You may or may not be aware that I have now moved from Cotton End to Upminster. This means that I will no longer be maintaining this blog.
I haven't decided whether to continue to post sermon outlines online, I'm not sure they have any real value, but I am of course continuing to blog at The View From Here.
The Cotton End Baptist Church blog has been moved to a new location here and has the contents of this blog archived there.
Thanks for visiting.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
A Missionary People
As we come to the end of our series looking at the church under construction it seems right that we remind ourselves of the primary purpose of the church. It was CS Lewis who once said that “the church exists for no other purpose but to draw men to Christ”. Tim Chester wrote: The gospel is good news: a message to proclaim, a truth to be taught, and a story to be told.
This understanding shapes us into a missionary people who follow a missionary God. We are made for a mission as Rick Warren would say.
That our God is a missionary God cannot be ignored. The church was born in mission and grows only through mission. Mission is an expression of God’s own heart for those he misses most, those who are far from him but never out of his reach. It was the Holy Spirit who called for Paul and Barnabas to be set apart for a special missionary task, but it also the Holy Spirit who empowers the church to continue in its mission.
A Missionary People
This understanding shapes us into a missionary people who follow a missionary God. We are made for a mission as Rick Warren would say.
That our God is a missionary God cannot be ignored. The church was born in mission and grows only through mission. Mission is an expression of God’s own heart for those he misses most, those who are far from him but never out of his reach. It was the Holy Spirit who called for Paul and Barnabas to be set apart for a special missionary task, but it also the Holy Spirit who empowers the church to continue in its mission.
A Missionary People
If we trace the life of the early church we see:
Spirit Inspired Movement
We need boundaries, we need frameworks, but we ought never to forget that we are a movement. Hinted at in the “go” language used by Jesus and expressed as the early church fulfils the words of Acts 1:8
Intentional Engagement
Paul engaged the culture in a dialogue.
Incarnational Influence
A third aspect of the missionary movement is that it is lived out among the people we are trying to reach.
How do we live as a missionary people?
Proximity
First of all we have to be near enough to touch lives and understand them.
Presence
Somehow we have to find ways to be both near the people we are reaching and among the people we are reaching.
Partnership
Partnership with God.
To become fully involved partners with God we need to:
Pray
The three-open prayer: open doors, open my mouth, open hearts
Prepare
Peter writes: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have
Play your part
Share the story, live the story.
Find out what you do best and do it in a way that makes a difference.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Changing styles
You may have noticed in the last post that I've presented the main bullet points with a brief introduction and conclusion without a lot of text in between. I thought this might be a more helpful way of sharing the outline in order to generate questions and personal exploration.
Previously I've left in much of my notes but of course the notes don't really tell you the whole story of what was said. This way I hope you can focus on the main ideas without the intrusion of my explanations!
This is a rather late change given that I'll be leaving Bedford in September and I'm not preaching in August. That means that next week, assuming I post my outline for the last in this current series, will be last post on this blog.
I'm not sure whether I'll continue to post sermon notes when we move or not, but if I do I'll put a link on this blog to the new one for anyone who might be interested in what I'm doing.
It may also be that someone at Cotton End chooses to take over putting notes and stories (I never really got around to doing the later) about what God is doing in rural Bedfordshire somewhere on the internet. Given that this blog comes under my personal blogger profile, it's likely that it will fall into a deep sleep before quietly shuffling off the radar. Or maybe it will get rebranded and relaucnhed later in the year. Who knows!
A Serving People
Most of us would probably agree that we are called to serve in some way or another. Quite what it means and how we implement a lifestyle of serving, we’re not so sure. But something in us nags away at our selfish tendencies.
Ecclesiastes serves as a reminder about the ultimately unfulfilling nature of a life lived for self. Having tried accumulating great wealth he turned to power. When power and wealth failed to satisfy he tried pleasure, fame and celebrity. But they all left him with that empty feeling that caused him to declare that is was all “like chasing the wind”. Ultimately pointless and totally unfulfilling.
We were not created to chase the wind, pursue pleasure or accumulate wealth. We were created for a purpose, to join God in his great mission to bless the world, to reclaim, redeem and fix this broken world.
Mark 10:32-45
Based upon his own example he calls those who follow him to become like him in serving others rather than promoting self.
Why we don’t serve
#1 We get distracted
#2 We get demotivated
#3 We delegate to others
#4 We’re denied opportunities
Why we do serve
#1 It’s an expression of God’s mission
#2 It’s an expression of true freedom
#3 It’s about following Christ’s example
How we serve
#1 We serve Christ by serving others
#2 We serve wholeheartedly
#3 We serve in accordance with our gifts
Conclusion
Jim Wallis said: Find out what you do best and then do it in a way that makes a difference.
Service serves the purposes of God. It is a missionary endeavour.
If we are to follow Paul’s injunction in Romans 12 to overcome evil with good, then to do will surely involve acts of service.
Monday, July 13, 2009
A Worshipping People
What exactly is worship? What makes becoming a living sacrifice, to quote Paul from Romans 12, an act of reasonable or logical worship?
In truth we might have to concede that the modern-day church has reduced worship to the bit of the service that involves singing. And yet we all probably recognise that worship ought to be much more than that. If we return to Romans 12 for a moment we discover that this reasonable or logical worship is a whole-life response to the mercies of God that we have experienced. Earlier in the letter Paul tells his readers that the natural outcome of the lifestyle choices everyone makes is that they rebel against God and therefore deserve to be judged and sentenced accordingly.
But heaven has a wonderful “however” clause. Rather than judging us as our actions deserve, God offers us the opportunity of forgiveness, the opportunity of a new beginning. Instead of dying because of our sin, we are invited to live because of Christ’s sacrifice. This is mercy. We do not get what we deserve. And because of that Paul says, “Present yourselves as living sacrifices as an act of worship.”
Worship then becomes an ongoing response to God in every circumstance of life.
Bill Hybels, in his book “Too busy not to pray” describes adoration as entering holy space. In so doing we set the tone for any prayer that follows. Adoration reminds us about God’s identity and inclination. As we adore God, we reinforce our understanding of who he is and what his mission is.
In Acts 4, adoration comes when the community acknowledge the sovereignty of God and his complete awareness of the situation. He is not thrown by anything that has happened.
When we intercede for someone we pray the prayers they cannot pray or will not pray. We seek God’s mercy on their behalf. Whether it’s international, national or personal, intercession is a vital part of our worship together and individually.
If you struggle with how to ask or what to ask for, then simply be honest with God. When I’m not sure I often start my prayer with, “Lord, I’m not sure what to ask for in this situation but here’s what is on my heart. This is my request, if it’s the wrong thing then show me.”
Thanksgiving is important.
You know my question, the one about why, when crises come do Christians stop praying and non-Christians start praying? Well perhaps the reason we stop is not a lack of faith or a failure of spirituality but a failure of perspective. Perhaps the reason we stop is because we don’t spend enough time in regular worship that involves adoration and confession, intercession and petition, thanksgiving and expectation.
In truth we might have to concede that the modern-day church has reduced worship to the bit of the service that involves singing. And yet we all probably recognise that worship ought to be much more than that. If we return to Romans 12 for a moment we discover that this reasonable or logical worship is a whole-life response to the mercies of God that we have experienced. Earlier in the letter Paul tells his readers that the natural outcome of the lifestyle choices everyone makes is that they rebel against God and therefore deserve to be judged and sentenced accordingly.
But heaven has a wonderful “however” clause. Rather than judging us as our actions deserve, God offers us the opportunity of forgiveness, the opportunity of a new beginning. Instead of dying because of our sin, we are invited to live because of Christ’s sacrifice. This is mercy. We do not get what we deserve. And because of that Paul says, “Present yourselves as living sacrifices as an act of worship.”
Worship then becomes an ongoing response to God in every circumstance of life.
In the Old Testament worship would be the sign of God’s successful deliverance of the people from slavery in Egypt. As individual characters we meet Jacob who worships God as his final days approach. Job worships God in response to personal disaster. David worships God as he comes to terms with the loss of a son and in celebration of victories.
In the highs and lows of life, worship is always a valid response.
Worship as a whole-life response
Six key elements
Adoration
Andrew Bonar described adoration as “silent wonder”. His point was simply this, that when we truly encounter God at the deepest level we find ourselves lost for words and able only to look at him in silent wonder. Adoration may begin for many as an act of naming God’s great attributes, but it ends up in this place of sheer amazement of who he is and what he has done for us.
Bill Hybels, in his book “Too busy not to pray” describes adoration as entering holy space. In so doing we set the tone for any prayer that follows. Adoration reminds us about God’s identity and inclination. As we adore God, we reinforce our understanding of who he is and what his mission is.
In Acts 4, adoration comes when the community acknowledge the sovereignty of God and his complete awareness of the situation. He is not thrown by anything that has happened.
Confession
Put simply, confession is about naming our faults. Telling God the truth about ourselves. You could be forgiven for thinking in this age of self-promotion that as we confess our faults we would undermine our confidence. Our self-confidence yes, but our confidence in God ought to increase. Confessing our faults is an act of self-exposure that forces us to rely no longer on our own abilities but to trust more fully in God’s great mercy.
John tells us in his first letter that “if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and the cleanse us from all unrigtheousness.” In other words, if we are honest with God about our failures he will be true to his promise and his character and deal with it in mercy and grace.
Intercession
Recent trends in understanding prayer have been in danger of limiting intercessory prayer to those for whom it is considered their gift or their ministry. But intercession is or should be a part of all our lives. Paul tells Timothy about the importance of intercession when he urges that intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone along with prayers and requests. (1Tim.2:1)
When we intercede for someone we pray the prayers they cannot pray or will not pray. We seek God’s mercy on their behalf. Whether it’s international, national or personal, intercession is a vital part of our worship together and individually.
Petition
If we believe that God wants to give, that he’s the kind of Father Jesus describes who does not give snakes and stones when we ask for bread and food, then petition, the process of asking, will be a part of our worship too. Not the kind of asking that wants more stuff for oneself, but the kind of asking that looks to see God honoured and at work in the life settings of oneself and those around you.
If you struggle with how to ask or what to ask for, then simply be honest with God. When I’m not sure I often start my prayer with, “Lord, I’m not sure what to ask for in this situation but here’s what is on my heart. This is my request, if it’s the wrong thing then show me.”
In Acts 4 it’s interesting that the petition made is not for protection but for boldness. To paraphrase Reggie McNeal, they ask God to show up and show off.
Thanksgiving
Paul says in 1Thess.5:18 that we should Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Sometimes we think that feeling grateful is thanksgiving enough. It isn’t. Thanksgiving is an intentional act. We seek out the person to whom we feel grateful and say, “Thank you”. It’s a simple act but an important one. When Jesus healed 10 men of leprosy, a terrible disease that left people living as social outcasts, only one came back and said thank you. All of them were undoubtedly grateful, even profoundly grateful, but only one came back and said thank you. And it moved Jesus.
Thanksgiving is important.
Expectation
The last element is expectation. What are your expectation when you worship? Do you expect God to show up? Do you expect him to answer prayers?
In Acts 4 we see great expectations being expressed in the prayers and worship of the gathered community. The ask and expect God to act, not on their behalf but because that is the kind of God they understand him to be. One who is interested in and involved in the lives of ordinary people who follow him and who do not. Their expectation of God is that out of this situation mission will flow. That’s why they ask for boldness not protection, because they know that there is yet more to be done for the sake of the kingdom of God.
Conclusion
It seems that the more we look at the church under construction the more we see the intimate connection between the life of the church and the mission of God. Whether it’s Pentecost, pastoral care or worship, all of them seem to have a place in the missionary purposes of God.
So let’s commit ourselves to honest, living-sacrifice worship of our God and rejoice at what comes as a result because I believe that God honours this kind of worship in ways we are yet even to imagine.
So let’s commit ourselves to honest, living-sacrifice worship of our God and rejoice at what comes as a result because I believe that God honours this kind of worship in ways we are yet even to imagine.
You know my question, the one about why, when crises come do Christians stop praying and non-Christians start praying? Well perhaps the reason we stop is not a lack of faith or a failure of spirituality but a failure of perspective. Perhaps the reason we stop is because we don’t spend enough time in regular worship that involves adoration and confession, intercession and petition, thanksgiving and expectation.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Acts 17: A Prophetic People
What does it mean to be a prophetic people?
For many people, prophecy is the process by which we discover things we could not ordinarily know, particularly about the future. But is that the sum total of the role of the prophet? In the Old Testament Moses is considered the first of the prophets. He spoke about God’s purpose to raise up a prophet like himself in the future, but the primary role Moses fulfilled was to call the people to wholehearted commitment in keeping the covenant.
If you were to trace out the prophetic patterns of the Old Testament you would come to the simple conclusion that God raised up the prophets to call the people to a life of obedience without compromise. From Moses to Malachi, from Habbakuk to Haggai, from Amos to Zephaniah, they all spoke of the need for 100% commitment to the cause of God.
Paul tells the Ephesians: We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do the works he prepared in advance for us to do.
What will this commitment look like?
Exhibit a growing Christlikeness
Through the process of transformation and sanctification. We are, to use Paul’s language in Romans 8, to be conformed to the likeness of his Son
The church therefore becomes a prophetic people when it heralds the good news of Jesus Christ, when it challenges the society around it with God’s word and when it reveals the nature and character of God through the lifestyle and testimony of its people.
In Acts 17, as Paul wanders through the ancient city, he expresses the prophetic nature of the church in a number of ways.
He doesn’t judge the people around him for the worship in which they indulge or the lifestyle choices they make. Rather he’s moved emotionally and spiritually over their lostness.
#2 Engages the culture in meaningful ways
Paul begins with where the people are on their spiritual journeys. In the synagogues, in the market place and at the debating forum. As Paul begins his famous speech at the areopagus, he doesn’t tell the people how wrong they are, he tells them that they are going in the right direction and he’s going to tell them how to get there! He even quotes their own poets to them.
#3 Reveals the truth
He tells them they carry the mark of God as his offspring. And he points out God’s demands for all people: repentance. Ignorance is no longer a defence. God has revealed his truth and we must choose our response to it.
All this he does in this wonderful cultural context whereby he invites his listeners to take the next logical step in their spiritual journey. It's almost as if he is saying, “You've come this far, why wouldn’t you step into God’s full truth?”
This is a far cry from some of the outreach the church has done in it’s history.
Conclusion
God has called us to be a prophetic people. A people transformed by his good news and conformed to his image. A people who will take this good news and declare it in every place possible. In market places, in religious places and even in the highest places.
To be a prophetic people means we will serve him wholeheartedly, declare his message persistently and life a life worthy of all this consistently.
For many people, prophecy is the process by which we discover things we could not ordinarily know, particularly about the future. But is that the sum total of the role of the prophet? In the Old Testament Moses is considered the first of the prophets. He spoke about God’s purpose to raise up a prophet like himself in the future, but the primary role Moses fulfilled was to call the people to wholehearted commitment in keeping the covenant.
If you were to trace out the prophetic patterns of the Old Testament you would come to the simple conclusion that God raised up the prophets to call the people to a life of obedience without compromise. From Moses to Malachi, from Habbakuk to Haggai, from Amos to Zephaniah, they all spoke of the need for 100% commitment to the cause of God.
And if, as we believe it to be true, Jesus is the fulfilment of the words of Moses, then he too follows this same line, calling the people back into a deep and fully devoted life of discipleship within the kingdom and purposes of God.
For the church to be considered a prophetic people therefore it must exhibit such a commitment as we follow the pattern of Jesus himself. There is no room for anything less. As Bill Hybels puts it:
Christ and the cause of Christ is the only thing worthy of our full devotion.
Paul tells the Ephesians: We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do the works he prepared in advance for us to do.
What will this commitment look like?
Exhibit a growing Christlikeness
Through the process of transformation and sanctification. We are, to use Paul’s language in Romans 8, to be conformed to the likeness of his Son
Alongside obedience without compromise, a prophetic people will also:
Share a common vision that brings clarity about God’s mission and plan.
Be a people committed to engaging with God’s truth through the careful study and application of the Bible
Carry a common burden as together we share God's heart for the lost and missing, for justice and integrity.
The church therefore becomes a prophetic people when it heralds the good news of Jesus Christ, when it challenges the society around it with God’s word and when it reveals the nature and character of God through the lifestyle and testimony of its people.
Acts 17
In Acts 17, as Paul wanders through the ancient city, he expresses the prophetic nature of the church in a number of ways.
#1 Distress over the state of the world
He doesn’t judge the people around him for the worship in which they indulge or the lifestyle choices they make. Rather he’s moved emotionally and spiritually over their lostness.
#2 Engages the culture in meaningful ways
Paul begins with where the people are on their spiritual journeys. In the synagogues, in the market place and at the debating forum. As Paul begins his famous speech at the areopagus, he doesn’t tell the people how wrong they are, he tells them that they are going in the right direction and he’s going to tell them how to get there! He even quotes their own poets to them.
#3 Reveals the truth
He tells them they carry the mark of God as his offspring. And he points out God’s demands for all people: repentance. Ignorance is no longer a defence. God has revealed his truth and we must choose our response to it.
All this he does in this wonderful cultural context whereby he invites his listeners to take the next logical step in their spiritual journey. It's almost as if he is saying, “You've come this far, why wouldn’t you step into God’s full truth?”
This is a far cry from some of the outreach the church has done in it’s history.
Conclusion
God has called us to be a prophetic people. A people transformed by his good news and conformed to his image. A people who will take this good news and declare it in every place possible. In market places, in religious places and even in the highest places.
To be a prophetic people means we will serve him wholeheartedly, declare his message persistently and life a life worthy of all this consistently.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Authentic Church
Last weekend I was at Biggleswade Baptist Church. I shared with them some of what I want to share this morning. This is where I began.
I love the local church. I have a passion to see the local church become the church that Jesus intends to build. I believe that the fundamental shape of that church is missional, that it’s focus is not internal, meeting the needs of the gathered faithful, but external, influencing the world through sharing kingdom life.
I believe that the church must change.
Defining the task
We have our mission and purpose set out like this:
Time and time again this principle of the people of God being a blessing to the world beyond the confines of the people of God is seen in the Old Testament story. Jonah is sent to Nineveh, Daniel serves in Babylon. Fast forward into the New Testament and although the Gospels make it clear that Jesus focussed his ministry on the Jewish people, he consistently blessed those beyond the nation of Israel. The Roman Centurion’s servant, the Syro-Phonecian woman’s daughter, and a Samaritan woman of questionable moral standards.
This is the kind of church I believe Jesus wants to build. A church made up of people who will partner with him on his mission to bless the world and share the message of his redemptive love and sacrifice.
In it’s context Romans 12 reflects the call on the church to be a worshipping, prophetic, caring, serving missionary people. All of this is based upon Paul’s earlier arguments that the world is broken and God has broken into this broken world with a plan to redeem it. It’s not a repair plan or a patch plan, it’s a radical reshaping and renewing plan.
In chapter 1 we’re told about the gospel, the power of God to save those who believe the core message.
I love the local church. I have a passion to see the local church become the church that Jesus intends to build. I believe that the fundamental shape of that church is missional, that it’s focus is not internal, meeting the needs of the gathered faithful, but external, influencing the world through sharing kingdom life.
I would not argue with those who quote the creed and say that the chief end of man is to worship God, but I would dispute that as a definition of the church. That, it seems to me, is where we have gone wrong. We have turned the missionary movement that we were meant to be into a gathered community of like-minded people who share their sense of collective disappointment that the rest of the world doesn’t realise how wrong it is.
I believe that the church must change.
Defining the task
We have our mission and purpose set out like this:
Our mission is to know God and to make God known
Our purpose is to love people into a deep and growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ
Together these two things help us understand the simple call and purpose of being the church. It is a call to live out our faith in relationship with God and as partners with him in his mission to the world. That mission is redemptive (restoring the broken relationship between humanity and God through the cross of Christ) and it’s active (God came looking, Jesus said, “Go!”) The activity of God in the world was made clear through his covenant with Abraham when he declared that he would bless Abraham in order that Abraham’s descendants would be a blessing to others.
Time and time again this principle of the people of God being a blessing to the world beyond the confines of the people of God is seen in the Old Testament story. Jonah is sent to Nineveh, Daniel serves in Babylon. Fast forward into the New Testament and although the Gospels make it clear that Jesus focussed his ministry on the Jewish people, he consistently blessed those beyond the nation of Israel. The Roman Centurion’s servant, the Syro-Phonecian woman’s daughter, and a Samaritan woman of questionable moral standards.
This is the kind of church I believe Jesus wants to build. A church made up of people who will partner with him on his mission to bless the world and share the message of his redemptive love and sacrifice.
Reshaping the church: Romans 12
In it’s context Romans 12 reflects the call on the church to be a worshipping, prophetic, caring, serving missionary people. All of this is based upon Paul’s earlier arguments that the world is broken and God has broken into this broken world with a plan to redeem it. It’s not a repair plan or a patch plan, it’s a radical reshaping and renewing plan.
In chapter 1 we’re told about the gospel, the power of God to save those who believe the core message.
In chapter 3 we are reminded that everyone has fallen short of God’s standard through the selfish rebellion that we call sin.
In chapter 4 Paul points to the example of Abraham whose faith in God was what mattered most. Not his position as the father of the nation of Israel but his attitude of faith that brought about the reward of God’s blessing.
In chapter 5 we’re reminded that God solved our problem while we were unaware of either the problem or the solution. Even as we rebelled against him, he poured out his love for us through his son Jesus Christ.
In chapter 6 we’re reminded that end product of our rebellion is death but the end product of God’s mission is life.
In chapter 7 Paul exposes the state we are in as he describes life caught between two worlds, the world of wanting to do the right thing and he world of doing the wrong thing.
In Chapter 8 he celebrates the release that comes through knowing God as he declares that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
In chapters 9-11 Paul talks about his passionate concern for Israel and his hope for its future.
And that all brings us to chapter 12 and Paul’s Therefore, brothers and sister I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to present yourselves as living sacrifices.
And that all brings us to chapter 12 and Paul’s Therefore, brothers and sister I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to present yourselves as living sacrifices.
In other words, based upon his argument so far, Paul challenges us to become a people who worship God exclusively, serve him unconditionally and partner with him wholeheartedly.
The Acts 2 framework
Acts chapter 2 presents us with a simple pattern for building a church that is totally committed to worshipping and serving God. It is characterised by four things (thanks to Willow Creek!):
Helping people far from God find faith
Growing mature, fully devoted followers of Jesus
Developing a Biblical community
Carrying a servant towel
Conclusion
There is only one question we must ask ourselves:
Are we willing to step up to the challenge of building this kind of church? Of partnering with God as he builds a church that bears his image and follows his pattern?
We will need to ask ourselves more questions as we go along. Questions like:
What kind of followers of Jesus Christ does God want to produce in this church?
What kind of experiences will we need to have in order to become those kinds of followers?
What kind of leaders will we need to help us become those kinds of followers?
What kind of experiences will we need to have in order to become those kinds of followers?
What kind of leaders will we need to help us become those kinds of followers?
A place to start is with an honest assessment of where we are as individual followers of Jesus.
This is not a pass or fail examination. This is an opportunity to look at where we are going and think about what we are going to do in order to get there.
This is not a pass or fail examination. This is an opportunity to look at where we are going and think about what we are going to do in order to get there.
Monday, April 27, 2009
I am the light of the world
We all know the value of light. We have all probably faced a situation where we have thought to ourselves, “If only I had a torch handy.” If you like watching crime dramas, you may well have noticed how popular a torch is for those crime scene investigators. They seem to use them all the time to highlight the area they are focussing upon in their search for clues. Light is very important to us.
The focus for Jesus’ self-declaration, “I am the light of the world’ is a discussion about his personal testimony about himself and the validity of the claims he makes. This all takes place in John 8, and culminates in Jesus saying, “Before Abraham was born, I am”, which so enraged the Jews with whom he was debating that they picked up stones to stone him. We know from elsewhere in the Gospel that the reason they wanted to stone him was because they believed he was guilty of blasphemy because he was claiming to be God (John 10:33).
In the Old Testament David declares, my God turns my darkness into light, and, The Lord is my light and my salvation (Ps. 18:28, 27:1). Most famously perhaps are the words from Ps.119: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
Isaiah too uses the power of the symbol of light when he speaks prophetically about the coming of a new dawn: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (9:2). And later when he says: Arise, shine, for you light has come (60:1)
So, light is a powerful symbol of both the presence and the power of God. As John would later write in his first letter: God is light, in him is no darkness at all. (1 Jn.1:5)
Light in John
In John’s gospel, light features 16 times in the first 12 chapters. It is part of John’s opening prologue, it features in the discussion with Nicodemus and is used to describe the ministry of John. It is the self-declaration of Jesus in both chapter 8 and chapter 9 and is used by Jesus himself to talk about his own ministry in chapters 11 and 12.
Incidentally we ought also to remember that Jesus tells his close followers that they too are the light of the world and that Paul would call the Ephesian Christians to live as children of the light (Eph.5:8).
Light reveals God
In his prologue John tells us:
The true light was coming in to the world but would not be recognised. He would give to those who believed in him the right to become children of God. Light and life are linked and the light is more powerful than darkness because the darkness can neither understand nor overcome the light.
This is one of the fundamental things about light. It is light that transforms not darkness. You cannot turn on darkness, you can only turn of light. Darkness is defined by the lack of light not the presence of something more powerful than light. The light that John declared was coming into the world was the life that is expressed in the living Word who is God himself.
Light exposes sin
In his dialogue with Nicodemus, which rather interestingly happens “in darkness” because Nicodemus comes “at night”, Jesus speaks about the power of light to expose. It must have been an interesting discussion as Jesus talked about light and darkness and shadows in the flickering glow of an oil lamp. “Men love darkness,” He said, and the reason they do is because, “their deeds are evil”. The shadows are their natural habitat because the shadows can conceal the true nature of their actions. But light exposes them.
God does not cover up our sin. He exposes it. As Paul puts it: He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness.
Now it has to be said that when you truly think through the implications of that statement, it is far from comfortable. For who really wants their every dark thought and deed exposed to the glaring light of God’s holiness and scrutiny? No wonder we run towards the shadows rather than towards the light. And no wonder it hurts when we come into the light.
But once exposed, it is not God’s intention that we are left to deal with our sin on our own.
Coming into the light is an acknowledgement that we can no longer go on living as if we know best and that our choices have no bearing on our eternal destiny. The light lets us see the real truth that we desperately need God’ forgiveness and grace in order to live in the light. Light sets us free, and when the son sets us free, we are free indeed.
Light offers life
Once we are free, we are free to enjoy a new life. As John would write later:
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light... The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.
In his prologue John makes this statement: In him was life and this life was the light of all people.
If you want to know life, then you need to step into the light.
How to walk in the light
I want to offer you two simple guidelines for walking in the light. I’m guessing that we could produce quite a list of things we’d all consider significant, but rather than doing that I want to make it as simple as possible.
Here are my two things. They are taken from Ephesians.
To be an imitator of God is to ask yourself the other simple question: What would Jesus do?
Wearing a bracelet or necklace or carry a key ring with WWJD doesn’t count if you are not asking the question.
So choose: Darkness or light. Which will it be for you?
The focus for Jesus’ self-declaration, “I am the light of the world’ is a discussion about his personal testimony about himself and the validity of the claims he makes. This all takes place in John 8, and culminates in Jesus saying, “Before Abraham was born, I am”, which so enraged the Jews with whom he was debating that they picked up stones to stone him. We know from elsewhere in the Gospel that the reason they wanted to stone him was because they believed he was guilty of blasphemy because he was claiming to be God (John 10:33).
In the Old Testament David declares, my God turns my darkness into light, and, The Lord is my light and my salvation (Ps. 18:28, 27:1). Most famously perhaps are the words from Ps.119: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
Isaiah too uses the power of the symbol of light when he speaks prophetically about the coming of a new dawn: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (9:2). And later when he says: Arise, shine, for you light has come (60:1)
So, light is a powerful symbol of both the presence and the power of God. As John would later write in his first letter: God is light, in him is no darkness at all. (1 Jn.1:5)
Light in John
In John’s gospel, light features 16 times in the first 12 chapters. It is part of John’s opening prologue, it features in the discussion with Nicodemus and is used to describe the ministry of John. It is the self-declaration of Jesus in both chapter 8 and chapter 9 and is used by Jesus himself to talk about his own ministry in chapters 11 and 12.
Incidentally we ought also to remember that Jesus tells his close followers that they too are the light of the world and that Paul would call the Ephesian Christians to live as children of the light (Eph.5:8).
Light reveals God
In his prologue John tells us:
The true light was coming in to the world but would not be recognised. He would give to those who believed in him the right to become children of God. Light and life are linked and the light is more powerful than darkness because the darkness can neither understand nor overcome the light.
This is one of the fundamental things about light. It is light that transforms not darkness. You cannot turn on darkness, you can only turn of light. Darkness is defined by the lack of light not the presence of something more powerful than light. The light that John declared was coming into the world was the life that is expressed in the living Word who is God himself.
Light exposes sin
In his dialogue with Nicodemus, which rather interestingly happens “in darkness” because Nicodemus comes “at night”, Jesus speaks about the power of light to expose. It must have been an interesting discussion as Jesus talked about light and darkness and shadows in the flickering glow of an oil lamp. “Men love darkness,” He said, and the reason they do is because, “their deeds are evil”. The shadows are their natural habitat because the shadows can conceal the true nature of their actions. But light exposes them.
God does not cover up our sin. He exposes it. As Paul puts it: He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness.
Now it has to be said that when you truly think through the implications of that statement, it is far from comfortable. For who really wants their every dark thought and deed exposed to the glaring light of God’s holiness and scrutiny? No wonder we run towards the shadows rather than towards the light. And no wonder it hurts when we come into the light.
But once exposed, it is not God’s intention that we are left to deal with our sin on our own.
Light Liberates
The wonderful thing is that although everything is exposed, nothing is left hidden, the opportunity for freedom also becomes available. Stepping into the light is a choice to live by the truth and not according to a lie. The lie is that we’ll be okay, that somehow God will find a loophole in our favour that will allow us to go on living how we want and at the same time make us acceptable to himself.
Coming into the light is an acknowledgement that we can no longer go on living as if we know best and that our choices have no bearing on our eternal destiny. The light lets us see the real truth that we desperately need God’ forgiveness and grace in order to live in the light. Light sets us free, and when the son sets us free, we are free indeed.
Light offers life
Once we are free, we are free to enjoy a new life. As John would write later:
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light... The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.
In his prologue John makes this statement: In him was life and this life was the light of all people.
If you want to know life, then you need to step into the light.
How to walk in the light
I want to offer you two simple guidelines for walking in the light. I’m guessing that we could produce quite a list of things we’d all consider significant, but rather than doing that I want to make it as simple as possible.
Here are my two things. They are taken from Ephesians.
- Walk worthy.
- Imitate God.
To walk worthy is to ask the simple question: Does this honour God? Whatever decision you’re facing, whatever choices you’re about to make, whatever actions you are taking, ask yourself: Does this honour God?
To be an imitator of God is to ask yourself the other simple question: What would Jesus do?
Wearing a bracelet or necklace or carry a key ring with WWJD doesn’t count if you are not asking the question.
Conclusion
Jesus said: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness. He called us to put our trust in the light while we have it. If you choose not to believe, not to trust, then you stay in the darkness. If you will trust Jesus Christ, then you step out of darkness into light,and in the light there is life, there is liberty and there is forgiveness.
So choose: Darkness or light. Which will it be for you?
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