Glorious Way Church
Glorious Way Church equips believers for the work of the ministry and stands for God’s truth in our culture. We serve as a regional center, where people from all backgrounds find refreshing worship and true communion of the saints.
Glorious Way Church
Jesus - Light In The Dark World
Have you ever felt engulfed by darkness, yearning for a glimmer of light to guide your way? In today's episode, we embark on a heartfelt journey through the metaphor of light in the dark world, inspired by the story of Jesus's birth and ministry. Reflecting on Matthew 4:16, we explore how Jesus stands as an emblem of hope amidst the mounting challenges we face both nationally and globally.
I want to read to you tonight out of Matthew, chapter 4, and this prophecy took in more than just Jesus' birth. It actually took in His ministry. But I wanted to read because it's just so apropos and it speaks to not only His birth but His ministry Matthew 4, 16,. I'm going to not only his birth but his ministry Matthew 4, 16. I'm going to read it in the message Over Jordan, galilee, crossroads for the nations, people sitting out their lives in the dark Saw a huge light. Sitting in that dark country of death, they watched the sun come up, praise God. What a metaphor. And so tonight I just wanted to share just a couple of remarks on Jesus' light in a dark world and we've been living in a dark world Seems like the darkness has increased the last few years, especially with the way things have gone in our nation and across all the continents of the earth. There's just a darkness that's gripped, but you know, the church is rising up, the sun is coming up, and I want us to focus on that. We're the light of the world, because he made us that way, and so really the birth of Jesus was the renewing of the light. I mean, they'd gone through a darkness here where the covenant people of Israel covenant with God almighty, and they'd let their covenant slip much, much like America's let her covenant slip. So similar and the results are similar. But suddenly there came a light. Angels sang about the glory that was the renewing. His birth was the renewing of the light. Then God just said look, it's just too dark. I didn't create it dark, I'm going to send the light. Just too dark, I didn't create it dark, I'm going to send the light. And everything about his announcing of his birth was light. I mean the angel. I gave you that at the beginning, there, at the opening of the service, in Luke, chapter 2. And the angel sang about the glory. They manifested the glory to.
Speaker 1:You know, the blue collar workers didn't appear to the high muckety mucks didn't appear to. The temple rulers didn't appear to. The Pharisees didn't appear to you know, anybody but the guys that were working graveyard shift. Anybody ever work graveyard shift? I'm raising my hand because I've done it. It's not a lot of fun, especially when it rotates. You go from graveyard to days to nights. But here they were. You know, shepherds didn't. I mean, they worked all the time. They didn't have a shift, they just and you know, they were out there and then they saw that wonderful sight. The wise men followed the star Again. Light led them to the Christ child, and in darkness, herod could not extinguish the light, jesus. So it was all about the light. It was all about God turning on the light. You know, when he's turning on the light around the world, he's turning on the light and the church is rising up, amen.
Speaker 1:So this is a candlelight service, and so we're going to light candles. I've got the electric version, if you'll forgive me, because the last time I used a real flame it almost set me on fire. So I'd rather not have that kind of fire, I'd rather have the Holy Ghost kind of fire, if you don't mind. But we've got these fancy little electric. So we're going to do that.
Speaker 1:But I want you to consider three things while we do, and especially our children. We've got boy, didn't the children do a great job Sunday man, I mean, and the teenagers too, I mean they all did a great job and I was so impressed. We had some musicians up there. We had Ace playing the violin, I don't know. We had all kind of people up here really worshiping the Lord with their gift, and it's exciting. So three things I want us to consider tonight. We won't keep you long, but it's just family too. You know you're our family, we're all family with one another.
Speaker 1:So the first thing I want to think about is at one time we lived in darkness, separated from God's bright presence, and I still remember what it was like to be lost. You know, I didn't get saved till I was 33. I was raised in church. Most of you know my story. Catholic boy went to Catholic school, the nun's favorite. I was president of everything, president of the Knights of the Altar, you know, just nun's favorite. They just knew I was going to be a priest.
Speaker 1:Johnny, johnny, they called me Johnny until I finally. Just, you know, I prefer John. If you don't mind, would you mind not calling me Johnny? And by the time I'm seventh and eighth grade, johnny was just a little bit too babyish, you know. And they did. They called me John then. But I remember what it's like to be separated from his presence because when I got saved, everything changed. I know that's the way it was with you. Let's not forget what it was like to get saved, because I believe we're in harvest time. It was like to get saved because I believe we were. We're in harvest time. We received Jesus in light. Talk about turning on the light. God turned on the light in me and I changed.
Speaker 1:You know I'm, as a home builder, I'm around rough construction types it just every other word's a cuss word and uh, you know Gladys would get so embarrassed that you know, john, quit talking like that to children. I'd say, yeah, I know, I know I couldn't stop. I'd just say the worst language coming out of my mouth on a constant basis. And you know, the funny thing is my parents weren't like my dad might say a D or an H every great once in a while. That's as far as it went. He never was vile or never had anything terrible. But man, I don't know, I just, and I woke up, you know, the night that I gave my heart to jesus. I woke up the next morning and, and it was a two or three days later, I realized I hadn't even said one cuss word. I mean, god delivered me from that foul mouth.
Speaker 1:It's an unclean spirit and just look at it how it is in today's society. It's where they don't hold anything back. But we have good news Light. God turned on the light. He turned on my light and I began to change. You know, we ought to give God a little chance to change us. We don't change in every area instantly.
Speaker 1:It takes a while, but if you'll give his word. That's why I tell people give me a year of your life. It takes me a year just to cover all the material, and even then I can't cover it all. But it takes me a year to get enough of the word in you where you can see some appreciable difference, especially if you've never sat under the word of faith, if you've never sat in a full gospel church, especially if you're coming out of the Catholic church or coming out of the Baptist church and you've never sat under this kind of teaching. It takes at least a year for you to see any big, huge difference. So let's remember what it was like when we were lost so that we can stir ourselves up to reach out to those that we know need what we've got, because you've got something, you've got the goods now to give away.
Speaker 1:And simultaneous to god turning on the light inside of me, god's love was implanted in my heart. The love of god was shed abroad in my heart by the holy ghost. That's what happens to every believer. The love of god, not the love, not the natural human love. The human love is really in many cases devilish. It's conditional, it's. You know, I'll love you as long as you are acceptable to me. I love you as long as you're bringing home the bacon, husband, wife. I'll love you as long as you look like the day I married you. And if you look any different after four or five kids, well then you know I'm not going to love you. See, that's all conditional love. That's not the love that God has, the God kind of love. That's who God is.
Speaker 1:God is agape, god is love, and so he shed that love in our hearts. We have the ability to love with the love of God, and that burning love that God had for us came to us so that he could go through us. See, it's not just stopping here, it's going through us, just like the light goes through us. It goes through us to a lost world. Let's remember there's people that need Jesus and we don't have to give up on anybody. I mean, I tell you, the some of the people that we think are lost cases are not lost cases. We look on the outside, god looks on the inside. And so, and then lastly, god's love and God's light are the reasons why, no matter how dark the world gets, there's always hope, and I know that's what we hung on to, especially the last few years.
Speaker 1:I know some of you have gone through some exceedingly tough trials and I just encourage you tonight. There's no temptation, test or trial taking you, but such is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted, tested or tried above what you're able, but will, with that temptation, test or trial, also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear up under it. That love and that life will keep the hope. See, faith, you know hope is you got to have hope before you can have faith. Faith is what brings god on the scene, but without hope you can't have hope. Before you can have faith, faith is what brings God on the scene, but without hope you can't have any faith. Faith gives substance to the hope. So that's what the devil tries to do is rob you of the hope. He tries to rob you of uh, of the expectation or even the possibility of things changing. But as long as there's God's love and God's light, that hope cannot be extinguished and therefore our faith cannot be extinguished and therefore we have a right to everything that Jesus' blood bought and paid for, hallelujah. And then again, here we are, vessels.
Speaker 1:I used to think, well, I've got to get all this straightened up before I can, you know, be of any use. Well, you know, god uses us right where we are. I tell you, as long as you've got his love and his light in you, he can use you to help other people. You might have a dozen things you're working on, you might have a dozen challenges, you know, but God can use you. And what God wants to use you in the days ahead, I believe we're right on the edge of the greatest move of God the world's ever seen. I really believe this is the end time revival. We're beginning to get right on the edges of it. It's exciting what he's going to do 2025,. I can hardly wait what's ahead of us.