Walking in the Light

We think of ourselves as men and women of faith. And even though we've made a commitment to Jesus, which we feel has cost us plenty, and even though we spend quite a bit of time in prayer, there are moments when we just have trouble focusing in on God. There are times when we have no sense of God's presence in our lives at all.

No awareness of it. Where is He? Am I just imagining things, or is this stuff really true? How do I know? Where is that assurance I used to have? Now I can keep doing the things I've always done, I can keep doing the things I did when my faith was clear, but if God doesn't come out of this wilderness and refresh me, and speak to me, I'm not going to make it. And don't be coming around with your religious platitudes and your smug doctrines.

I'm out here, ideas about God, I want God. I want to know God's presence in my life. The Apostle John breaks it down to two spiritual realities, light and darkness.

And by light he doesn't mean the light that we can see with our eyes, like the sun, or the candle flame, or a hundred watt bulb. He's talking about a light you can see if you have no eyes at all. He's talking about a light that comes on when you hear a word that gives you direction for your life.

A light that shines when you see someone taking a stand against evil. When you watch a mother pouring out her life for her child. And when John talks about darkness, he's not talking about the darkness we experience when all the lights go off on a stormy night.

He's talking about a darkness which invades your soul, even when the sun is shining. When a man lies to another man. That man is spreading darkness.

When a woman expresses deep concern for you, your well-being. But underneath, she has an agenda. She's going to exploit you in some way.

That woman is a cloud of darkness, watch out for her. And there is a darkness that looks like light. The man seems decent, respectable, does things in the community, belongs to a church.

But in the sight of God, that man's life is a long string of wasted years. His name is Jonah. He's running away from the call of God.

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh. And preach the word. Jonah goes the opposite way, gets a ship for Spain.

And everybody's life on that ship is endangered because that man was walking in darkness. From John 1, 5. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you. That God is light.

And in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, while we walk in darkness, we lie. We do not live according to the truth.

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, cleanses us from all sin. You say you're trying to regain your vision of God.

You're trying to find your way back to a clear faith. Then understand this. You will never meet God in the darkness.

You will never hear God's voice. See God's hand at work. Experience the power of God's spirit.

So long as you are content to be walking in spiritual darkness. Wait a minute. Who says I'm walking in darkness? When our faith starts getting weary.

And our vision gets blurred. We find ourselves getting really touchy. Impatient.

Easily irritated. Negative. Critical.

Sorry for ourselves. It's a sign that we've drifted into the spiritual shadow lands. God hasn't changed.

Jesus hasn't walked away. The Holy Spirit hasn't turned his back on us. God is out there in the light.

Jesus is out there in the light with unspeakable blessings for you. All we have to do is move from the darkness into the light. But nobody can do that for us.

We have to do that ourselves. We have to do it. We have to move from the darkness to the light.

If we say we have fellowship with him. While we walk in darkness we lie. And do not live according to the truth.

But if we walk in the light. If he is in the light. We have fellowship with one another.

And the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin. To walk in the light means three things. People who were at the wedding yesterday were all upset.

Because I had four points. So those who were there. We're going to go down to three again.

So everybody feels comfortable. First of all. To walk in the light means to admit the truth about ourselves.

The problem. My problem is not what those people are doing to me. My problem is what I'm doing to myself.

With my attitude. My impatience. My self-centeredness.

My sin. And as long as I cover those things over. And pretend they're not there.

And blame everybody else for everything that's going wrong. I'm in darkness. How many times over the years.

When I would get ticked off. At the flock I was serving. And as you know I spent most of my time here.

You know for being so apathetic. You know so. Stagnant.

What's the matter with them guys? The spirit of God. Every time would eventually get through to me and say. It's not them.

It's you. You deal with your own apathy. You deal with your own stagnation.

And pretty soon they'll begin to hear a word that gives them life. And that applies. To every frustration we experience.

In our homes. Among our friends. Where we're at work.

And especially in the body of Christ. Bring your own life out into the light. By admitting.

That your impatience. Is doing a lot more harm than their incompetence. It's not.

It's not them Lord it's me. It's me. Help me to see that.

Help me to deal with that. God help me. To deal with what's right here.

Secondly to walk in the light. Is to confess our sins. Our sins.

My problem. Is not my low self esteem. My problem is not.

My abused rejected childhood. My problem is not my pain. And my loneliness.

My problem is my sin. My sin. If we say we have no sin.

We deceive ourselves. And the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sin.

He is faithful and just. To forgive our sins. And cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Now it's good that we begin every Sunday morning. By confessing. We have sinned against you.

By in thought word and deed. By what we have done. By what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. That's certainly the starting point.

For real genuine worship. Always. That's the door into the presence of God.

But. Those words of confession. Have to come off the page.

And get into our hearts. And they have to come alive. As we name specific sins.

That we are wrestling with. Lord God. My impatience with my mate.

Or my friend. My lack of mercy for so and so. That cowardly decision which I made this week.

That flat out lie. That float across my lips as smooth as butter. When we.

Start taking the sins that are there in us. And confess them. And bring them out into the light before God.

Then the blood of the Lamb starts to cleanse. And that's the only time it can. And then when we come.

And he says. This is the blood of the new covenant shed for your sins. We begin to experience cleansing.

The blood of the Lamb begins to wash away. In fact wash away. All the sins.

That we confess to him. Point number three. To walk in the light.

Is to act. On what we know to be God's will. We walk in the light.

We don't just sit around and think about it. We walk in it. The issue is not.

Do you know God's will? What do you know about God's will? The issue is. Are you walking in the light you now have? You can know all about God's will. Know all about the light.

And be walking in total darkness. You can know your Bible inside out. And backwards.

You can read both the doctrines. You can have insights into the deepest. Reasons of theology.

You can read Karl Barth until forever. Whatever. And still be walking in the darkness.

Jonah knew. What the light was. He knew what God wanted him to do.

He knew that God wanted him to go to Nineveh. And preach the word. He chose to go his own way.

He chose to walk in darkness. That was his decision. He walked inside the belly of the fish.

And changes his mind. Okay. I give up.

I yield to you. The light comes on. His darkness ends.

Even though he's totally surrounded by darkness. Can't see a thing. He's come out into the light.

From Jonah chapter 2. And then jumping into 3. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord. His God from the belly of the fish. Saying.

You are the body of Sheol. I cried. And thou didst hear my voice.

And the Lord spoke to the fish. And vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time.

Saying. Arise. Go to Nineveh that great city.

And proclaim to it the message that I tell you. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh. According to the word of the Lord.

Now Jonah is walking in what he knows. To be God's will. He's walking in the light.

I don't know what God's will is for me. I've been trying and trying to find out. I'm just not sure.

Should I do this or that? Maybe you haven't heard. The spirit telling you. To go.

To Russia. Or Mexico. But you have heard the spirit.

Telling you to be reconciled with that brother. And you have heard the spirit. Telling you to share some of your abundance.

With the hungry. And you have heard the spirit. Telling you to go.

To your Nineveh. You got a Nineveh. And if you don't know what it is.

He'll show you. To walk in the light. Is to admit.

The truth about ourselves. It's not them. It's me.

To walk in the light. By name. And to walk in the light.

Is to act on what we know to be God's will. And get moving toward Nineveh. When we do these things.

We begin immediately to have. Fellowship with each other. It was impossible to have fellowship.

With one another. As long as we were walking in darkness. Even though we knew the doctrines.

We knew. And he was talking about unity, unity, unity. Stand off fellowship.

Because we're walking in darkness. We're in darkness. But now the cloud lifts.

We come out of the darkness. Because the cloud is gone. We're walking in the light.

Immediately. We begin to have fellowship. Now we start to know each other.

And appreciate each other. And trust each other. And encourage each other.

We begin to fit together. And it happened. Because we're walking in the light.

Now we have fellowship. Something even more wonderful happens. When we walk in the light.

Suddenly. The blood of the Lamb starts cleansing us from all sin. And we have fellowship with God.

Our faith is renewed and restored. And now we begin to know that God is with us. Above us, beneath us, around us, in us.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city. And proclaim to it the message that I tell you.

So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh. According to the word of the Lord. When we.

With our whole heart. Choose. To walk in the light.

That God has given us. The same thing happens to us that happened to Jonah. We begin to hear clearly.

What he wants us to do. He's in the belly of the fish. He comes into the light.

Now God says. Next second time, go to Nineveh. And as we walk in what we know God's will is for us.

When we begin to take a step. In the direction we know we are to go. We begin to spread light.

We begin to touch the world around us with God's light. Just as Jonah brought light to Nineveh. One day.

Soon. We're going to come to the end of our journey in this world. And each of us will be required.

To give an account. Of what we did with our lives. Oh.

I visited 14 countries. I went on 7 cruises. And I saved a pile of money.

Oh. I went to church. I lived a highly moral life.

And I belonged to 3 service clubs. Yes. But did you walk in the light that I gave you? Did you walk in it? I was hungry.

Did you give me food? I was thirsty. Did you give me drink? I was a stranger. I stumbled right into your church.

Did you welcome me? I was naked. Did you clothe me? I was sick. Did you take the time to visit me? I was in prison.

Did you come to me? Did you walk in the light? The spirit of God. Is calling each of us. To a Nineveh of some kind.

An act of obedience. A commitment. My.

Whatever that is. That's your Nineveh. My prayer is that before this day ends.

If you don't know what your Nineveh is. And many people already know what it is. But if you don't know it.

That before the day is over. The Lord will make it clear to you. What that Nineveh is for you.

Once it's clear. That's your life. Walk in it.

And your faith. Will be renewed. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father. We ask that. You by the power of your spirit.

Moving in quietness. And peace. Among us now.

Would stir our hearts. To see what you require of us. For our good.

For the blessing of our lives. And the glory of your name. Grant that the things inside us.

That we've covered over. The fears. And the anxieties.

And the resentments. And all the things that are so mixed together in our hearts. May somehow be breathed upon by your spirit.

So that we begin to see exactly. What you have us be and do. And grant that as we.

Move out of the shadows. And wherever the shadows are for us. And choose to take the chance.

To run the risk. To get out there in the light. That our faith may come.

Into a place where it's never been before. And that by faith. Lord God.

As individuals. And as a body. We may truly.

Glorify your name. And be channels through which the power of heaven. Flows richly.

To the world around us. Father we ask it in Jesus name. Amen.