Three Loves

Unfortunately, I gave the bowls away because it’s too good to be used! One to a coworker who likes to warn others against “going to the dark side.” He chose the white bowl.

Once a group of young people from the Mandarin fellowship came to my house for dinner. A sister noticed my bowl and asked if she can have the bowl because she was a big Star Wars fan, which I gladly gave it away because, like I say, I cannot make myself to use it.

For this sermon I could not find a picture of the two bowls, so I asked the sister, “Can you take a picture of the Star Wars bowl I gave you? I just want the words on the bowl that says ‘Come to dark side!”

The sister answered, “I'm sorry pastor.... I accidentally broke the coffee mug😓 and these two pictures (she attached) are the closest I can find online. I can't remember there were words on the mug except Star Wars, I'm sure it didn't say "join us or die"

I comforted her, “It’s ok, it says “Come to the dark side!” To which she replied “Maybe that's why I had accident!”

This passage talks a lot about darkness and light. What does the Bible mean about darkness and light? Darkness first. Darkness refers to sin, evil and wickedness. It is not about color but character and choices. What does sin do to us? It enslaves us to Satan, estranges us from God and encroaches into daily living – in our personal and public, work and with friends and family. Darkness is death, damnation, disorder, deprivation and despair. The person will be consumed, controlled and corrupted by sin. The one who hates his brother drowns in sin (v 9, sin = darkness), dead in his tracks (v 10, stumble) and disable in sight (v 11, blinded).

What is light? It’s about honoring and not hiding God, helping and not hurting others, and humbling and not hyping yourself. Without light, there is no living, being or seeing, Without light everything is moist, murky and miserable. The world will be drab, dreary and depressing without light.

Darkness (v 9) Stumbled (v 10) Blinded (v 1)

Damp

Depressed

Dying Disgrace

Disrepute

Disqualification Disabled

Dysfunction

Deactivated

Why? Three negative words: darkness, scandal and blindness.

These sins have no PLACE in over lives: Hypocrisy

Pride

Lying (with lips) or Deceit (deception is everything else)

Anger

Covetousness or Greed

Envy (wanting to possessi what overs have) or Jealousy

Oppose the Devil

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.