Glow in the Dark - Part B

When you share truth, which is revealing, and people who are living in darkness hear those things, certain things in their lives get exposed and it hurts. They'll wince.

They don't like that. And you don't have to be obnoxious. You don't have to like shine the flashlight and go, hey, do you like hell? Because you're going there.

You know, you don't have to be obnoxious. You can be winsome and warm and lovely and deferential and sweet. When your life looks different from the world and you speak God's truth in love, you can make a big impact for Christ. Connect with Skip Heitzig today as he shares how your life can be a beacon of hope that attracts people to Christ. But before we begin, we invite you to catch Skip's Sunday message live at 9 and 11 a.m. at live.calvarynm.church. Now we want to let you know about a resource that helps you dive even deeper into God's truths. Reading the Bible can lead to asking some serious questions like, is the rapture real or how can I overcome anxiety? These two questions are among those answered in Pastor Skip's Picks, a new DVD of four impactful messages by Skip Heitzig. Imagine knowing somebody who knows everything about you.

Now imagine somebody who knows everything about you and loves you anyway. That's what we're dealing with when we deal with the knowledge of God. This collection of some of Pastor Skip's most memorable teachings also includes what most people don't know about heaven. And it's our thanks for your gift of $25 or more to connect more people to God's life-changing word.

Visit connectwithskip.com slash offer to give online securely or call 800-922-1888. 800-922-1888 and request your copy of Pastor Skip's Picks. Okay, we'll be in Philippians Chapter 2 for today's study.

So let's join Skip Heitzig. We must never block the glory of the Son, S-O-N, the Son of God. In all of his radiance and glory, we by our lives must never diminish that glow, but we should reflect that glow. Now something else about light, light to be effective has to be seen. Light has to be seen. Please notice that Paul says, among whom you shine as lights in the world. For you and I to be effective, we have to be around people who are in darkness for the light to be noticeable and for it to work. If all we do is shine among other people who are shining, we're not doing a lot of good. So here we are Sunday morning, it's great. We're worshiping God. We need to do that.

We understand what the Bible says about getting together. However, if this is the only place we're shining, we're not doing the world any good. Here I am.

I'm in church. I'm shining this little light of mine. I'm letting it shine.

That's cool. But we have to leave this place and go out. You know what it's like? It's like this. So here's my flashlight.

Remember? Okay, so what would it be like if I walked out in the sun right now with my flashlight so I could see where I was going? If you saw that you'd say, really lame. You don't need the flashlight to see where you're going. The sun's brighter than your flashlight.

So you don't need to do that. So that's what it's like when Christians only shine around other Christians. We need to be in the darkness for the light to really be of value and for it to work. That's why Jesus said, so let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven.

You see, there's no such thing as secret discipleship because the discipleship will destroy the secrecy or the secrecy will destroy the discipleship. So among whom you shine, the light has to be seen. Something else about light. Have you noticed that light reveals what darkness hides? You know, there's something about turning on a light that is very revelatory or taking an object out into the sun and examining it.

It's very, very amazing the difference. I have a rug. I had a rug until this week in my study. It's out for cleaning. It's an old thing that we got at a pawn shop and it's a nice rug but it was pretty dirty so we took it out to get it clean. And when we lifted it off, it's a dark floor and when I exposed it to the bright lights, I was amazed how much dirt was under that rug. Now, it's not like we're slobs. I mean, we vacuum and clean and stuff but, you know, it concealed a lot and it really showed it when the lights were turned on.

The bright light revealed what the darkness was hiding. Which is why we need to be careful when we share our faith with unbelievers because when you share truth which is revealing and people who are living in darkness hear those things, certain things in their lives get exposed and it hurts. They'll wince. They don't like that and you don't have to be obnoxious. You don't have to like shine the flashlight and go, hey, do you like hell? Because you're going there.

You know, you don't have to be obnoxious. You can be winsome and warm and lovely and deferential and sweet and at the same time just speaking truth will be enough to convict people who don't want to budge from their darkness that they will flee. Jesus said it this way.

This is the verdict. Light has come into the world but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. Something else about light, as I mentioned previously, it shows people the way out of darkness. It doesn't just expose the darkness.

It's really helpful when it leads or directs somebody out. So we all know that Jesus said, I am the light of the world. That's what he said about himself. We know that. But listen to the context of it. Here's what he said.

Here's the full sentence. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Now, Jesus, last time I checked, left this world. He ascended into heaven. He was here.

He left and he gave his Holy Spirit to us. So he said, as long as I am in the world, I'm the light of the world. But he turned to his disciples and he said, you are the light of the world. So think of it as the sun and the moon. The moon reflects the sun. Shouldn't obscure the sun. Should reflect the sun. So as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. But now to you and I, you are the light of the world. So don't block the sun. Don't eclipse it. Reflect the sun.

Now, how do we do that? Well, the short answer is we have to get close to the one who is shining. The one who is shining.

The one who is shining. So, you know, when we talk about glow-in-the-dark products, if you have a watch that has a dial that glows, like I do, or you have those little rubber necklaces they pass out at games, you know, you put around your neck or your wrist. So those phosphorescent toys or objects, they have a phosphor embedded into them. And a phosphor reacts to a light source. So you hold it up to a light, like in the sun or a light bulb, and it charges.

That's what they call it. There's a charge that takes place. The phosphor gets excited by the light source and then it continues to shine and that's called persistence. Now the persistence of the object that is glowing is directly relational to the radiance at the source.

So the longer or more intense the source, the more persistence it's going to have. And so it is with us. For us to glow, we need to go close to Jesus, grow in Him, and in fellowship with Him, in proximity to Him, getting all of that warmth and glow, then our persistence will be more impactful. And I want to show you that and show you exactly how. And this takes us to verse 14 through 16. I want you to look at the verse.

I want you to look at it because I'm going to show you how to glow. And this is what we're called to do. This is our vocation to the world. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

I'm going to sum that up. There's two ways to glow, attitude and action. You need the right attitude, you need the right action. The right attitude is verse 14. Do all things without complaining. Uh-oh.

Guess what? This isn't going to help, perhaps, but it says do all things. I made a discovery. All things actually means all things. You know, I'd love to say, yeah, but in the Greek, you know, it's all things really means some things. No, it actually means all things. It's sort of like Romans 8, 28.

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God. Here's another, all things. Do all things without complaining and disputing. You know what it means to complain?

Who doesn't? Let me tell you what this word means. The word here for complaining literally means to mutter in a low voice, a low tone, an undertone.

The word means under your breath. It's this. You're not really vocalizing it to somebody else. You're just, you're ticked off at something and you're just, you just got the bad attitude. It's a bad attitude. Okay, so what's the context here? You're shining as a light in a crooked world.

The world is watching you. How attractive is a Christian who does this all the time? Is that effective in winning people? Is a complaining, grumbling, disputing believer going to bring people out of darkness into the light? No, it won't. So, to be a complaining believer is bad advertising for the kingdom.

Would you agree with that? It's bad advertising. Because why would an unbeliever listening to you grumble and complain want to do what you're doing as a believer? Follow Christ. Because you're saying, you know, you need to come to Christ. Peace and joy and love and greatness and awesomeness and blah, blah, blah, blah.

They're going, really? You know, you're always grumbling so your God doesn't treat you very well, so why should I follow him? So do all things without complaining and disputing. It's like a family at breakfast and father began the breakfast by a very pious prayer. Oh, Heavenly Father, we thank you this day for all the food and all the goodness that you provide.

And then afterwards started complaining about the coffee being too weak and his wife making the eggs run and being late for this and that. And so little daughters listening at the table and says, hey, Daddy, did God hear you thank him in your prayer? Well, of course, God always hears our prayers. And Daddy, did God hear you complain against Mom and the eggs and the coffee?

And he got nervous now. Yeah, I guess God did hear me say that. And so she innocently said, well, then, Daddy, which one does God believe? Which one does God believe? Now, an unbeliever looking at us, which one are they to believe? The complaining you or that you ought to follow God because he's awesome you?

Do all things. That's the attitude. That's how you glow. The more you complain, the more you diminish the glow.

So that's the that's the first part. Now, look at the next word. Do all things without complaining and disputing.

Different word. Disputing is when you take it from under your breath and it's in a dialogue. Now you're telling everybody what's wrong with everything. OK, that's different than complaining. Now you're disputing.

Think of the woman in the car when she rolls her window down and shares those choice words and gives that gesture. And so that's the disputing part. And it's disputing what her bumper actually says she believed in. You remember that Jesus said, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Dove is pretty harmless. And a serpent was considered shrewd. Why is it that we as Christians think that we should reverse that and be about as wise as a dove and about as harmless as a serpent?

Does no one any good, does it? Hey, what animal in the Bible does Jesus say we're most like? Sheep. Ever been scared by sheep? Ever seen a sign beware of lamb? Lambo is here.

Watch out. This is my guard sheep. Jesus said, I send you out as a sheep. Jesus said, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Not wolves in the midst of sheep.

You are sheep. That's your temperament in the midst of wolves. So first is the attitude. All important is attitude. Do all things without complaining and disputing. Second is the action.

Here's how you glow. Not only your attitude, but your action. Verse 16, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Now when you think of holding something fast, what do you think of? Gripping it, holding it firmly. So I'm holding my Bible fast.

I have a good grip on it. So Paul could mean you need to have a good grip on the truth of the gospel because that's what he means when he says holding the word of life. That's a synonym for the gospel message. So it could simply mean get a firm grasp on the message that brings eternal life. However, this word is a little ambiguous and some translations put it this way, not holding fast, but holding forth the word of life.

And I think that's a better idea. Don't just hold it fast so you know stuff. Hold it forth so that you show stuff, so that you are telling others the message. He's speaking here of sharing your faith with people, preaching the gospel. Not just knowing it, but showing it, sharing it, speaking it, evangelizing with it. So we glow in the dark by living our lives differently. We glow in the dark by speaking the truth accurately.

What we exemplify with our life must be amplified by our lips. So if you're one of those believers who say, well, I like to live a silent witness. I like to live my witness.

Well, that's okay that you are living your witness, but that's sort of like this little guy. So I'm going to light it and I'm going to put it over here and it's got a nice little warm glow and isn't it awesome? And it is. It is.

It is. But if you never actually tell people why you are so awesome and why you are so warm and why you've got this cool little glow going on in your life, if they never know how that happened, they're not going to know how to get out of darkness themselves. So at some point we actually need to put words to our life and tell people how we got out of darkness and came to the light and how they can too. We have to share the gospel with our lips.

Romans chapter 10 verse 14, Paul says, how can they believe in one of whom they have not heard and how can they hear without somebody preaching to them? So listen, if you think you can be a secret agent Christian, I'm encouraging you this morning, blow your cover. Let the state secret out. Let the kingdom secret be known. Tell them what really the skinny is and tell them what heaven's all about and tell them how you got changed. So how do we glow?

Right attitude, right action. Now I want to close with the last two verses and there's something here I never really noticed until this reading of Philippians. In verse 17 and 18 he says, yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me. Now I didn't see this before but Paul here is linking his suffering and their sacrifice. He's putting them together and saying, I want you guys to start seeing this as worship.

It's part of your worship to God. So see where Paul says, if I'm being poured out as a drink offering. Now that's a picture they would be familiar with, you and I aren't, but in ancient times pagan cultures had a thing called a libation where they would take a vessel, a glass, maybe with wine in it, and they would pour it on top of a sacrifice that was being made.

And it was symbolic of, you know, going all in. I'm pouring everything into this. I'm withholding it for myself and I'm pouring it out. Even in Judaism in the Old Testament there was something called a drink offering.

It was poured out. Paul sees his life that way. He's in jail, he's suffering, and he says, you know, I may not make it out of here alive, I'm incarcerated, but I might have to pour my whole life out and be killed. By the way, that's how Paul used it in the very last letter he ever wrote, 2 Timothy. He said in his writing, I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my death is at hand.

So here's what he's saying. Even if this means I'm being poured out on, did you notice it? On the sacrifice and the service of your faith. So it's their sacrifice and his offering poured on top of it.

That's the word picture. Do you see the word service? It literally means worship service.

It's liturgia. We get the term liturgy from that, a ceremony, a liturgical ceremony, a service of worship. So listen, let me tie it all together for you as we close. Paul is saying all of our glowing, all of our light bearing, all of our gospel preaching, all of our attitude adjusting, you need to see that as part of your worship to God. Because that takes it to a whole new level. See, that gives us a whole new reason to adjust our attitude, gives us a whole new reason to share the gospel, gives us a whole new reason to let our light be seen. Because it's part of our worship to God. Romans chapter 12 verse 1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is, NIV says, your spiritual act of worship. Your spiritual act of worship. So let's glow in the dark.

Let's leave the place where we're all shining so brightly and go out into the dark, crooked and perverse world and glow in the dark, lest the darkness overshadow our glow. I want to close with a crazy question, but I want an honest answer. How many of you drink Coke products? You're Coke people, raise your hand if you'd like.

Wait a minute, let me rephrase that. Coca-Cola, not Coke. Coca-Cola. Okay, you're Coca-Cola people, raise your hand.

I won't ask the other question because I might be surprised by the answer. Okay, so these are Coca-Cola people. How many Pepsi people, raise your hand. Okay, once more Coca-Cola people, raise your hand. Okay, so I got to tell you, Coke wins.

And I think I know why. Want to know why Coke wins? Want to know why Coke wins? Because a few years back, years ago, they had a stated goal of Coca-Cola corporation. They said, our goal is we want every person on earth to at least taste Coke, a cola. Every person, that's our goal. That's a pretty lofty goal to say, I want everybody in the world to taste Coca-Cola.

This is how they've done. As of today, 97% of the world has heard of Coke. 72% of the world has seen a Coke product. 51% of the world has tasted Coca-Cola. Over half.

You say, well, that's only over half, it's not 100%. Yeah, but you know how long Coca-Cola has been around? Only 100 years. In 100 years, they've been around, over half the world's population has tasted Coke. Now, you know how long we've been around, the Christian community has been around? 2,000 years, the gospel message has been around. I know things go better with Coke, but things go way better with Jesus. So we can't boast of those numbers.

We can't boast of the same numbers of the Coca-Cola corporation. So I think you would agree, it's time for us to glow, to get in the game. So to glow, we have to go to Jesus and grow in Him so that persistent glow comes forth from our lives. That concludes Skip Heitzig's message from the series Technicolor Joy. Now, here's Skip to share how you can keep these messages coming your way to connect you and others to God's truths.

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