Bright Lights and Night Lights – Part 1

3:15 I titled today's message, Bright Lights and Nightlights. Dr. E.M. Blalock is the professor of Christian studies at Auckland University in New Zealand. He has written, Of all the centuries, the 21st is most like to the first. Once again, Christians are a small minority in the midst of a despairing and pagan world, and they are confronted on every side with violence, hostility, ignorance, widespread immorality, and despair. We're thus thrust back into the very climate of the first century. Isn't that a great description of the world in which we're living right now? a world that is filled with persecution, immorality, and ignorance of God's word. And yet Paul, more than almost 2,000 years ago, wrote a letter to a group of Christians in Colossae who were involved in that very same kind of culture.

4:17 And he said in his letter, the only way you're going to stand firm against the immorality, the heresy, the persecution of this age is to keep your mind fixed on things above. Set your mind on things above, Paul wrote, where Christ is. And in the book of Colossians, he tells us how to do that. How to become a heavenly-minded Christian. And today, we're going to look at the second of the four steps Paul says we can use in our life to make our lives like that of Jesus Christ. To resemble Jesus in our attitudes, affections, and our actions. If you have your Bibles today, I want you to turn to Colossians chapter 3. And we started last week looking at verse 15 that begins showing us the four ways that we can live the same kind of supernatural existence that Jesus lived and also experience the same kind of supernatural blessings in our life that Jesus has experienced. You don't have to wait to die if you're a Christian to experience the benefits of becoming a Christian.

5:21 You can live that heavenly kind of life while sterile on earth. And Paul shows us how to do it. Remember in verse 15, he said step one to becoming like Christ is to allow the peace of God to rule, literally, to umpire in your life. That is to allow the same peace that characterized Jesus' life to characterize yours as well. Doesn't matter what's happening around you. You can have that supernatural equilibrium when the world is topsy-turvy around you. That's step one. And now when we get to verse 16, we're going to look at the second step of becoming like Christ. And in fact, it's found not only just in verse 16, but in the first half of verse 16. Paul writes, let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. Now what does Paul mean by the word of Christ? Some commentators say that Paul was talking about the word spoken by Jesus Christ.

6:21 All of those red letters in your red letter edition of the Bible, that's what he's talking about. The words actually spoken by Christ. Other people say, no, he was talking about the words in the Bible spoken about Christ. And literally all the Bible is about Jesus Christ. The Old Testament points toward him. The New Testament reveals him and explains who he was. I believe actually Paul had both in view here. He was talking about the words spoken by Christ and the words about Jesus Christ. He's talking about the Word of God. And he said the Word of God is like a light that gives direction in this dark and corrupt world. You know, throughout the Bible, the Bible describes itself as a light. For example, in Psalm 119, verse 105, the psalmist said, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Or in Philippians 2 verses 15 and 16, Paul wrote that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you appear as lights in the world holding fast the word of life. I like 2 Peter 1 19. Jot that down. Peter said, so we have the prophetic word, that's referring to the word of God, made more sure to which you do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. Maybe you've used a nightlight before. You know what a nightlight does. Glows in the middle of the night. If you're a child, it can give you comfort if you're afraid of the dark. As an adult, nightlights are helpful. If you're getting up in the middle of the night, they go to the bathroom or to the kitchen, whichever one it is. It's good to have a light and the darkness to give you direction. Now, the only time a nightlight is absolutely of no use is in the daylight.

8:21 And that's what God's Word is saying here in 2 Peter 1.19. Right now, while Christ is away in heaven, getting ready for His return, we are surrounded by darkness in this world. We live in a dark, corrupt world, but the Word of Christ is like light giving direction to us. Now, one day when Christ returns, that is when the morning star arises and the day dawns, that's a reference to Christ's return. When Christ returns, He's the light. But until that time, His Word is our light in this darkness and corruption. You know, I saw that illustrated repeatedly. President Obama, when he came out with his pronouncement, embracing gay marriage. And as you know, one of his rationales for embracing gay marriage was, he said his Christian faith compelled him to do so. Because after all, doesn't the Bible teach in the golden rule do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and so forth.

9:20 And so, I did a string of interviews. The most interesting one to me was the one I did with Martin Bashir on MSNBC. Martin Bashir, many people don't know this, is a professing Christian. And yet in a review that came out the next day of his debate with me, it said MSNBC host who is professing Christian throws Bible under the bus in his debate with Jeffress. And what was interesting was he played a clip of the president saying the golden rule is the reason I'm supporting this. And then Martin Bashir comes on and says, and now let me introduce to you one evangelical leader who doesn't believe the golden rule applies to everyone. And I've never been introduced that way before. But as I came on, he said, now why is it? Why is it you don't believe that the golden rule applies to everyone? Why are you wanting to discriminate against gays and not allowing them to marry?

10:14 I said, well, Martin, my question for you is, why are you discriminating as well? You're discriminating against polygamists who want to marry. You're discriminating against brothers and sisters who want to marry. I mean, if marriage is anything and everything, why do you just give heterosexuals and homosexuals a right to marry? Shouldn't everybody who wants to marry be able to marry? Three men and a woman, you know, four women and two men. Why do you want to discriminate and just allow gays and heterosexuals to marry? He said, well, that's clear. Those things are against the law. I said, according to whom? And what law? Right now, those things are against the law. Gay marriage is against the law, but you're wanting to change that. Why not change all laws about sexual marriage and so forth? I said, once you deter from the Word of God, once you lay aside the Word of God, you have no moral compass on which to make the decision of what's right and what's wrong.

11:16 God's Word is the absolute standard. And without that, you have chaos. Now, the point is, God's Word is a lamp. It is a light. It is the only light that makes any sense in this chaotic world. And not only does it give us direction as a whole, as a country, in which way to go, but it also gives us individually light and direction in our lives. And that's what he's talking about here. Let the Word of Christ richly dwell in you so it can be a light giving you direction. Now, before we talk about exactly how to do that, let me point out to you three benefits of allowing the Word of God to become a part of your life. First of all, God's Word produces spiritual growth in your life. Write that down. God's Word produces spiritual growth. God's plan for every Christian is that he grows in his faith.

12:12 Hold your place here and turn back to Colossians chapter 2, verses 6 and 7. Colossians 2, verses 6 and 7. These verses are really the theme of the book of Colossians. Paul says, verse 6, Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus, so walk in him. Have you ever heard people say, Well, I want to become a Christian so that I can go to heaven when I die. But that's the only part of Christianity I'm interested in. I want to get my free ticket to heaven by trusting in Christ. Then I want to live however I want to live. The Bible knows nothing of that kind of so-called salvation. The Bible says the reason you receive Christ Jesus, verse 6, is so that you can walk in him. The word walk refers to the way you conduct your everyday life. We are to receive Christ so that we can pattern our lives after him.

13:08 And to illustrate what he means in verse 7, he uses two different images, two different metaphors. But notice what he says here to illustrate how we're to grow in our Christian faith. He says, having been firmly rooted. Now that's an illustration from agriculture. You plant a seed in the ground, hoping that that seed will grow into something. And we're getting ready to plant some bushes in front of our house. Somebody's getting ready to plant some bushes in front of our house. Maybe Amy's going to, I don't know who's doing it. I'm not doing it. But we're going to plant some bushes in front of our house this week. and the purpose of planting those bushes is that they might grow. I mean, if a bush is alive, if it's receiving nutrients from the ground and water, it is going to grow. So it is in our relationship with God. If you know as much about God or only as much about God as you did the day you became a Christian, if you are no more obedient to God today than you were when you first became a Christian, if you don't have a more intimate relationship with God than you do right now, there's every reason to think you're spiritually dead, not spiritually alive. God wants you to grow in your relationship with Him. And then He appeals to an illustration from architecture. He says, and now being built up in Him and established in your faith just as you were instructed and overflowing with gratitude. Think about it. When you're going to build a massive building, the first thing you do is you lay a foundation, don't you? That foundation is critical to building a building.

14:41 But you don't stop with the foundation. The purpose of the foundation is so that you can build something on top of it. Now, in the same way, the Bible says when you become a Christian, you make the foundational decision to trust in Christ for your salvation. No man can lay another foundation, the Bible says, than that which has been laid in Jesus Christ. That decision to trust in Christ for your forgiveness is foundational. But it's not the end. It is just the beginning. And once you become a Christian, you're to be built up in your faith. You and God work together to construct a life that looks just like that of Jesus Christ so that you can experience the benefits that come from Jesus Christ. That's what he's talking about here. One way that we grow in our Christian faith, that we grow in an agricultural sense, we grow in an architectural sense is by feeding on the Word of God.

15:36 The Word of God is the nutrient that allows that spiritual plant to go. It is the building material by which we construct a life. In 1 Peter 2, 2, Peter says, As newborn babes, we need to long for the pure milk of the Word of God, that by it we may grow in respect to our salvation. God's Word is the catalyst that produces spiritual growth in our lives. Secondly, God's Word is a deterrent to sin. You know, sin, disobedience to God, is what messes up everything in our life. It's what keeps God's blessing out of our life. And yet, God's Word is a deterrent to sin that robs us of God's greatest blessings for us. In this chapter, Colossians 3, Paul is telling us that as a Christian, there's certain sins we need to put to death, he says.

16:31 put to death, crucify immorality, impurity, evil passions and desires and greed. You're to put a stake through that kind of behavior in your life if you're a Christian. And not only that, he says you're to lay aside some sins, just like you take off old clothes that are worn out. He says lay aside the sins of anger and speech. And then he says we're to put on that kind of behavior that is pleasing to Christ, kindness, compassion, humility, gentleness, patience, love. Well, that's all great stuff, but exactly how do you do that? I mean, how do you say no to sin on a practical basis every day? What is your motivation to put on that kind of behavior that's pleasing to God? It's the Word of God. The Word of God gives us both the desire and the ability to say no to sin and yes to God. Remember in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 17, Paul is talking about the different spiritual armor we put on to fight the Christian fight, the spiritual battle we're all engaged in. In verse 17, he says, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, that is the Word of God.

17:45 Paul says the Word of God is like a Roman sword. Now, the word here for sword in Greek is not the long Roman broad sword. You see it in the movies sometimes. Roman soldier on horseback, and he's flailing the sword and trying to hit something or somebody with it. Maybe he hits something, maybe he doesn't. That's the long Roman broad sword, but that's not the word that's used here. The word sword here is the word machira, and it literally means dagger. It's a dagger, and for the soldier to use it, he would have to use it not while he's on horseback, but he would have to use it in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. And he would have to be so skillful in the use of this dagger that when he got up close to his enemy, he knew exactly where to strike with the dagger in order to kill his opponent. And the Bible says we need to be so skilled in knowing the Word of God that when temptation to sin comes into our life, we know exactly where to turn, what Scripture to use in our fight with the enemy.

18:47 We have a great illustration of this in the life of Jesus. Remember in Matthew chapter 4, he was in the wilderness after his baptism for 40 days, and Satan came to him during that time to tempt him. and once he came to Jesus and he said why not turn these stones into bread and Jesus quoted the Bible and said the scripture says man shall not live by bread alone but from every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and then Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and said why don't you cast yourself off of this pinnacle and let the angels come and protect you and then everyone will know you're the son of God and again Jesus quoted scripture that said you shall not put the Lord your God to the test. And they remember Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said, these kingdoms can be yours if you will bow down and worship me. And Jesus said, the scripture says, you shall serve the Lord God and worship him only. Three different times when he was tempted, Jesus answered that temptation with scripture. Why did he do that? Why did he quote the Bible. Listen to this. He didn't quote the Bible for Satan's benefit. Do you realize Satan knew the Scripture just as well as Jesus did? Contrary to what a lot of people think, Satan didn't run away whenever he heard the Word of God and hide under some rock because he couldn't stand to hear Scripture. No. Satan knows the Bible better than most Christians do. Satan's not afraid of hearing the Word of God. The reason Jesus quoted the Word of God was not for Satan's benefit, but for Jesus' benefit.

20:24 As he recalled these passages of Scripture that dealt with each temptation, that Scripture was like a dagger that cut through the fog in Jesus' own mind and allowed him to see exactly what the real issue was. And it was the Word of God that gave Jesus the strength to say no to Satan and say yes to God. And you know what I find fascinating about that story in Matthew 4 is each of the three times Jesus quoted Scripture, he was quoting from the same book of the Bible. It was the book of Deuteronomy. Now think about this. If your success in fighting against Satan's attacks depended on how well you knew the book of Deuteronomy, how well would you do? Most of us can't even find the book of Deuteronomy, much less have a clue of what's in that book or could quote any passage from that book.

21:21 Maybe, just maybe, that's why we're not having any more success in our spiritual life than we are. God's Word is a powerful deterrent to sin. In his book, Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back, Chuck Swindoll tells a story about something that happened to him many years ago. He was in Canada on a preaching trip that lasted for 10 days. Eight of those days had already passed, and Chuck said he was kind of having a pity party for himself because he was all alone by himself in this foreign country. And so it was a Saturday afternoon, and he didn't have anything to do. And so he went down to the restaurant, then stopped by the newsstand, and was on his way back up to his room. And he got on the elevator in the lobby, and before the door shut, two beautiful young women got on the elevator with Chuck. Chuck pushed floor six, his floor, and he said to the lady, he said, what floor would you like to go to?

22:18 They said six would be fine with us. And then they said, do you have any plans for the evening? Chuck said immediately, God brought a picture to his mind. The picture was not of his wife or children or church or even his reputation. He said God brought to his mind a scripture verse he had memorized years earlier, Galatians 6 verse 7. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, this shall he also reap. And Chuck turned to those two women and said, I have a full evening planned tonight. I'm not interested. And with that, he got off the elevator. That is the power of the word of God.

23:12 It is a deterrent to sin, the sin that keeps us from experiencing God's blessing in our life. Let that picture linger in your mind for just a moment. You see, it wasn't willpower that rescued Chuck. It was a verse he had hidden in his heart years before. That's the power of God's Word. And it makes me wonder, what scripture are you tucking away today, for a moment you can't yet see coming? Because that Word may one day be your rescue.

24:56 And you'll be the one who sends this unchanging message to a world that desperately needs to hear it. Here's David to explain how to get in touch today.