You know I know the weather isn't the best right now and I know it's kinda rainy out, but I'm still excited that the weather’s warming up. I'm still excited that it’s gettin’ a little bit warmer out and, you know, every time the seasons start to change and it gets a little bit warmer and we get a warm day I love bringing my son out into the woods, right? That’s like, one of my favorite things to do with him. We go out into the woods, and you know we have a good time and if you know me, you know I kinda, like, like to make up stories sometimes, and maybe get my son’s imagination working a little bit.

In fact, like a few weeks ago I saw him and Caleb were out in the parking lot and they were lookin’ into the sewer grate there. And I kinda walked past I was like, ‘Watch out, you know, that’s where the alligators are.’ You know my son is so used to my antics and he, like, blew me off. But then like, a week or two later I looked - I was walking out of church and I saw Caleb, like, precariously looking, like, out into the sewer grate, you know, like looking down. And I’m like, ‘What’re you doing, man?’ He’s like, ‘Uh, the alligators are down there,’ you know.

So, you know, I like getting my son’s imagination working. So the one day we’re in the woods and there's this building in the woods that I found one time - it’s like in the middle of the woods, and it’s like a fishing game garage that they use. And I was out there with my son and I was actually with the guys like, a week or two ago and I was explaining this story to them about how I brought my son out there and we run around, and we had walkie-talkies and I was telling him - ‘cause he likes dinosaurs - ‘That's where the scientists are,’ you know, ‘That's where they mix the dinosaurs, and don't let ‘em see you ‘cause they’ll try to mix us with the dinosaurs.’ So we’re running around havin’ a good time.

So I’m here - I’m gonna try to tell this story without laughing ‘cause, to me, it’s just the funniest thing in the world, right? We’re running around, I was telling the guys that, and I was telling the story about this building. And Nathan Farina was there, and he kinda looked at me and was like, ‘Oh like that's like, that building where the FBI are!’ And I was like, ‘What, the FBI? Like, what are you talking about?’ So I kinda had to stop for a second, and I remembered, when they were kids in youth group, I had brought them out to the same exact building and told them that it was an FBI building. And here he is - sorry Nate - 21 years old, you know still thinks it's an FBI building.

So, and the reason I brought that story up - sorry man - the reason I brought that story up which I just thought it was so funny ‘cause as I started to laugh, right like, the lightbulb went off, right? And I saw in his face, like, ‘Wait a second…’ you know, and you could almost see on the outside what was going on in his head, and he had that like, lightbulb aha moment where you’re like, ‘There's no FBI building in the middle of the woods in Barnegat is there?’ You know I said, ‘No, there’s not,’ you know. And I just thought that was so funny, and as I was - sorry man - as I was getting ready for this sermon this week, you know, it just reminded me of that story so much. ‘Cause today, I want to talk to you about light. I want to talk to you about Jesus Christ being the Light.

So when we look at Him being the Light and when I was preparing this sermon I thought about Nathan because he had that, you know - that lightbulb went off, that moment of illumination, that moment of understanding. You know, Jesus Christ is the Light, right? When He comes upon us, we should be having those moments of revelation, those moments of understanding, those moments of illumination. God the Father, He is meant to illuminate our hearts. He is meant to expose. He is meant to shine. He is meant to bring about a light upon us that our eyes would be opened, and we would come into some type of understanding.

This sermon’s all about light, because when light comes, there should be a marked difference. When light comes we should have that face of understanding. And it should be changing something inside of us. So today we’re gonna be reading about how Jesus Christ is the Light, and I’m gonna be actually putting the verses up, I’m gonna be jumping around in the Word a little bit. But I’m gonna start by talkin’ about how Jesus, He is the only Light. And I know, guys, you probably - especially people who’ve been in church a long time - you’re probably like, ‘Kris I know, Jesus is the Light.’ But today I'm praying that revelation would come upon your heart. Today I’m praying that it would not just be another sermon, another Word, but today and as I was preparing this morning I said, ‘God, don't let it be the same.’ I know we all know Jesus is light, but I'm praying that revelation would come upon your heart today. Amen

So let's read in John 1:4. It said, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. That light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” And that's my main verse today and I’ll be doing some other ones, but I just pray that this verse takes hold of your heart as it did mine.

We need to know in our heart of hearts that He is the only Light! There's only one! And sometimes we lose focus of that, right? We have the busyness of the week, we got soccer practice, we got work, we got schedules to keep, and so often we get so busy, that we tend to fall into the patterns of the world. You see the world follows all different types of light. They have things that guide them throughout life. And we have to be very careful to remember: Jesus Christ is the only Light, lest we fall into the same patterns that the world has.

”Jesus is God's love poured out into a dark world.”

False lights that the people in this world follow are so easy to fall into. They follow things like maybe doctors, right? Maybe feelings - their feelings dictate what they do. Maybe agendas, they have things to do, maybe your circumstance is dictating today. Maybe it’s just what we've always done. Look there are a lot of lights that we follow in this world. I'm not saying that doctors advice is bad, but I'm saying that if Jesus Christ is not lighting up your path - if He is not the only one that you are going to to be led, and to be illuminated, and to have light - then we are missing it and we are walking in the darkness. God today is saying, ‘I am the only Light.’ There has never been and there will never be another light! I don't care how intelligent someone is in this world, I don't care what, you know they have or what they've accomplished: Jesus Christ is the only light! “In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”

Jesus is God's love poured out into a dark world. He is the Light that leads all men back to the Father. He came to be a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path, and He is the power that has stood the test of time, and I say and I tell you today - that darkness can not overcome it. Overcome - that word ‘overcome’ when you look at the original text - it means ‘understand, or overtake, or embrace.’ You see, the darkness, they can’t even understand the Light. It can’t overtake the Light. It can’t embrace the Light, it can’t even be on the same playing field. God the Father has stood the test of time: He is the way, the truth, and the life - none come to the Father except through Him. He made a spectacle of the enemy, triumphing over him on the cross! He is the first, the last, the beginning, and the end, amen?

”Being enlightened - true enlightenment - means that you have been woken up....”

And He is superior to any light that is in this world - the darkness cannot overcome Him, He is the Light and the life to all mankind, in a dark, dark world. You know I see a lot of people try to be enlightened outside of God. We have this - especially now and I think about some of the stuff that our youth have to deal with and some of these worldly arguments that come on. Like these worldly, woke arguments that masquerade as light, as being enlightened, right? Things like, ‘The only way to make the law fair is to impartially apply it depending on where you're from.’ There's no such thing as an ‘absolute truth.’ That's huge - I mean that sounds simple, but that is infecting our youth. Or how about -did you guys ever hear ‘DRM?’ I was reading an article here about DRM. You guys know that that is? ‘Disabling racism in mathematics.’ I don’t know how math can be racist? Right, ‘One plus one equals two?’ Right? But I was reading this article and it said, ‘Upholding the idea that there’s always right and wrong answers perpetuates objectivity. Instead of focusing on one right answer, the teacher should come up with at least two answers that might solve the problem,’ right? Like, you know there's always this thing and it's crazy, but kids are being told, ‘Look, if one plus one doesn’t equal two in your mind that's okay.’ You know ‘You wanna be one plus one equals three? Go for it man - it's all you. There's no such thing as an absolute truth in this world.’ And I look and I say, ‘Math is math,’ right? It doesn’t matter. You take two cookies, you put ‘em together, there's two of ‘em! That’s what I teach my son right?

But in this world such truth has been taken away. And our kids are finding that there’s all these other sorts of enlightenment in, like, meditation, and having a deeper understanding of self, and these mantras that kids are being taught to repeat. Let me explain to you today: Being enlightened - true enlightenment - means that you have been woken up, means that Jesus Christ has brought light inside of your heart, and you have been woken up to who He is.

We need to understand that when the Light comes in when Light enters - and that's why I'm saying - don't just go on the sermon and say ‘Oh, Jesus is the Light, no kidding.’ No, when Light enters inside of a heart, He wakes you up - you are awoken to who He is! You see that He is Lord! That He makes the rules! That He was there in the beginning that He made the Bible, and set the rules of what this world is gonna be. That He is the Creator. He was there in the beginning and He will be there in the end, and that He is the truth and that there is no truth inside of this world outside of the truth that comes from the holy Word of God.

I tell you people of God: Light needs to enter in. It needs to enter into our schools, it needs to enter into our homes, it needs to enter into our conversations, amen! People wanna move on - or move past - the Word of God. They wanna put their own twist or interpretations on it. They wanna try to make it relevant, because in their minds it no longer is.

”He is truth - absolute truth - that cannot be altered, changed, watered down or unevenly applied.”

But when I read verses like 1 John 1:7 it says, “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sins.” You see, I read that verse - these verses never become irrelevant. They speak truth, and they bring light to a world that is in desperate need of it - to a world that is dark. He is the Word made flesh He is the only light of mankind and there is nothing past Him - there is no deeper understanding to achieve, there is no mindset that'll make you at more peace or make you a better person or make you be able to handle stress better. No, I'm telling you today: True enlightenment is being awoken to God.

We have not evolved as a society past Christ. There is nothing deeper to obtain. We need to be awoken to the fact that He is true wisdom, that makes a man understand that all things were created by Him and for Him and are underneath Him. We need to know that He is truth - absolute truth - that cannot be altered, changed, watered down or unevenly applied. Amen.

We need to know that He is love - all encompassing self-sacrificing love - that is not found in this world, but only exists in Him. These are the “I Am’s” of who Jesus Christ is. I'm praying today that a light would illuminate your heart to who He is, and that there is nothing in this world that can compare to Him. Nothing else matters!

If your life is being fulfilled by work, or school, or possessions, then I'm telling you: You are living in the darkness. There is nothing in this world besides living in the Light of life. You almost get - and I know it happens, there’s like a perspective change that happens. When Light illuminates your heart, you have a change of perspective. Never again can you worship the created, you will forever from that point on, only worship the Creator, because you have been enlightened, because your heart has been illuminated to the truth of who God is, that He is the only Light! When your heart has been illuminated, you can no longer be obsessed with sports, you can no longer be enthralled in work, and you can no longer be striving for acceptance in school. You see, all those things are worshipping the created. God is calling for an enlightenment today. God is calling for a revelation today. God is calling for you guys to have that Nathan Farina ‘aha’ moment of who God is!

When we have that perspective change you realize that nothing in the world can compare. You start to strive after Him. You wanna be near Him and in His courts. You thirst for Him and can never get enough, and you realize what can this world offer besides Christ - what more could He offer?

You know, that is the conversations we need to have with our youth. That is the revelation that we should be striving to have with our kids. There is nothing in this world outside of Christ.

One thing I see often is, you know, people try to substitute knowledge for having light - even spiritual knowledge. The word teaches us that the beginning of knowledge is fear of the Lord - why? Because you're being woken up to who He is! That’s true knowledge! But I see this so often that people - they take up books or they have spiritual knowledge, and we need to know that that's not the same thing as having light.

You know I stand up here today, comfortable enough in my masculinity and who I am as a man, to admit to you today, that I watch this reality marriage show with my wife, like, every once in a while...more like every week. But like, you know, we watch it and I’m comfortable enough here to say that to you today. And there's this one contestant on it, and it was funny because I was watching her, and she's getting ready to go to the altar and meet this guy she’s never met before - she’s gonna marry him right - on the altar and meet this guys she’s never met before and she’s gonna marry him, right, on the altar. So, we’re watching this and they’re interviewing her, and she's like, ‘I'm just so excited to start breaking generational curses, and to start like, really digging in.’ And I was like, ‘What? You don’t even know if he has generational curses!’ Like all of a sudden there's like, this spiritual lingo that's going on, and she’s saying all the right words and she's coming up with all the Christian concepts, the latest ones and I’m watching and I’m like, ‘Wow.’ And, you know, they get married and things start to devolve from there and that's kind of why we watch it - it’s like a trainwreck. You know, like, things start to get worse, and the true colors start to come out, right? And I'm looking at that, and I’m saying, you know, she knew all the right lingo. And I think that's so prevalent today: People know the lingo! But that doesn't mean that Light has been illuminated in your heart! Just because you know Christian concepts and know even the Word and verses doesn't mean we have opened up our heart and exposed ourselves to say, ‘God, let that Word come in here! Let that Word out there, come here, and expose who I am, and speak a truth to me, and change who I am, and make a difference inside of my heart.’

You can tell who has the Light because they start walking in fear - in reverence to the Lord, and His commands. Their lives begin to reflect it, because they have been awoken to who He is.

”God has to make a measurable change in our lives. ”

You know, when I was getting hired as a cop they began this background process and it’s super invasive, right? They get into really deep things about your personal life - they call ex-girlfriends and ask why you broke up, they get into your bank accounts, they get into your finances - it's really really intrusive. And I remember at my interview, they said, ‘We’re gonna do a background on you,’ and they knew me at this point, I'd been there a while. And they said, ‘Are we gonna find anything that we need to know about?’ And I remember - and it was one of the most impactful things - saying, ‘No. You know, there’s not. And in fact, I'm excited for you to be able to get into my background, and look at how I live my life, and look at how I treat my wife and look how I raise my kids and look how I handle my finances. I'm excited for you to get in and look at that, because you'll see that I'm not just talking,’ right? ‘I'm not just saying that I do these things, you'll see that what I'm saying to you guys is actually true.’ And I remember seeing their eyes lift and their faces kinda like, ‘Whoa.’ Because how many people can really say that? Right, and I don't that to be prideful but I’m saying that in a sense of: Has the Word of God illuminated our heart so much so that we can say, ‘Yeah, come in and take a look, and you'll see that God has illuminated my heart, and it's not just on the outside it’s not just knowledge, but it has made a change in my life.’

You see: God has to make a measurable change in our lives. It has to be measurable. If Jesus comes in and has illuminated your heart, there must be measurable change that we can look at - that we’re not treating our spouses the same, that things are changing. That we’re raising our kids differently, that how we hold ourselves at work, how we go about things, our integrity, all our character - all these things begin to change. There is measurable change when God illuminates our hearts. Amen.

If we’re hearing lessons, and we’re hearing sermons, and we’re entering into worship, and it's not causing measurable change well I tell you it's not the Word’s neglect of Light, but it’s that we have not opened ourselves to it. You see, this walk with God? It takes active participation. It does! It takes active participation! You have to be willing not to just take things on the surface as they’re given to you, but say, ‘God no - I wanna know about this Word. God bring this Word in I’m gonna open up my heart, and I want You to put it in here. I want You to illuminate my heart. I want You to speak to me about who I am. I want You to convict me of my sin. I wanna see the dark parts, God - I don't want any darkness in my soul. God, come in and illuminate my heart.’

That's when we have those ‘aha’ moments. It’s not just even hearing the Word - that Word is meant to come in. When you can stand and say, ‘He is the only Light, and there is no Light outside of Him.’ When you say, ‘God, this Word today, you know, it was great, it was so catchy and it spoke to me, but God, I’m not gonna leave it on the outside. Lord let it come in. Lord let it come in and do a work. God, may You go deep - I wanna be awoken to who You are today. I wanna know who You are in the power of Your Name. God, I want You to come in and speak to my soul today.’ Amen.

So, we know that He is the only Light, and secondly, we know that Light makes a way in the darkness. You see the light of Jesus Christ was meant to make a way in the darkness. Light does not fear darkness - darkness fears the Light! Because wherever there is Light, darkness has to retreat - darkness has to go. It doesn't matter how dark a room is, it doesn't matter how black it is if you take a little light, and begin to walk through that room, the light makes a way in the darkness.

If I asked you today, ‘Who invented the lightbulb?`` Who would you say? You guys would probably say, like, ‘Thomas Edison,’ right? For my kids in the Barnegat schools you’d probably say, ‘I dunno. When’s lunch? ’You know? I make fun of my youth group kids, they’re a mess - they don’t know, they don’t teach anything in school anymore. But, you know, Thomas Edison actually didn't invent the lightbulb - he patented it, he improved upon the design, but he had a bigger picture in his head. You see there was a problem that was plaguing his time. It was darkness. Darkness was a problem in his time, because all of commerce, all the money, all businesses they would shut down when the light would leave, right? Because no business could take place! He said, ‘This is a problem! Darkness is plaguing this place - we need to fix this.’ So Thomas Edison went and he had an idea for an electrical grid. That he was going to bring streetlights, and lights into every home. And he had an idea in his head that he was going to solve the problem of darkness, with light.

”How are we responding to that Light?”

You see God the Father He saw a problem with darkness. He saw a problem with darkness - it was plaguing mankind. It was going deep and giving places for sin to hide. It was separating mankind from God the Creator. It was causing death, and destruction in people's hearts. He saw a problem with the darkness that was plaguing mankind, and He solved it with Light. He solved it with Light! He sent His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, down to this earth to be the Light of all mankind! He saw that man needed a rescuer - He saw that sin had a place to hide in darkness - and He went, and He brought His Son, that no man should ever have to walk in darkness again amen!

How are we responding to that Light? Are we hiding from it? Are we shielding ourselves from it? Are we holding up our hearts and our protectors to say, ‘No, God, not that Light - leave it on the outside’? Or are we basking in the warmth of the sun that is the Lord Jesus Christ? Have we opened ourselves up and said, ‘God, let that Light come and make a way in the darkness of my heart. May it come in and do a work and bring about measurable change in my life’?

This is the hope for mankind, people. This is the hope! Listen, people, before Jesus Christ they were still listening to the Word - they were still listening to the Bible. There were still catchy sermons and there were still words that they walked away with and said, ‘Wow, that was really cool.’ But it was not penetrating the heart.

Jesus Christ came that your heart might be illuminated. Jesus Christ came that man would never again have to walk in darkness - that man again would never have to walk not exposed to God, or hiding sin inside of their heart. Jesus Christ came to illuminate, He came to make a way in the darkness, He came to make a way that man would no longer have to be in sin.

This is the hope for mankind. For a heart like mine that was so dark, that it would never expose themselves to God, there is hope. For ones who have sinned and sinned in their lives and they know they are destined for destruction, there is hope. For ones who have their heart broken and are downtrodden, there is hope today amen!

For Light has come to make a way in the darkness. Isaiah 43:19 one of my favorite verses, “I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” He is the Waymaker. He is the One that came to make a way where there was no way. He is the hope to a hopeless world. It doesn't matter what you've done or who you’ve been, all that matters is God would come and make a way in the darkness, and illuminate your heart and you would no longer be the same. Where there was a desert wasteland God comes to make streams. Where there was a desert wilderness, God comes to bring life.

If your heart is darkened today - so much so that you cannot connect with God, you cannot understand His love - I have good news for you today: Jesus Christ came to make a way in the darkness. If you have a regretful past, filled with sin and regret, I have great news for you today: Jesus Christ is the Light of all mankind, that came to make a way in the darkness. If you grew up in a house of abuse and neglect, and you have heartache and pain that you’ve spent years repressing, I have good news for you today: Jesus Christ came to make away in the darkness!

This is a prerequisite for knowing God. I know a lot of people claim the title of Christian, and it’s come down to really mean nothing these days. But let me tell you a prerequisite of claiming the title of Christian - a prerequisite of saying, ‘I know God’ - means that God has made a way in your heart. That God has brought light into the darkness and illuminated your heart and you're not walking around the same way.

I think about Pastor Janeth’s sermon. She said, you know, the cursed ground and she spoke about that and how, you know, it's been because of the sin of Adam it’s been cursed since the beginning. But God has come to bring light into the darkness. God has come to bring light into a dark land that it might be transformed, that it might be changed, and that we might come into that deep intimacy with God.

John 8:12 says, “‘I and the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” You see we must be able to look - when God illuminates our heart, we must be able to look and see something that wasn't there before. There should be conviction that comes upon our heart! Whether it be conviction of sin and you’re like, ‘Ah, God I see this sin, I don't wanna live this way - God You have to come in. I didn't see it before, but I see it in the light of Your truth!’ Not just, ‘Oh I know I did something bad,’ no, ‘I see it in the light of your truth and what it truly is - I have been illuminated to my sin! God, I don’t wanna live this way!’ That’s conviction of sin! Or a conviction of change, to say, ‘God, I am gonna be set apart this day. God, that You have illuminated my heart - I will be set apart, I will not be like my coworkers, I will not be like my friends in school. God, I am going to be set apart for You,’ amen!

”You can come as you are, but it is impossible to stay the same when God has illuminated our hearts...”

Or even conviction of truth! ‘God, my eyes have been opened to the truth of who You are - of Your Word and what it is saying. I am not gonna live the same way this is gonna transform how I treat my wife, how I treat my husband, how I raise my kids, how I hold my son. This truth is taking root and illuminating my heart, and it’s gonna cause me to live differently.’ That is living in conviction, that is what happens when God illuminates our hearts. If we’re leaving the same way we walked in - what’s the point? You leave with a little more knowledge maybe - a little more Biblical knowledge - but, is it illuminating our hearts? Is it changing us? Is it transforming us? I'm praying today that God would make a way inside of the hearts of men - that it would not just be another Word, but that it would come in deep and illuminate our hearts. There must be measurable change. It takes active participation. It takes us opening up our hearts, and saying, ‘God, come in and do a work. God, come in - bring this Word inside of me and speak to me today.’ You can come as you are, but it is impossible to stay the same when God has illuminated our hearts, amen.

You know, I went to a training a couple weeks ago. And I think I mentioned this before - there's like a real problem with police officers committing suicide. It’s a major problem - especially in New Jersey, because of the stress they have the stuff that they see you know - people don’t handle it well, and it's a real problem. So the state ended up mandating a training that we have to go to, right? And it's five days long, alright? It was a long training, right? So thank God Pastor Janeth has helped me deal with my issues before I walked in this place, right, because I walked in and I was surrounded with people who have spent years repressing pain and had heartache, and the trauma that they've had in their lives. I can’t even - you know what it’s like? You guys ever played Jenga? You know, like when you take the last block out and it just starts to tilt and you get that feeling deep - that’s what it was, five days straight every minute, right? I was like, blown away - I came home I called Pastor Janeth the second I got in the car I was like, ‘You wouldn’t believe this!’ You know? So I was so blown away!

And at one point I was kinda, like, zoning out. I was drawing on my paper - I was drawing, like, Big Bird or something on my paper - you know. And the guy asked the question, he's like, ‘Hey, who knows their purpose in life?’ And I kinda heard it and I was like, ‘Yeah I know my purpose.’ You know, these are very simple truths to me - my purpose in life is to know God, is to make it to heaven, is to display His glory, is to love my wife. is to, raise my son up to be a man of God - these are very simple truths to me. And so, you know, I like, raise my hand up thinking that everybody… And the class got dead quiet. And I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ And of course I was late the first day so I was the one right in front of the podium - you know? So I kinda, like, look behind me - and nobody has their arms raised, and I'm the only one and everyone's looking at me like I have ten heads. And I was like, (slowly lowers hand) like, ‘Sorry, I know my purpose in life,’ like, you know? And I put my hand down, and I looked around. I was blown away - no one has a purpose in life. Everyone just kind of floats through life and they, you know, get a boat because that feels good and they go on vacation because that feels good and when it no longer feels good they get a divorce and it’s just like, there's no purpose in life people - are purposeless!

”God is a Waymaker, and He comes to bring light into a dark place. ”

And at one point they pair us up in groups, and the guy - I forget what he asked us to do, something about trauma - and the guy comes up and he begins to talk to me about - my partner, who’s just a regular guy! And he begins to say to me, ‘Yeah, when I was a kid, you know, my father cheated on my mother with a prostitute - he ended up getting HIV. And I was really mad about it. And then a little while later, you know, he had a stroke and that HIV turned into AIDS and then he died shortly after, and I grew up without a father. So I was dealing with the pain of a father cheating on the mother, and then the heartache and grief of losing my father ‘cause he’s still my father.’ And my mind is blown, right? And he’s never dealt with this, right? There are so many people in this world, walking around with brokenness, who are purposeless, who just walk around repressing pain and anguish that has happened in their past. And I look and I say, ‘What hope is there for someone like this? What hope is there for a lost and broken world?’ Praise God, praise God He came to make a way for the light in the darkness, that it might penetrate hearts, amen!

He is the only hope in this world! For someone who has learned to rely on themselves to be able to survive! For ones who have refused to expose themselves for fear of having to re-live that pain that’s laid deep inside of their hearts - God is a Waymaker, and He comes to bring light into a dark place. He is the only hope in a dark world and He is the only Light in this world, amen!

So we know that He is the only Light, that that Light makes a way in the darkness, and that that Light, finally, shines in the darkness. Matthew 5:14, “‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”’ I look at that where it says, “You are the light of the world.” It's funny, I was reading John this week and it said, ‘He spoke to the people and said, ‘I am the Light of the world.’ And I said, ‘God who’s the light, me or You?’ Right? ‘Because one verse You’re saying it’s me, the other one’s You - who’s the light?’ Right? And He’s like, ‘It's always been Me - I am the Light! I am the Light that was there before the sun. I am the Light that has provided Light since the beginning of time. I was there - the Light that laid the foundations of the earth.’

And I look at that. And He tells us in that verse that we are the light of the world. It's because - look, He's no longer here right - He is not on this earth anymore, but He is supposed to be shining through us. Now when I say that to say this: It is not a man thing, right? It’s not a human strength thing. It doesn't matter how much you try, how many Christian things you do, how many nice acts you do - that is not the same thing as shining the Light of God. It is Jesus Christ incarnate. It is His Light, it is His Spirit that is meant to take hold of a heart, that we have opened ourselves up so much to it, that His Light is coming, and illuminating, and illuminating, and illuminating, and revealing, and exposing, until eventually, it becomes to have an external effect. Eventually that Light begins to shine outward. We are meant to shine Jesus Christ. Amen.

This is not something we can do on our own, but it comes from a life that has been devoted to obedience to God. That means that we are moving when He calls us to move. That means we are listening when He calls us to listen. That means we are asking His Word to come in and illuminate our hearts.

Last week in youth group, I had the kids I said, ‘Look, it’s very simple -there’s two roads. One road? You give up your will, you give up your way, you'll see God do miracles, you'll see God come in and do things like His Light will come in in your midst and do things that you never thought possible. He will speak to you more intimately than you have ever known. He will come and make a marked transformation inside of your life - that's one road, that's the narrow road and few find it. The other road is where you call the shots, right? You make the decisions. You'll find in your life you’re trying to connect with God but you're always struggling you can never really make it. You see, that's the wide road, it leads to destruction, and many tread upon it.’ There's two roads, guys. And God is calling us to be on the narrow road - the road that has opened up their heart to exposure to God. To say, ‘God come in and illuminate my heart.’

Matthew 5:16 says, “‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’” You see people mess this verse up all the time: ‘Good deeds’ does not mean like a Boy Scout, right? He’s not saying, like, ‘Go mow the lawn of your community center.’ No, He’s saying, ‘Let good things,’ - Jesus Christ being the only thing that is good, Jesus being the good thing of the Father, ‘let that come in, let it illuminate your heart - let it speak to you and shine inside of you - until finally, it cannot be contained anymore, and it has an external effect. It begins to shine on the outside, amen!

1 John chapter 1:5-6 says, “...God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” In the same way that God's light makes a way in the darkness of our hearts, God's Light is meant to shine through you, to go out and make a way in this dark dark world. It's meant to shine - it's meant to shine! And I know we don’t like saying that in the Christian world that there should be evidence, but there should be evidence, right? There should be something shown, and it’s not something of human strength. It’s not something that you can do on your own. It doesn't matter how many good deeds you do; it's about Jesus Christ coming in, illuminating your heart so much so, that it begins to shine outwards!

My youth group - I see them sometimes worried. ‘How do I witness to this person how do I speak about God? How do I, you know, make myself known as a Christian - how do I bring somebody else in?’ Listen, don't worry about that. Worry about God illuminating your heart. Worry about hearing a sermon and saying, ‘God, speak to me about this sermon,’ amen!

”What hope is there - it has to be us! Jesus isn’t here anymore - it must be us...”

Worry about God illuminating you, and not accepting just what's on the surface, and not accepting the mediocre, but being willing to go deep with God, and illuminate your hearts and be vulnerable before Him! Everything else comes! When that happens, you just begin to shine. There's an external effect to that. We are meant to make a way in a dark dark world.

I said this before - I guess I didn't really expect it being in Barnegat - but some of the things I've seen as a cop sometimes, like, they keep me up at night, right? I’ve seen pain and abuse and neglect like you wouldn't believe. And sometimes it’s overwhelming. And I have to stop and say, ‘God, You have come to make a way in a dark dark place. God, You have come to make a way in a dark place.’ What hope is there - it has to be us! Jesus isn’t here anymore - it must be us, it must be the church, it must be the universal church of God amen!

I look and sometimes the people with the most pain are the ones that look like they have it together the most. I remember a kid in high school, really popular, everybody liked him. He was really funny and just got along with everybody. I remember years and years later talking to him, and he said, ‘Look man, you know I was abused as a kid. You know, somebody took advantage of me sexually and it really hurt me it broke me up. And years later I couldn't deal with reality, so I began to have to pop opioids to just be able to get through a day.’ And I look and I say, ‘Wow.’ You know, people of God - people in the school, people in your jobs - you are meant to shine in a dark world. I know we get caught up in the day, I know we are caught up in the week, but don't forget: You are meant to make a way in a dark world. You don't know the pain that is in this world, you don't see it sometimes it’s overwhelming once it’s even exposed a little bit - but God is calling us to be a light in a dark world, amen,

That's the only way it’s gonna happen. I think about it: How can someone possibly be willing to open themselves up and expose themselves before God enough to be able to connect with Him when they’ve spent years and years repressing all of these issues, burying ‘em deep down? It's impossible for somebody like that to expose themselves - it's impossible for somebody like that to open up their hearts. It was impossible for a kid like me to open up their hearts to God, but praise God through Christ all things are possible amen!

”Only Jesus Christ can make streams in the desert. Only Jesus Christ can bring life to a desolate land.”

Only Jesus Christ can make streams in the desert. Only Jesus Christ can bring life to a desolate land. And you know, sometimes I remind myself: Look, it's not about a catchy sermon. It’s not about the nice songs that the worship team sings. It's not about the nice greeters walking in shaking hands - it's about God coming in and making a way in the darkness. When I prepare these sermons - even this morning, I was at the bay praying I said, ‘God, may I sound like a fool. May I sound ridiculous, make my jokes land flat and I sound and people look at me like I'm crazy - but let Your Word make a way in someone's heart today, let Your Word go deep and touch someone’s heart, illuminate someone's heart today, God!

I think about these guys up here. You know, it's not even about what key they’re playing, or how nice they sound - they’re praying and saying, ‘God let, Your word come, and let it make light in someone's heart.’ The greeters in the back when they’re walking in and shaking hands - well, not anymore, COVID - when they’re walking in and saying, ‘Hello,’ you know, Let God be shining just out of them. The first thing when somebody walks in they feel the presence of God - this is what we should be doing, this is why God said, ‘You must be filled with the Holy Spirit to even clean the tables in My house,’ because God is looking to make a way in the darkness today, amen!

Ephesians 5:8 says, “For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” People, it doesn't matter what's going on. Let’s say it’s your marriage, you know things are struggling - bring the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ in. Bring the light of the Lord Jesus Christ in, and watch how He transforms your midst. Maybe it's your family, and things are going… put trust in the Lord, bring His Light. Allow it to illuminate your hearts, be vulnerable before Him. Bring the Light of the Lord into your families and trust that it’s gonna bond your family together greater than any vacation, any deep talk, or even blood could ever do. If it’s your children where in a world where waywardness is celebrated, bring the Light of the Lord to every conversation that you have, every prayer that you have. Ask the Light of the Lord to infiltrate, and watch it come in and do a work in your children, or even your circumstances. We all go through hard times, we've had people who need healing from cancers and all these different things, and people going through financial hardships or family, you know, problems - let God's Light come in and illuminate all things, amen.

That verse says, “...Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone inside the house.” We are meant to give Light to everyone inside the house. We are meant to give Light to all you are surrounded with, no matter where you are - whether it's your job, or your work, or your friends, or a stranger - let God's Light shine. Let God's Light make a way in the darkness.

It is impossible - I think about me as a kid, right? When I walked into the church that one time, it wasn't the music, it wasn't what somebody said - it wasn't anything besides God's Light coming in, and illuminating my heart enough. With that broken broken kid - with pain, and regret and anguish and abuse and neglect and all of those things - it was the light of God that came in, that made me open up my heart just that little bit for God to enter in. God is the only hope for this world! God is the only hope for a dark dark heart! God is the only hope for your children, God is the only hope for your spouse, God is the only hope for your household - God is the only hope that we have, amen!

We have to be willing to not accept the mediocre. Can you put up John 1 again? “In Him was life, and that life was the Light of all mankind. That Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Praise God! Praise God we serve a Waymaker. Praise God our God is powerful! Praise God that we do not serve a powerless God! I pray today that you would strive for the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ.