The Church At Brierfield

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”  (John 8:12)

The world is full of darkness.  Everyone without Jesus is stumbling about, tyring to find their way.  Jesus is the only light available in this sin darkened world.  He is “the light that leads to life.”

As believers, if we feel like all is darkness around us and we can’t find our way then we are not following Jesus.  If we are following Him, He will give us spiritual light, life, understanding, and knowledge of His will.

Following the way of sin always leads to darkness and death.  Following Jesus always leads to light and life.  There is no third option.

Follow the Light!

As believers in Jesus we should be confident that we will become what God wants us to be.  This confidence is not based on our abilities but on God’s faithfulness.  To lack confidence is to question His faithfulness.

The first doubt that comes to mind is that we are too weak to be confident.  This is true, we are too weak, but we must realize that “the Lord is faithful, who will establish [us]”  (2 Thess. 3:3)  To establish us means to cause us to stand firm and strong in Him.

Another doubt that comes to mind is that Satan and the sinful world system he has created is too tempting for us to be confident.  Indeed, Satan has done a masterful job of creating a play ground for our sinful desires but we must keep in mind that “the Lord is faithful, who will … guard [us] from the evil one.”  (2 Thess. 3:3)

Another common doubt is that we just “can’t do” the things that are pleasing to Him.  We think they are too hard, or we don’t understand enough, or don’t have the right abilities to accomplish them.  Although, there is much truth in these doubts, we need to know that “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”  (1 Thess. 5:24)  He never expected us to accomplish things for Him.  He expects Himself to accomplish things through us.

Because God is faithful we can be “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in [us] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6)

So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.  Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:16, 17, 19-23 – New Living Translation

Everything of value in our lives is produced by the Holy Spirit when He is in control of our lives.  Everything we produce of our own human effort is of no value and quickly fades away.

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  (John 6:63)

For our lives to amount to anything we must listen to the words of Jesus and follow Him.  It is only through Christ that we can be spiritual and truly alive.  In and of ourselves we can only produce sin and death.

This is true before and after we first believe on Jesus.  Before we believe, our human effort cannot make us acceptable to God.  After we believe, our human effort cannot make us pleasing to God.  “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”  (Gal. 5:16)

Death is something that very few believers look at properly.  We see it as the end of life and something to be dreaded.  Yet, it is actually the beginning of greater life and something to be looked forward to.  In fact, life is also something that very few believers look at properly.  It is generally viewed in terms of our bodies and all things we experience in them when it is actually about Jesus and the life we experience through Him.  Paul made this simple, yet, wonderfully profound statement about life and death.

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil. 1:21)

The first step in viewing death properly is to view life properly.  “[We] have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer [we] who live, but Christ lives in [us]“  (Gal. 2:20)  In fact, Jesus “is our life.” (Col. 3:4)  “[He] came that [we] may have life and have it abundantly.”  (John 10:10)  Our life is all about experiencing the life of Christ.  This isn’t just a nice metaphor, it is reality for the Spirit filled believer.

When our life becomes completely wrapped up in the life of Christ then death “is gain.” Living is Christ and dying is MORE Christ.  “We are confident, yes, WELL PLEASED rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”  (2 Cor. 5:8)  Paul had “a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is FAR BETTER.”  (Phil. 1:23b)  Death, for the believer, is a very good thing.

Every person born into this world is spiritually dead.  Even though our bodies are alive, we are in a state of eternal death with no way to revive ourselves.  Fortunately, Jesus has a message for us.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.  [John 5:24]

We can only be revived from our eternal death by listening to what Jesus has to say and believing.  We then move from eternal death to eternal life.  This new life is made real in us by the Holy Spirit.

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.  [Romans 8:11]

The Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead and this same Spirit now lives within each person who believes.  Just as He gave life to Christ, He gives life to us now.  He has made Himself at home within us to continually be our source of life.

What are we to do for the Lord?  How do we determine what to do next?  The following is Jesus explaining how He made these decisions.

I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.  [John 5:19, NLT]

It is hard to imagine that Jesus could “do nothing by himself.”  If that is true of Him then it is surely true of us.  Yet, we easily fall into the trap of thinking we are capable of doing something for God.  The first step toward accomplishing anything for God is to realize that we can do nothing by ourselves.

Jesus determined what to do by looking around to see what the Father was already doing, then He would do the same.  Obviously, it is much more productive to work with God than to work against Him.  We should look for situations where God is clearly working and work with Him as He leads us.

Whatever the Father was doing, Jesus would do.  He did not draw a line anywhere.  We, too, should be available to do whatever the Father is doing.

Sermon by Joe Clark on Sunday, July 19, 2009.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

God has a specific purpose for calling people to salvation and everything that happens to us leads to that end. He knew before He created anything who would be saved and He is making absolutely sure that each one of us fulfills His purpose in salvation.

What is His purpose in salvation?  That each person who is saved will be made as much like Jesus as it is possible to be.  When all is said and done Jesus will be lifted up as the greatest among a multitude of glorified saints.  God will not be side tracked from this plan and He uses everything that happens to produce this good thing in us.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.  [Romans 8:28-30]

How do we recognize love when we see it?  Well, “God [the Father] so loved the world that he gave his only Son.”  [John 3:16]  “By this we know love, that [God’s Son] laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”  [1 John 3:16]  One of the most obvious characteristics of love is self sacrifice.  We cannot love others and selfishly hold on to our lives at the same time.  For those we truly love, we will give up our comfort, our goals, our desires, and even our lives.

This amazing love is not just for our spouse, parents, siblings, and children but is also to be shown to all our brothers and sisters in Christ.  “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  [Phil. 2:1-8]