Shining Like Stars

In Philippians 2, Paul told the church to be like Jesus in humility and selflessness. He then said:

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. – Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV)

When we humbly serve one another without grumbling against one another or complaining about one another, we stand out. The world around us is a dark place. There is very little humility, service or love. There is much division and discord, arguing and complaining. If we, as Christ’s church, can learn to love one another and get along despite our differences, the world will take notice of Jesus. It is only by His power and grace that we can truly be united in service and love. So let us shine like stars so that others will see the light of Jesus.

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Our Obligation

God has rescued us from the darkness. He has saved us by His grace through faith in His Son, Jesus. He has promised to raise us back to life and has promised us that we will live with Him eternally. So how do we respond? Paul wrote:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. – Romans 8:12-13 (NIV)

Our obligation is to live lives of holiness and righteousness by submitting to the leadership of God’s Spirit. Instead of surrendering to our flesh and its desires, we are to live according to the Spirit of God. We are to put to death the sins and misdeeds of the flesh, otherwise we will spiritually die. We are called to do this because God gave His Son for us to rescue us from the darkness and has given us life.

Jesus Is The Light Of The World

The latest message from Griffith First Christian Church in Griffith, Indiana. This message is based on John 8:12.

The Darkness Of Hate

As John continues to write about light and darkness, he says that if we hate each other in the church, we are still in the darkness. He says:

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. – 1 John 2:9-11 (NIV)

This is so timely for American Christians. We hear so much about hate on the news and social media. This group hates that group and vice versa. Hate is darkness. What if the church could set the standard for love? What if we could lead by example when it comes to people from all kinds of different backgrounds who truly loved one another as brothers and sisters in Christ? Let us commit ourselves to doing just that and let’s show the world what it means to do away with the darkness of hate.

Positioning Ourselves In The Light

The darkness is a scary place. It is a place with no light. Little children are afraid of the dark. Frankly, adults should be, too. This is what the Apostle John said about the darkness and the light:

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. – 1 John 1:6-7 (NIV)

As a follower of Jesus, I need to position myself in the light because that’s where God is – in the light. If I want to be with God, I need to be in the light. Lies, lust, hatred, rage, greed, drunkenness and envy all belong to the darkness. If I want to be with God, I have to reject these deeds of darkness – and others – and walk in His light. We have to be filled with the Spirit of God and let Him take over and continually lead us to His light. Then we will be filled with the light of love, joy, peace and hope.

God Is Light

On August 21, 2017, there will be a total solar eclipse and people are excited about it. They’re buying glasses and organizing parties. People are excited about the sun being blocked out completely and the skies going dark in the middle of the day. It’s a rather rare occurrence and darkness during the light of day won’t happen again for seven years.

The Apostle John talked about God, light and darkness in his first letter. He wrote:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. – 1 John 1:5 (NIV)

God is the very definition of light and there is no darkness in Him at all. The light of God can never be eclipsed by the darkness of sin. The light of God can never be eclipsed by the darkness of evil or hate. God is pure light. He is holy and He is perfect. If you want light and truth, you have to seek after God. He is light and He will never lead you to the darkness.

We Love The Darkness

John 3:19-21 (NIV)

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

 

Let’s face it, human beings love spiritual darkness. It’s much easier to hide our lies and our sins in the dark. We hide them from one another and we try to hide them from God. Why? Sometimes we try to hide because we’re ashamed. Sometimes we try to hide because we want to keep doing what we’re doing. If we bring our sins out into the light of truth, we’re forced to admit that what we’re doing is sinful. If we venture out into the light of truth, we know we have to repent. The darkness of sin is easy. The light of truth is hard. 

The reality of the situation is that we’re not hiding anything and we’re not fooling anyone. God sees it all and knows what we’ve been up to. He’s not shocked by our sins. He’s well aware. That’s why we need to step out of the darkness of sin and into the light of Jesus’ love and grace. We may be afraid of condemnation and punishment, but that’s not what we find in the light. We find Jesus in the light and He will not condemn us to Hell because of our sins. He wants to forgive our sins and rescue us from Hell. That’s why He came. Don’t be afraid of the light. You don’t have to hide in the dark anymore. 

 

PRAYER: Father God, help me to step into the light of truth and grace. I don’t want to hide in the darkness anymore. Thank You for your mercy and grace. Thank You for your love and forgiveness. Thank You for Jesus. I love You, God. Amen.