HAVE FAITH...LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

Sermon delivered to St. Andrew's Presbterian Chuch, Southampton, ON.

We start this morning's service with First Kings and a rather diffficult-to-understand story that touches on many different subjects:
...a story of power and corruption,
...a story of a clash of cultures and ideologies,
...a story of religious conflict and terrible violence -- all topics that are certainly still relevant for us today.
   But most of all, this is the story of Elijah and how he learned what it really means to have faith in God.

God encourages him to express what has happened to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ God asks. Still Elijah does not understand. He complains that he has done the right thing by God, but he is left alone, and Jezebel and the prophets of Baal want to kill him.

Elijah still has not comprehended what God requires of him. He is commanded to go out and stand on the mountain. God will pass by him. Elijah is being given a Moses-like opportunity to witness the presence of God and, in fact, he stands in the very cave where God hid Moses in the earlier story. Many regard Elijah as a second Moses.

This passage reveals something of the way God interacts with humanity. It is not a denial of what went before in the time of Moses when God was found in the wind and fire of Exodus and Mt Sinai. But it is a change of direction for new circumstances.
   The passage affirms the authority of the prophetic voice and the essential path of prayer and meditation for communicating with God, and for discerning God’s will.

Then in his letter to the Galatians, Paul recalls that "before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed". Call this the "tougher justice" approach -- an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, following the divine law that Paul describes as a "disciplinarian" for us.
   "But now that faith has come," Paul goes on to explain, "we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith"

This is tough justice because it doesn't feel fair. It doesn't seem right to lump together good, law-abiding citizens and bad, law-breaking criminals, and say that in Christ Jesus we are all children of God through faith.

But, indeed, all are one in Christ Jesus. All One. Good and bad. Saint and sinner.

It's an idea that benefits us. We ourselves are a forgiven people, so why is it so hard to believe that what works for us might not work for others? If God forgives us, requiring only confession and repentance and a restored life that bears witness to our repentance, then why can't  such an approach work between ourselves in the human family.

Incidentally, if there is any biblical character that benefited from restorative justice, it is Paul himself, who started his career as a violent anti-Christian. We learn in Acts 9, verse1, that on the road to Damascus, he was "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord", having just approved of the killing of the deacon Stephen. But a light from heaven caused him to fall to the ground, but he was not killed -- he was given a second chance and He converted.

And if all of the forgoing was not enough to wrap our minds around in one Sunday worship service, Luke gives us a lesson in dealing with demons, of all things.  How could one ever present all of this in one neat meaningful package for the people of St. Andrew's?

The impulse was to consider another topic and scriptures that woud be easier to develop and more understandable for my fellow congregants.  But, you know, I have had enough experience at lay preaching over the years to know that God always has a message, be it hidden or otherwise, and all one has to do is to dig in and to look for it.  Sometimes, God likes to exercise our minds.

With all that considered, I realized that all of the biblical passages read this morning were talking about deamons that had invaded peoples lifes....Destructive demons that were ultimately defeated through faith in Jesus.

Elijah fought demons of doubt and insecurity.  The man in Paul's story was certainly a full-blown demoniac and Paul himself was initially a foe of Christians.

For many Christians, the subject of demons and spiritual warfare is too scary and frightening to deal with and they would just prefer to keep their heads buried in their sand. As a result, demons are literally getting away with being able to tear some people apart with all of the murders, suicides, drug use, alcohol abuse, divorces, spousal abuse, abortions, thefts, and premarital sex that is occurring across this country on a daily basis.

Our Psalm reading this morning also reflects a depressed state of mind, and depression to me is the workings of a demon determined to destroy a vulnerable victim.

And most of this kind of dark side activity starts with a simple mind-game that the demon plays with the one that he has targeted. This is why we are to be “vigilant” and “sober” in keeping our eye out for any kind of demonic activity that could easily set in on either ourselves, our families, or some of our close friends.

Let's face it...I'm sure that all of you at some point, have had a brush with a demon of sorts...call it in the form of the devil, a cruel force, a temptation, a wolf in lamb's clothing, so to speak...None of which are any stranger to me, I should add.

Our Scripture Lesson this morning from the Gospel According to Luke, demonstrates the reality of demonic influence and that Jesus is the only remedy to its grip on humanity.

After Jesus calmed the storm, he and his disciples arrived on the opposite side of Galilee.  As Jesus steps ashore he is met by a demoniac, whose condition has driven him away from society, living unclothed among the tombs. Later we are told that the demonic forces enable him to break free when bound with ropes and chains.

The description vividly illustrates the destructive power of demonic influence.

The man falls on his face, confessing Jesus as “Son of the Most High God” and he begs Jesus not to torment him. The demon’s name is Legion, indicating that a whole battle division of demons inhabits the man.

Jesus is engaging in a major spiritual battle, one in which he is vastly outnumbered but not overmatched.

The demons ask Jesus not to send them to the abyss, a likely reference to death and judgment.  At Jesus’ command, the demons depart and enter a nearby herd of pigs, which results in the herd panicking and running down a steep hill, where they enter the lake and drown.

News of the miracle spreads quickly and people from the nearby town come to see for themselves. What they see is a new man. The once crazed demoniac is now seated calmly at the feet of Jesus, restored, clothed, and of sound mine. The scene is a picture of new life.

But the town’s people ask Jesus to leave. Jesus’ miracle has had a negative economic impact on the area, and they fear losing more livestock. Their fear has turned into rejection and a desire to have nothing to do with the presence of divine authority.

The episode ends with the man asking to follow Jesus. But Jesus has another calling in mind for him. Someone must stay behind and declare the mighty works of God. He does just that . Those whose lives are most radically transformed by the power of Jesus often end up being the strongest witnesses for Jesus...Have you ever noticed that?

This text clearly reveals the powerful forces at work in the spiritual realm: there are demonic and divine forces battling for authority over souls.

When it comes to demonic activity we must avoid two common fallacies: (1) some see the devil behind every bush; (2) others see belief in demons as primitive and reject their existence altogether.

Both approaches are a victory for Satan.

Why? Because people never fight against that which they do not believe is real. On the other hand, crediting every bad act to the devil reflects spiritual imbalance and may inadvertently deny spiritual accountability.

We must guard against these two fallacies and recognize the powers at work in the spiritual realm, how they affect us, and the proper response.

When we look closely we can see legions of demons at work in our society today. People in the grips of excessive drink, drugs, and destructive lust are a small reflection of a world overcome with demonic influence where destructive indulgence hurts people possessed by such addictions and the people around them.

As this story illustrates, the power of Jesus is required to overcome dark spiritual forces. When we let Jesus fight for us, the results are powerful and life-altering.

Like the demoniac in this story, a high-profile journalist friend some years ago, was gradually and radically changed by the addictive use of drugs and alcohol.  His career hung in the balance as his life came crashing down around him.

During that time there was a palpable battle raging for his soul. It was real. He could feel it. Night and day he lived with a battle raging deep inside—a battle that left him anguished and in despair. He did not have the power to break free, though he tried many times.

Demonic influence is real, powerful, and destructive. It takes more than our efforts to overcome it.

Without going into detail, he was restored to new life through intervension and exposure to Jesus.  He was set free the minute Jesus walked into his life. His career restored, he is now an active advocate for his Lord and Savior at every possible opportunity.  His writing also reflects new depth, clarity and sense of purpose.

The villagers, in our bible story, recognized Jesus’ unique authority, but strangly they asked him to leave. Many in our society do likewise. Too many of us fear divine authority because it calls us to accountability. We prefer to be left to our own devices and to fend for ourselves. Many people such as this see Christianity as a crutch, but one must wonder, if in fact they simply fail to recognize where real weakness resides -- in the human heart.

The villagers were so concerned with their own affairs that they could not appreciate the powerful deliverance that just took place before their eyes. Perhaps the biggest tragedy is to witness God’s power and pretend as though nothing happened.

The healed demoniac accepted Jesus’ work in his life. So much so that he wanted to follow Jesus. But Jesus asked him to stay in that region and tell everyone what God did for him. The man submitted to Jesus’ authority over his life by telling everyone “how much Jesus had done for him.”

The man properly understood Jesus’ divine identity and he responded appropriately. Jesus will not call all of us to go to the foreign mission field, but he will ask each of us to be a public witness to his grace and power.

If you have come to faith in Jesus, as I know you have, it is my prayer that you will submit to his authority by pointing others to him wherever you are and whenever you can.  God counts on us...Our church relies on us.

As small as our St. Andrew's community might be, together we can still achieve great things if we hold fast to our spiritual bond of brother and sisterhood.  Together, we stand as a congregation. Divided, we fall as a church!

Don't be shy in telling others what your faith has done for you.  Be that witness, God calls you to be!  Just as He did for those in our scripture lessons today...Just as he has done all down through the ages.  That is what keeps our Chistian faith alive...and each and every one of us has a role to play in it.

In the Sermon on the Mount our Lord told His disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

"You are the light of the world" is one of those statements which should cause us to lift up our heads and make us realize what a glorious thing it is to be a Christian.

The apostle Paul told the Ephesians, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light".  We not only have received the "light" of the gospel of Christ, we have become transmitters of that light.  Our light is meant to be seen.

Someone once said: "God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts." We are living in the midst of people who dwell in spiritual darkness. Lost souls will never find the light anywhere in the world except from you and me and the gospel we share.

Shout the good news from the highest roof tops.  Let your light shine brightly in our community.  You don't have to make drastic changes in the you that everyone has grown to know and love...and you don't have to step outside of your comfort zone.  Just turn up your flame a bit...Walk, as a "child" of that light, wherever you go.
 
Praise God...let there be light!...Your light.