of sums up the lost world around us.
And so perverse,
the other picture there,
being twisted,
it just means that we have taken the truth of God,
what is meant to be good and beautiful and right,
and we've twisted that and perverted that.
And even the good things that we have,
that's what we've done to them.
We've made them into ultimate things,
giving our lives to them and worshiping them,
that only God deserves our worship.
And so that we live in a society, though,
that doesn't just do evil,
but they actually like encourage each other to do evil,
and they give hearty approval to the ones who are acting in evil.
That's Romans 1.32.
It says they don't only do these evil things,
they give approval to those who practice them.
Proverbs 2.14 says this,
It kind of sums up this idea of how things are not the way they ought to be.
They're twisted and they're crooked.
A mess like the world that we live in
is a perversion of what God had.
And so that's something first to note,
is we live in a crooked and perverse generation.
Now, this is probably where we're going to be spending most of our time.
But something else to note,
as you see in verse 15,
it says that we're shining as lights in the world,
and light implies that darkness.
And it is a characteristic of the lost world around us
that it's also a generation that lives in darkness.
The world dwells in darkness.
And it's a characteristic of a sinful lost world.
And many dictionaries,
just English dictionaries,
if you look at it and you actually look up darkness,
guess what it says?
Like absence of light,
where there's no light.
That's like what it says.
The best definition of what darkness really is,
is an absence of light.
However, like God is not ever talking about physical darkness.
Like turn the lights off in here.
He's talking about a spiritual darkness
that haunts the souls of men
that lives in us,
that lives in the lost world around us.
And an oppressive spiritual darkness that crushes us.
And the people that live in darkness currently,
some of you might,
if you're without Christ,
that you still dwell in darkness.
They're aware of it.
They know like something's not right.
I knew that I did.
I knew that something was not right in my life.
I didn't really know what.
But I felt like I had darkness.
And so the people that we live around,
they feel that way.
And elsewhere in the world,
you see darkness in a variety of forms.
You see it like in a miscarriage of justice,
corrupted governments,
corrupted legal officials,
and how they use their power
to starve their people
and to abuse their people.
We see so many things.
We see sex trafficking.
We see that warlords seize the food
that's meant to feed the starving people.
We see all kinds of stuff,
a darkness that just prevails over the world.
And then just even in our own lives,
we feel like the darkness of separation
and loneliness and broken relationships
and sickness, death,
a big uncertainty.
One of the major characteristics about darkness
is you can't see where you're going.
And you have to think of that way spiritually.
All of you at one time,
and myself included,
and many of you know now,
they have no hope and no peace
and no joy about the future at all.
They have no idea
like what the future holds for them.
And that's why they only can live in the moment,
eat, drink, and be merry,
for tomorrow we die.
They don't know like what the future holds.
And so they,
it's very scary.
Knowing that,
knowing what I know now,
knowing that God is sovereign over my life
and He has a direction for my life
and that He only intends good
and the best for me,
that brings a peace that the world doesn't know.
Their lives are headed towards chaos.
And ultimately,
it will lead to spiritual death,
ultimate spiritual death
and separation from God.
Proverbs 4, 19 says,
the way of the wicked
is like deep darkness.
They do not know
where they are going
and they stumble.
And that's
what the wicked live in.
They live in
sheer darkness,
hopelessness,
and loneliness.
I know what this is like.
And the,
I had a,
when I was,
my first,
I think it was
sophomore year in college,
freshman,
sophomore year in college,
I lived in Gwinnett County
and I was just,
at that time,
I was probably early Christian
and I just had like a lot of zeal
but not like a lot of channeling
and right thinking
and what I was doing
but had good motives.
And I was a part of my
old youth ministry,
just kind of being
like a youth worker
and there was a kid
who was 13
named Tyler
and
Tyler grew up
very, very lonely
like teenager.
His parents
hated his guts.
He lived with his aunt
and
in school
he was
picked on
a lot
when he started
middle school.
He came around
every Wednesday
and we always
tried to hang out
with him
and he was a fun guy
to be around
but he also
did some very crazy things
just to get attention.
That's all he wanted
was like somebody
to be like,
hey,
just to look at him.
One time he actually
drove his bike
like down a hill
through like a major
intersection
just hoping that he
didn't get like hit
by the cars.
He was just trying
to get attention
from all his buddies.
Just very,
very lonely,
feeling unwanted.
just darkness
in his eyes.
No hope.
And I remember
actually being
in the hospital
getting a call
from a friend of mine
that said that he had
hung himself
the previous night
and that was the first
time I had experienced
something like that
and had to work
with all his friends,
all his middle school
buddies who just
didn't understand
like what happened.
Just sheer darkness
and this is what
it leads to.
The apex of that
is just wanting
not to go on living.
So,
a story that I mentioned
I think last year,
a story of a girl
called Judy Bucknell
and she lived
in California,
San Francisco Bay.
She worked really hard.
She exercised.
She was really well
respected in the community.
She was never in jail.
She never got in trouble
with the law.
And she,
but she was miserable.
She hosted parties
and designer clothes
and in 1980,
at the age of 38,
she became homicide
victim 106 in Miami.
And she was murdered
on a summer evening
and stabbed several times
and strangled.
And she kept a diary
of a very lonely life.
And this is something
that she wrote
at the age of 38.
At the age of 38,
I'm alone
and I want to share
something with somebody.
Where are the men
with the flowers
and the champagne
and the music?
Where are the men
who call and ask
for a genuine,
actual date?
Where are the men
who like
to share more than
my bed
and my food?
I would like to have
in my life once
before I pass through,
before I pass on,
the kind of sexual relationship
which is a part
of a loving relationship.
I see people together
and I'm so jealous
and I want to throw up.
What about me?
Who is going to love
Judy Bucknell?
I feel so old,
unloved,
unwanted,
abandoned,
used up,
and I want to cry
in my sleep forever.
A picture of loneliness.
This girl's heart
had actually died
way before she died.
And Jesus said
in Matthew 6,
the eye is the lamp
of the body,
so if your eye
is healthy,
your whole body
will be full of light.
But if your eye
is bad,
your whole body
will be full of darkness.
If then the light
is in you,
the light in you
is darkness,
how great is that darkness?
There's something
about that.
We can,
you look in someone's eyes
and you're just emptiness.
I mean,
I know what that
looks like.
And so,
two characteristics
about the loss
of what we live in.
It's crooked,
it's perverse,
and it's,
it lives in darkness.
And I've,
been there,
and I hope that
if you have been there,
that you don't forget
what it was like
and to remind yourself
and it's surrounding you
every day
with your friends
and family.
So,
in this text,
we're going to look
at five verbs
that are going to change
into present participles.
You know what that is?
Too bad if you don't.
Come on,
North Georgia English.
Okay.
And,
and how we're to live
in the midst
of a world
like this.
And,
number one,
there's five.
Number one,
our doing.
Our doing.
And it comes from
verse 14
where it says,
do
all things
without grumbling
or questioning.
And,
the focus there
is on the manner
in which things
are to be done.
Not just in the doing,
but like the spirit
behind the doing.
And,
without complaining,
without grumbling,
or without questioning.
So,
it's a call
to be obedient,
the spirit of joy
and gladness
and not a grudging
kind of obedience.
So,
it's possible for us
to do the right thing
but do it in such a way
to where
it deprives us
of the joy
and angers
everyone around us.
Very possible
to do that.
an example.
So,
you can,
well,
some of you
probably could
say this now.
You're home
and your parents
give you a task
to do.
Clean something up.
Go mow the yard.
Go rake the leaves.
Clean the house.
Whatever.
And,
they're interrupting
your chilled out day
and your entertainment
that you want.
And,
it leads you
just to grumble.
And,
this word
for grumbling here,
it means like
muttering under
like a low voice.
This is a grumble
in your spirit
and it leads
to a questioning
which is,
why do I got to do this now?
Why do I got to do that
today?
Why can't I do it
my way
and not your way?
It leads to this
where you're questioning
and you're grumbling
about a specific task
that's been given to you.
So,
it's intellectual
and emotional
and so it
it gets to the point
where your
your parents
are just like,
look,
just
put the rake down
just go in your room
I'll do the dishes.
I'd rather
do it myself
than to watch
your mean-spirited
attempt at obedience.
Ever had that happen?
Like,
just forget about it.
Just get out of my sight.
I'm so
tired of hearing
this gruntled spirit
in you.
and it gets
to that point.
So,
if that's true
for our
earthly parents,
our earthly father,
how much more
our heavenly father?
Paul probably
has in mind
Exodus 15,
turn there.
This is,
keep your hand in Philippians.
Excuse me,
Exodus 16,
I was going to mention
verse 15,
chapter 15.
Exodus 16
and go to verse 6.
But just to give you
a context,
Israel has come
through the Red Sea.
They've been delivered
from the hands
of the Egyptians.
And in verse,
excuse me,
chapter 15,
you have the song
of Moses.
He's praising God
for what God has done.
And you have
his sister Miriam
going to town
on the tambourine,
kind of going,
you know,
going nuts
to the tambourine.
And then,
you get to chapter 16.
And just think
about what just happened.
They just were delivered,
taken through the Red Sea,
delivered out of bondage
in Egypt.
And God,
and they begin
to grumble.
They begin to grumble
at the beginning
of the chapter.
They're basically like,
we have more meat
in Egypt.
We have more
stuff to eat
in general
in Egypt.
And they're kind of
grumbling and moaning.
And then God,
graciously,
provides them
manna and quail
to eat.
And Moses
makes it clear,
though,
their complaint
is not against
him,
but against God.
And so we get
to chapter 16,
verse 6.
We'll just read
some of this.
So Moses and Aaron
said to all the people
of Israel,
At evening
you shall know
that it was the Lord
who brought you
out of the land
of Egypt.
And in the morning
you shall see
the glory of the Lord
because he has heard
your grumbling
against the Lord.
And it says,
For what
are we
that you
grumble
against us?
And Moses said,
When the Lord
gives you
in the evening
meat to eat
and in the morning
bread to the full
because the Lord
has heard your grumbling
that you grumble
against him,
what are we?
Your grumbling
is not against us
but against the Lord.
And then Moses
said to Aaron,
Say to the whole
congregation
of the people
of Israel,
Come near
before the Lord
for he has heard
your grumbling.
So of all people,
we're really quick
to do this
when we study
the Old Testament
and study
the people
of Israel.
You'd think,
they're crazy.
This got delivered
out of slavery
in Egypt
and seen these
awesome miracles
and they're grumbling.
We're really quick
to kind of point
their finger
at them.
You'd think,
they of all people
should be joyful
and glad
to be delivered.
And we are
very guilty ourselves.
Like you need to turn
like right around
and like point
to yourself.
They experienced
a worldly
deliverance
from physical slavery
but we have experienced
even greater
deliverance
from our spiritual
death
through what Christ
has done
and we still grumble.
we still grumble.
And you can say
like God,
you know,
why have you stuck
me in this place
in my life?
Why does everybody
else kind of
seem to get
what they want
and I don't?
Why is this thing
happening this way?
If you just gave me
this then I would
be happy.
We just grumble
and we complain
and we argue.
Even in our service
to God,
we argue
and we grumble.
I remember being
in Puerto Rico
I think
when I might have
been like 21
years old
and we were doing
some work
on the streets
and doing street work
painting curbs
and cleaning up
things as a means
to share the gospel
with the people
that were coming
around us
and there was
a lady
on my team
that,
man,
I just,
the prophet in me
just started coming
out towards
the end of that trip
but she was just
grumbling like
the whole time
like,
it's so hot
out here,
why do we have
to do this
right now?
Very,
every little thing
you can think of
and like,
I can't wait
to go to the beach
on this day
and just very,
it made me really
sad and angry
all at the same time.
Just a persistent
grumbling
the whole time
and just began
to rob people
like the joy
that was there
and so,
if we persist
in long term
grumbling
and questioning
God,
He'll discipline us,
He will,
like He'll say like,
I've had enough
of this
and He'll like
kindly
just knock us
down a little bit
and turn to
Lamentations
right after Jeremiah
and I'll show you
an example of this.
God actually did this
to Judah
and Jeremiah
who wrote Lamentations
recognized this.
Lamentations chapter 3
verse 37
There's just a few
other places
for you to turn
tonight.
Getting used to
flipping that Bible.
Lamentations chapter 3
verse 37
He says,
Who has spoken
and has come to pass
unless the Lord
has commanded it?
Is it not
from the mouth
of the Most High
that good
and bad come?
So,
He recognizes
right here
in this first verse
that God's
sovereign hand
is what brings
good
and allows evil.
He does both.
Like it doesn't just
God is in control
of all things.
Things don't just happen
even when
even when Satan
acts
is because God
has sovereignly
allowed him
to act
and he only operates
in the parameters
in which God
has set.
Then it goes on
and he says,
Why should
a living man
complain
a man
about the punishment
of his sins?
Let us test
and examine
our ways
and return
to the Lord.
Let us lift up
our hearts
and hands
to the God
of heaven.
Why should we
complain
and why should
we be grumbling?
If we have been
delivered
from our sin
and now we actually
continue to sin
against the Lord
and God disciplines
us,
why should we
grumble?
Like what's the
he's saying like
obviously God
would discipline
us
and let us
examine our ways
and return
to the Lord.
So,
that's the first
thing is in our
doing
we're to
live in such
a way
without grumbling
or complaining.
The second thing,
the second part
of the civil
year,
look at,
go back to
Philippians,
sorry.
Philippians,
it's going to be
in verse 15,
in our
becoming,
our becoming,
and in verse 15,
that you may
be blameless
and innocent
children of God
without blemish
in the midst
of a crooked
and twisted
generation.
That's verse 15.
So,
in our becoming,
we're to,
that you may be,
I'm just kind of
adding that on,
becoming,
be,
becoming,
children of God.
Not by physical
birth,
but as it says
in John 1,
by the power
of God,
by the spirit
of regeneration
the Holy Spirit
gives to us,
being born again.
So,
pure here
is not just
an external activity,
it has to do
with the fact
that,
that like,
precious metals
that are free
of all the alloys
that actually
would bring harm
to it,
a purity.
Purity is what
paves the way
for our intimacy
with God.
If we give
ourselves
and adulterate
ourselves out
to a thousand
different things,
we don't have
the purity
to actually enjoy
the Lord
as we could
enjoy the Lord.
So,
that's what
carves that out
and purity
is a shocking
thing
to anybody
in the world
we live in,
in any situation.
It's like
we actually
would keep
ourselves pure
for something.
It's mind-boggling
to the world.
It transcends
into the spiritual
world.
And notice
how it says
in their midst.
We're to be
in their midst,
not separating
ourselves
from the world,
but actually
being in it.
And while
we're in the midst
of it,
to be blameless.
And that just
means living
without fault.
Not perfect,
but not in such
a way to where
they're constantly
pointing out to us
the gap between
our mouths
and the way
we actually live.
We're to show
people that
this is real
and that we
believe with our
hearts and
our minds
that it goes
into our actions
and to live
upright and
clean.
Two other
places to turn.
This is one.
Titus chapter 2.
Flip there
and I'm going
to show you
something here.
We don't want
any gaps to
exist between
what we say
or what we
claim to
believe
and then
actually
our actions.
We want
them to be
one.
Nothing brings
harm to the
gospel like
people who
talk a lot
but don't
really walk
that way
at all.
And remember
not perfectly
but we're
going to look
at Titus
chapter 2
verse 7
and Paul
writes to
them,
show yourself
in all
respects to
be a model
of good
works and
in your
teaching show
integrity and
dignity,
sound speech
that cannot
be condemned
so that an
opponent may
be put to
shame,
having nothing
evil to say
about us.
There's another
example of
that.
Listen to
this.
Slaves are
to be
submissive to
their own
masters and
everything.
They are to
be well
pleasing,
not
argumentative,
not
pilfering,
but showing
all good
faith.
And why?
Why all
this?
Why?
The last
part.
So that in
everything that
may adorn the
doctrine of
God our
Savior.
So when we
live in that
way, it
adorns
Christ.
It makes
Christ look
beautiful and
magnificent and
glorious like
He really is.
And that's the
purpose.
It's not just to
live that way,
just to live that
way.
It's to show
people this is
where our life
comes from,
where our joy
comes from.
And so they
would have
nothing really
evil to say
about us unless
they're lying.
We would have a
clean conscience
about how we
live.
So that's the
second one,
our becoming.
The third
one, back in
Philippians in
verse 15,
our shining,
our shining.
And verse 15,
in the midst of
a crooked and
twisted generation
among whom you
shine as lights
in the world.
And we've
talked a lot
about the
darkness that
exists in the
world before we
actually dove into
this.
So remember
that Christ is
the light of the
world.
He said in
John, I'm the
light of the
world.
whoever follows
me will not
walk in darkness
but will have
the light of
life.
So this is the
light that Christ
brought to the
world.
And so now
that Christ is
gone, through
Christ we become
children of the
light.
We have to have
Christ in our
life and we
become children
of the light.
Once we're born
again, his light
is given to us
and it dwells in
us.
And it's not a
light that we
produce or put
out on our
own.
We have no
light in and
of ourselves to
give anybody.
It's a light
that completely
comes by knowing
Christ.
And in
Ephesians 5
verse 8, this
is something Paul
says,
For at one
time you were
darkness, but
now you are the
light in the
Lord.
Walk as children
of light.
So we have
in this present
life, joy and
direction for
our lives because
we have that
light.
And we're to
shine in a
dark world.
And think
about this,
like the
moon, you
ever heard
like the light
of the moon?
The moon
doesn't have any
light, you know
that?
Like it doesn't
actually put out
light.
It reflects the
light off the
sun, does it
not?
And that's what
we see.
So we're to
position our
lives in such
a way to
where we
reflect the
glory of the
sun onto the
world around
us.
And people can
tell that the
light's not
coming from us
but from
something else.
And that's
being the
light of the
world.
And stars, if
we're to walk
outside, probably
around here, you
see the stars.
Out in the
country you can
see the stars.
stars in the
ancient times
were navigational
tools.
They didn't
have a lot of
the GPS stuff
we have now.
Like they had
the sailors and
mariners, they
had to decide
where to go
based on where
the stars were.
And they serve
as a guide.
And so our
lives are to
serve as a
navigational guide
to the people
who are lost
in darkness.
We're to show
them this is
where the light
is.
This is how
you should live.
This is where
to go and
we're to
point to
Christ because
he's the
source of
the light and
he's the
source of
life.
And I
think this is
the last
place.
I'm going to
have you
turn, but
look at
Matthew 5.
Awesome.
You can't
really skip
over this.
Matthew 5,
Summer on
the Mount,
verse 14.
Many people
around us do
not know the
way to go and
they need the
light of Christ.
So,
yeah,
Matthew 5,
verse 14,
Jesus says
this,
You are the
light of the
world.
A city set
on a hill
cannot be
hidden,
nor do
people light
a lamp and
put it under
a basket,
but on a
stand,
and it
gives light
to all in
the house.
In the same
way, let
your light
shine before
others,
so that they
may see your
good works,
and give glory
to your Father
who is in
heaven.
Lights,
by nature,
shine.
They don't do
any other
thing.
That's what
they do.
They illuminate.
Light means
like illumination.
It means
purity,
clarity.
In a lot of
ways, it means
like goodness.
That's what
light means.
It's the
opposite of
darkness.
And when we
leave buildings
like this,
to put our
light away,
does the
world no
good.
It doesn't
do us any
good either.
and notice
how he
doesn't
command them
to shine.
He's like
basically saying,
you do
shine.
If Christ
is in you,
this is what
will happen.
You will
shine.
His light's
in the world.
It doesn't
say, get out
there and
shine.
It's not a
commandment.
He's saying
that you
shine.
Because they
possess Christ,
the light of
the world.
So it's not
a commandment.
It's something
that dwells in
us that comes
out.
So we're
to shine in
the world.
The fourth
thing is our
holding out.
This is in
verse 16
back in
Philippians.
Holding fast
to the word
of life.
So a
good rendering
of that would
be to hold
forth, to
hand something
out that way
to someone.
And so the
word of God
that is the
lamp unto our
feet, the
light unto our
paths, that
gives us
direction.
We're to
hold it
out.
We're to
hold the
gospel out
to others.
And that's
it.
You can't
save the
person.
You can't
change the
person.
We're to
be offering
it out to
them.
Here is
life.
Here is the
word of
life that
will bring
you salvation.
It's only
found in
Christ.
So that's
what we're
to do.
God enables
them to
lay hold
of it.
That one's
pretty fast.
Could go on
that forever.
But fifthly
and lastly,
our rejoicing.
Our rejoicing.
This is in
verse 16.
Paul says,
So that in
the day of
Christ I
may be
proud that I
do not run
in vain or
labor in
vain.
Even if I'm
being poured
out as a
drink offering
upon the
sacrificial
offering of
your faith,
I am glad
and I rejoice
with you all.
Likewise,
you also
should be
glad and
rejoice with
me.
You know,
like in a
lot of
relays,
what they
call fault
starts,
and the
person can
run a
long,
long way,
and I
think they're
doing good,
and get to
the end,
be like,
sorry,
fault start,
you didn't
actually make
this happen.
Paul wants
no fault
start.
He wants
to be able
to look at
the Philippians
and be able
to say,
you know,
this was
done right,
and I can
rejoice because
of that,
and I want
you to
rejoice with
me when we
get to that
finish line,
and to
share in
that joy,
a drink
offering,
Paul calls
himself a
drink offering,
to,
in the Old
Testament,
like,
wine was a
very valuable,
rare commodity,
and it was
poured out on
the altar where
animals were
sacrificed,
and it was,
it would create
this really nice
smelling aroma,
and it was
symbolic of
somebody's
devotion and
commitment to
God.
That's what the
wine offering
was,
the drink
offering,
and Paul
is saying
that I want
my life to
be this way,
I want it
to be poured
out as a
drink offering,
that's pleasing
to God,
and that the
Philippians would
be there as a
sign of that,
and they would
share in that
joy that
existed.
So,
this is a
life we're to
live in the
midst of a
dark and
crooked,
perverse
generation.
all these
things will
help us.
And lastly,
this is just
more of an
exhortation than
anything.
If you're
without Christ
tonight,
hear this
directly like
out of the
mouth of
Jesus himself,
and let this
be something
that spurs us
on as people
who know
Christ to
go after
and to
seek the
loss around
us.
John 12,
just go ahead
and turn there,
we're done
after this.
John 12,
this is right
out of the
mouth of
Christ.
John 12,
verse 35.
John 12,
verse 35,
says,
So Jesus
said to
them,
The light
is among
you for a
little while
longer.
Walk while
you have
the light,
lest darkness
overtake you.
The one who
walks in the
darkness does
not know
where he is
going.
While you
have the
light,
believe in
the light,
that you
may become
sons of
the light.
And Jesus
is saying
that like
I'm here
right now,
I'm the
light of
the world,
believe in
me while
I'm here.
And it
carries a
certain tone
as if like
the light
will not be
around forever
for people
to lay
hold of
and to
come out
of their
darkness.
So Christ
is all
that we
need to
live this
life.
And so
we're to
live in
the world
and all
we do
will be
without
grumbling,
we're to
be becoming
children of
God,
laying hold
of what's
ours in
Christ,
and to
be shining
in a dark
world.
This is,
I feel so
convicted when
I think about
this.
I'm not
doing this
as often
as I
ought,
but people
need to be
able to
look at
our lives
and see
something
is not
quite right,
something is
different about
how we
live.
We have
been given
the greatest
thing to
have hope
and to
have joy
in.
And if
we just
look like
the rest
of the
world,
there's
still
something
that's
not
right.
We're
either in
sin,
we're
rebelling
against
our
Father,
or we
don't
have
the
light
at all.
It
says that
you must
shine.
If Christ
is in
you,
it has
to come
out
somehow.
doesn't
just,
he just
said a
city on
a hill,
it shines
that light.
And that's
what we
want to
be for
people.
And
it,
to
those
who
God
is
working
in,
when they
actually
see that
light,
such
freedom
and such
joy
overtakes
them.
I remember
just a
temporal
experience
of this.
when I
was hiking
in
Scotland
this
summer,
it was
getting
late.
It was
really,
really
dark
outside.
And it
was
raining
and I
was
really
hungry.
I had
no food
on me
at the
time.
And
I just
didn't know
where we
were on
the trail.
I just
knew we
were on
the trail.
And I
was just
praying
like we
got to
the next
town
really
quick.
and just
wanted to
get a nice
shower and
go get
some food.
That kind
of feeling.
I'm
huffing and
puffing with
my lungs
going up
this last
hill.
I didn't
know how
far we
had to
go.
And we
finally
got up
there.
I could
see the
town down
that way.
It was
this big
bright light.
I was
like,
yes!
I could
just
brought
so much
freedom
and joy.
I felt
like I
was going
to make
it out
for a
second.
And we
just kind
of kept
going.
And when
we got
there,
just went
to the
hostel,
threw our
stuff down,
got on a
nice shower,
put some
dry clothes
on,
went to
the pub
and had
some good
pub grub.
And while
I was
there,
you're in
a room
with several
other guys
that are
all on
bunk beds,
other hikers,
and guys
from all
over the
place.
We had
been sharing
the gospel
that day
with a guy
from France,
from Paris,
and he
just,
kind of
wasn't
having it.
We talked
for like
15 miles
about stuff,
and he
was kind
of borderline
agnostic,
I guess you
could probably
say,
but he
got to
talking about
women and
just how
he,
you know,
liked that
stuff.
and he,
it just
kind of
was,
kind of
began to
make me
like really,
really sad,
because this
is what this
guy worshiped,
this is where
he found
his life,
and you
could tell
that it
was just
like all
he wanted
and all
that he
could look
for,
were,
and so
when we
got to
this hostel,
there was
another guy
that was
sleeping
underneath
me,
and he
was from
Scotland,
he actually
was in the
military,
and so
my friend
Mark and
I were
talking about
this guy,
and just
how bad
we felt
for him,
because we
were holding
out the
word of
life to
him,
and just
didn't want
it,
and just
kind of
spat on
it,
and we
were just
kind of
talking about
how we
felt sorry
for him,
and how
he doesn't
really know
that real
joy exists,
and we
didn't say
Christ,
we didn't
say anything
while we were
just standing
there,
and this
guy kind
of popped
out of his
bed,
underneath
me,
the guy
from Scotland,
his name
was Paul,
and he
said,
are you a
Christian?
And I
was like,
oh man,
what's
about to
come next?
Like,
I hate
Christians,
or something,
I didn't
know what's
about to
come,
but I
kind of
said,
yeah man,
just a
follower of
Christ,
lover of
Christ,
that's us,
and he's
like,
me too,
and he
said,
I could
tell,
and I
was like,
really?
I began
to ask
him,
and he
said that
you were
talking about
having joy
that the
world doesn't
know,
and having
peace that
the world
doesn't
know,
and he
was like,
so I just
assumed that's
who you
guys were,
and so we
invited him to
come out to
eat with us,
and we had a
good time,
but like,
the joy that
seeing the light
brings in a
temporal experience
like that is
just nothing
compared to
having like,
your chains
fall off
from bondage
and sin,
and having
light come
into your
life,
the light
of the
world,
Christ,
and so this
is what we're
to be doing,
we have to
stand out,
Christ is in
us,
and he has
to pour
out of us,
so that's
our sermon
tonight,
let's just
pray,
and we'll,
Alex and
Lauren,
you probably
can just
come back
up,
and we're
going to
respond,
just with
some singing,
and we'll
break out in
groups,
Father,
I pray that
you would
help us
just to
reverence you,
to work out
our salvation
with fear
and trembling,
as we've
read in
Philippians,
and that
we would
seek to
live in
the middle
of a
crooked and
perverse
generation
that lives
in darkness,
and I pray
that we
wouldn't forget
the darkness
that we
once lived
in,
and Lord,
that that
would break
our hearts
and lead
us to
shine in
the darkness,
to point
others to
Christ,
to hold
out the
word of
life,
Lord,
to do all
things that
we do
without
grumbling,
complaining,
but in
a spirit
of joy
and gladness
that we
actually can
do all
things,
even eating
and drinking
to your
glory,
and Father,
that we
can see
you change
lives,
you can
destroy
the darkness
that's around
us,
and the lives
of people
that all
of us in
here,
all of us
know who
those people
are right
now.
God,
so help
us to
shine,
help us
to step
out and
to love
them and
to lay
our lives
down for
them.
God,
they will
be freed
from sin,
be saved
for your
glory.
Father,
we love
you and
just give
you praise
in Christ's
name.
Amen.