1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,420 Good morning, Harbor Church West. 2 00:00:02,300 --> 00:00:02,880 Welcome, welcome. 3 00:00:03,050 --> 00:00:04,460 I want to invite you in and grab your seats. 4 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:05,380 My name is Mike. 5 00:00:05,940 --> 00:00:08,000 I'm one of the pastors here at the church. 6 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,320 And before we get started with today's message, 7 00:00:11,510 --> 00:00:12,620 I have a couple of things. 8 00:00:12,820 --> 00:00:15,480 First of all, one of the things that we want to do 9 00:00:15,570 --> 00:00:17,240 at our church here at Harbor West 10 00:00:17,270 --> 00:00:20,680 is we want to grow in our prayer, in our prayer life. 11 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:23,640 Whether that be personal prayer, 12 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:25,460 or our corporate prayer as a church. 13 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:31,040 And so we're holding a Prayer Seminar on August 16th during the morning. 14 00:00:31,390 --> 00:00:33,140 And we invite you folks to come on out. 15 00:00:33,340 --> 00:00:37,040 And through this seminar, we're really hoping that we can deepen our prayer life, 16 00:00:37,330 --> 00:00:39,800 you know, kind of maybe rediscover prayer. 17 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,780 Maybe for some, it might be reigniting a prayer life. 18 00:00:42,930 --> 00:00:44,460 And so this is open to all. 19 00:00:44,490 --> 00:00:46,780 And we want to invite you out to that. 20 00:00:46,870 --> 00:00:50,720 And there's more information in your bulletin regarding the details. 21 00:00:50,770 --> 00:00:51,900 So you can check that out. 22 00:00:53,100 --> 00:00:59,520 The second thing I want to talk about or mention before we get into the message is this past Tuesday, the tsunami threat. 23 00:01:01,060 --> 00:01:01,280 Right? 24 00:01:01,350 --> 00:01:02,780 I mean, man, that was crazy. 25 00:01:04,019 --> 00:01:12,480 And we want to just thank you, thank those who are so generous and so hospitable to open up their homes during that, 26 00:01:12,610 --> 00:01:16,180 to allow people to come over to kind of evacuate where they were. 27 00:01:16,580 --> 00:01:34,720 And so we just want to say thanks to Justin and Heejong White, Rich and Cindy De Lizo, Brian and Donna Cadiz, Eric and Sammi Kaye Propes, Jillian Gray, as well as my favorite Hawaiian couple from Illinois, Alex and Jess Kanai. 28 00:01:34,810 --> 00:01:37,340 And so we just want to thank you so much for that. 29 00:01:37,340 --> 00:01:38,680 I want to make sure I didn't miss anybody. 30 00:01:40,660 --> 00:01:41,460 Yeah, so thank you. 31 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:42,000 Thank you. 32 00:01:42,110 --> 00:01:44,180 Or James and Pauline Wilson as well. 33 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:50,580 And so thank you so much for showing God's love and being so hospitable to those who needed some place to go. 34 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:57,980 Well, we are in the second part of a message series that we started last week called What You're Looking For. 35 00:01:59,140 --> 00:02:03,000 And in this series, we're looking at the I am statements of Jesus. 36 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:09,360 And last week we talked about Jesus when he said, I am the bread of life. 37 00:02:10,140 --> 00:02:15,100 And so this week we're talking about when Jesus says, I am the light of the world. 38 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:18,800 And so I want to invite you to turn your Bibles to John chapter 8. 39 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:19,860 That's where we're going to be. 40 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:21,180 John chapter 8. 41 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:27,420 And if you're using the Bible that's under the chair in front of you, that's page 950. 42 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:31,600 We're talking about what are you looking for. 43 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:38,400 This past Tuesday when the tsunami, we're under the tsunami threat, people were looking for a lot of things. 44 00:02:39,260 --> 00:02:43,360 People were looking to get home to loved ones, stuck in traffic. 45 00:02:43,490 --> 00:02:50,440 My wife, Julie, she was stuck in Town for a good part of the evening just because it was crazy traffic to get home. 46 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:53,120 People were looking for gas, right? 47 00:02:53,300 --> 00:02:54,080 They're looking for water. 48 00:02:54,250 --> 00:02:55,760 They're looking for shelter. 49 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:02,900 And I think one of the things that it reveals is that the thing that we're probably all looking for, 50 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,680 and the tsunami just kind of revealed that, is that we're looking for a sense of security. 51 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:13,680 We're looking for an assurance that everything is going to be okay. 52 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:21,020 And a lot of times it takes a crisis, not all the time, but often during a crisis like a tsunami threat, 53 00:03:22,100 --> 00:03:26,040 it actually reveals what we are truly looking for. 54 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:31,120 It reveals what's truly important in our lives. 55 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:35,400 So as we go to the text today, you know what's interesting? 56 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,820 that at the beginning of John chapter 8, in the first few verses, 57 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:43,760 John tells a story about a woman who is facing a crisis. 58 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,980 She's facing a crisis because she's about to be executed. 59 00:03:49,660 --> 00:03:51,480 This woman was caught in adultery, 60 00:03:52,580 --> 00:03:56,620 and she was dragged out before the public by the scribes and the Pharisees, 61 00:03:56,740 --> 00:03:58,480 the religious elites of that time. 62 00:03:59,700 --> 00:04:01,140 And they brought her before Jesus. 63 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:09,120 And they ask Jesus and they tell him the law of Moses says that because of her sin of adultery, 64 00:04:09,300 --> 00:04:10,660 she should be executed. 65 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:11,860 What do you say? 66 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:18,239 And if you remember the story, Jesus is kneeling down in the dirt and he's writing something in the dirt 67 00:04:18,280 --> 00:04:26,220 and then he stands up and he says, the one without sin should be the first to throw the stone. 68 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,820 The one without sin should be the first to stone her to death. 69 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:39,960 and as the story goes that each one slowly dropped their stones and walked away until all that was 70 00:04:40,050 --> 00:04:46,580 were left was jesus and the woman and jesus looks at the woman says where are those who condemned you 71 00:04:47,540 --> 00:04:57,659 and she says they're not here and jesus looks at her says i don't condemn you now go and sin no more 72 00:05:00,020 --> 00:05:06,560 and I think John does this on purpose and that after writing about this adulterous woman in John 73 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:13,180 in the beginning of John 8 it's then that we come to John chapter 8 verse 12 where he quotes Jesus 74 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:18,720 and I'll put it up on screen it says Jesus spoke to them again being the Pharisees especially he 75 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:25,919 says I am the light of the world anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the 76 00:05:25,940 --> 00:05:33,980 light of life. And I think that it's interesting that John puts these kind of two stories together 77 00:05:34,300 --> 00:05:40,020 because they're connected. They're connected to one another. Let's see how they're connected. 78 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:44,980 Look at verse 13. It says, so the Pharisees said to him, you are testifying about yourself? 79 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:54,039 Your testimony is not valid. Even if I testify about myself, Jesus said, my testimony is true 80 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:58,320 because I know where I came from and know where I'm going. 81 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,480 You see, for the scribes and the Pharisees, 82 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,480 they knew the law of Moses front and back and back and front. 83 00:06:05,530 --> 00:06:08,160 And the law said that if you're going to bear witness, 84 00:06:08,390 --> 00:06:09,720 you need to have two witnesses. 85 00:06:09,910 --> 00:06:11,660 You need to have two people to testify. 86 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:15,020 In fact, they just did that with the woman. 87 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:19,120 Probably earlier that day, they had all of them together, 88 00:06:19,220 --> 00:06:20,460 the Pharisees and the scribes, 89 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:22,200 bearing witness against this woman. 90 00:06:22,260 --> 00:06:29,340 And so they're telling Jesus, your testimony is invalid because you lack another witness. 91 00:06:31,420 --> 00:06:34,380 But if you look at the second part of verse 14 and then following, 92 00:06:35,580 --> 00:06:41,500 I want you to notice how Jesus responds to the Pharisees and how he actually drops the hammer on them. 93 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,220 In the middle of 14, it says, but you don't know. 94 00:06:46,860 --> 00:06:48,940 You don't know where I come from or where I'm going. 95 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:50,940 You judge by human standards. 96 00:06:51,220 --> 00:06:52,220 I judge no one. 97 00:06:52,220 --> 00:06:54,240 And if I do judge, my judgment is true 98 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:56,460 because it is not I alone who judge, 99 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:58,880 but I and the Father who sent me. 100 00:07:00,860 --> 00:07:03,520 Jesus tells the Pharisees, you don't know. 101 00:07:05,940 --> 00:07:08,580 He's telling the Pharisees, you guys are in the dark, 102 00:07:08,740 --> 00:07:13,420 that you're blind, that you really don't see Jesus. 103 00:07:13,580 --> 00:07:15,120 Sure, you see him with your physical eyes, 104 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,760 but you really don't see who he is. 105 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:22,160 But let me ask you this question. 106 00:07:23,540 --> 00:07:27,540 Who is the one in our story who sees Jesus for who he is? 107 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,140 Who's the one who is now walking in the light? 108 00:07:31,220 --> 00:07:32,520 And I ask you, you can shout it out. 109 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:34,480 Don't give me the book report, but just, you know, shout it out. 110 00:07:34,550 --> 00:07:35,480 Just one word, maybe. 111 00:07:36,180 --> 00:07:36,860 Who's the one? 112 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:38,320 The woman. 113 00:07:40,220 --> 00:07:48,340 The woman is the one who's walking in the light, who sees Jesus for who he is. 114 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:56,160 And then in verse 17 and following, it says, even in your law, it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 115 00:07:56,880 --> 00:08:02,160 I am the one who testifies about myself and the father who sent me testifies about me. 116 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:07,340 Then in verse 19, to kind of prove Jesus's point that the Pharisees are in the dark. 117 00:08:08,220 --> 00:08:10,580 The Pharisees asked Jesus, well, where is your father? 118 00:08:12,690 --> 00:08:18,200 In other words, well, go wake him up or something or go get him, go drag him out of the house and bring him here. 119 00:08:18,340 --> 00:08:21,160 So it can be your second testimony or second testifier. 120 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:24,020 You just don't get it. 121 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:26,580 You don't get it. 122 00:08:26,700 --> 00:08:30,680 And so Jesus confirms their blindness when he says, 123 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:33,340 you know neither me nor my father. 124 00:08:33,820 --> 00:08:34,520 You don't know me. 125 00:08:34,599 --> 00:08:35,479 You don't know my father. 126 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:38,840 If you knew me, you would also know my father. 127 00:08:41,300 --> 00:08:47,079 And so it's at this point that Jesus completely upends our idea of who walks in light 128 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:49,140 and who walks in darkness. 129 00:08:50,300 --> 00:08:52,040 It would seem that it's safe to assume 130 00:08:52,630 --> 00:08:54,880 that the religious elite, the religious leaders, 131 00:08:55,050 --> 00:08:58,180 the one who know the law, the book of Moses, 132 00:08:58,980 --> 00:09:00,820 that they would be the ones who walk in the light. 133 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:04,300 And that the adulterous, sinful woman 134 00:09:04,390 --> 00:09:05,820 would be the one who's walking in darkness, 135 00:09:05,870 --> 00:09:07,320 but it's a complete opposite. 136 00:09:10,540 --> 00:09:12,500 It turns everything upside down. 137 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:15,600 And then in verse 20, 138 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:21,740 it says that Jesus spoke these words by the treasury while teaching in the temple, but 139 00:09:21,980 --> 00:09:29,000 no one seized him because his hour had not yet come. Verse 20 is important because it not only 140 00:09:29,220 --> 00:09:34,720 locates Jesus in the temple, but in a specific part of the temple called the court of women. 141 00:09:35,540 --> 00:09:42,099 And we know this because this is where the temple treasury was located. And so as Jesus was teaching 142 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:46,940 near the treasury, he was within the court of women. Now it's called the court of women, 143 00:09:47,780 --> 00:09:52,540 not because it was only for women, but rather it was the farthest into the temple in which a female 144 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,700 could go, a Jewish female could go. So if you think of the temple, you have the outer court, 145 00:09:56,820 --> 00:10:02,200 which is for the Gentiles, is for everybody. And then you go one step in, and then it's the court 146 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:06,839 of women, which is for just Jews alone, men and women. And then it was for Jewish men, then for 147 00:10:06,860 --> 00:10:14,540 the priest and then for the high priest. And so imagine that Jesus is standing in this court, 148 00:10:14,740 --> 00:10:20,320 the court of women, and he's teaching and it's just teeming with people. It's like, it's super busy. 149 00:10:20,500 --> 00:10:25,800 There's tons of people because at this time when he was teaching, the Feast of Tabernacles was 150 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:31,539 happening. And this is a great pilgrimage feast where Jews from all across the land would 151 00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:37,640 come to Jerusalem and come to the temple to celebrate the feast of the tabernacles. 152 00:10:38,020 --> 00:10:44,080 And this feast was to commemorate God's guidance and protection and presence 153 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:49,680 while the Jews were wandering around the wilderness for 40 years. 154 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:55,080 And so Jesus is teaching at the court of women during the feast of tabernacles. 155 00:10:56,700 --> 00:10:57,620 It's full of people. 156 00:10:58,820 --> 00:11:04,280 And during this festival, there is these huge 75 foot lampstands. 157 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,640 And I marked the picture with red lines so we can see it a little bit better. 158 00:11:07,650 --> 00:11:11,520 And there's about four of them, 75 feet, maybe five or six stories tall. 159 00:11:11,910 --> 00:11:16,940 And they would light the top of these lampstands because it symbolized God's presence. 160 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:25,140 So think about, you know, the Jews wandering around in the wilderness and God, the pillar of fire guiding the Jews during the darkness of the wilderness. 161 00:11:25,410 --> 00:11:28,560 And so it symbolizes God's presence and God's glory. 162 00:11:30,580 --> 00:11:35,620 Jesus is standing there in this court with these huge lampstands around him 163 00:11:37,420 --> 00:11:47,080 and he says you see this light see all this light I'm that light I'm that light 164 00:11:48,220 --> 00:11:50,900 and I got to imagine some of the people standing around listening to him they're like 165 00:11:52,360 --> 00:12:02,740 what? Jesus, he says, I don't just symbolize God's presence and glory. I am God's presence 166 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:08,380 and glory. When Jesus says, I'm the light of the world, he doesn't just say, hey, I'm a light that 167 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:16,580 lights up the city. He says, I'm a light that lights the whole world. It's shocking, if not blasphemous. 168 00:12:18,580 --> 00:12:22,080 Because notice that Jesus says, I am, I am the light of the world. 169 00:12:22,300 --> 00:12:24,340 That's a clear reference to the name of Yahweh. 170 00:12:25,300 --> 00:12:31,020 When God revealed himself to Moses in Exodus chapter 3, when he says, I am who I am. 171 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:36,220 So Jesus makes a direct reference to Yahweh. 172 00:12:36,540 --> 00:12:41,780 And he also is standing there with all this festivities going on, all this celebration and commemoration. 173 00:12:41,930 --> 00:12:43,160 He says, you guys see all this? 174 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:44,780 All this is happening? 175 00:12:46,060 --> 00:12:46,620 It's about me. 176 00:12:47,940 --> 00:12:48,900 This is about me. 177 00:12:51,060 --> 00:12:54,580 In summary, Jesus is saying, I am Yahweh in the flesh. 178 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:57,120 I am the light of the world. 179 00:12:57,570 --> 00:13:01,320 In other words, I am the one that you're looking for. 180 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:03,800 It's me. 181 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:07,760 And here's the good news. 182 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:10,540 Here's the good news for us. 183 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:16,700 That Jesus, he says in verse 12, that his followers have the light of life. 184 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:19,700 They are in possession of the light of life. 185 00:13:19,780 --> 00:13:22,640 That means that Jesus, the light of the world, is yours. 186 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:25,740 He's yours. 187 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:30,800 And because you have Jesus, the light of the world, 188 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:33,600 this means that you have three things in your life. 189 00:13:34,700 --> 00:13:36,520 Three things that we're going to unpack here in a moment. 190 00:13:36,580 --> 00:13:39,240 But those three things are, it means that, first of all, 191 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:43,560 that you have God's presence because you have the light of the world. 192 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:45,580 Because you have the light of the world, 193 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,600 it means that you have God's freedom. 194 00:13:50,100 --> 00:13:52,300 And then thirdly means you have God's blessing. 195 00:13:52,740 --> 00:13:53,860 You have God's blessing. 196 00:13:54,980 --> 00:13:57,060 His presence, his freedom, his blessing. 197 00:13:58,120 --> 00:13:59,200 So we're going to unpack all three. 198 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,380 So the first one is his presence. 199 00:14:01,780 --> 00:14:05,040 Because you have God's, the light of the world in Jesus, 200 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:06,280 that means you have his presence, 201 00:14:06,660 --> 00:14:09,180 especially in a confusing and chaotic and dark world. 202 00:14:11,260 --> 00:14:13,699 One of my favorite stories growing up as a kid 203 00:14:13,700 --> 00:14:15,620 was about Howard Rutledge. 204 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,380 And he was a naval aviator 205 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:22,160 and he was shot down during the Vietnam War 206 00:14:22,500 --> 00:14:24,120 and he was captured by the North Vietnamese 207 00:14:24,940 --> 00:14:26,200 and he was held in prison. 208 00:14:26,250 --> 00:14:29,400 He was in prison by them with other POWs for seven years. 209 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:32,480 Five of those years, he was in solitary confinement. 210 00:14:32,510 --> 00:14:33,780 I can't even imagine that. 211 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,020 And in his memoir, he writes about how they suffered. 212 00:14:38,230 --> 00:14:42,279 He and the fellow POWs suffered incredible physical 213 00:14:42,940 --> 00:14:44,380 and mental torture. 214 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:47,900 The living conditions were inhumane. 215 00:14:48,820 --> 00:14:50,060 They would actually pull maggots 216 00:14:50,060 --> 00:14:51,080 out of the back of their throat 217 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:53,540 because the food was so rotten and putrid. 218 00:14:56,500 --> 00:14:58,620 But in his book, Rutledge talks about 219 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:03,540 how he and some other POWs 220 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,320 started to find God's presence, 221 00:15:09,140 --> 00:15:11,739 God's light in the midst of the darkness 222 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:13,480 of that prison. 223 00:15:16,140 --> 00:15:19,380 They started to get a sense of God's presence 224 00:15:21,180 --> 00:15:23,100 despite the brutal conditions, 225 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:28,900 despite the death that was happening all around them. 226 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:32,680 They started to get a sense of God's light 227 00:15:32,750 --> 00:15:33,420 and his presence. 228 00:15:35,100 --> 00:15:37,140 And he says that the way he got that 229 00:15:37,710 --> 00:15:41,720 was by recalling and meditating on 230 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:50,060 scriptures that he learned when he was a kid way back in Sunday school. And he started to pull out 231 00:15:50,220 --> 00:15:58,620 from his memory bank these scriptures. Now, just as an aside to our KK and preschool and youth 232 00:15:58,780 --> 00:16:03,100 teachers, thank you so much. Because I know sometimes you're thinking, nothing's going in. 233 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:11,700 Nope, nothing's going in. Well, it is. It is going in. And Rutledge would remember scripture 234 00:16:11,780 --> 00:16:15,020 such as Matthew 28, 20, where Jesus says, 235 00:16:15,100 --> 00:16:16,380 and remember, I am with you always, 236 00:16:17,050 --> 00:16:19,520 even to the end of the age or to the end of time. 237 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:23,840 It was then that the light of the world, 238 00:16:24,100 --> 00:16:26,360 that the promise that I am with you, 239 00:16:28,260 --> 00:16:31,420 my presence is with you in spite of your circumstances. 240 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:35,540 And man, that gave them so much hope. 241 00:16:38,020 --> 00:16:39,240 Even the title of his memoir, 242 00:16:39,490 --> 00:16:41,600 which is In the Presence of Mine Enemies, 243 00:16:41,700 --> 00:16:45,860 It comes from Psalm 23 that promises this up on screen. 244 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:49,400 It says, even when I go through the darkest valley, 245 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:51,600 some translations say, 246 00:16:52,650 --> 00:16:55,000 even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 247 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,100 when death feels as close as your shadow, 248 00:16:59,180 --> 00:17:00,180 I will fear no evil. 249 00:17:00,550 --> 00:17:02,800 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 250 00:17:04,260 --> 00:17:05,360 You are with me. 251 00:17:07,579 --> 00:17:13,660 Next verse says that you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 252 00:17:13,839 --> 00:17:16,079 That is, God sets a table before you. 253 00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:17,939 He's with you. 254 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:19,240 He's sustaining you. 255 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:20,500 He's strengthening you. 256 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:22,140 He's holding you up. 257 00:17:22,900 --> 00:17:25,959 Even in the presence of your enemies, you see his presence. 258 00:17:29,580 --> 00:17:35,200 And this assurance that Rutledge had of God's presence and King David had when he wrote Psalm 23, 259 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:42,600 We have that same assurance that God's presence is with us even in our darkest hour. 260 00:17:43,820 --> 00:17:48,160 John 1 tells us that the light of Jesus cannot be overcome by the darkness. 261 00:17:51,420 --> 00:17:54,440 I think we all know that we live in a dark and chaotic world. 262 00:17:55,460 --> 00:17:58,600 I mean, the tsunami this past Tuesday reminded us of this. 263 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:03,620 But there's also personal chaos, personal darkness. 264 00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:06,720 Maybe there's some relational turmoil. 265 00:18:07,020 --> 00:18:10,020 Maybe there's something that's going on at work or something in a classroom. 266 00:18:10,290 --> 00:18:13,500 Or maybe it's just a mental chaos. 267 00:18:14,180 --> 00:18:18,820 Something inside of your head that is causing this chaos, this darkness. 268 00:18:21,660 --> 00:18:27,900 Friends, one of the best ways that we can have the assurance of Jesus' presence and light is through the Scripture. 269 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:30,860 It's through Scripture. 270 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:40,640 You know, the whole storyline of the Bible from beginning to end is accounting for human suffering and sin and the darkness. 271 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:46,540 It tells the story of the darkness that humanity has been plunged into because of our sin. 272 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:56,400 But along that same thread line is a story of God's saving presence who is with his people through it all. 273 00:18:58,660 --> 00:19:04,140 And see, so when we read the scriptures and remind ourselves of Jesus's light and presence in the darkness, 274 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,300 it's reminding ourselves that God is with us. 275 00:19:10,140 --> 00:19:11,800 Psalm 119, 105 says, 276 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,240 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light unto my path. 277 00:19:17,140 --> 00:19:19,820 God's word points to that light. 278 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:20,820 It points to Jesus. 279 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:22,980 It reminds us that we have this light of the world. 280 00:19:22,980 --> 00:19:24,820 So my question is, are you in God's word? 281 00:19:26,380 --> 00:19:27,320 Are you in God's word? 282 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:28,580 Are you reading it? 283 00:19:28,620 --> 00:19:30,120 Are you memorizing it? 284 00:19:30,130 --> 00:19:32,760 Are you putting God's word into you? 285 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:39,520 Are you looking for the assurance that everything is going to turn out okay? 286 00:19:39,850 --> 00:19:41,320 That everything is going to be fine? 287 00:19:43,420 --> 00:19:46,340 My friends, you find this assurance in God's word. 288 00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:50,460 And so this is the first thing, what it means to have the light of the world. 289 00:19:50,550 --> 00:19:54,420 It means that you have God's presence, especially in the chaotic darkness. 290 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:56,740 But secondly, it means that you have freedom. 291 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,400 You have freedom from guilt and shame. 292 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:04,540 I'm going to put this picture up on screen. 293 00:20:04,740 --> 00:20:05,820 Anybody recognize this couple? 294 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:13,880 If you don't, what happened is a couple weeks ago, 295 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:18,940 this couple was at a rock concert and there was a kiss cam. 296 00:20:19,140 --> 00:20:22,940 The kiss cam is when the camera person is roving the crowd. 297 00:20:23,060 --> 00:20:25,419 They find a couple, they put the camera on them 298 00:20:25,940 --> 00:20:28,020 and their image goes up on the big screen, 299 00:20:28,050 --> 00:20:29,740 the big Jumbotron or whatever it is. 300 00:20:30,130 --> 00:20:31,520 And usually like in basketball games 301 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:32,780 and you're supposed to kiss each other. 302 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:34,080 Now, this would have been cute, 303 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:38,380 except they're married, 304 00:20:38,380 --> 00:20:39,580 they're both married to other people. 305 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:44,220 And the fallout from this 306 00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:48,240 is obviously broken relationships, 307 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:51,000 resignations, 308 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:53,440 worldwide embarrassment. 309 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,100 See, one of the things about light is that it reveals. 310 00:21:00,860 --> 00:21:01,920 Light exposes. 311 00:21:03,740 --> 00:21:06,560 A hidden affair comes to light. 312 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:15,640 But it's in the same way that the adulterous woman, her affair came to light for all to see as well. 313 00:21:17,900 --> 00:21:18,700 But here's the difference. 314 00:21:19,940 --> 00:21:29,980 For the kiss cam couple, the world and culture threw rocks at them in the form of online memes and viral embarrassment. 315 00:21:33,740 --> 00:21:36,860 But for the woman, no rocks were thrown. 316 00:21:39,250 --> 00:21:42,520 Instead of shaming her, Jesus saves her. 317 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:48,200 See, the woman was rummaging around in the dark looking for what she thought would give her life. 318 00:21:48,460 --> 00:21:51,380 in her case, is a relationship with a man who wasn't her husband. 319 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,620 See, but the light of Jesus breaks into her darkness 320 00:21:55,690 --> 00:21:59,820 and frees her from her condemnation and from her guilt and shame. 321 00:22:01,340 --> 00:22:05,780 And he calls her and invites her to walk in the light of life. 322 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,980 See, maybe you're here and you're looking for relief 323 00:22:10,150 --> 00:22:12,060 from the inner voice of condemnation. 324 00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:17,700 You're looking for a freedom from shame and guilt. 325 00:22:17,780 --> 00:22:20,280 Maybe you're haunted by your past. 326 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:24,720 Maybe you think to yourself, man, if people knew what I did. 327 00:22:27,220 --> 00:22:28,860 But friends, Jesus already knows. 328 00:22:30,220 --> 00:22:32,180 And he still says, follow me. 329 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:34,800 You won't walk in darkness anymore. 330 00:22:35,700 --> 00:22:37,540 The light doesn't avoid your past. 331 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:38,480 It redeems it. 332 00:22:40,260 --> 00:22:41,420 Or maybe you're exhausted. 333 00:22:41,700 --> 00:22:46,600 You're just tired from proving to others and to yourself that your life is okay, 334 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:48,160 that everything is working out 335 00:22:48,180 --> 00:22:50,620 and you're trying to prove it to yourself and others 336 00:22:50,820 --> 00:22:52,920 through maybe your parenting or your career 337 00:22:53,540 --> 00:22:56,220 or your politics or just your performance 338 00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:57,740 or your fitness. 339 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,420 Maybe you're hiding behind a polished Instagram profile 340 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,240 that's masking what's really happening behind the scenes. 341 00:23:10,020 --> 00:23:13,640 But Jesus says, you don't have to fake it. 342 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:16,000 You can step into the light. 343 00:23:17,660 --> 00:23:18,420 I see it all 344 00:23:19,540 --> 00:23:20,700 and I still love you. 345 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:26,640 Or maybe you're stuck in a secret sin. 346 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:30,140 Sin that nobody knows about. 347 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:34,140 But the light of the world in Jesus Christ 348 00:23:34,460 --> 00:23:35,480 breaks into the darkness 349 00:23:35,700 --> 00:23:38,240 and calls us to walk in a light through confession. 350 00:23:38,860 --> 00:23:39,940 Not to be shamed, 351 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:41,360 but to be free. 352 00:23:43,620 --> 00:23:44,080 To be free. 353 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:50,880 or maybe you hear the voice of shame whispering in your ear you're not lovable 354 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:54,260 who would want you 355 00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:02,700 you're disqualified but jesus's light reveals the truth that in christ you are chosen 356 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:11,600 you are forgiven you are wanted you see jesus's light it exposes sin not to crush us but to 357 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:18,000 cleanse us, to cleanse us from what we're trying to cover up. And just like the woman, Jesus frees 358 00:24:18,100 --> 00:24:24,880 us from our guilt and shame. We have this freedom because we have the light of the world. 359 00:24:25,810 --> 00:24:36,319 We have this freedom. And then finally, because we have Jesus, the light of the world, we have 360 00:24:36,820 --> 00:24:42,720 his blessing. That is his blessing to point others to the light. We have this commission. 361 00:24:42,950 --> 00:24:45,180 He commissions us to point others to the light. 362 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:54,460 Several years ago, there was a storm that hit the island. It wasn't a tsunami. It wasn't a hurricane. 363 00:24:54,820 --> 00:25:03,700 It's just a storm. But it knocked out all the power to the island. Complete blackout. 364 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:09,280 And as this is happening, I'm actually driving home from town back out here to Kapolei. 365 00:25:09,900 --> 00:25:13,220 And as I'm driving, I'm seeing whole chunks of the city just go dark. 366 00:25:13,290 --> 00:25:13,840 It was eerie. 367 00:25:13,850 --> 00:25:16,400 Then finally, everything was out, completely black. 368 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:18,060 And it was weird. 369 00:25:19,860 --> 00:25:21,680 So I'm driving down the freeway. 370 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:26,300 And off in the distance, I see a light. 371 00:25:27,420 --> 00:25:28,760 Just a small little light. 372 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:34,140 But man, seeing that light in the midst of the darkness, it just drew me. 373 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:36,100 It got my attention, my eyes. 374 00:25:36,100 --> 00:25:37,460 I couldn't take my eyes off of it. 375 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:39,700 It was like this beacon of hope. 376 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:45,640 And as I got closer to it, I started to see what it was. 377 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,780 What was lit up in the midst of all this blackness, all this darkness, 378 00:25:49,900 --> 00:25:50,520 and it was this. 379 00:25:51,740 --> 00:25:52,720 It was the... 380 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:55,760 I'm not even joking. 381 00:25:57,380 --> 00:25:59,240 It was the Malasara truck at Waikele. 382 00:25:59,920 --> 00:26:02,720 Back then, only had one food truck, and that was it, 383 00:26:02,740 --> 00:26:03,880 and they were running on a generator. 384 00:26:05,540 --> 00:26:10,140 so as i'm driving getting closer i'm like some of you thinking you only wanted a model sada mike i 385 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:17,080 know but that's not it was truly like it was like man in all this blackness all this darkness 386 00:26:18,360 --> 00:26:23,140 there was this light and it actually brought me comfort it's like oh 387 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:31,399 but here's the thing is that jesus tells us to be like this malasada truck 388 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:33,260 in the darkness. 389 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:36,240 In Matthew chapter 5, 390 00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:38,620 looking at verses 14 and 15, 391 00:26:39,540 --> 00:26:41,860 Jesus says something pretty shocking. 392 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:45,040 Talking to his disciples, his followers, me and you, 393 00:26:45,070 --> 00:26:46,780 he says, you are the light of the world. 394 00:26:48,060 --> 00:26:50,460 A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 395 00:26:50,900 --> 00:26:53,200 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, 396 00:26:53,270 --> 00:26:54,720 but rather on a lampstand 397 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,760 and it gives light for all who are in the house. 398 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:10,020 so as Jesus's followers who have the light of the world we now reflect Jesus's light to be seen by 399 00:27:10,150 --> 00:27:15,120 others like a lit city on a hill like a lampstand and even like a malasada truck 400 00:27:17,559 --> 00:27:22,280 in verse 16 Jesus goes on he says in the same way let your light shine before others so that 401 00:27:22,340 --> 00:27:30,640 they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven. Paul says the same thing 402 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:35,220 in a different way in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 8. He says, for you were once darkness, but now you 403 00:27:35,300 --> 00:27:43,460 are light in the world. Walk as children of light. Friends, every day presents opportunities to shine 404 00:27:43,540 --> 00:27:52,400 the light of Christ every day. At work or school, maybe you shine the light of Christ just through 405 00:27:52,400 --> 00:28:01,340 your integrity. Or maybe through your kindness to your co-workers or classmates or a word of 406 00:28:01,460 --> 00:28:07,100 encouragement. Maybe it's your grace under pressure that reflects and shines Christ. 407 00:28:09,100 --> 00:28:12,280 Because the reality is that your co-workers may not read the Bible, 408 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,520 but they are certainly reading you and me. 409 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:21,980 We shine the light of Christ on social media. 410 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:27,220 I think we all know that social media can be a dark, divisive place. 411 00:28:29,620 --> 00:28:34,920 But what if we were a people that posted non-anxious posts? 412 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:41,400 What if we were people that posted hope-filled posts 413 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:46,640 to a place that is so anxious and angry? 414 00:28:46,700 --> 00:28:49,500 What if we shine the light that way? 415 00:28:54,140 --> 00:28:55,300 Even in your hard times. 416 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:02,120 You know, as pastors, Justin, Brandon, and I, 417 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:09,220 we often have the front row seat to the different hard stuff that you all face. 418 00:29:10,860 --> 00:29:14,200 Grief, stress, illness. 419 00:29:19,060 --> 00:29:25,980 But every time we see this, we also see the light of Jesus shining through this church. 420 00:29:29,660 --> 00:29:40,520 It makes us so proud to see how you cling to Jesus in the midst of darkness. 421 00:29:43,220 --> 00:29:45,760 To see that coming out of your lives. 422 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:50,340 At the very least, it's encouraging. 423 00:29:51,340 --> 00:29:52,700 But it makes us proud. 424 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:55,360 Proud to see Jesus in your lives. 425 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:06,600 We shine the light through our good works, as Jesus says, serving others, our generosity, our forgiveness of others, loving your neighbors. 426 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:13,300 You know, this past Tuesday with the tsunami, and this is my last tsunami reference, I promise. 427 00:30:13,660 --> 00:30:20,540 But we opened up the church, and one of the church families came. 428 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:22,460 It was James and Pauline Wilson. 429 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:25,280 They live right here in Kapolei, and so they were here. 430 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:32,240 And then a little while later, a family that we didn't know showed up to the church, a family of five. 431 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:38,000 And so we finally found out the connection is that they were, they're visiting from Iowa. 432 00:30:38,220 --> 00:30:39,220 They're staying in Ko Olina. 433 00:30:39,410 --> 00:30:40,900 Their landlord said, you got to go out. 434 00:30:40,950 --> 00:30:45,620 The landlord reached out to a friend who somehow showed up here at maybe one Sunday, had our app, 435 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,280 saw the announcement that said, hey, the church is open, told the landlord. 436 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:50,820 Landlord told them they showed up. 437 00:30:50,830 --> 00:30:52,740 So it's like a third degree connection. 438 00:30:53,980 --> 00:30:55,280 So they showed up, three little kids. 439 00:30:55,460 --> 00:30:56,820 They crashed out on the chairs. 440 00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:59,500 And then about 10 o'clock, you know, James and Pauline said, 441 00:30:59,620 --> 00:31:01,180 hey, you know, I don't think anything's really going to happen. 442 00:31:01,340 --> 00:31:02,220 We're going to roll on home. 443 00:31:02,660 --> 00:31:03,540 What are you guys going to do? 444 00:31:03,540 --> 00:31:04,440 And they couldn't do anything. 445 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:09,140 They couldn't go anywhere because the roads back to Colina were closed. 446 00:31:12,220 --> 00:31:16,160 So James and Pauline said, why don't you guys come over to our house? 447 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:19,140 And you guys are more than welcome to sleep over. 448 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:21,600 Complete strangers. 449 00:31:23,060 --> 00:31:25,880 And they were freaking out because they're from Iowa. 450 00:31:26,460 --> 00:31:28,540 And there's no tsunamis in Iowa. 451 00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:34,460 James and Pauline housed them for the night. 452 00:31:36,020 --> 00:31:39,480 And it was in that moment for that family 453 00:31:40,980 --> 00:31:44,120 that the Wilsons were the light of the world, 454 00:31:46,700 --> 00:31:51,220 reflecting Jesus to this family that nobody knew. 455 00:31:53,860 --> 00:31:59,040 friends that's what we have we have the light of the world we have the light of life 456 00:32:00,540 --> 00:32:06,260 and now we're blessed and commissioned to reflect this light to a dark and dying world 457 00:32:10,820 --> 00:32:16,980 i'll close it with this when jesus stood in the court of women and announced that he is the light 458 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:26,500 of the world. He says, anyone, anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the 459 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:38,340 light of life. Anyone. You see, this invitation is for anyone. It's for you, the person maybe 460 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:44,000 stumbling around in the darkness of your self-righteousness, your self-reliance, 461 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:52,040 Stumbling around in the darkness thinking that maybe if I put together a nice looking package of my life, 462 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:54,520 then maybe God and others will like me. 463 00:32:57,180 --> 00:33:01,860 This invitation is for you to leave behind your performance 464 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:08,560 in trying to earn and curry favor with God, to leave that behind and come and walk in the light. 465 00:33:11,060 --> 00:33:13,740 Or maybe you're here and you're saying to yourself, you know, 466 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:16,500 I'm a lost cause. 467 00:33:18,980 --> 00:33:19,780 I'm a lost cause. 468 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:25,180 My life is beyond the reach of God's grace. 469 00:33:28,340 --> 00:33:31,360 But this invitation is for anyone, and that includes you. 470 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:34,680 It includes you. 471 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:42,060 That you cannot outrun and outpace the long arm of God's grace. 472 00:33:42,940 --> 00:33:44,720 And the invitation is to you to come. 473 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:47,380 and walk in his light. 474 00:33:51,860 --> 00:33:53,180 The invitation is for anyone. 475 00:33:53,300 --> 00:33:54,500 It's for all of us here today. 476 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,700 All of us here are us rebels and runaways 477 00:34:00,060 --> 00:34:04,460 and spiritual ragamuffins like you and me. 478 00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:07,660 Once again, we hear the invitation 479 00:34:07,860 --> 00:34:09,760 where there's nothing else that we can do, 480 00:34:09,879 --> 00:34:12,779 but once again, fall to our knees in sweet surrender 481 00:34:13,139 --> 00:34:17,980 that the light of life that we're looking for is found in Jesus. 482 00:34:20,379 --> 00:34:21,240 It's found in Jesus. 483 00:34:23,780 --> 00:34:24,440 Here's the thing. 484 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:26,879 The search is over. 485 00:34:29,700 --> 00:34:31,980 What you're looking for is in Jesus. 486 00:34:33,860 --> 00:34:37,179 Because it's found in Jesus, we can rest. 487 00:34:38,780 --> 00:34:39,480 We can rest. 488 00:34:40,220 --> 00:34:41,360 And this is good news. 489 00:34:42,540 --> 00:34:43,840 So friends, let's rest in that. 490 00:34:44,399 --> 00:34:44,520 Amen? 491 00:34:45,419 --> 00:34:45,560 Amen. 492 00:34:46,240 --> 00:34:47,040 Let's go ahead and pray.