[1] #371, Walk in the Light of Christmas, Pastor David McIntosh, Sunday 12-27-2009

Text: John 8:12

Introduction

• Last week we discovered the light of Christmas. Today we want to examine what to do with this discovered light!
  It is one thing to discover something. It is another thing altogether to apply the discovery to my life in a way that makes a lasting impact.
• Light is an incredible thing to meditate on as it relates to our spiritual health.
• Genesis 1:3-4 – And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
• Here we discover that God spoke light into being, God said light was good and that God separated light from darkness.
• John 1:1-2; 4-5 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning…In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
• We see that light again is from God and is in contrast to what is called darkness.
• John 1:9 – The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
• With all this in front of us today, Listen to what Jesus said (the Light) to us in John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of light.
• So the key to the “light of life” and the way out of “darkness walking” is not the discovery of the light of the world, but rather following the light of the world!

QUESTION: NOW THAT WE HAVE DISCOVERED THE LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS HOW DO WE WALK IN HIM?

1. TURN AWAY FROM ALL DARKNESS
a. John 1:5 – The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
b. Light & darkness do not mix. The first thing we must do in order to begin to walk in the light is to turn away from darkness. (Repent)
c. Acts 28:18 – I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.
d. You have to “tell on yourself.” Expose all things to the light!
e. 1 Cor. 4:5 – Judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts.
f. Understanding this, it is of great benefit for us to just confess and repent now!!

2. LOOK UNTO JESUS
a. Because repent literally means to change and turn from, we turn from darkness to the Light, to Jesus. We can look up to the Lord in our prayers and enjoy intimate fellowship with Him.
b. Psalm 4:6 – Many are asking, who can show us any good? Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.
c. Psalm 89:15 – Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.
d. Hebrews 12:2 – Let us fix our eyes Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
e. Look unto Jesus, call on His Name, fix your gaze upon Him, walk in His light, let His light shine upon you and your life will be changed, transformed forever!!

3. FORGIVE OFFENDERS
a. The greatest producers of darkness in our lives are the bitterness & hatred we allow to grow toward those who have offended us.
b. 1 John 2:9;11 – Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness…But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
c. Light and unforgiveness cannot co exist. This is so powerful that you can think your living in the light but unforgiveness has blinded you and you really are walking around in the dark.

4. STUDY & MEDITATE ON THE SCRIPTURES
a. Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
b. V.130 – The unfolding of your words gives light, it gives understanding to the simple.
c. To walk in the Light of Christmas we must be engrafting God’s word into our souls!

5. GATHER WITH OTHER BELIEVERS
a. 1 John 1:7 – But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
b. We need to meet together in this building and outside of this building and encourage one another so that our light is not diminished, but brightened!!

HOW WILL GOD USE OUR LIGHT?
1. 1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
2. Our light is a sign that we are chosen and belong to God. He wants to shine this light in a dark world and use it to draw others to Himself.
3. 1 Peter 2:12 – Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
4. Our light is our good works (not good words) that God wants to display to a lost & dying world!
5. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven, Jesus said in Matthew 5.
6. John 3:21 – But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

CLOSING
1. When we turn from darkness, fix our gaze unto Jesus, live in a spirit of forgiveness, become students of the Scriptures and delight to gather with other believers our light begins to grow and become bright.
2. And this light is a sign to a lost & dying world that we are in fact a people belonging to God.
3. And who we are and what we do will be seen plainly as a work of God!!
4. Someone once said people are tired of hearing good sermons, they want to see one!

ALTAR
1. Invite you to use this altar as a meeting place, for you to meet the Light of the World and express your hunger to live in His light!
2. Eph.5:8 – For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
3. Php. 2:15 – so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.
4. Come to the altar, meet with the Light of Christmas, share your hunger to live in the light and shine like stars in the universe!!