Glow in the Dark - Part B

When you share truth which is revealing in people who are living in darkness, hear those things certain things in their lives get exposed and it hurts when I don't like that you don't have to be obnoxious. You shined the flashlight feel like hell.

You're going you don't have to be obnoxious. You can be winsome and warm and lovely and sensual and sweet life looks different from the world and you speak God's truth in love, make a big impact for Christ.

Connect with Skip Heitzig today as he shares how your life can be a beacon of hope that attracts people to Christ begin.

We invite you to Skip Sunday message live at nine and 11 AM lives on Calvary, NM.church. That's nine and 11 AM 5.Calvary NM.church. Now we want to let you know about a resource that helps you dive even deeper into God's truths reading the Bible can lead to asking serious questions like the rapture real or how can I overcome anxiety. These two questions are among those answered in pastor Skip text a new DVD of four impactful messages I Skip I think, imagine knowing somebody who knows everything about. Now imagine somebody who knows everything about you and loves you and that's what were dealing with and we deal with the knowledge of God.

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Call 800-922-1888, 800-922-1888 and request your copy of pastor Skip okay instruction for today stood so much joy. Skip we must never block the glory of the sun S ON the son of God in all of his radiance and glory, we buy our lives must never diminish the glow but we should reflect that know something else about light light. To be effective, has to be seen light has to be seen. Please notice that Paul says mom whom you shine as lights in the world for you and I to be effective. We have to be around people who are in darkness for the light to be noticeable and for the work.

If all we do is shine among other people who are shining were not doing a lot of good.

So here we are Sunday morning.

It's great were worshiping. We need to do that we understand what the Bible says about getting together.

However, this is the only place where shining what I do in the world any good here. I am on the church I'm shining the light of mine and let it shine that school. But we have to leave this place and go out.

You notice like it's like this is my flashlight member okay so what would it be like if I walked out in the sun right now with my flashlight so I could see where I was going. You saw that you'd say really lame. You don't need a flashlight to see where you're going, the sons brighter than the flashlight so you need to do that so that's what it's like when Christians only shine a mark around other Christians. We need to be in the darkness for the light to really be of value and forth to work. That's why Jesus said so. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven. See, there's no such thing as secret discipleship because the discipleship will destroy the secrecy or the secrecy will destroy the discipleship. So, among whom you shine the light has to be seen something else about light.

Have you noticed that light reveals what darkness hides know something about turning on a light that is very revelatory or or taking an object out into the sun and examining it's very very amazing the difference. I have a rug. I had a rug until this week in my study.

It's out for cleaning, etc. it's an old thing that we gotta pawnshop and it's a nice rug but it's was pretty dirty. Switch to God to get a clean and when I when we lifted off. It's a dark floor when I exposed to the bright lights. I was amazed how much dirt was under that rock like poor slobs and we would vacuum and clean stuff, but it concealed a lot and it really showed it when the lights were turned on the bright light revealed what the darkness was hiding, which is why we need to be careful when we share our faith with unbelievers because when you share truth which is revealing and people who are living in darkness, hear those things certain things in our lives. Get exposed and it hurts. Know whence they don't like that and you don't have to be obnoxious to not to like China flashlight.

Note hey dear like Hal Prichard going you don't have to be obnoxious. You can be winsome and warm and lovely and deferential and sweet at the same time just speaking truth will be enough to convict people who don't want to budge from their darkness that they will flee. Jesus said it this way. This is the verdict light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

For everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. Something else about light.

As I mentioned previously, it shows people the way out of darkness doesn't just expose the darkness. It's really helpful when it leads or directs somebody out so we all know that Jesus said I am the light of the world.

That's what he said about himself. We know that bliss in the context of. Here's what he said there's a full sentence as long as I am in the world I am the light of the world that Jesus last time I checked left this world. He ascended into heaven he was here he laughed and he gave his Holy Spirit to us to reset as long as I'm in the world I am the light of the world, but he turned to his disciples and he said you are the light of the world. So think of it as the sun and the moon.

The moon reflects the sun shouldn't obscure the sun should reflect the sun so as long as I am in the world I am the light of the world. But now to you and I you are the light of the world so don't block the sun the clips it reflect the sun that we do that well. The short answer is we have to get close to the one who shining so you know we got a glow-in-the-dark products. If you have a watch that has a dial the glows like I do, or you have those little rubber necklaces. They pass out again generally put around her neck or your wrist. So those phosphorescent toys or objects they have a phosphor embedded into them, and a phosphor reacts to a light source, so you hold it up to a light like in the sun or a light bulb enter charges after the call, there's a charge that takes place. The phosphor gets excited by the light source and then it continues to shine and that's called persistence. Now the persistence of the object that is growing is directly relational to the radiance at the source, so the longer or more intense the source, the more persistence is going to happen. And so, so it is with us for us to go all we need to go close to Jesus grow in him and in fellowship with him in proximity to him getting all of that warmth and below then our persistence will be more impactful and I want to show you that show you exactly how this takes us to verse 14 through 16. I want you to look at it because I'm a show you how to glow and this is what were called to do. This is our vocation to the world do all things without complaining and disputing that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain, some that up. There's two ways to glow attitude and action. You need the right attitude. You need the right action, the right attitude is verse 14 do all things without complaining all guess what this is and can help, perhaps, but it's as do all things. I made a discovery. All things actually means all things I love is a gap in the Greek hero ordered all things really mean some things actually means.

All things are sort of like Romans 828 we know that all things work together for good to those who love God is another all things to all things without complaining and disputing, in order means to complain who doesn't do anything with this word means the word here for complaining literally means to monitor in a low voice a low tone and undertone.

The word means under your breath if this man is not really vocalizing it to somebody else or just your ticked off at something and it is just got a bad attitude about attitude. Okay, so what's the context of your shining is a light in a crooked world.

The world is watching you. How attractive is a Christian who does us over at her. Is that effective in winning people is a complaining rumbling disputing believer to bring people out of darkness into the light. No, so to be a complaining believer is bad advertising for the kingdom. Would you agree with that. It's about Africa's why would an unbeliever listening to you grumble and complain want to do what you're doing is about follow Christ as your say you know you need to come to Christ's peace and joy, love and greatness and awesomeness in our era going really you know you're always grumbling so your God didn't treat you very well, so why should I follow him to do all things without complaining and disputing, it's like a family at breakfast and father began to breakfast by a very pious prayer.

Heavenly father, we thank you this day for all the food and all the goodness you provided and then afterward started complaining about the coffee being too weak and his wife make me eggs and being late for this, that and so little daughters listening at the table and says hey daddy did God hear you thank him in your prayer with course. God always hears our prayers and daddy did God hear you complain against mom and the eggs in the coffee and got nervous.

Yeah, I guess God did hear me say that and so she innocently said when daddy which one does not believe which one does not believe now an unbeliever looking at us. Which one are they to believe the complaining you order you to follow God because he's awesome.

You do all. That's the attitude that's how you blow the more you complain, the more you diminish the glow sexy. That's the first part a look at the next word do all things without complaining and disputing different word disputing is when you take it from under your breath and us in a dialogue. Now you're telling everybody what's wrong with everything that's different than complaining that your disputing. Think of the woman in the car when she rolled her window down and shares those choice words and gives that gesture so that's the disputing part and it's disputing what her bumper actually says she believed that Jesus said be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Dove is pretty harmless, and a serpent was considered shrewd. Why is it that we as Christians think that we should reverse that and be about as wise as a been about as harmless as a serpent.

Does no one any good. Hey what animal in the Bible does Jesus say were most like she'd never ever been scared by sheep ever seen a sign beware of lamb Lambeau is here watch out, this is my guard sheep. Jesus said, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves not wolves in the midst of sheep were sheep that your temperament in the midst of wolves. So first is the attitude all important is attitude. Do all things without complaining and disputing second is the action is how you glow not only your attitude be your action. Verse 16 holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain, that when you think of holding something fast. We think gripping it, holding it firmly. So I'm holding my Bible fast. I have a good grip on so Paul could mean you need to have a good grip on the truth of the gospel because that's what he means when he says, holding the word of life. That's a synonym for the gospel message so you could simply mean get a firm grasp on the message that brings eternal life. However, this word is a little ambiguous and some translations put it this way. Not holding fast but holding forth the word of life.

I think that's a better idea. Don't just hold it fast. So you know stuff hold its fourth so that you show stuff so that you are telling others the message he is speaking here of sharing your faith with people preaching the gospel, not just knowing it but showing it sharing it speaking and evangelizing with silvery glow-in-the-dark by living our lives differently. We glow-in-the-dark by speaking the truth accurately what we exemplify with our life must be amplified by our lips. So if you're one of those believers is a well I like to live a silent witness. I like to live my with well that's okay that you are living your witness with us are like this logo so I'm delighted to put it over here.

It is nice a warm glow and admit awesome. It is, it is.

But if you never actually tell people why you are so awesome and why you are so warm and why you got this cool little glow going on in your life. If they never know how that happened and I cannot get out of darkness himself.

So at some point we actually need to put words to our life and tell people how we got out of darkness and came to the life and how they can to we have to share the gospel with our lips.

Romans chapter 10 verse 14 pulses. How can they believe in, one of whom they have not heard and how can they hear without somebody preaching to them. So listen if you think you can be a secret agent Christian.

I'm encouraging you this morning. Blow your cover letter that states secret out that the kingdom secret.

Be no tell them what really the skinny years. Tell them what heaven is all about and tell them how you got changed.

So how do we glow right attitude right action. I want to close of the last two verses and there's something I never really noticed until this reading of Philippians. In verse 17 and 18. He says yes and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith.

I am glad and rejoice with you all for the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me, and I didn't see this before, but Paul here is linking his suffering and their sacrifice.

Put them together and saying I want you guys to start seeing this as worship as part of your worship to God. So see where Paul says if I'm being poured out as a drink offering that's a picture they would be familiar with you and I aren't but in ancient times pagan cultures had a thing called a libation where they would take up a vessel, a glass maybe with wine in it and they would pour it on top of the sacrifice that was being made and it was symbolic of you know going all and I'm I'm pouring everything into this.

I'm withholding it for myself and pouring it out even in Judaism in the Old Testament there was something called a drink offering was poured out policies is life that way. He's in jail he's suffering and he says you know I may not make it out of here alive. I'm incarcerated but I might have to pour my whole life out in the kill. By the way, that's how Paul use it in the very last letter he ever wrote.

Second Timothy. He said in his writing. I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my death is at hand. So here's what he saying, even if this means I am being poured out on you notice it on the sacrifice and the service of your faith, so it's in their sacrifice, and his offering poured on top. That's the word picture you see the word service. It literally means worship service.

It lay 20 we get the term liturgy from that the ceremony a liturgical ceremony, a service of worship, so to listen to me tie it all together for you is because Paul is saying all of our glowing all of our light bearing all of our gospel preaching all of our attitude adjusting. You need to see that as part of your worship to God because that takes it to a whole new level C that gives us a whole new reason to adjust her attitude gets is a whole new reason to show the gospel as a whole new reason to let our light be seen because as part of our worship to God. Romans chapter 12 verse one I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is NIV says your spiritual act of worship. Your spiritual act of worship. So let's glow-in-the-dark let's leave the place were all shining so brightly and go out into the dark, crooked and perverse world and glow-in-the-dark last the darkness overshadow our glow. I want to close a crazy question but I want an honest answer. How many drink Coke products you call people regime.

If you like.

We met me rephrase it Coca-Cola not Coke, not Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola people regime I want to answer the question because I might be surprised by the answer. Okay so these are Coca-Cola people. How many Pepsi people regime okay once more Coca-Cola people regime okay so I gotta tell you, Coke went, and I think I know why wonder why Coke wins because a few years back years ago that they had a stated goal of Coca-Cola Corporation. They said our goal is we want every person on earth to at least taste Coke Arcola report. That's our goal. That's pretty lofty goal to say I want everybody in the world to taste Coca-Cola. This is how they've done as of today, 97% of the world has heard of Coke, 72% of the world has seen a Coke product 51% of the world has tasted Coca-Cola over half left only over half percent hundred percent yet again along Coca-Cola's been around only 100 years in 100 years, they've been around over half the world's population has tasted you know how long we've been around the Christian communities. There 2000 years.

The gospel message is been around. I know things go better with Coke but things go way better with Jesus's so we can boast of those numbers we can boast of the same numbers of the Coca-Cola Corporation, so I think you would agree it's time for us to blow to get in the game so the glow we have to go Jesus and grow in him, so that persistent low comes forth from our lives that concludes its message from the series technical script to share these messages coming your way to connect you and others to God's truths for all the wisdom that the Bible does contain it's worthless if you don't apply it to your life. Our desire is that every single listener like you wouldn't just hear God's word but be transformed by and you can help make that possible. By giving today to keep this program going strong.

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