261: James Diliberto – Exhortation: You Are the Light of the World (Matt. 5)

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Welcome to good Chris Selfian
talks.

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I’m Levi.
And I’m Chris, and I’m Brian.

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Thank you for joining us this
week on this podcast.

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We select one talk a week to
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We post a new episode at the

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start of each week.
With the short intro beforehand

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to kind of set the stage for the
talk you’re about to listen to.

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And now let’s talk more about
this week’s talk.

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Hello everyone, and welcome
back.

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Before we get into the intro
specifically for the class this

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week, I want to take a quick
moment to.

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Highlight kind of a special date
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This episode marks the beginning

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of the sixth season of the good
Chris Adelphian Talks podcast

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Episode 261.
And also in about a week we’re

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going to start the 6th year that
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We hope that you have been

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Thank you for listening.

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And now we’ll get into the intro
for the talk for this week.

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So this week we’re listening to
an exhortation that was given by

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Brother James Diliberto at the
Mount Barker Ecclesia in South

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Australia at the beginning of
2022.

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The title of his exhortation is
You Are the Light of the World

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and Brother James has been a
guest host before and we were

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able to get the sort of behind
the scenes best audio for this

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one.
So we appreciate that he was

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able to share that with us.
What I really enjoyed about this

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exhortation was that it was a
good reminder of.

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Not just waiting for the light
of the world that is Christ to

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return to the earth, but instead
to let our light shine, and is a

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good encouragement to us about
that if you wanted to look

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through it.
And I’m going to put this in the

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title of the talk as well.
But Matthew 5 was the reading

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that was read before this
exhortation, and Brother James

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pulls a lot of Nuggets from it
and a couple other ones that I

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will not mention until you get
to him, because I found them to

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be particularly powerful when it
came to the visual of.

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What our role is for shining our
light, even though Christ is

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also the light of the world but
we also have the job to be able

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to reflect and share that light
to the people around us.

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He gives a very strong called
action which I enjoy in

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excitations that it takes some
good Nuggets and good digging

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into the scriptures but then
also take some practical

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application to say now go out
and do something different then

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you may have.
Previously been doing.

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I really found this expectation
to be a good reminder and a good

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encouragement.
This was sent in as a suggestion

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by someone not that was not
James and he was able to share

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the audio when he saw that the
suggestion had been put in.

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So thank you as I said earlier
to the person who sent in the

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suggestion for this one and for
any suggestions anybody sends

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in.
I hope you find this expectation

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to be encouraging and uplifting
as you begin your week.

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And with that, I will turn it
over to Brother James for his

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exhortation entitled You Are the
Light of the World.

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Well, as indicated by the lack.
Of my two of my.

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Children and my wife in the
back, as you know, it’s very

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difficult having young children.
And sometimes you have to change

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plans midway through.
And some of the hardest times

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that you change plans are when
you’re in the middle of the

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night and baby number three, one
years old, is crying and you

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don’t have your glasses.
And there’s no lights on.

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And like my wife did yesterday,
we have plastered all of our

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windows with the blackout to
make sure that when the summer

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sun comes up, children don’t
wake.

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And unfortunately, in that
moment is when you usually

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discover the toys that haven’t
been cleaned up from the day

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before, piercing through the
sole of your foot and trying not

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to scream to wake the rest of
the children and the rest of the

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house.
And and it’s a very

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uncomfortable place to be
walking around, roping around in

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the dark.
No one likes that.

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This is a very uncomfortable
position to be in, especially

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when you’re going through the
hallways of child’s rooms and

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things like that.
And and perhaps if if that’s not

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you and I know for many of you
in the room, I can see that is

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you and I know you know exactly
what I’m talking about for the

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rest of you who maybe.
Don’t.

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Try to imagine, just for a
moment, that there was blackout

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on all of these windows here.
All the lights were down and no

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one could see.
But you knew that there was

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light just beyond that door just
there.

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And so everyone you can hear
each other’s voices.

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You can feel, but you can’t see.
And while that’s uncomfortable,

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you’re a little bit more
comforted by the fact that

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there’s other people also in the
same predicament that you’re in,

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but all you want to do is get to
the door.

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And as you’re walking around,
you maybe poke somebody in the

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eye and you just, I’m sorry
about that, didn’t mean that you

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don’t need somebody in there and
you’re trying to get to the to

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the edge and then you get always
to the edge of the door and

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brother Nathan, he pulls out of
his pocket.

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A flashlight.
And you say, you know, Nathan,

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you’re very wonderful and lovely
brother, but you’re telling me

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that you had a flashlight in
your pocket this entire time and

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you didn’t turn it on?
You saw all of the confusion in

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the room, the pain that we were
going through and the toys we

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were stepping on probably, and
you didn’t shine a light on my

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path.
I have to think, what kind of

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person really are you?
It might have been entertaining

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for you if you had a video of
the room and somehow you had an

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infrared view and seeing
everyone kind of doing this, but

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I can tell you it wouldn’t be
very entertaining for the

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person.
Just to find that light so they

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could see the path to the exit.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

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and a light unto our path.
You know, blessed to hear

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Aletheia sing that for I think
it was about 5 Aletheia’s

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actually.
And of course, that’s taken from

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Psalm 119, verse 105.
And we use this in a

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metaphorical sense.
We know that this word.

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Now whether we use it as often
as we should, that’s another

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story.
But we know that this word is.

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A way in which we shine light on
the path of our life, in the way

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of life that Nathan mentioned in
his prayer.

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And when I think about this in
in my own life, I also think one

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step further.
Not just the Word, but the Word

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that was made flesh, our Lord
Jesus Christ.

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We sing it in our hymn, don’t
we?

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Him. 212 OH Son of Man.
Who walked?

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Each day.
A humble Rd. serene and strong

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thinking about his life.
Groping through the darkness of

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the Gentile night that he came
into.

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And it goes on, and it says, oh,
Son of God, who came and shed a

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light for all the ages long Thy
company shall make me glad, Thy

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fellowship shall keep me strong.
And whilst that was so true for

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those disciples in that 1st
century who literally had the

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Lord, we have him in a figure on
our table this morning.

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We don’t have our Lord here.
We have His Spirit, the one

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within us and renewing our
hearts day by day as we go from

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1 degree of glory to the other.
But he’s not here.

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I wonder then, as we seek this
theme this morning, I wonder

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that if we think about that him
once again about our own selves,

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could that be said of?
You would.

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Brother, sister for me, come.
And shed a light for all of the

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ages long.
Will your company make me glad?

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Will your fellowship keep me
strong?

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And as I look at some of the
faces in this room, I can tell

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you.
That that is true.

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That is true.
But there is a.

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Whole world.
Out there that needs Christ in

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you.
And this morning, as we seek

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after this theme, I’m hoping
that the exertation that we take

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is that you will feel.
You will feel the weight of

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responsibility of it is for you
to be that light.

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You are brothers and sisters,
the light of the world.

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Now this is a bit of a challenge
for us.

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Let’s turn to John chapter one,
because the scripture appears on

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1st.
Glance to be perhaps a bit

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contradictory of this, I thought
the Lord Jesus Christ was the

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light.
Well, let’s try to explore that

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theme for a moment.
As you all know, John begins his

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gospel with this beautiful
poetic passage.

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Here.
Let’s take verses 4 to 9.

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Speaking of our Lord Jesus
Christ In him was light and the

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life was the light of men.
The light shines in the

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darkness, and the darkness has
not overcome it.

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There was a man sent from God
whose name was John.

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He came as a witness to bear
witness about the light that all

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might believe through him.
He was not the light, but came

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to bear witness about the light
and the true light which

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enlightens everyone was coming
into the world.

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So John makes absolutely no
question about it.

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The Lord Jesus Christ is the
light.

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Now I find it interesting that
within this same gospel.

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He says about John the Baptist
affectionately.

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JTB.
For those of you who remember

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John, it says he was not the
light, but this is the same

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cousin, friend, burning and
shining lamp together with him

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that confesses that exact phrase
about John.

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Only a few chapters later.
In John chapter five, he says of

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John the Baptist that he was a
burning and a shining lamp.

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And about those teachers of the
law, he says.

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And you were willing.
For a while to rejoice in his

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light.
So even within just just simply

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within these two pages of John,
we understand.

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Whilst.
We might not be the light, make

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no mistake, we absolutely can be
light to the darkness around us.

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And John, as the best friend of
the Lord, was a burning and a

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shining lamp, and those who were
there that were dwelling in

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darkness.
Of as it’s described in a in a

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passage we’ll read in a moment.
They were dwelling in deep

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darkness, and John had a role to
play in shedding that light for

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all the ages long.
And the Lord Jesus.

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He almost illustrates that
opening story that I gave in

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John chapter 12.
Flip over to John chapter 12.

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Just two short verses, verses 35
to 36.

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He says.
The Lord says rather.

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The light is among you a little
longer while you have the light.

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Lest the darkness overtake you
Walk.

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The one who walks in darkness
does not know where he is going.

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While you have the light,
believe in the light.

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Now here’s the interesting piece
that you may become children of

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light.
So everyone can understand.

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That’s basically the opening
story.

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Everyone can understand this.
If you have no light, you’re

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groping around in the dark, you
can’t see and you need to walk

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while you have the light.
Let’s say it was a candle.

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While before the candle was
going out.

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You try to get to that exit as
fast as you could.

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And this of course is how the
Lord was describing his own

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self.
But what he’s saying is, while

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they had the light, if they took
that light and walked in his

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light, they themselves became
the children of light.

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00:12:52,750 –> 00:12:57,270
They became children of light.
And John the Baptist was

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00:12:57,270 –> 00:13:00,910
probably one of the first, the
first of that new Covenant light

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00:13:00,990 –> 00:13:05,350
bearing beacon for the world
that he lived in, plowing that

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00:13:05,350 –> 00:13:08,430
ground and turning it over,
preparing the way for the Lord.

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And when we think about this,
under that horrible period of

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time, the Lord knew that his
time was going to be.

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Short.
He was not going to be there for

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00:13:20,070 –> 00:13:22,190
very long and he knew what was
coming.

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00:13:22,800 –> 00:13:25,520
We understand from some of our
other hymns and some of the

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00:13:25,520 –> 00:13:29,040
other songs that we sing.
We sing phrases like in abide

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00:13:29,040 –> 00:13:30,880
with me.
You think when the darkness

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00:13:30,960 –> 00:13:34,840
evens Lord With me abides we
sing in Blessed be your name.

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00:13:35,880 –> 00:13:40,480
When the darkness closes in
still I will say blessed be your

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00:13:40,480 –> 00:13:44,640
name.
And where is our role in?

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00:13:46,190 –> 00:13:48,590
Is it just metaphorical?
Is it just theoretical?

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00:13:48,590 –> 00:13:51,150
Is it just read the Bible a
little bit more, pray a little

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00:13:51,150 –> 00:13:53,550
bit more?
Or do you have a participatory

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00:13:53,550 –> 00:13:57,670
role in that fact?
Well, I think that we do, and I

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00:13:57,670 –> 00:13:59,590
think that that’s what we’ve
been called to do.

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00:13:59,790 –> 00:14:02,670
Now, Brother Nathan actually
quoted Second Corinthians 4

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00:14:02,830 –> 00:14:05,910
versus 5 to 7.
Now you know this this happened

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00:14:06,030 –> 00:14:07,790
to you.
Right.

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00:14:07,790 –> 00:14:11,590
He’s he’s making a reference to
the creation period of time and

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00:14:11,870 –> 00:14:15,910
and we think about that moment
when the Lord opens up the the

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00:14:15,910 –> 00:14:19,630
Bible really in the first few
verses and says that the earth

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00:14:20,070 –> 00:14:21,790
probably like some of the
moments that we have with our

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00:14:21,790 –> 00:14:24,230
family at times.
I’m sure you can understand that

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00:14:24,230 –> 00:14:27,230
the earth was without form and
void, and darkness was over the

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00:14:27,230 –> 00:14:30,260
facing the deep.
Ah but the spirit of the Lord is

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00:14:30,260 –> 00:14:33,260
brooding over that moment.
So when we have these dark

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00:14:33,260 –> 00:14:36,060
moments, Genesis, one puts it in
a metaphor.

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00:14:36,180 –> 00:14:38,860
When we have these dark moments
and maybe young, young person or

250
00:14:38,860 –> 00:14:41,460
older person, if you’ve not
accepted the light into your

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00:14:41,460 –> 00:14:43,380
heart, maybe this is how you
feel.

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00:14:43,380 –> 00:14:46,220
Maybe you feel like the the
world your world is void and

253
00:14:46,300 –> 00:14:49,700
without form and and darkness is
isn’t closing in especially

254
00:14:49,700 –> 00:14:53,500
these days.
But God is there being over that

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00:14:53,500 –> 00:14:59,890
moment, and he said.
Let there be and there was

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00:14:59,890 –> 00:15:02,250
light.
So Paul picks this up in that

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00:15:02,250 –> 00:15:05,850
passage that Nathan quoted, And
he says the God who commanded

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00:15:06,050 –> 00:15:10,490
light to shine in the darkness
has shown in our hearts.

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00:15:10,490 –> 00:15:15,170
To do what?
To give the light of the

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00:15:15,170 –> 00:15:20,650
knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Christ Jesus.

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00:15:20,890 –> 00:15:24,490
And we have that treasure in
vessels of clay.

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00:15:25,120 –> 00:15:27,880
So that the surpassing power
might be to him and not to us.

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00:15:28,080 –> 00:15:30,520
So God intended it to be this
way.

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00:15:30,680 –> 00:15:34,040
So that when light shines in
darkness and your life comes,

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00:15:34,480 –> 00:15:37,520
comes to life.
When your life comes to life,

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00:15:38,640 –> 00:15:41,080
it’s because of the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in

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00:15:41,080 –> 00:15:44,560
the face of this man.
And that probably happened

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00:15:45,120 –> 00:15:49,400
through another person.
God didn’t say abracadabra ex

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00:15:49,400 –> 00:15:52,440
niello all of a sudden.
Michael Edge come Faith.

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00:15:54,150 –> 00:15:57,590
It came through someone, someone
delivered that light.

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00:15:57,590 –> 00:15:59,950
Somebody carried that limb.
To you.

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00:16:00,790 –> 00:16:04,310
Even though it originated with
Christ, it is his life.

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00:16:04,750 –> 00:16:09,350
So God’s speaking this into
being in practice in our life.

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00:16:09,590 –> 00:16:13,110
It has a very tangible
application for us in the

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00:16:13,110 –> 00:16:15,190
Ecclesia.
Did you notice that it says

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00:16:15,190 –> 00:16:18,030
there to give.
I’ve never read it that way

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00:16:18,030 –> 00:16:20,830
until preparing this talk.
It’s the light of the knowledge

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00:16:20,830 –> 00:16:25,170
of the glory of God.
And it’s to give or to proclaim.

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00:16:26,090 –> 00:16:29,490
What happened to us?
We have been asked to share.

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00:16:30,130 –> 00:16:33,690
God is like.
And in him is no darkness at all

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00:16:33,930 –> 00:16:36,570
as we had in that beautiful him.
I almost was like which which

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00:16:36,610 –> 00:16:39,010
verse of that him?
151 should we talk about?

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00:16:39,130 –> 00:16:41,810
I just picked 2 lines because we
could have done the whole thing

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00:16:42,170 –> 00:16:45,770
and but that that phrase where
it says whose light is truth and

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00:16:45,770 –> 00:16:48,450
whose warmth is love.
Boy, is there a world out there

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00:16:48,450 –> 00:16:50,170
right now that needs warmth.
And love.

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00:16:51,200 –> 00:16:54,040
And we are the ones that are
called the brand.

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00:16:55,680 –> 00:16:58,400
The reason why I entitled this
talk You are the Light of the

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00:16:58,400 –> 00:17:00,840
World this morning is because I
found that to be a bit of a

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00:17:00,840 –> 00:17:04,000
conundrum.
As everyone knows Jesus and John

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00:17:04,000 –> 00:17:08,880
chapter eight said I am the
light of the world and whoever

292
00:17:08,880 –> 00:17:13,119
follows me will not walk in
darkness but will have the light

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00:17:13,119 –> 00:17:14,760
of life.
From Psalm 56.

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00:17:15,880 –> 00:17:17,359
Was a bit of a conundrum though,
because.

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00:17:18,359 –> 00:17:21,560
In Matthew chapter 5 that Jason
just read for us, it says you

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00:17:21,560 –> 00:17:26,000
are the light of the world.
So sorry, which one is it?

297
00:17:26,280 –> 00:17:31,360
Is it him or is it us?
Of course the answer is yes.

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00:17:32,600 –> 00:17:36,080
Is it him or us?
Yes, And and I think the Lord

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00:17:36,080 –> 00:17:40,120
himself answers this in in John
Chapter 9.

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00:17:40,240 –> 00:17:43,800
But let’s work our way to John
chapter nine with two very short

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00:17:43,800 –> 00:17:46,680
passages in Matthew, and then
we’ll land at the Lord’s answer

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00:17:46,680 –> 00:17:49,320
in John Chapter 9.
So let’s turn to Matthew,

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00:17:49,320 –> 00:17:54,840
chapter 4, verses 13 to 16.
So really in the beginning of

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00:17:54,840 –> 00:17:57,600
all, just as an interesting
point for those who are follow

305
00:17:57,600 –> 00:18:00,840
this kind of a thing, you know,
John’s Gospel opens with this

306
00:18:00,840 –> 00:18:03,680
poetry.
Well, the Synoptic Gospels, they

307
00:18:03,680 –> 00:18:06,840
mentioned the same opening theme
of light, but they do it more

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00:18:06,840 –> 00:18:09,800
through a fulfillment of the
prophetic word, especially the

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00:18:09,800 –> 00:18:11,720
book of Matthew, as many of you
would know.

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00:18:12,340 –> 00:18:16,420
Which itself is is styled a lamp
shining in a dark place until

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00:18:16,420 –> 00:18:19,020
the day dawns.
Well, Matthew takes one of those

312
00:18:19,180 –> 00:18:23,020
lamp prophecies and he describes
the Lord Jesus opening ministry

313
00:18:23,020 –> 00:18:26,500
just like this Matthew chapter 4
verses 13 to 16.

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00:18:27,020 –> 00:18:30,340
It says of the Lord opening his
ministry and leaving Nazareth.

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00:18:30,460 –> 00:18:33,980
He went to live in Cupernium by
the sea in the territory of

316
00:18:33,980 –> 00:18:37,780
Zebulon and Naftali.
So that which was spoken by the

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00:18:37,780 –> 00:18:39,780
prophet Isaiah might be
fulfilled.

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00:18:40,110 –> 00:18:43,750
The land of Zebulon.
In the land of Naftali, way of

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00:18:43,750 –> 00:18:47,310
the sea beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles, the

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00:18:47,310 –> 00:18:52,430
people dwelling in darkness,
have seen a great light for

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00:18:52,430 –> 00:18:55,830
those who dwell in the region of
the shadow of death, On them a

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00:18:55,830 –> 00:18:58,590
light has dawned.
Now when I think about that in

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00:18:58,630 –> 00:19:01,750
the great light, I think about
that creation story where we’re

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00:19:01,750 –> 00:19:04,750
told the Lord made two young
people.

325
00:19:04,750 –> 00:19:09,030
What do you know?
He made two great lights.

326
00:19:09,150 –> 00:19:10,660
That’s right.
Exactly.

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00:19:10,660 –> 00:19:11,820
You can’t ask your mom the
second.

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00:19:11,820 –> 00:19:12,860
Let me give you one more
question.

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00:19:12,860 –> 00:19:15,420
Ready.
So he made the two great lights.

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00:19:15,460 –> 00:19:16,860
And then what does he make after
that?

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00:19:17,380 –> 00:19:21,580
He makes the yes.
And he also makes what?

332
00:19:21,580 –> 00:19:25,780
There’s two great lights and.
The lesser lights, the start.

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00:19:25,780 –> 00:19:26,980
We got to work on this family
over here.

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00:19:27,140 –> 00:19:30,660
We got that’s and the stars
also, which obviously as many of

335
00:19:30,660 –> 00:19:32,820
you know is in passing.
You’re thinking what do you mean

336
00:19:32,820 –> 00:19:34,740
in the stars Also these billions
of galaxies.

337
00:19:34,860 –> 00:19:37,300
He speaks into being from what
Hebrews 3.

338
00:19:37,420 –> 00:19:40,340
Hebrews 11 tells us.
You know by faith.

339
00:19:40,340 –> 00:19:42,420
We believe this universe was
created by the word of God.

340
00:19:42,420 –> 00:19:46,860
He speaks and universe is in is
is there and all of these stars.

341
00:19:47,220 –> 00:19:51,340
And when I think about that in
my life, I think I bother with

342
00:19:51,340 –> 00:19:53,110
the stars.
You know, I mean.

343
00:19:53,390 –> 00:19:55,630
They really have much function
like what’s the purpose of the

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00:19:55,630 –> 00:19:58,150
stars?
Well, in reality, if you

345
00:19:58,150 –> 00:20:02,110
actually flip back to Genesis
chapter one, we think about the

346
00:20:02,110 –> 00:20:04,790
great lights.
Of course the Lord Jesus is that

347
00:20:04,830 –> 00:20:07,590
great light that Matthew is
bringing out, but let’s not

348
00:20:07,590 –> 00:20:12,190
forget the lesser lights.
Genesis chapter one Note in

349
00:20:12,190 –> 00:20:14,870
verse 16 about the two great
lights.

350
00:20:15,410 –> 00:20:17,810
It says the greater light he
made to rule the day and the

351
00:20:17,810 –> 00:20:20,130
lesser night to rule the to rule
by night.

352
00:20:20,370 –> 00:20:25,010
And the stars and God set them
in the expanse then plural.

353
00:20:25,090 –> 00:20:31,070
I’m taking the sun, the moon and
the stars to give light on the

354
00:20:31,110 –> 00:20:33,510
Earth.
So even in the creation story

355
00:20:33,630 –> 00:20:36,670
you have the role of the sun,
the role of the moon, which is

356
00:20:36,670 –> 00:20:38,590
reflection of the sun, the
father and the sun.

357
00:20:38,910 –> 00:20:42,070
And all the other lights
collectively have a

358
00:20:42,070 –> 00:20:45,910
responsibility to be light on
the earth and to rule over the

359
00:20:45,910 –> 00:20:49,270
day and to rule over the night.
And when God saw that He said it

360
00:20:49,270 –> 00:20:51,550
was good.
And Matt Barker, when the Lord

361
00:20:51,550 –> 00:20:54,030
looks down as we gaze up at the
sky at night.

362
00:20:54,030 –> 00:20:56,070
And we’re so amazed by the
stars.

363
00:20:56,650 –> 00:20:59,250
I wonder if that’s how God feels
when He looks down on Mount

364
00:20:59,250 –> 00:21:01,530
Barker.
I wonder if when the Lord looks

365
00:21:01,530 –> 00:21:04,730
down into the darkness of man,
or Little Hampton, or wherever

366
00:21:04,730 –> 00:21:07,730
we are, Little Hampton, he looks
down and then he sees all these

367
00:21:07,730 –> 00:21:11,210
lights.
And I wonder if he expresses

368
00:21:11,810 –> 00:21:14,570
gratitude for the beauty that He
sees in this place.

369
00:21:15,090 –> 00:21:17,810
Or do you not see yourself as a
beautiful star for?

370
00:21:17,810 –> 00:21:22,810
Him Maybe you should.
Because, brothers and sisters,

371
00:21:22,810 –> 00:21:25,250
no one who refuses to shine now
will shine.

372
00:21:25,250 –> 00:21:31,040
Then let’s go to Matthew chapter
5, which was in our reading.

373
00:21:31,040 –> 00:21:35,960
Let’s just take a couple very
small phrases out of that

374
00:21:35,960 –> 00:21:39,920
section that Jason read for us.
Matthew chapter 5, verses 13 to

375
00:21:39,920 –> 00:21:52,960
16
And as as you probably noticed,

376
00:21:53,040 –> 00:21:55,240
the Lord opens his sermon on the
mount, He goes through the

377
00:21:55,240 –> 00:21:59,600
Beatitudes, and his very first
exertation is salt and light.

378
00:22:00,040 –> 00:22:03,040
He begins with the metaphor of
salt, and we’ll come back to

379
00:22:03,040 –> 00:22:05,960
that in a second.
But he says in verse 14 this is

380
00:22:05,960 –> 00:22:08,320
his opening.
Challenge to these brand new

381
00:22:08,320 –> 00:22:11,640
disciples.
You are the light of the world.

382
00:22:12,080 –> 00:22:13,640
A city that is set on a hill
cannot.

383
00:22:13,640 –> 00:22:16,560
Be hidden.
And if you come right down to

384
00:22:16,560 –> 00:22:20,760
the verse 16 in the same way he
he gives this metaphor about the

385
00:22:20,760 –> 00:22:23,320
light in the basket.
And he says in the same way, let

386
00:22:23,320 –> 00:22:27,440
your light so shine before
others that what might happen

387
00:22:29,040 –> 00:22:33,400
out of out of duty, out of
necessity, out of commandment.

388
00:22:34,360 –> 00:22:38,880
No way, he says.
So that they may see your good

389
00:22:38,880 –> 00:22:42,870
works and glorify your Father,
who is in heaven.

390
00:22:42,910 –> 00:22:46,110
So the ultimate end of this
shining is God’s glory, which is

391
00:22:46,110 –> 00:22:51,750
the ultimate end of everything.
But this is a major way that God

392
00:22:51,910 –> 00:22:56,990
gets glory in this Dark World.
It’s by people seeing the light

393
00:22:56,990 –> 00:23:00,770
that you shine.
Well, that’s that’s exactly why

394
00:23:00,770 –> 00:23:04,090
that verse that’s sandwiched in
between and verse 15, he says.

395
00:23:04,090 –> 00:23:06,690
This is why people don’t light a
lamp and put it under her

396
00:23:06,690 –> 00:23:08,770
basket.
If we go back to that, it’s like

397
00:23:08,770 –> 00:23:10,530
me I’m sure at night time for
the parents.

398
00:23:10,650 –> 00:23:12,410
When you’re trying to get
through, you flip, you know you

399
00:23:12,410 –> 00:23:15,250
grab through your phone and you
flip your flip your light on and

400
00:23:15,250 –> 00:23:17,410
it’s like taking that light and
putting in your pocket.

401
00:23:18,210 –> 00:23:20,610
That’s the purpose of having the
light is there, is to, is to

402
00:23:20,610 –> 00:23:24,170
shine the way.
And sometimes I feel in my life

403
00:23:25,010 –> 00:23:28,850
I can come into a room like this
and I’m so overcome with love

404
00:23:28,850 –> 00:23:33,170
for this man and love for his
church and love for the gospel.

405
00:23:33,530 –> 00:23:35,770
And then I walk out there and
people are like, it’s just a

406
00:23:35,770 –> 00:23:41,910
normal guy, that that’s the same
as there’s no doubt that there’s

407
00:23:41,990 –> 00:23:43,750
fire and that there’s light in
here.

408
00:23:43,830 –> 00:23:46,870
But when we walk out there, if
we hide it, if we keep it to

409
00:23:46,870 –> 00:23:49,030
ourself, it’s that’s what that’s
like.

410
00:23:49,030 –> 00:23:52,910
And there’s a whole world that
is so unbelievably desperate for

411
00:23:52,910 –> 00:23:56,510
your light, for that word to be
made flesh in you and for you to

412
00:23:56,510 –> 00:24:02,270
come alive and bring salt.
Now this is this is a a lovely

413
00:24:02,270 –> 00:24:04,190
thing.
This idea of salt and light.

414
00:24:05,150 –> 00:24:07,710
Know if you’ve ever thought of
yourself as a flavorful person.

415
00:24:08,390 –> 00:24:10,830
There’s many flavorful flavor
some people in here.

416
00:24:10,990 –> 00:24:13,830
But you know are you, are you
bringing savory?

417
00:24:13,910 –> 00:24:16,670
Are you plain?
Or when the world interacts with

418
00:24:16,670 –> 00:24:19,070
you today huh that’s that’s
fresh.

419
00:24:19,070 –> 00:24:20,950
That’s nice.
That’s beautiful.

420
00:24:21,270 –> 00:24:22,870
They’re participating in your
life.

421
00:24:23,030 –> 00:24:25,070
That’s the salt.
You’re you’re the salt.

422
00:24:25,070 –> 00:24:26,550
Of the Earth and the light of
the world.

423
00:24:26,670 –> 00:24:30,110
This world needs you.
This savory, you know world

424
00:24:30,110 –> 00:24:32,630
that’s just blase and this whole
pandemic.

425
00:24:32,630 –> 00:24:36,180
They need lit people like.
You they need lit people like

426
00:24:36,180 –> 00:24:39,860
me.
We owe it to Christ to bring him

427
00:24:39,860 –> 00:24:43,380
out there.
That’s why he said you are the

428
00:24:43,380 –> 00:24:45,380
light of the world.
And when the city is set on a

429
00:24:45,380 –> 00:24:48,220
hill, it cannot be hidden.
It literally cannot.

430
00:24:48,460 –> 00:24:50,740
And sometimes I feel like we
live in the valleys.

431
00:24:51,140 –> 00:24:53,100
We’ve gone off the hill and
we’re just living, living in the

432
00:24:53,100 –> 00:24:55,900
valleys.
So how do we bring these two

433
00:24:55,900 –> 00:24:57,900
things together?
Well, I think the Lord doesn’t.

434
00:24:57,900 –> 00:25:01,190
In John Chapter 9.
Because you think, well, that’s

435
00:25:01,190 –> 00:25:03,070
a pretty big call.
The Lord is the light of the

436
00:25:03,070 –> 00:25:04,750
world.
And all these disciples remember

437
00:25:04,750 –> 00:25:06,630
in the Sermon on the Mount, this
is brand new for them.

438
00:25:06,630 –> 00:25:08,070
They’re saying, what is this
teaching?

439
00:25:08,150 –> 00:25:09,550
They’re astonished at this
teaching.

440
00:25:09,590 –> 00:25:11,990
He opens up by saying you’re the
solution.

441
00:25:14,110 –> 00:25:20,500
Nice to see you, Jeff and the
Lord, when he’s talking about

442
00:25:20,660 –> 00:25:23,540
when he’s going through the
healing of the blind man, he

443
00:25:23,620 –> 00:25:25,100
puts it this way.
And I don’t know if you’ve ever

444
00:25:25,100 –> 00:25:28,020
read it like this, but let’s
read it closely in verse 5,

445
00:25:28,380 –> 00:25:30,700
without going through the
parable or with the living

446
00:25:30,700 –> 00:25:32,700
parable, that I hope that you
all would know.

447
00:25:33,020 –> 00:25:36,700
The Lord says, and picking up in
verse four, we must work the

448
00:25:36,700 –> 00:25:40,380
works of Him you sent me.
While it is day, the night is

449
00:25:40,380 –> 00:25:44,220
coming when no one can work.
And as long as I am in the

450
00:25:44,300 –> 00:25:47,580
world, I am the light of the
world that solved it for me.

451
00:25:47,700 –> 00:25:51,180
He’s saying as long as I am in
the world, I am the light of the

452
00:25:51,180 –> 00:25:52,860
world.
Well, the Lord is no longer in

453
00:25:52,860 –> 00:25:54,540
the world.
So who’s got the mantle?

454
00:25:55,180 –> 00:26:00,300
Mount Barker, Canterbury,
Adelaide, The the the world that

455
00:26:00,300 –> 00:26:04,140
testifies to Christ.
We take up that mantle and the

456
00:26:04,140 –> 00:26:06,940
Lord whilst he is still the
source of that light.

457
00:26:07,540 –> 00:26:09,860
They’re not going to see him
unless they see us.

458
00:26:10,280 –> 00:26:13,440
And I love how a memorial
service is actually illustrated

459
00:26:13,440 –> 00:26:15,440
this way.
Come over to Acts, Chapter 20.

460
00:26:15,520 –> 00:26:17,640
I’m sure some of you have
probably seen this before, but I

461
00:26:17,640 –> 00:26:21,160
just thought it was just nice.
You look at Acts Chapter 20 this

462
00:26:21,240 –> 00:26:23,840
evening, memorial service.
You think about the 1st century

463
00:26:23,840 –> 00:26:25,960
Ecclesia.
They’re joining together in this

464
00:26:25,960 –> 00:26:28,320
upper room.
This new discovery, this new

465
00:26:28,320 –> 00:26:31,800
gospel, is just absolutely on
fire in the 1st century.

466
00:26:32,320 –> 00:26:36,230
And when you get to Acts chapter
20, you get this this picture.

467
00:26:36,310 –> 00:26:39,190
And it’s a literal picture, but
it’s just so pregnant with

468
00:26:39,190 –> 00:26:41,190
meaning.
I can’t help but think that Luke

469
00:26:41,390 –> 00:26:45,470
recorded this passage this way
so that we could see something

470
00:26:45,470 –> 00:26:48,070
extra.
And maybe you will now have a

471
00:26:48,070 –> 00:26:53,990
look at Acts 20 and verse 7 on
the first day of the week, just

472
00:26:53,990 –> 00:26:56,830
like we are here today.
When we were gathered together

473
00:26:56,830 –> 00:27:00,710
to break bread, Paul talked with
them, intending to depart on the

474
00:27:00,710 –> 00:27:03,710
next day, and he prolonged his
speech until midnight.

475
00:27:04,200 –> 00:27:08,320
And there were many lamps in the
upper room that were gathered.

476
00:27:09,520 –> 00:27:11,320
Well, that was obviously
literally true.

477
00:27:11,320 –> 00:27:13,280
They’re there at night, and they
don’t have light switches on the

478
00:27:13,280 –> 00:27:16,320
wall, so there’s lots of lamps.
But what an amazing metaphor.

479
00:27:16,600 –> 00:27:20,040
There they were, breaking bread.
And from the Lord’s perspective,

480
00:27:20,600 –> 00:27:24,200
they’re all these lamps
surrounded by the central

481
00:27:24,320 –> 00:27:27,480
menorah, the central Candlestick
of the six on the side and the

482
00:27:27,480 –> 00:27:29,640
one in the center.
They’re all these little lamps.

483
00:27:29,960 –> 00:27:32,920
They’re all these little lights
that are surrounded by the great

484
00:27:32,920 –> 00:27:35,080
light.
And that’s what they’re there in

485
00:27:35,080 –> 00:27:38,080
that 1st century gathered to do.
So brothers and sisters, here

486
00:27:38,080 –> 00:27:41,560
this morning you see yourself as
a little lamp.

487
00:27:42,160 –> 00:27:44,760
Maybe you feel like you’re maybe
you feel like you’re a smoking

488
00:27:44,760 –> 00:27:48,160
flax from Isaiah 42.
Well, Christ is here to stand

489
00:27:48,160 –> 00:27:52,440
you into flame, A smoking flax.
He will not snuff out a bruised

490
00:27:52,440 –> 00:27:55,160
greed he will not break.
He’s just glad that you’re here

491
00:27:55,940 –> 00:27:58,860
and we’re here to get more oil
in our lamp so we can get out

492
00:27:58,860 –> 00:28:01,460
there and shine for him.
And I just love that.

493
00:28:01,460 –> 00:28:05,140
And maybe when you read X20 next
time you can remember this, this

494
00:28:05,140 –> 00:28:09,020
talk.
Now this is literally commanded

495
00:28:09,020 –> 00:28:12,380
to us in Philippians chapter 2.
So let’s have a look at

496
00:28:12,380 –> 00:28:14,900
Philippians chapter 2, verses 15
to 16.

497
00:28:15,260 –> 00:28:19,270
This this metaphor is
intentionally used by.

498
00:28:19,270 –> 00:28:21,750
Paul and I.
And while he probably wasn’t

499
00:28:21,750 –> 00:28:24,550
thinking of all the things that
I’m thinking of, he certainly

500
00:28:24,630 –> 00:28:28,910
knew that this was a a major
portion of God’s creative intent

501
00:28:28,910 –> 00:28:34,310
with creating those stars.
Libyan’s Chapter 2, verse 15 and

502
00:28:34,310 –> 00:28:36,110
16.
Very familiar words, but I hope

503
00:28:36,110 –> 00:28:39,630
they’re so powerful for you now.
In this moment he commands that

504
00:28:39,630 –> 00:28:43,870
we would be blameless and
innocent children of God, like

505
00:28:43,870 –> 00:28:48,890
the children of the light in in
the Gospels, without blemish, in

506
00:28:48,890 –> 00:28:52,570
the midst of a crooked and
twisted generation, among whom

507
00:28:52,650 –> 00:28:55,530
you shine as lights in the
world.

508
00:28:55,730 –> 00:28:59,810
And verse 16 says, holding fast
the word of life, so that in the

509
00:28:59,810 –> 00:29:04,130
day of Christ I may be proud
that I did not turn in, that I

510
00:29:04,130 –> 00:29:06,490
did not run in vain, or labor in
vain.

511
00:29:07,570 –> 00:29:10,130
The exhortation really for me is
the the statement that I

512
00:29:10,130 –> 00:29:14,450
mentioned before.
Those who do not shine now will

513
00:29:14,450 –> 00:29:20,250
not shine Then the commandment
is to shine his lights in the

514
00:29:20,250 –> 00:29:24,130
world, holding for us this word
of life, so that in the day of

515
00:29:24,130 –> 00:29:28,410
Christ the teachers, the fathers
in the ecclesia would be proud.

516
00:29:29,130 –> 00:29:30,490
That’s how, Paul.
Feels.

517
00:29:30,930 –> 00:29:32,570
Now, where does he get this idea
from?

518
00:29:32,690 –> 00:29:34,650
I think he gets it from Daniel
chapter 12.

519
00:29:34,890 –> 00:29:40,810
So flip over to Daniel chapter
12, where it effectively says

520
00:29:41,010 –> 00:29:45,840
exactly that.
So Daniel, chapter 12, verses

521
00:29:45,840 –> 00:29:59,120
two and three,
Speaking of that great day of

522
00:29:59,120 –> 00:30:03,120
the of Christ’s return, says and
many of those who sleep in the

523
00:30:03,120 –> 00:30:06,600
dust of the earth shall awake,
some to everlasting life, and

524
00:30:06,600 –> 00:30:14,340
some to shame and everlasting.
But those who are wise will

525
00:30:14,340 –> 00:30:19,940
shine like the brightness of the
sky above, and those who turn

526
00:30:20,260 –> 00:30:24,540
many to righteousness, like the
stars forever and ever.

527
00:30:26,740 –> 00:30:28,980
Brothers and sisters, that’s a
huge responsibility.

528
00:30:30,220 –> 00:30:35,100
We’ve been called to earn many
to righteousness, to shine a

529
00:30:35,100 –> 00:30:38,220
light where there’s darkness.
And how many times do we walk

530
00:30:38,220 –> 00:30:42,500
past Someone that you can you
can see clearly is in darkness,

531
00:30:43,300 –> 00:30:45,260
whether it’s in here or out
there.

532
00:30:46,140 –> 00:30:48,380
Someone who is struggling,
someone who was wrestling.

533
00:30:48,660 –> 00:30:52,660
And we walk by.
The commitment that we need to

534
00:30:52,660 –> 00:30:57,380
have is to be carry his name,
carry his lamp, and to turn many

535
00:30:57,380 –> 00:30:59,420
to righteousness by just shining
a light.

536
00:30:59,580 –> 00:31:03,420
It’s not ours, it’s His shining
a light on a dark place.

537
00:31:04,580 –> 00:31:09,660
That is the commitment that we
give to Christ when we let His

538
00:31:09,660 –> 00:31:12,300
Word shine a light on our own
path.

539
00:31:12,780 –> 00:31:15,460
Even when it’s on our path.
Other people can join our path.

540
00:31:15,660 –> 00:31:18,900
We can lead others as He is
commanded to be, a light for the

541
00:31:18,900 –> 00:31:21,740
nation’s, a beacon of hope to a
lost world and as we’ll see in

542
00:31:21,740 –> 00:31:26,260
the closing video, a lighthouse
for those who are lost adrift on

543
00:31:26,260 –> 00:31:32,100
the sea of life.
And I hope that as we do that

544
00:31:32,100 –> 00:31:36,500
God looks down and he sees that
beautiful starry sky down here,

545
00:31:36,780 –> 00:31:39,860
perceiving us as the lights that
shine in this Dark World.

546
00:31:42,090 –> 00:31:46,370
There’s one challenge with this
though, and the challenge is the

547
00:31:46,370 –> 00:31:50,170
Lord’s commanding us to let our
light shine before others.

548
00:31:50,610 –> 00:31:53,970
How do we avoid being proud?
How do we avoid this becoming a

549
00:31:54,370 –> 00:31:57,530
a chest pumping exercise where
we’re showing all the things

550
00:31:57,530 –> 00:32:00,130
that we do?
Well, right within the Sermon on

551
00:32:00,130 –> 00:32:03,250
the mouth, the Lord counters
this with some balancing

552
00:32:03,250 –> 00:32:05,010
teaching, and we don’t have to
read it.

553
00:32:05,010 –> 00:32:08,810
But in Matthew chapter 6, you
know that the Lord says beware

554
00:32:08,850 –> 00:32:12,710
of practicing your righteousness
before others.

555
00:32:13,230 –> 00:32:16,070
Beware of practicing your
righteousness before others in

556
00:32:16,070 –> 00:32:19,670
order that they may see you or
to be seen by them.

557
00:32:20,550 –> 00:32:22,510
He’s saying let these things be
done in secret.

558
00:32:22,670 –> 00:32:27,790
Here’s how I make sense of this
You can’t help your neighbor in

559
00:32:27,790 –> 00:32:30,030
darkness or in secret by
definition.

560
00:32:30,030 –> 00:32:33,350
Helping your neighbor, assisting
your neighbor, giving,

561
00:32:33,350 –> 00:32:35,230
supporting.
It’s by definition going to be

562
00:32:35,230 –> 00:32:37,310
seen by others.
What are the things that the

563
00:32:37,310 –> 00:32:39,270
Lord is asking to be done in
secret?

564
00:32:40,510 –> 00:32:42,190
It’s private devotions, isn’t
it?

565
00:32:42,310 –> 00:32:44,750
He’s not.
He’s not contradicting himself

566
00:32:44,750 –> 00:32:47,590
by saying let your lights are
shine before others, that people

567
00:32:47,590 –> 00:32:50,590
may see your good works and
glorify God, and then the next

568
00:32:50,590 –> 00:32:54,390
breath say, well actually don’t
do any, you know, don’t do these

569
00:32:54,390 –> 00:32:57,350
things to be seen by others.
What he’s referring to in the

570
00:32:57,350 –> 00:33:00,510
context of that is actually
things like prayers and praise.

571
00:33:00,870 –> 00:33:02,470
We’re not.
We’re not looking to be have our

572
00:33:02,470 –> 00:33:06,310
private devotions shown out.
But private devotions and good

573
00:33:06,310 –> 00:33:09,470
works are two quite distinct
different things.

574
00:33:09,990 –> 00:33:13,110
One is about carrying our
burning lamp to a place of

575
00:33:13,110 –> 00:33:16,590
darkness, while the other one is
indication of how great the

576
00:33:16,590 –> 00:33:18,310
darkness is within our own
hearts.

577
00:33:18,590 –> 00:33:22,390
Of one God will be the judge
exclusively, while of the others

578
00:33:22,750 –> 00:33:26,750
others will be.
Others will be judged by those

579
00:33:26,750 –> 00:33:29,510
with whom we have to do and
doing good for other people, by

580
00:33:29,510 –> 00:33:31,870
definition is to be seen by
others.

581
00:33:31,950 –> 00:33:35,990
So when you see someone who’s
overcome with the black dog, and

582
00:33:35,990 –> 00:33:37,670
I know many of you know what I’m
talking about.

583
00:33:38,530 –> 00:33:42,210
When you see someone struggling
with depression and anxiety,

584
00:33:42,690 –> 00:33:46,250
wrestling under the ailments of
old age, someone with a broken

585
00:33:46,250 –> 00:33:49,130
body or suffering as some of our
members here and we mentioned in

586
00:33:49,130 –> 00:33:51,410
our prayer, or suffering with
physical illness.

587
00:33:51,570 –> 00:33:54,530
Or maybe it’s someone who’s
single and lonely, or someone

588
00:33:54,530 –> 00:33:57,490
who’s has constant conflict in
their family, or just maybe lack

589
00:33:57,490 –> 00:33:59,450
self esteem.
That’s your moment.

590
00:33:59,930 –> 00:34:02,090
That’s your time to bring the
light there.

591
00:34:02,810 –> 00:34:06,530
That’s your time to share your
lamp and bring the warmth and

592
00:34:06,530 –> 00:34:09,130
love that we sung about to that
person’s life.

593
00:34:10,530 –> 00:34:13,610
And this is exactly how Peter so
I hope everybody enjoyed end of

594
00:34:13,610 –> 00:34:15,409
years.
Jonna’s talks were awesome.

595
00:34:15,969 –> 00:34:18,850
And when Jonna was reflecting on
Peter, when he’s thinking about

596
00:34:18,850 –> 00:34:21,850
the end of his life, Peter’s
reflecting back on his

597
00:34:21,850 –> 00:34:24,929
responsibility and he writes in
First Peter chapter 2.

598
00:34:24,929 –> 00:34:29,690
In verse nine you are a chosen
race, a royal priesthood, a holy

599
00:34:29,690 –> 00:34:35,830
nation, a people for his own
possession, that you may

600
00:34:35,830 –> 00:34:40,670
proclaim the excellencies of him
who called you out of darkness

601
00:34:40,670 –> 00:34:45,350
into his marvelous light, that
you might proclaim it, that you

602
00:34:45,350 –> 00:34:48,310
might speak it.
It’s a responsibility.

603
00:34:48,830 –> 00:34:50,989
It’s we’re commissioned to do
this.

604
00:34:51,909 –> 00:34:55,150
And when we think about this
later in Peter, in in first

605
00:34:55,150 –> 00:34:58,790
Peter 2 verse 12, only a few
verses later, he says and keep

606
00:34:58,790 –> 00:35:02,810
your conduct among the Gentiles
honorable, so that when they

607
00:35:02,890 –> 00:35:06,690
speak against you as evil doers,
again like the Lord, and he was

608
00:35:06,690 –> 00:35:09,490
there, he was there in the
sermon on the mouth he heard the

609
00:35:09,490 –> 00:35:12,570
Lord say it.
And he says in his own way that

610
00:35:12,570 –> 00:35:16,570
they may see your good deeds and
glorify God on the day of

611
00:35:16,570 –> 00:35:17,730
visitation.
And that’s not.

612
00:35:17,730 –> 00:35:20,930
What you want?
I don’t want someone to, on the

613
00:35:20,930 –> 00:35:25,610
day of visitation, glorify me.
I want them to say Christ made

614
00:35:25,610 –> 00:35:28,130
an impact in that person’s life,
and I want to know about it.

615
00:35:28,630 –> 00:35:30,990
Christ got them through that
depressive state.

616
00:35:31,150 –> 00:35:33,270
Christ got them through that
family tragedy.

617
00:35:33,390 –> 00:35:35,670
Christ got them through that
physical sickness.

618
00:35:35,870 –> 00:35:42,710
And Christ carried that lonely
person through Christ his glory.

619
00:35:42,710 –> 00:35:48,950
Now I’m going to finish this
book reminding you of a story.

620
00:35:49,510 –> 00:35:53,830
Cast your mind back to 2010 when
we spent some time together up

621
00:35:53,830 –> 00:35:56,510
in Hebron.
You couldn’t forget it, right?

622
00:35:57,050 –> 00:35:58,370
Who can forget the Palmer’s
cooking?

623
00:35:58,370 –> 00:35:59,530
The pig?
Who could?

624
00:35:59,810 –> 00:36:03,770
Who could forget David Hackett’s
pillar that he built to the

625
00:36:03,770 –> 00:36:05,610
ceiling?
And of course, who could forget

626
00:36:05,610 –> 00:36:10,130
Luke trying to get us to eat
meerkat on a stick and buy Uncle

627
00:36:10,130 –> 00:36:12,930
Ben’s tofu anyway, for those who
you know, you know.

628
00:36:13,410 –> 00:36:16,090
But in that study, when we
looked at the Tabernacle, one of

629
00:36:16,090 –> 00:36:19,130
the final things that we looked
at was going into the Most Holy

630
00:36:19,130 –> 00:36:22,250
Place and seeing the light that
just was.

631
00:36:23,030 –> 00:36:25,630
There was no lamp, no oil,
nothing burning.

632
00:36:25,670 –> 00:36:28,870
The chicana glory that dwelled
there, but we’re not there now,

633
00:36:29,470 –> 00:36:31,470
Hebrews says.
That’s heaven itself.

634
00:36:31,870 –> 00:36:33,430
That’s when heaven and earth
combined.

635
00:36:33,430 –> 00:36:35,510
We’re waiting for that day.
But that’s not now.

636
00:36:36,190 –> 00:36:38,470
Now is in the previous
Tabernacle.

637
00:36:38,590 –> 00:36:42,430
Hebrews talks about two enter
into the first Tabernacle before

638
00:36:42,430 –> 00:36:44,870
the 2nd, and the first had that
menorah.

639
00:36:44,990 –> 00:36:48,990
And every day they had to trim
those lamps, fill them with oil

640
00:36:49,590 –> 00:36:53,760
so that they could see, you see,
that menorah in that holy place.

641
00:36:53,760 –> 00:36:55,880
There was no windows.
It was like the blackouts in my

642
00:36:55,880 –> 00:36:58,080
opening story.
There was absolutely nothing in

643
00:36:58,080 –> 00:36:59,600
there.
They’d be stepping on, you know,

644
00:36:59,600 –> 00:37:02,960
snuffers and whatever else they
had from the from the incense

645
00:37:03,000 –> 00:37:05,240
altar.
But that light was there always.

646
00:37:05,240 –> 00:37:07,200
At morning and night, they
trimmed those lamps and they

647
00:37:07,200 –> 00:37:09,280
filled them.
That’s our life today.

648
00:37:09,840 –> 00:37:11,880
We gotta shine, brothers and
sisters.

649
00:37:13,080 –> 00:37:16,960
This world, the Ecclesia world,
needs us to do that as well.

650
00:37:17,040 –> 00:37:19,680
Not just the outside world, but
here in the Ecclesia.

651
00:37:19,880 –> 00:37:22,940
And boy can it be easy to get
discouraged in our community.

652
00:37:22,940 –> 00:37:25,300
Can it?
We got to hang in there.

653
00:37:25,540 –> 00:37:29,780
We need you all to shine that
light while we are communing in

654
00:37:29,780 –> 00:37:33,100
that first holy place, so that
we can get through that veil and

655
00:37:33,100 –> 00:37:35,100
get into the most holy in the
future.

656
00:37:35,380 –> 00:37:38,980
And the Lord says exactly that.
He tells us that we are those

657
00:37:38,980 –> 00:37:41,740
lamp stands.
Think about in Revelation.

658
00:37:42,500 –> 00:37:45,580
Of course God’s word is a lamp
into our path, but in Revelation

659
00:37:45,780 –> 00:37:48,740
that becomes personified in the
ecclesia.

660
00:37:49,720 –> 00:37:54,120
Then in Revelation chapter 2,
the Revelation chapter one

661
00:37:54,160 –> 00:37:57,640
rather, and verse 20, it says As
for the mystery of the seven

662
00:37:57,640 –> 00:38:00,040
stars that you saw in my right
hand.

663
00:38:00,840 –> 00:38:02,920
And the seven golden lamp
stands.

664
00:38:03,200 –> 00:38:06,520
The seven stars are the angels
of the seven ecclesias, and the

665
00:38:06,520 –> 00:38:09,640
seven lamp stands over the seven
ecclesias.

666
00:38:09,800 –> 00:38:12,040
It’s us.
We are that.

667
00:38:12,080 –> 00:38:15,280
We are the lamp to the world’s
dark path.

668
00:38:15,480 –> 00:38:21,360
It’s us, and it’s also
individually as much as it is

669
00:38:21,360 –> 00:38:24,080
collectively.
As we think about the Lord’s

670
00:38:24,080 –> 00:38:26,360
sacrifice.
There’s one moment in this life

671
00:38:26,600 –> 00:38:30,000
that I hope that as we partake
of these emblems now let’s try

672
00:38:30,000 –> 00:38:31,800
to apply this.
But think about how the Lord

673
00:38:31,800 –> 00:38:34,480
received this.
Do you remember when the Lord

674
00:38:34,480 –> 00:38:38,120
was about to be taken in Luke
chapter 22?

675
00:38:38,320 –> 00:38:40,000
I think we actually had this at
end of your studies.

676
00:38:40,000 –> 00:38:44,120
We might have gone through that.
And Luke, chapter 22, when he’s

677
00:38:44,120 –> 00:38:48,770
about to be taken, the Lord
says, while I was with you day

678
00:38:48,770 –> 00:38:52,170
by day in the temple, you did
not lay your hands on me.

679
00:38:52,970 –> 00:38:56,210
But this is your hour and the
power of darkness.

680
00:38:58,210 –> 00:39:01,250
You know the Lord felt that
darkness just like you and I do.

681
00:39:02,650 –> 00:39:04,570
And the Lord needed in that
moment.

682
00:39:05,050 –> 00:39:09,850
He needed friendship and support
from in the ecclesia.

683
00:39:10,690 –> 00:39:14,370
And he asked for the three Peter
James.

684
00:39:14,530 –> 00:39:19,750
John And in his moment of
greatest need, he came back

685
00:39:20,430 –> 00:39:24,950
utterly disappointed.
They were sleeping and he said

686
00:39:24,950 –> 00:39:26,470
to them, couldn’t you watch One
hour?

687
00:39:27,790 –> 00:39:31,030
And some of us are suffering,
some of us are carrying these

688
00:39:31,150 –> 00:39:35,950
great and and heavy burdens in
life, and some of us are looking

689
00:39:35,950 –> 00:39:37,390
into each other and are we
sleeping?

690
00:39:38,350 –> 00:39:39,630
Couldn’t you?
Couldn’t we watch with each

691
00:39:39,630 –> 00:39:44,430
other for one hour?
The Lord had only one place to

692
00:39:44,430 –> 00:39:46,630
turn in that time.
And there will be times when

693
00:39:46,630 –> 00:39:48,430
there is no light other than our
God.

694
00:39:48,830 –> 00:39:52,110
And we have to say to ourselves,
the Lord is my light and my

695
00:39:52,110 –> 00:39:57,750
salvation.
So, brother, sister, you don’t

696
00:39:57,750 –> 00:40:01,750
have to be the light of the
entire world like He was.

697
00:40:02,670 –> 00:40:08,750
You are not the light, but you
can be a light to someone in

698
00:40:08,750 –> 00:40:11,950
need.
You can be a burning and shining

699
00:40:11,950 –> 00:40:15,570
lamp.
To another person’s world, and

700
00:40:15,570 –> 00:40:18,290
in the multitude of all of us
carrying that little bit of a

701
00:40:18,290 –> 00:40:21,210
lamp, we shine such a great
collective light.

702
00:40:21,330 –> 00:40:25,930
It’s like the stars in the sky.
We can turn even the darkness of

703
00:40:26,050 –> 00:40:29,890
a period like this pandemic into
a period of beauty as we see all

704
00:40:29,890 –> 00:40:32,330
of us doing our little piece in
our little corner.

705
00:40:33,570 –> 00:40:36,330
And there’s lots of little
children songs that you could

706
00:40:36,330 –> 00:40:39,930
sing not for today, but you
know, you could sing Give me oil

707
00:40:39,930 –> 00:40:41,970
in my Lamp.
You could sing this little light

708
00:40:41,970 –> 00:40:43,930
of mine.
But I want to bring to it to you

709
00:40:43,930 –> 00:40:47,610
attention to the words of a
very, very old song that I’m

710
00:40:47,610 –> 00:40:50,770
just going to read as a poem to.
Conclude how many people

711
00:40:50,770 –> 00:40:53,370
remember that little red book,
that little Sunday school book,

712
00:40:53,370 –> 00:40:55,570
The little red one with all the
Sunday School songs.

713
00:40:55,690 –> 00:40:56,930
Raise your hand if you remember
that one.

714
00:40:57,570 –> 00:40:59,930
You remember the song?
Jesus, Pizza shine.

715
00:41:01,010 –> 00:41:02,010
Come on, Carol, you got to play
it.

716
00:41:02,010 –> 00:41:04,970
After this, I’m going to read.
I’m going to read you the words

717
00:41:04,970 –> 00:41:07,690
because they’re so beautiful.
For children, for adults and for

718
00:41:07,690 –> 00:41:09,930
everyone.
And I’d like to conclude with

719
00:41:09,930 –> 00:41:11,930
these thoughts because I think
they’re so powerful.

720
00:41:12,810 –> 00:41:18,530
Jesus bids us shine with a pure
clear light, like a little

721
00:41:18,530 –> 00:41:22,970
candle burning in the night.
In the world is darkness, and so

722
00:41:22,970 –> 00:41:27,010
we must shine.
You and your small corner and I

723
00:41:27,010 –> 00:41:31,270
in mine.
Jesus bids us shine first of all

724
00:41:31,270 –> 00:41:34,070
for him well, He sees and knows
it.

725
00:41:34,070 –> 00:41:38,670
When our light grows dim, he
looks down from heaven to see us

726
00:41:38,670 –> 00:41:41,950
shine.
You and your small corner and I.

727
00:41:41,950 –> 00:41:48,350
In mine Jesus bids us shine.
For all around many kinds of

728
00:41:48,350 –> 00:41:53,550
darkness in this world are found
sin and want and sorrow.

729
00:41:54,390 –> 00:41:59,300
And so we must shine.
You and your small corner and I

730
00:41:59,300 –> 00:42:02,780
and mine.
Beautiful words, isn’t it?

731
00:42:04,460 –> 00:42:08,020
The light that we have that we
remember this morning was not

732
00:42:08,020 –> 00:42:11,780
meant to be undisclosed.
There’s a whole world out there

733
00:42:12,020 –> 00:42:15,140
waiting for you to come.
And some attending here that are

734
00:42:15,140 –> 00:42:19,100
groping around in the darkness
of life, trying to find the

735
00:42:19,100 –> 00:42:22,060
edges, looking for the switch,
looking for a light.

736
00:42:23,220 –> 00:42:29,830
The question for us this morning
is, are we waiting for Christ to

737
00:42:29,830 –> 00:42:35,670
come back for the light to?
Appear, or will you keep this

738
00:42:35,670 –> 00:42:40,030
light to yourself?
Because if we are not shining

739
00:42:40,230 –> 00:42:47,270
His light in this world, then
who will so carry your lamp, run

740
00:42:47,270 –> 00:42:49,870
to the darkness and go light
your world?

741
00:42:50,950 –> 00:43:06,070
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to the

742
00:43:06,070 –> 00:43:07,670
Good Cause Adelphian Talks
Podcast.

743
00:43:08,510 –> 00:43:10,950
We hope this talk helped you in
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744
00:43:10,950 –> 00:43:13,350
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745
00:43:13,350 –> 00:43:15,070
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746
00:43:15,470 –> 00:43:18,670
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747
00:43:19,830 –> 00:43:22,310
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00:43:22,310 –> 00:43:24,230
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749
00:43:25,280 –> 00:43:27,840
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750
00:43:27,840 –> 00:43:31,720
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760
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761
00:43:59,830 –> 00:44:00,070
week.