Have you ever been afraid of something or trying to deal with something that
you weren't really positive was there? I was about 11 years old and my parents
used to go on Friday nights to an auction in Lambertville, Michigan. Now
auctions aren't that common where if you think eBay but in person it's like that
they used to they put it up there and somebody would hold up the thing and
they'd say who give me a buck or give me ten bucks ten eleven twelve twenty fifty
and whatever the highest number somebody would give that thing that person take
that thing home and they would have thousands and thousands of items and I
used to like to go with my parents to these auctions because I used to get a
lot of stuff cheap I like cheap stuff you may know that about me but one
Friday night I was about 11 years old and my brother was gone and he was spending the night at a
friend's house and my parents were going to the auction in Lambertville
but I had any money and I thought that's gonna be painful to go there and sit and
watch the auction all these bargain things that I could potentially buy and
I don't want to go now I didn't have a phone that didn't exist at that time it
didn't have an iPad or a tablet we didn't even have cable TV we had a TV
tower they like three channels on it there wasn't anything on TV that I knew
I wanted to watch but I didn't want to go sit to the auction I thought there
was a possibility that my mom might just slip me some cash because she would do
that sometimes I didn't have any money but I didn't know for sure and I didn't
want to go and I'd gone once before a couple months before when I didn't have
any money and it really was a painful kind of boring experience to sit there
was like four hours and if you're like you think 11 years old sitting there
for four hours you can't buy anything can't nothing right couldn't go to the
snack bar and buy the candy bar couldn't buy anything came up for auction nothing
and I thought I didn't really want to do that so I begged my parents to be left
home now at 11 years old I had never been left home before by myself now some
people have I know that people start babysitting at eight or nine years old
but I had never and so I'm sitting in my house and my parents agreed to leave me
at home sitting in my house at roughly I don't know probably ten o'clock at night
and I know they're not gonna be home until close to midnight and I've got the
living room light on and I have read a book and I played with some toys and
some various things and I did the chores that they left me to do and everything
like that and I'm just kind of sitting there I'm thinking now what what am I
gonna do and I started to think about how I was alone and if someone came I
didn't have anybody to protect me and then I started to think about like well
are the doors locked and so I systematically went through all the
house and made sure all the doors were locked and then after I made sure all
the doors were locked I thought about the windows and I said I think the
upstairs windows are unlocked and there's a TV tower you crawl up on the
roof and get upstairs windows are unlocked but then I was afraid to go
upstairs because there might be somebody upstairs already that could have got in
through a window and I might go up there and find them and then it would be a
conflict I was afraid of that so I went and I got my BB gun and I had a pump
BB gun that you could pump up about 15 times and it put a little tiny BB through
you know an inch of cardboard or skin but eventually later a little later than
this couple years like I got one from that same BB gun in my neck and had to
have it surgically removed because we were shooting each other when we
shouldn't have been and the guy pumped it up too much this is a very dangerous
BB gun and I got my BB gun I pumped it up about like 11 pumps and I went upstairs
and I locked the windows and there are locked the windows and I thought but if
somebody had already gotten in the house or if there was some kind of evil
spirit saying because I didn't wasn't a Christian I didn't know nothing about
God or spirituality I said they could come in the closet so it could be
someone in the closet so I systematically went with a BB gun and a
flashlight and searched every closet in the house in every room and even these
little attic closets that are off the bedroom I opened the door one of them
hadn't been opened in a long time and I looked in there it was just cobwebs and I
went I searched every closet and everywhere and then I got all done I
went back to the living room and I have my BB gun there and I thought okay now
what am I gonna do I thought well I wonder if somebody if there was somebody
or an evil spirit had gotten in a closet and then I I searched the other closets
first and then it like slipped around behind me and it got in the closet that
I first searched so I went and searched all the closets again to make sure there
was nothing there and there was it but I kept the BB gun with me and I think I
watched a movie and a couple hours later my parents came home and I made it
through now that you might go no I've never done that that's not like me but I
submit to you that humans have a tendency to do one of two things about
things that we don't know about either a you're gonna go look at it and figure it
out and make sure it's good for me I had to go check the closet it's kind of
silly but I took the doors and the windows and the closets to make sure that
no one had snuck in or that there was no kind of demonic thing or whatever that
was hiding in a closet sometimes you just got to go check it and other times
you're gonna go I'm just not gonna think about it just gonna put it aside I'm not
gonna think about it we've got a number of those things that we've put aside
that we're not gonna think about until they become until and if they become a
real problem today we're gonna look at the scriptures as I was writing this
message it occurred to me that if you're a young believer in the house and we
have some of those today that you're gonna have to be a little bit careful
because what I'm about to give you is kind of like a big piece of meat and
you're gonna have to chew it and make sure you understand it and at the same
time I like my stakes a little medium rare it's a little bit like that because
you have to know what your life is like what your unseen things are in order to
either address them or put them aside right I can't know that for you but God
can and if you wanted to do it that way you can say Lord has helped me with my
unseen things and you could do that but the point is give it your best effort go
with me then and maybe get a little excited today's topic is actually not
that it is called predicting rain predicting rain except rain is spelled
our E IG and rain like the rain of a king not rain falls from the sky so it's
predicting rain so grab your Bibles and go with me if you would to Luke chapter
1 amen this is God's Word I appreciate you doing that if you did not voice a
little word there or at least let out a grunt or something please focus yourself
nonetheless on the Word of God and let's give this a shot this kind of medium
rare stake message of predicting rain okay here we go we're in Luke chapter 1
I'm gonna read it from the beginning just so you have the context but I want
you to realize we don't need all of this text for the message but we do need to
understand where it's coming from okay all right here we go many have
undertaken to compile a narrative that means a story about the events that have
been fulfilled among us that he's the things that they had saw that God had
done just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them
down to us there's Lucas saying I wasn't there I didn't see it but we know a lot
of people who saw it and told us what happened it also seemed good to me since
I have carefully investigated everything from the very first to write to you in
orderly sequence most honorable theophilus so that you may know the
certainty of the things about which you have been instructed now in other words
he's gonna lay out for us Luke was a doctor and he took the stories about
Jesus and eyewitness accounts and facts and looked up evidence and probably
traveled around a lot whatever we did all that to assemble everything we're
gonna get so now what we're about to read then is his starting point is where
Luke decided to start to make clear everything about Jesus and his ministry
and what people saw that he did and what he asked of us and all of that okay so a
lot of people when we start the Christmas story we want to kind of flip
to the right and go over to where Gabriel predicts the birth of Jesus or
maybe even a little further and go to where Mary is getting ready to have the
baby it says the birth of Jesus was accomplished likewise okay so we're
gonna take a run-up at that but we won't quite get all the way to the birth of
Jesus today but we're gonna keep going in verse in chapter 1 verse 5 it says in
the days of King Herod of Judea there was a priest of a Bijah division named
Zechariah so there's this guy Zechariah he's a priest and they were broken down
in 24 divisions and even when they came back out of the exile only like four or
five divisions remained and they re-broke them down in 24 divisions and
one of those was a Bijah who was a longtime heroic well-remembered king of
the Jews okay his wife was from the daughters of Aaron and her name was
Elizabeth so we have Zechariah and Elizabeth they were righteous in God's
sight living without blame according to all the commandments and requirements
of the Lord now that doesn't mean they got everything exactly right ever in
their life but at this time they were living for God verse 7 but they had no
children because Elizabeth could not conceive and both of them were well
along in years so that's why they don't have babies when his division was on
duty and he was serving as priest before God it happened that he was chosen by
Lot according to the custom of the priesthood to enter the sanctuary of the
Lord and burn incense so he was gonna go into the holy holy place as holy as it
is and he's gonna burn incense in there which makes smoke and smell okay that
was his job now this was such an important job that they did casting of
lots he was allowed to do it and they were only allowed to do it once in their
life so this is the only time ever that Zechariah will be allowed to go in the
Holy of Holies okay there are so many priests that they only do it twice a
year to ever get a chance to do it this is the only time anyone will be allowed
or that Zechariah will be allowed to do at verse 10 at the hour of incense the
whole assembly of assembly of people was praying outside and angel the Lord
appeared to him standing to the right of the altar of incense so in the place of
authority next to the altar of incense right to to Zechariah's right there an
angel appears and when Zechariah saw him he was startled and overcome with fear
boom what oh you scared the crap out of me but the angel said to him do not be
afraid Zechariah because your prayer has been heard your wife Elizabeth will bear
you a son and you will name him John okay now that would be enough warning
right there that's powerful in his life he's got a wife that can't have babies
now boom she's suddenly gonna do it and he's told he'll name that baby John he
will name that baby John verse 14 there will be joy and delight for you and
many will rejoice at his birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord
and will never drink wine or beer he will be filled with the Holy Spirit
while still in his mother's womb he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the
Lord their God he will go before him a capital H him in the spirit and power of
Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the
understanding of the righteous to make ready for the Lord a prepared people so
in other words this guy John was gonna lead the way for Jesus to kind of jump
ahead in the story and he's gonna make it clear that the people needed to be
ready and then the people would start getting ready for the coming of Jesus
that's what he's saying is gonna happen now but this is his birth John's birth
18 how can I know this Zachariah asked the angel in other words what sign or
how are you gonna make it real to me okay I hear you angel Lord telling me
that this is gonna happen but how is this gonna get real to me right now
because I kind of am doubting I'm kind of struggling I'm kind of not sure you're
telling me my wife who's beyond child-rearing age she's always been
bearing is now gonna give me a baby sounds good but how can I know this is
gonna be true the angel answered him I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of
God and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news now listen you
will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place
because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their proper
time so in other words because he didn't believe the angel the angel says now you
will be silent and not able to speak until the baby comes or until the proper
time which we'll find out when that is in a moment 21 meanwhile the people were
waiting for Zachariah amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary when he
did come out he could not speak to them then they realized that he had seen a
vision in the sanctuary they knew something amazing had happened in their
vision and occurrence meeting with God something he kept making signs to them
and remained speechless so he couldn't talk when the days of his ministry were
completed he went back home after these days his wife Elizabeth conceived and
kept herself in seclusion for five months she said the Lord has done this
for me he has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace among the
people in other words God is gonna make me great because I'm gonna have a baby
in my old age it's gonna be awesome but I'm gonna wait five months because I
don't want people to start thinking maybe and at two months you could have a
miscarriage and so on so I'm gonna wait five months so everybody can know that
this is for real and I can know that it's for real in the sixth month the
angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin
engaged to a man named Joseph for the house of David the Virgin's name was
Mary okay now we have the mother of Jesus and the angel came to her and said
rejoice favorite woman the Lord is with you but she was deeply troubled by this
statement wondering what kind of greeting this could be what does that
mean exactly the Lord is with me boy is so that's a tough one that's kind of
scary then the angel told her do not be afraid Mary for you found favor with God
now listen you will conceive and give birth to a son and you will call his name
Jesus now remember she's detrode at this time so she's thinking she's gonna get
married so that part of it might not necessarily be a big deal because she's
thinking well I'm gonna get married and have a baby but then we start finding
out that it's gonna be God's baby that's the problem he will be great and will be
called the son of the most high and the Lord God will give him the throne of his
father David he will reign over the house of Jacob notice that word rain
there over the house of Jacob forever in his kingdom will have no end Mary asked
the angel how can this be since I'm I have not been intimate with a man so
she's realizing God's hand this is God's gonna give her a baby how can that be I
have not had any sex there's not any of that going on I'm gonna have a baby and
the angel replied to her the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the
most high will overshadow you therefore the Holy One to be born will be called
the Son of God it's gonna be your baby but it's also gonna be God's baby and
the Holy Spirit is gonna make that happen consider your relative Elizabeth's
and now she's gonna get a sign and I submit to you this sign first has come
to Elizabeth Elizabeth already knows that there's going to be someone coming
right first she knows John and then John's gonna be a forerunner for
somebody and consider your relative Elizabeth even she has conceived a son
in her old age no one would believe that normally but it's happened and this is
the sixth month for her who was called barren for nothing will be impossible
with God I am the Lord's slave said Mary may it be done to me according to your
word then the angel left her so there is a warning of what God's gonna do and then
she says okay God you do that still going on in those days Mary set out and
hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah where she entered Zechariah's
house and greeted Elizabeth now these two women are gonna come together one is
over six months pregnant and one is maybe a month at most when Elizabeth
heard Mary's greeting the baby leaped inside her and Elizabeth was filled with
the Holy Spirit then she exclaimed with a loud cry in other words she broke the
silence that's that same Psalm verse we looked at last week from Psalm 100 then
she exclaimed with a loud cry you are the most blessed of women and your child
will be blessed how could this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should
come to me for you see when the sound of your greeting reached my ears as soon as
I heard you coming in and saying hi the baby leap for joy inside me she who has
believed is blessed because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be
fulfilled and Mary said now this is Mary's song and Mary said my soul
proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior
because he has looked with favor on the humble conditions of his slave surely
from now on all generations will call me blessed because the mighty one has done
great things for me and his name is holy his mercy is from generation to
generation and those who fear him he has done a mighty deed with his arm he has
scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts listen to what
she's saying is happening just because she's pregnant with Jesus just because
she's pregnant with Jesus she's saying that the mighty she's done a mighty deed
with his arm he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts
he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly he has
satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty he has
helped his servant Israel mindful of his mercy just as he spoke to our ancestors
to Abraham and his descendants forever so Mary does this song talking about how
the coming of Jesus rewrites all of humanity and then it says in verse 56
and Mary stayed with her about three months then she returned to her home so
as Elizabeth's gonna ready to have the baby Mary goes back home okay this is
getting right up there to where we need to be now the time had come for Elizabeth
to give birth and she had a son then her neighbors and relatives heard that the
Lord had shown her his great mercy and they rejoiced with her this is awesome
you've got a son that's awesome when they came to circumcise the child on the
eighth day they were going to name him Zechariah after his father I mean that
would be awesome to do right this is son born the old age name him after his dad
Zechariah jr. that makes good sense but his mother responded no he will be called
John they said to her none of your relatives has that name so they mentioned
to his father and found out and find out I'm sorry try this again they motioned
to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called he asked for a writing
label and wrote his name is John and they were all amazed immediately his
mouth was opened and his tongue set free and he began to speak praising God fear
came in all those who lived around them and all these things were being talked
about throughout the hill country of Judea all who heard about him took it to
heart saying what then will be I'm sorry what then will this child become for
indeed the Lord's hand was with him this is the song that we're talking about
today Zechariah the father of John then his father Zechariah was filled with the
Holy Spirit and prophesied verse 68 praise the Lord the God of Israel
because he has visited and provided redemption for his people what do you
think he's talking about the coming of Jesus he has raised up a horn of
salvation for us in the house of his servant David just as he spoke by the
mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times salvation from our enemies and
from the clutches of those who hate us he has dealt mercifully with our fathers
and remembered his holy covenant the oath that he swore to our father Abraham
he has given us the privilege since we have been rescued from our enemies
clutches to serve him without fear that's what Tony Tate was talking about
when he said just do it and if you die doing it you'll go you'll be with God
anyway he has given us the privilege since we have been rescued from our
enemies clutches to serve him without fear in holiness being completely
different and righteousness receiving the righteousness of Christ in his
presence all our days and child you will be called a prophet of the Most High now
he's talking to John for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways to
give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins
and these are our two verses for today because of our God's merciful
compassion the dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in
darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace
three things I want you to see in here and so that is the overview I had to do
what I did I know that was a long text I hope you followed it all the first thing
is that God is a warning God God is warning something always been warning
always been predicting always been telling all creation glorifies God and
warns us that there is a God in heaven who created all of this and deserves
our respect has all authority has existed for all time he is an eternal
being that goes back to before human thought would have been possible because
not even light existed God God is a warning God and through his creation he
has given everything that he needs to tell people you are headed for a cliff
edge you'd better stop before you run over the edge God's creation reminds us
we see death frankly we see it all the time literally all the time every time
you have an ache in a joint or an illness every time you have something
like that that is death reminding you this life is not forever as RJ said
during an inspirational moment tomorrow is not promised creation reminds us of
that you know how many species of animals have gone extinct since Noah no
you don't far more than we can imagine and mankind is groping through history
trying to figure out what was lost all creation testifies that next Sunday one
of us might not be able to be here God is a warning God God sent the prophets
over and over again when there were no prophets he prophesied to Adam and Eve
himself about the son who would come about the biting of his heel about the
destruction of the enemy God sent the prophets and the law of the Old Testament
existed and he testified God did through Moses and in person to a lot of those
people about what he was going to do about what he was in the process of
doing God has been warning people and some people throughout that time have
been hearing and heeding the warnings and some have not in Noah's day he and
his family were the only ones to heed the warning and the results of that were
everyone on the earth drowned great imagery of that at the Creation Museum
and now at Noah's Ark exhibit down in Kentucky and they show an actual real
time computer-generated image of the flood and how it flooded all the earth
and in the last moment you see people clinging to high rocks and mountains as
the water comes up and just washes them away you think that they didn't know
they knew they had been warned God warned them and for those who cracked on
Noah about what he was doing building that their big Ark they had been warned
Adam only died a few hundred years before Noah built the ark the two men
were probably alive at the same time they had been warned they had the
teaching God sent the prophets in various forms and all the way up to Malachi
400 years before the birth of Jesus during which time that 400 years there
were no prophets and God prophecy that there will be no prophets for 400 years
and the next one who would come would be the one God has always been warning
through the prophets and the law and here now we have an angel who foretold
the coming of the Messiah and the coming of the one who would come before the
Messiah the whole thing laid out in prophecy God has been warning and the
angel foretold and Mary could have said oh come on please use somebody else are
you serious but she did she said as you have spoken so let it be for I am the
Lord's servant God warned and Christ himself is a foreteller a warner of what
God would do in fact there's a great story that Jesus tells about two men who
died and Lazarus and the rich men one guy we get his name one guy we don't
Lazarus goes to heaven for eternity the rich man goes to hell and the rich man
is begging the angel there at the gates he's saying please just just let
Lazarus come and dip his finger in the water that man he was in this the ashes
and amongst the beasts and dirty his whole life and disease let him come and
dip his finger in some cool water put it on my tongue just a bit of sustenance
what do you think Jesus was doing he was warning those who were listening about
where the rich man went he doesn't want to go there the rich man said but at
least if you can't spare me send someone from there to go back and warn my
brothers because they'll surely believe and what did Jesus say Jesus said no
for if they will not listen to the law and the prophets they will not listen
even if a man should come back from the dead and warn them and who do you think
he was talking about Jesus the ministry of Jesus on earth was largely warning
God is a warning God through creation through the prophets to the angel
foretold through Christ and you could probably break your Bible down better
than I can and find some additional ways that God was warning other tragedies
those who died in the wilderness those who fell into the opening earthquake
because they resisted Moses when the Levites strapped on their swords and
every one of them massacred other men in the tribes because they were not
listening to God those are all warnings God's been warning realize God can do
whatever he wants to to help us to understand or to stand under his
teaching and some of what he will do to warn us is not pleasant you may be here
today suffering under the effect of some your mortality your mental state your
money your finance your relationship your job state where you live you may be
suffering under the effect of a warning you may be facing a warning and gotta
say and look you are heading to a cliff you have got to react but God's warning
over all is thus first of all it can be broken down this way the further from
the light you are the greater there will be the darkness the further from the
light you are the greater there will be the darkness now this light darkness
thing is not geographical but interestingly enough if you use light
as an example in real life actual life over geography you can see the
difference I have a flashlight that is painful to look at it's got bright LEDs
in there I saw one online I don't know if it's real or not but someone line that
you can shine it you can shine it on the clouds like a mile away a flashlight not
talking about a laser beam but a flashlight and you can see it on the
clouds I submit to you that that flashlight that you can see on the
clouds if you look at it from 10 feet away it will instantly blind you in a
moment later hopefully you'll recover but quite bright enough you might not
the closer you get to light in geography the brighter it is the further away from
light you get the dimmer it is but here now in a spiritual context God is warning
us that the further from the light we are greater there shall be the darkness
this is relational and it's about your identity in Christ we are supposed to be
identifying with Jesus Christ who in a sense is the light and the light in us
and as we do that the closer to him we walk the greater the light the less the
darkness the further from him we walk the greater the darkness the less the
light if you go into a dark room and turn on the light the darkness will
recede you thought I was gonna say go away but it actually doesn't look at the
chair the person in front of you look on the floor what do you see you see a
shadow there is darkness there it's a gradient of darkness it's not total
darkness but there is darkness there under brother Tony brister's wearing a
collar shirt under his collar is darkness now here's what's amazing if you lift up
the collar can you see the darkness no because you will be exposing it to the
light so we see that this this darkness light combination is not only
geographical because his collar is not all that far from that ceiling light
that that for example our days shoulder is completely bathed in the light from
the ceiling but the collar shading part of his shoulder part of his shoulder is
darkness but as soon as he turns over the collar expose it to light it's
play close enough to the light to be seen so we understand in real life that
our relationship to life is to light is both geographical and relational but in
spiritual existence it is not geographical at all in fact if you come
into the presence of Jesus right now and if you're not saving your in this in this
room then your geographical relationship to the God of the universe would
probably see you destroyed if you came geographically into his presence while
still clinging to your sin but if you're saying you'd come into his presence and
you would become abundantly aware of all the things about you and maybe even
ashamed you become abundantly aware of all the things about you that you know
are not quite right they've not been exposed to the light of Jesus as you
come geographically into his presence and you might think you're about to be
destroyed but in truth in Christ if you really have been saved those things can
be dealt with in Christ's light would then cover them and all would be good I'm
not talking about geographical relationships to the light I'm talking
about relational and identity relationship to the light it is a
calling in fact you cannot have it you cannot approach God become like God
walk with God unless God calls you the word says no one comes in him unless he
be called however if you are willing to hear the call then you will hear the
call which is why the word says over and over again the one who has ears to hear
let him hear in other words God is calling you into a closer doesn't matter
if you're saved or not but he is calling you into a closer relationship with him
so those who are far far away from God so far because they think they can't
even be close to God God is calling them into a closer relationship with him and
they'll cross the line and they'll start realizing hey I crossed out of the
darkness into the light God translated me out of the darkness into the light so
now I feel like I can be close to God and the encouragement there is that you
will then work to do so it's a relational identity in Christ that is
arises from the calling of God on our lives Jesus tells a parable in Matthew
22 we don't we're not going to read the whole thing but there's just a couple
verse I want to be able to quit quote so I'm gonna go there myself and look at
Matthew 22 beginning in verse 2 Matthew 22 if you're following in your Bibles I
do recommend you do that because if you read it and also listen to me you will
get word intake which is a spiritual discipline twice instead of only once
you get it in your eyes and in your ears and you'll hear you'll remember twice as
much of it that's what I'm trying to say so Matthew 22 22 beginning in verse 2
here we go the kingdom of heaven maybe compared to a king who gave a wedding
banquet for his son he sent out his slaves to summon those invited to the
banquet but they didn't want to come and he sent out other slaves and said tell
those who are invited look I prepared my dinner my oxen fatted cattle have been
slaughtered and everything is ready come to the wedding banquet but they paid no
attention now you know how this goes right without don't read on just yet you
know how this goes those who were asked to come who made excuses and didn't come
they're not allowed to come and God says they will never see my banquet I'll never
allow them to come in right but he says go and request other people call others
I'm gonna paraphrase it here go call anyone who will listen anyone who has
ears and have them come in right that's that's the synopsis of the parable as we
have it but I want you to cue in on a couple of verses here that we usually
leave out when we're thinking about this all right verse 6 says and the others
seized his slaves those were those who were unwilling to come treated them
outright outright justly and killed them so the messengers that he sent out
there were some who really didn't want to come and they seized the slaves and
they treated them badly and even killed them some of them verse 7 says the king
was enraged so he sent out his troops destroyed those murderers and burned
down their city so there were those who wouldn't come made excuses he sent
others he sent his messengers to some others some of those killed some of his
messengers whether that rather than treating them with respect and he the
king and race sent soldiers his soldiers to destroy those people who hurt his
slaves and then burnt down their city verse 8 says then he told his slaves
the banquet is ready but those who were invited were unworthy therefore go to
where the roads exit the city invite everyone who want to the banquet the
slaves went out in the roads gathered everyone the next verse but then the
king came in to view the guests he saw a man there who was not dressed for a
wedding so he said to him friend how'd you get in here without wedding clothes
and the man was speechless then the king told the attendants tie him up hand and
foot and throw him into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth several things that are obvious there to me first of all if
there's an outer darkness there's an inner darkness and if there is an outer
darkness and an inner darkness then there is a place of light to contrast it
with right we know the light switch is on because when it's off it looks
different in the room we don't go look at the bulb every time stare into the
little filament and see if it's on or not we flip the light switch on the room
gets light we know it's on right when we flip the lights which off the room gets
dark we know it's off so we know darkness we understand there's an outer
darkness there's an inner darkness and if there's an inner darkness there's a
place of light and I submit you if there's a place of light there is a
place where light permeates everything like if you were standing in a spotlight
and buck naked and twisting in the wind versus there is a place where light only
permeates some like if you were wearing a cloak and carrying around with you a
shadow right so we understand that there is a grave from the bright light that
touches everything out to the great darkness where the light does not touch
at all but notice who winds up in the great darkness where the light does not
touch at all first of all God warns everybody says come to my wedding feast
the time is now some people attack the messengers and kill them and God
destroys those people and their city those who are against those who are
being used by God to warn they get destroyed that's what happens to them
then some people do come and some people come not really know why they come
right and this guy's like that he winds up in the wedding feast kicking back
having a nice steak or grapes or whatever he's eating and the master king
comes walking through and he finds this guy there and he says why are you there
now all the guys got to do is say well because your servants warned me because
your servants called me anything like that will do but that's not what he does
he is speechless remember last week's sermon break the silence
Rua mar destroy this guy has not learned how to draw near to the light he's not
learned how to relate to the king he's not he to the king's warning to those
who came to the feast that he is the king rather he's just heeded the warning
that there is a feast there is something and so he comes a little closer maybe
from the outer darkness to a little inner darkness maybe or from the inner
darkness to the edge of the lighting starts to be able to see now he's in the
wedding banquet there's light here to see but he's not letting that light affect
him he hasn't changed inside doesn't have an answer for why he's there and
what do they do they take him up and they put him back in the outer darkness
which has an interesting characteristic the outer darkness in the long term is
only for those wait for it who heard the warning there's not weeping of Nash
weeping and gnashing of teeth in the outer darkness because they're angry
where they wound up there's weeping and gnashing of teeth in the outer darkness
because they heard the warning either responded to it but then failed to go
further failed to walk it out or they never responded to it at all but they
knew what they needed to do and they wind up in the outer darkness weeping
and gnashing their teeth because they said I was so close there's a bounty
commercial on TV guy just won a lottery ticket a lottery ticket there won a
million dollars or whatever and there's drink approaching the lottery ticket
they've spilled it it's gonna run up and they show bounty slap it right there
and stop the drink before it ruins the lottery ticket that lottery ticket is
worth ruin they wouldn't get the claim the million of dollars or whatever it
was that they won right and so if you in that case you really want a good paper
tile to protect your lottery it's not that you just can like reach out and
pick up the lottery ticket so I'm saying you just pick it up and then but it's a
goofy commercial but the point is the bounty comes down it saves it and like
that if you understand that the great blessing that you have received you've
been warned by God that your transformed existence better means
something to you or otherwise you're going to be in trouble on that day if
that's part of the warning of God and I submit to you that it is then you're
going to do what's necessary to walk out what you now understand God was warning
not only that this is a relational identity in Christ you can only be there
if you're called but you can be called if you're just willing to listen but here
in this parable he says there are those who have ears they hear they start to
come and they start to kind of like edge out of the darkness coming into the
light but they don't know why they're coming they don't know what they're
doing and they don't care meanwhile there are those who are making excuses
and why they're not coming and they're making there there are those who even
attack those who say you must step up you must speak out you must do what is
right you must let the light permeate every area of your life and then there
were those who heard this parable that Jesus told and they have such
interesting responses the Pharisees went and plotted how to trap him by what he
said they sent their disciples to him with the Herodians teacher they said we
know that you are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God which must
have been the lie because otherwise they would have been responding to the
warning you defer to no one you don't show partiality tell us therefore what
you think is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not you know how many times
I've been talking to somebody about Jesus telling them they need to respond
to the love of Jesus and the warning of God and they have come up with some
question about should I pay taxes or not or should I do this or not or what about
that or not well my old church they used to do this isn't that sin and what
that's why I don't go to church because and all these excuses basically and why
they're not responding to the warning of God and that's what they did and they
were the Pharisees the evangelical proselyters which means winning people
over to Judaism of the day they knew the word almost better than anybody the
other people probably knew better with the scribes because they were the one who
physically wrote it over and over and over again they knew it better but they
didn't know the law better or the oral tradition which was created by the Jews
to protect the law the Pharisees knew all of that and what did they do when
Jesus warned them that it is possible that you may not come to the wedding
feast unless you come when called stop making excuses that it is possible that
you might even wind up in the wedding feast and then be cast out into the
outer darkness where we'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth when Jesus warned
them of that what do they do they begin to ask him questions to try to trick him or
catch him up so that they can ignore what he said ignore the warning of God
and I submit to you that people in this room probably but certainly people in
quote-unquote the church and definitely people in the world fit into those
categories I'm asking you what are you going to do when God warns you that what
you are doing is not honoring him I'm not talking about the moment you tell a
little white lie I'm talking about the way you're handling your internals the
way you're handling what's inside you it's relational and identity you
remember my story to open my sermon today about taking the BB gun and going
and looking in every closet I mentioned I took the BB gun but I also took
something else with me to be able to see in every closet what was it
flashlight good you're listening I like that okay so I took a BB gun in a
flashlight because I knew what I would find in a closet with shadows and
darkness I took the light into the darkness with me so that I could see
when I got there it would be stupid to go look in the closet in the dark and
only be able to see like halfway back the room lights don't reach many of the
time spots don't have lights a lot of times in our house anyway that's the way
it is so I took a flashlight funny thing is I got to some of those closets and
there were boxes and clothes hanging right the closet upstairs and in that
house have rails and behind the rails is a three foot by four foot space and if
it's not full of stuff somebody could easily fit in fact I had done it playing
hide-and-seek or my brother and I set up a little club one time we put a table up
behind the hanging clothes in the closet we only we were allowed in there things
like that so I shine the flashlight in there and then when I couldn't see when
the light of the flashlight would not penetrate into the small spaces you know
what I did I moved things around moved the clothes over pull the box out look
behind I made sure and I was having a hard time doing that holding the
flashlight and the BB gun because there could be a demon behind a bin in a two
foot by one foot space but I can't see into listen to me this is what God is
calling you to do with your life the time that you have while you were here
on earth from the time of your birth the time of your death has this one purpose
respond to the warning of God and then having done so and being transported
into born again into the area of the light then take the light that is Jesus
Christ and look in every dark area of your soul every burnt out area of your
brain every failed area of your personality take the light there and see
what is there and transform it to the glory of God and Jesus spoke again
reading from John chapter 8 he said this I am the light of the world he that
follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life and we
just dismissed that yo Jesus got it across my sins so glad he paid that bill
oh Jesus has right to be Lord of my life and I do go to church and I do type and
I do serve and I'm a member of a ministry team where I take care of my
family I tell people if it comes up if we get into conversation I basically
tell people if anyone would come and ask me how to get saved I know what to tell
them at least because I've been saved so I'm walking in the light that's not
walking in the light that's being in the light you've been called out of the
darkness into the light of Jesus Lord and Savior great here the rest of God's
warning wake up oh sleeper the rest of God's warning is you must take the light
that is Jesus into every dark part of your life and dispel those shadows I
thought there could be a demon in the closet don't you realize that even the
world is understanding this concept because they know a demon could be
anywhere they are understanding this concept better than we are they would
love to have a life that's under their control that they can take whenever they
want and look into the dark that's what therapy is it's what psychology is it's
what medicine for different problems it's what friendship encouragement is
it's not biblical encouragement but just friends tell you oh you know you're
awesome you're pretty and you're smart and everything will work out in the end
that kind of empty encouragement that doesn't actually mean anything that in
fact goes contrary to the warning of God I'm here to tell you today if you don't
number one come to the light who is Jesus Christ and accept him as your Lord
and Savior in actuality it will not work out well in the end and you know number
two then take that light into the dark places of your life whatever you look
like and overcome the darkness that is there turn over every systematic glee by
the time you die you should be getting into the nitty-gritty I'm not talking
about legalism but you should be looking at every little dark spot wondering
wondering how do I turn that over for Jesus and if you don't do those two
things then understand God is a warning God and God's warning is thus his
warning is first of all there is a light when you are close to God and a darkness
when you are far from God you were in the darkness or maybe are in the
darkness right now and you need to become a Christian you need to be a
follower of the Lord Jesus Christ you need to let Jesus be Lord of your life
you let Jesus be the light of life that John 8 told us and then take it into
every area of your life it's relational and it's in identity buck naked in front
of a spotlight twisting in the wind there's nothing about you that would not
be seen and that's the kind of relationship we have with Jesus you think
God doesn't know the word says don't be critical of other people you think God
doesn't know that you sit around and you're frustrated because someone said
something you didn't like because something didn't go the way you like
now we're specifically admonished not to be complainers as they were when Israel
was coming out of Egypt right and so many of them died in the sand so then we
just hold it back we say well I'm just but we don't let the light of Jesus
infiltrate that critical nature of us and transform it and say you know look
I'm sitting here being critical of so-and-so because they did what I don't
like so then I'm gonna look so this is the process you go okay the light of
Jesus right first of all I can't criticize them or complaining it's on
the word literally says that James for you cannot criticize other believers
look it up James for it literally says that I said it last two weeks ago when I
was talking about the love if you have something bad to say about another
believer that is not love it is hate James says you cannot criticize another
believer verbally all right so then I'm sitting here I'm going I'm not gonna do
that I've now let God transform my mall right good enough wrong the warning of
God then extends to now you need to let God transform your inner being because
you have a tendency you would have a tendency to be critical and criticize
that person so now you've got to let your insides be transformed so that when
you go well I feel and you're not saying you just kind of grunting it or or maybe
you're throwing something around or you're just trying to figure out how do
I get control of that or whatever Jesus comes in and you go okay well here's the
question do I have a legitimate reason has this person actually sinned against
me or against God and I'm aware of it do answers hey yes I do what is the Bible
tell me I have to do about that so I sit around and feel this way and say nothing
because I can't criticize no the Bible says I must go hold that person
accountable and talk to them and say look this is what I think I think what
you've done is sin against me and against God or against so-and-so and
against God and so you talk to them beginning of Matthew 18 accountability
and if they turn from their sin the word the word says then you have saved a
brother I submit to you may have saved a brother from outer darkness because
they may not have been a brother they might have been winding up in the bright
light in the long run instead they might have one of in the outer darkness
because they just came not knowing what they're doing and they clearly not
exposing that particular part of their life this is what it means to walk in
the light it doesn't mean let's go air our dirty laundry in front of everybody
it means Jesus Christ is the light I'm gonna take the light and I'm gonna take
it to every area of my life when I'm feeling critical about somebody I asked
a do I believe they've sinned against me against God okay then what if the
answer is no the answer is no then I immediately repent if my anger my
criticism my critical nature about what they've done is not justified based on
sin is involved then I let it go so what is my pet peeve I just don't like it
when they do that that's where you need to let Jesus come in and fix you because
you have a problem because you would think critical of somebody else because
they stepped on your pet peeve this is how it's done and you'll find a million
places in fact I submit to you there are it's not infinite you know we think the
human soul and eternal is infinite but it's not infinite it's lifelong not
infinite lifelong is infinite if you include resurrection right but we're
talking about you're here for 50 years you're here for 80 years you're here for
20 years 120 years whatever God with you with the light you go into every dark
place in you and dispel meanwhile we are called as human beings to then take
Jesus as the light of the world and let that light which is shining so brightly
out of us now because we've been letting it go everywhere inside us take that
light into the world so others can hear the warning and be transported from the
darkness to light here's what's happening people aren't doing that they're
not taking the light of Christ and affecting every last area of their life
and so there that area of your life that you're not letting be affected by Christ
is bumping into other people's lives and that's where the connection is instead
of it being the area of your life where you have affected so like maybe you've
turned your mouth over to God you're talking about God a lot or talking for
God a lot or whatever but then there's areas of your life that have not been
affected by Christ they bump into that area instead of your mouth and now they
know enough to know what that the light of Jesus is not actually capable of
affecting everything inside of a person only certain things maybe and only maybe
for eternity and then we have all these supposed Christians that are out there
in the world they're not living for Jesus at all they're gonna wind up in
the outer darkness of the end because they don't know why they're at the feast
and they're not allowed the light to do anything in them and they think they're
still saying and they think they're not gonna be in the outer darkness because
those who are in the light who understand the warnings of God are not
applying the light of Jesus to every area of their life that's why those
unbelievers call the church hypocrites because we have these areas of our life
that were not affected what now am I saying that you need to become a
legalist from my saying that you need to go like there's nothing else you can do
to serve God until you pick out your little problems and whatever or you know
you can't possibly help someone get the splinter out of their eyes you get the
beam out of your own eye I understand the parables of Jesus are there you have
a command to walk and take that light into every place that you go but you
also have a warning by God that if while doing that you don't put it to work in
you the end will not be good our God is a warning God and the warning is thus
that closer to the light there is much light closer or further from the source
of light who is God there is deep and great darkness I submit to you it is the
kind of darkness that you and I nobody in this room probably has ever felt you
go in a dark room you know I gotta be careful don't want to stub my shin I
gonna be careful oh I can't find what I'm looking for so you understand
darkness but this is a deep and penetrating darkness in which the only
defining characteristic is weeping and gnashing of teeth a few verses in
support of what we've been learning today John 12 46 Jesus said I am come a
light into the world that whoever believeth in me should not abide in
darkness in other words if wherever you are if you realize it's dark get out of
there you don't belong but more than that if there's darkness inside you then
that means wherever you go there's gonna be darkness and you don't get to abide
in darkness if you're a follower of Jesus so you need to apply the light of
Jesus Luke 11 29 to 36 is that passage of Scripture where it talks about a
light and it says does anyone put it under a bushel and then there's that
children's song right this little light of mine right hide it under a bushel no
right and what does everybody sing when they're singing that what are we saying
what is that message about the light of Jesus we all think it's about evangelism
right so I take in your light so people can see about Jesus am I gonna hide my
light under a bushel so that other people can't see my light and come to
Jesus that's what we see what that's what you think the song is about right
but that isn't what the song is about at least not only what the song is about
actually he's talking about letting the light of Jesus shine into all the dark
places of you does anyone who has a light in the house put it under a bushel
keep it just in one area maybe that's what Christians are doing we're
compartmentalizing our lives and lighting up the areas of G and then the
rest is that we're kind of putting it away we're just not paying any attention
to it when in actuality what Jesus says we're supposed to do is go into all
those places and let Jesus fix them let me read the verses upon which that song
is based real quick and we are in the conclusion and then I think you'll get
it Luke chapter 11 beginning in verse 29 he says this don't keep striving for
what you should eat or you should drink don't be anxious hold on that's 12
wrong verse here we go 11 I'm almost there 29 all right as the crowds were
increasing he began saying this generation is an evil generation it
demands a sign but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah for
justice Jonah became a sign of the people of Nineveh so also the son of man
will be to that generation the Queen of the South will rise up against in the
judgment with the man of this generation hold on and condemn them
because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and
look something greater than Solomon is here the men of Nineveh rise up at the
judgment with the generation condemn it because they repented at Jonah's
proclamation and look something greater than Jonah is here what is it what's
the something greater than Jonah is it you just want to say it's Jesus don't
you he's talking about himself and why you say it instead of someone but he
says something is greater then it goes to this it says no one lights a lamp and
puts it in the cellar or under a basket but on a lampstand so that those who
come in may see its light and that's why everybody thinks we're talking about
the light of Jesus and winning people to Jesus so that those who come in may see
its light and I already explained that to you when you affect all the areas of
your life with the light then people will see the light affecting the areas
of your life right but listen he says your eye is the lamp of the body when
your eye is good your whole body is also full of light but when it is bad your
body is full of darkness still think he's only talking about evangelism here
this is the same pastor he's still talking about the lights under the lamp
take care then that the light in you is not darkness still talking about a light
in you that that leads people to Jesus so people can come see you and see Jesus
is that what he's talking about or is he talking about putting Jesus's light in
you to work in every area of your life he says this is therefore your whole
body is full of light with no part of it in darkness the whole body will be full
of light as when a lamp shines its light on you see it the little light of mine
you could say that it's about telling people about Jesus if you want and
children may want to think that it's kind of romantic in a way kind of fun
exciting whatever don't take it from them but in these verses it's really
about that little light of Jesus that is as a candle inside us touching every
area of our lives because we have not stuck it on a bushel but put it on a
lampstand where it can shine everywhere in the house
John 1 5 Jesus said and the light shineth I'm sorry John wrote in the
light shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehended that not loop 22
53 this is this we read or no we didn't either when I was with you daily in the
temple this is when Jesus being arrested he said you stretched not out your hand
against me but this okay hold on a second look it up because I wrote
something down wrong I apologize everybody is a normal person okay loop
22 53 I don't want to misquote it you're really not supposed to miss quote
scripture if you can help it here we go every day while I was with you in the
temple complex you never laid a hand on me but this is your hour listen this is
your hour and the dominion of darkness or the reign of darkness God is
predicting God is warning and Jesus himself was warning second Christmas 46
for God who commanded the light to shine on the darkness have showed in our
hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ Ephesians 5 8 for you were sometimes darkness but now are
you light in the Lord walk as children of light Ephesians 5 11 so a little bit
later and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather
reprove them the process is there and described in other words don't don't be
wrapped up in bad stuff darkness the wrong thing rather through the light of
Jesus correct those things check them put a stop to them if he's in 612 and
that's in the kind of spiritual warfare passage right is telling who we're
fighting yes and in there is listed the rulers of the darkness of this world
those are amongst our enemies classes 113 who have delivered us from the power of
darkness and have translated us into the kingdom of his dear son talking about
God first Peter 2 9 but you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood and down
at the end of that he says who called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light first John 1 6 if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in
darkness we lie and do not the truth when Jude he talks about those who were
chosen versus those who are putting God off making expre excuses and so on headed
they were headed permanently for the fire but those who were chosen listen to
what God says and God is it says this is healing even the bits of the soul
let that light in you reach into all your dark places but he that saith that
he abideth in Jesus ought himself also to walk even as he that's Jesus walked
but he that walketh in darkness knoweth not where he goeth so to the willing God
is saying this be warned a day is coming where you will answer for your choices
in this life be warned and that day coming if you have now responded to
Jesus and Lordship he is in charge of you if he has become the light of your
life you now need to allow that light to affect every area of your life so you
don't spend a dollar unless you know that God will want that dollar use that
way don't waste a minute don't use it for something else unless you know that
God would you say but I'm not ready for that kind of commitment I'm not ready
for that kind of challenge to everything that I do God knows that God's warning to
you is this ultimately that is his goal ultimately that is his goal to affect
every area of you so that the light of God can shine in every dark place inside
you every broken moment every hurting every feeling you know what the great
wonderful amazing powerful effectiveness is sometimes people do very mean very
bad things to other people and you may have the unfortunate experience of
going through something like that but if you have allowed when you reach that
moment the light of Jesus to touch every area what's gonna happen is evil spirits
the world your enemies are gonna try to drop a bit of darkness in you they're
gonna go I like to put it there but I can't put it there it's too bright I like
to put it there can't put it there it's too bright I like to put it there I can't
put it there it's too bright man this light of Jesus it's like everywhere we
wonder how when a man was forced to dig the graves of his wife and children they
put his wife and children down in there and the soldiers were pointing the guns
down at them but he was able to say father help me and his wife was able to
say children don't cry for we are right now being invented invited to the
greatest wedding feast ever how could she say that standing in her own grave
with her two children with guns pointed down to them how could she say that
because the light of Jesus had permeated inside her to the area that they were
trying to get to they couldn't do it and they shot her and they killed her and
they made her husband bury her and then they took him back and they threw him in
a blubbering pool of his own spit and tears in the front room of his house and
they said it'll be greater punishment for you that you survived your wife and
children than if we had shot you today too but he got up and the next day he
began preaching Christ again two weeks later one of the soldiers that shot his
wife forced him to dig their grave and then shot his wife and children came and
he said how can you still be talking about this Jesus after you went through
what you went through and he shared the gospel with that soldier and that
soldier got saved one of the guys that made him dig his wife and children's
grave ultimately that man's church would begin to grow and it is now mind you
they meet in small sections but it is understood to be the largest church in
the world it's in Korea with 10 with tens of thousands of people meeting in 12 to
15 people groups in every restaurant coffee shop tea house everywhere they
can and it all started because that man faced with the death of his wife and
children forced to dig their grave had allowed the light of Jesus to permeate
throughout him and because his wife had done the same now you or I in that
situation that's me in that situation I'd have been like him blubbering like an
idiot begging begging God begging my attackers but can't you believe it for
one second just for a moment can't you believe that Jesus loves you this much
that he would come and die on the cross to pay the price for your sins to be
Lord of the light Lord of your life and light inside you to deal with all your
dark areas do everything that's wrong with you systematically moment by
moment day by day because he actually wants to do something amazing not just
in eternity but as an effect of the warning he wants you to be living
internally in a bright light that's so bright that if the enemy wants to do
something in you he just that my friends is Christianity amazingly Zachariah knew
it before his son John was born and so did Elizabeth so did Mary and ultimately
so will Joseph that the Messiah the one who was coming was coming for that
purpose if you think Jesus came to die on the cross you're kind of short-sighted
it was necessary that he do so planned for maternity Jesus came to become the
light of men because no flashlight no spotlight and no burning candle can
penetrate the darkness inside you but the light that is Jesus can penetrate
all the darkness inside you but it's a calling but fortunately it's a calling
for any who will listen if you are here today and you have ears here God's
warning and his in treaty that means he wants you and James 4 says this draw
near to me draw near to God and he will draw near to you what do you want today
I'm gonna be comfortable you want everyone to think you're okay is that
your role or you want everybody to think that you're too broken so that they'll
kind of stay out of your bubble not mess with you too much do you want to believe
that the scene that's been set for you so far with the job that you have or the
income you have or the relationships you have or whatever but that's the best
that can be right now because it's not true you're headed for a cliff you're
headed for a crash if you don't allow the light that is Jesus the work is work
in you to affect every dark and broken area and just as you were reborn if you
have been if you haven't been except him now and be reborn but just as you were
reborn you can redeem all your lies all your excuses all your unexplained anger
you can redeem all your illnesses all your failings on the job all your
mistakes all your failure to speak up you can redeem it all in the light that
is Jesus wouldn't be nice to stop making excuses Jesus I have come that they may
have life and have it more abundantly I submit to you that that life more
abundantly is filled with light I'm asking you today
repent and turn to God you say well what would I have to do I don't even know I
mean I know the things that are commanded spiritual disciplines study your
Bible pray maybe fasting service giving all the things that we do to work for
the Lord praising God truly worshiping breaking the silence sharing the gospel
ultimately all those things people like why I just can't bring myself to share
the gospel you will if you live long enough you will why just can't bring
myself to when someone lies to me I just have a hard time forgiving them you'll
get to the point where you you've forgiven them so fast you almost didn't
notice you will because the light of Jesus is just like that but let me say
it from God's point of view you had better God is predicting his reign
ultimately it will be only God and everywhere that God is is anywhere you
want to be and anywhere that God is not is nowhere you want to be ultimately he
will be the only one he will be in charge and if you do not submit now and
consistently and allow that light to go everywhere in your life and you may be
like that man and God says well how'd you get to be here why are you in here
and you're not all cleaned up why are you in here and you're not holy and
white and light like everybody else and you will be speechless you'll say but I
did I believed I believed in Jesus that's why I'm here he said well if you
believed in Jesus and you should have listened to me take him out take her out
and the truth is in that day you won't actually want to be there because that
light that you failed to make friends with that yet that light that you failed
to utilize inside you will be so uncomfortable you'll be there no one
look at everybody around me has white wedding clothes I'm the only person you
ever been in the room and you were the only person underdressed you'll be like
I don't look clean I don't I didn't do it I didn't walk I said I believe but I
didn't do it and when he walks up to you you'll be speechless because you know
you're out of place and then you'll be cast into outer darkness that's what God
says or alternatively you could heed the warnings of God and let the light of the
Lord work in you in every area and there are many I understand and it's a lifelong
journey you may identify some that it'll take a while to get there but doesn't
mean you can't try or allow please on behalf of the God of the universe I beg
you consider yourself warned and called and respond I'll ask the praise team to
come forward to the line and lead us in this final hymn of our service but you're
here today you have not accepted Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior and you need to
speak out and say I want to do that I want to be born again if you're here
today and you have accepted Jesus Christ maybe you've spoken out before and told
others to say look that's me I am a follower of Jesus and I commit myself to allow the
light of Jesus to affect every area of my life not just the areas he's
thus far you might be here decades of Christian and I'm so different than I
was before I got saved I'm nothing like I already said in this
operational moment I've changed so much great but those changes are both a warning
of God that so more changes needed there are also the power of God the
tree of God the question won't you allow this to continue and even more so