1. Aggie and Sun Story
The rivalry between UT and Texas A&M is well known. While living in Texas, a UT fan told me an “Aggie” joke. “Did you hear about the Aggie” who stayed up all night wondering what happened to the sun? Then it dawned on him!”
2. Psalm 8.2-4
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
3. Nature Teaches us many spiritual lessons
a. A Creator with power and superiority –
b. A Sustainer (in him we live, move, and have our being)
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
not one is missing. Isaiah 40.26
1) Directs stars by name
2) As Commanding Officer with a Supreme word
c. Imminent as well as Transcendent – John 1.14, etc.
4. There is a lesson that Night and Day Teach us – Philippians 2.14-16
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
a. Darkness – stars/moon/planets
b. Coming Sunrise
c. World is a dark place, we shine as stars, but Yeshua (Jesus) is coming as the dawn and HE will outshine us all
I. The World Is In Darkness
A. Darkness is a Place of Evil
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. John 3.19-20
Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS. On January 23, 1996, He was asked to be the guest chaplain for the Kansas State House in Topeka. He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. According to an article in the Kansas City Star from January 24, 1996, his prayer stirred controversy, and one member of the legislative body walked out. Others criticized the prayer.
The controversy didn’t end there. Later that year in the Colorado House, Republican representative Mark Paschall angered lawmakers by using the same prayer as the invocation. Some members there also walked out in protest.
Paul Harvey got a hold of the prayer and read it on his program. He got more requests for copies of it than any other thing he had ever done. Here’s what he prayed:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it a choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will... Amen
• Since 1960, in the United States there has been: 560% increase in violent crime More than a 400% increase in illegitimate births A quadrupling in divorce A tripling of the percentage of children living in a single parent home More than a 200% increase in teenage suicide A drop of 75 points in the average SAT score of High School students.
• Even though the United States has only 6% of the world’s population, we have 80% of the divorces. We lead the world in rape, murder, and violent crime. More than 80% of whiskey consumed in the world is consumed by Americans.
• Every day: 2,795 teenagers get pregnant. 1,106 teenage girls have an abortion. 600 teens attempt suicide. Every 26 seconds a teen runs away from home and every 13 seconds someone contacts AIDS.
• To have a high standard of morals is considered old fashioned and out of date.
• This world is "crooked." It walks a crooked path instead of a straight path and loves to have it so.
B. Darkness is a Place of Fear
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. Psalm 91.4-6
C. Darkness is a Place of Chaos
In the beginning – darkness and chaos then God brought light
D. Darkness is a Place of Power
1. God is Greater – Colossians 1.13-14
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
2. Yeshua (Jesus) gives us his light – 1 Thessalonians 5.5
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
II. The Darkness Is Opportunity (For Stars to Shine)
[A psychiatrist was testing one of his patients. He set a glass that was partially filled. “Are you an optimist or pessimist? Is the glass half empty or half full?” asked the counselor. “I’m a realist,” said the patient as he drank the water, “problem solved.” Sometimes we see problems, and sometimes we can see opportunities.
Remember:
A. We are a Divinely Chosen People (1 Peter 2.9-10)
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1. Belonging to Yeshua (Jesus) includes a special calling – by the gospel, a revelation of God
2. Belonging to Yeshua (Jesus) includes a sacred commitment
B. We Have a Divine Purpose (Esther 4.14)
1. Stars Guide – Ancient sailors – No GPS
2. Stars Tell a story – People made up stories about constellations [Orion’s current name derives from Greek mythology, in which Orion was a gigantic hunter of primordial times.[26] Some of these myths relate to the constellation; one story tells that Orion was killed by a giant scorpion; the gods raised him and the Scorpion to the skies, as Scorpio/Scorpius.]
3. The Darker the night the brighter the lights
C. We Have a Divine Presentation to Make
1. Blameless (Job; John B’s parents; Anna – never left temple, served with fasting & prayer; Simeon – righteous and devout)
2. Harmless – Matthew 10.16 (serpents/doves)
3. Children of God – Spirit-led – Romans 8.14-17
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
[“Let the Lower Lights Be Burning”
III. The Sun/Son Is Coming!
A. Yeshua (Jesus) IS Returning – as Light to remove Darkness (John 8.12)
B. Yeshua (Jesus) WILL Restore
1. Safety and Security
2. Righteousness and Justice
3. Courage and Hope
C. Yeshua (Jesus) Will One Day Bring Forever Light
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21.23-27
Conclusion
1. Ben Franklin and Street Lights: When Benjamin Franklin decided to interest the people of Philadelphia in street lighting, he hung a beautiful lantern on the end of a long bracket attached to the front of his house,".
"He kept the glass brightly polished and carefully lit the wick each evening at the approach of dusk. Anyone walking on the dark street could see this light from a long way off and came under its warm glow." What was the result?
"It wasn’t long before Franklin’s neighbors began placing lamps outside their homes," "Soon the entire city realized the value of street lighting and followed his example with enthusiasm."
We are to be lighthouses, warning men of the dangers of sin and pointing them to the safe harbor of salvation. We are to be light reflectors, always reflecting the light of Jesus to those in darkness. (Moon). We are light the way for others, just as the way was lit for us! (Remember, you may be the only Bible some folks ever read!).
The bottom line is this: people should be able to look at your life and mine, and even if they disagree with us, they should not be able to point any areas of hypocrisy in our lives!
2. Mark Twain Memorial in Hartford, Ct., one finds these words written on white paper neatly framed: "Always do right. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest. Truly yours, Mark Twain, New York, Feb.16, 1901."
3. Darkness is now but the Dawn is coming!
