Appropriating The Happiness That Is In You: Part 2 (Leading The Way LIVE at Apostles)

[Music] [Music] if [Music] [Music] when we received you keep your promises [Music] [Music] [Music] have this yeah [Music] [Music] with me [Music] hey [Music] every step [Music] with me with me [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] on behalf of the entire leadership of the church of the apostles and leading the way i welcome you to this very special worship time what an amazing gift god has given us in our musicians and in our prayer in our proclamation i am so glad you joined us from around the world welcome well good morning let's stand together in worship [Music] they couldn't be cleared by the water we're rejoicing together so sing along with us [Music] [Music] we are blessed to show mercy as the merciful and we've been filled by the spirit we've been given a mission we want the whole world to hear it and join us [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is good [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] now amen praise the lord you can be seated well look who's back everybody you feel about my good friend as i do so good to have paul reeves back with us and by the way if you want to follow along and read some really cool thanksgiving and praise reports you can go to his caring bridge page as well welcome my name is tj diamond i serve as one of the pastors here and to those of you who are joining us online many of you are watching on the internet we're so glad you're with us and to those of you who've joined us here this morning and i want to let you know that as a church one of our i guess policies but really our custom is to recognize all serving officials that come to worship with us and in that extent i want to extend a special welcome to u.s senator kelly lefler who is worshiping with us this morning [Applause] senator it's great to have you with us so if you want to know more about who we are as a church maybe you've been just visiting with us this might be your first time joining us or you want to find out about our ministries we'd love to know that you're here and get you any resources that you would like a couple ways you can do that you can fill out the little guest belonging card we call it right in front of you and then at the end of the service as you're leaving our offering baskets are outside the sanctuary you can drop it off there or you can pull out your phone and go to apostles.org visitors and fill it out online there and speaking of online also here for those of you who are here with us we do have our giving is done as you're leaving the sanctuary but also you can also plot your phone or online you can go to apostles.org give and after the service dr youssef and other pastors will be down here to greet you one let you know a few things that are coming up in the coming weeks some of you uh are recently visiting apostles you've just been here for several weeks you want to find out more about who we are some of you have been here a little while and you're ready to join through membership in either case we have something designed just for you it's called first look and first look happens seasonally around here our next one will be a month from now sunday september 13th it's right after church right after our main worship service in the commons we'll have lunch provided for you but you do need to register but this is again a good chance for you if you're wondering do i want apostles to be my home church or do i want to eventually or now join the church you can come ask questions get information dr youssef will be speaking as will several of us pastors so plan on that also two weeks from now is fresh start a chance to come and see all the different options and opportunities that are coming ahead for our women's ministry not only will you get information but you'll have a chance to pray together as women about these different options and opportunities it will also be a lunch meeting there will be a box lunch served but you also need to register for this and in both first look as well as fresh start you can go to our website and if you scroll down the main page you'll find where you can get information and registration information for both of those events and if you've been with us the last couple weeks you've known that we are praying over different age groups in our church next sunday we will be praying over our children pre-k through fourth grade now we won't do what we've done in past years which would be have all the children come up front here and plus since many of our young families are watching online we will be praying for you or from if you're seated in in your in your rows but what we do want to do is ask you if parents if you've got children aged pre-k through fourth grade would you and you want your child to be on a little montage we're gonna have of our children send a photograph of your child along with their name and what grade they're in pre-k through fourth and uh email that to apostles apostles dot org and we will include them that's coming up for next sunday so you'll want to get that to us in the next couple of days right now why don't you stand up and wave a hello to those around you and we'll continue our worship [Music] we're gonna sing the song called glorious day but uh you know and it talks about how god set us free on that day that he called our name but i feel like it's not just that one day i feel like god's gonna set us free today as well he's going to set something free in your hearts today i know he's going to speak through the message i just pray that we'll position our hearts to receive that let's be free [Music] i was buried beneath my shame who could carry that kind of weight [Music] it was my tune till i [Music] all my failures i tried to hide no longer [Applause] [Music] [Music] into your [Music] out of the darkness into your glorious [Music] now your day has saved my soul [Music] now your freedom is all and i know the old man jesus when i met [Music] out of the darkness into your glorious [Music] i day rescue my sin was heavy the chains break at the weight of your glory i needed shelter i was an orphan now you called me a citizen of heaven when i was broken you were my healing now your love is the air that i'm breathing i have a future my eyes are open cause when you called my name let's go into your glorious death out of the darkness into your glorious day it's a marvelous light and tomorrow will slide out of darkness out of shape by the cross you are the truth you are the life you are the way [Music] what's fatherless [Music] [Music] take your life since [Music] [Music] [Music] this [Music] raise from is to [Music] your life fills up my lungs and now i'm free lord now i'm free the sin has lost its power death has lost [Music] [Applause] victoriously [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] sin has lost its power death has lost [Music] are the truth you are [Music] me [Music] there was [Music] glory to [Music] god of glory [Music] to redeem the whole creation you did [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] god [Music] [Music] was [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] to the [Music] [Music] oh [Music] last week we had the privilege of praying for college students and usually when we pray for the high school students this place is filled and the aisles are packed but this is chrono age and so i'm going to ask all high school and middle school students if you stand where you are and those who couldn't be with us i believe we've got some their pictures um at least some of them you stand where you are and we all going to be united together as a body of christ to pray for you for this coming year you know when we prayed for you last year this time we did not know that you're going to be spending the spring quarter in your homes studying online but i thank god he protected you and brought you to another year and we're going to pray specifically that this coming year will be a year of blessing despite of all the difficulties and despite of all the challenges that we're facing that god is going to bless you and is going to use you in your school and i'm going to ask the teachers also if you would stand if you're here teachers school teachers middle school high school teachers we thank god we thank god for you we thank god for you we all join with me please as we unite in prayer for these precious children of ours father we know that your word tells us that these children are not ours they are yours and you entrust them to us as parents to bring them up for you and on your behalf and father i pray that we as parents not only pray for them this just once a year but we will be on our knees day and night praying for them interceding on their behalf father there is nothing that makes the enemy flee that will make satan flee than the prayers of the saints so i pray in the name of jesus not just today but every day lord these challenges and these difficulties we're facing they're not new to you they did not surprise you you knew all about them but we thank you that you hold the universe in the palms of your hands we thank you that you're in control and that you are even now reigning and ruling and that your word tells us that in all things god works together for good for those who love him and are called called according to his purpose father i pray for these precious ones i pray for the teachers i pray for the students i pray that you give them the light of christ that they will be shining on their campuses wherever they may go in their middle school in the upper school and wherever they go there will be a light for jesus christ father i pray for their parents strengthen the parents these are challenging days for parents challenging days for teachers and i pray that you will bless them that you give them extra measure of patience and perseverance and father i thank you that we were going to turn around and was going to testify to the fact that because you're with us because you walked with us because you sustained us we are able to give you praise and thanks and victory in the midst of these circumstances and we pray all of this in jesus name and all of god's people said amen thank you thank you so much thank you amen well we're going to continue to worship as we give our tithes and offerings to god for those joining us online you should see a giving tab that you can click on and give and those us in this room you'll have the opportunity to give on your way out today and the ushers will be there to help you regardless how we give we remember that we give back to god only that which he's given to us and i was thinking about the message this week in the theme of light and it reminded me of another thing that gives back only that which has been given to it and that's the moon and how it reflects the light of the sun and how much light it reflects depends upon how it's positioned and i started thinking well that's we're also like the moon in that way except how we shine for christ depends sometimes about how our hearts are positioned and i don't know about how it's been for you but this season has been most disruptive and it's stirred up a lot in my heart but one of the good things it's done is allowed god to shine his light into the corners of my heart where there was a lot of brokenness a lot of deep wounds and he's allowed to get in there even in the hidden places and my prayer and and what's happening he's chasing the darkness away he is doing that and that's my prayer for myself and for our church family and for the church at large that we would we would grant god full access may we grant god full access and even right now in this very moment where god's here right with us and as god's about to speak through dr youssef may we grant god full access that he may have his way with us and that we may emerge from this season shining brighter than than ever now without all that talk of the moon i'm afraid this setup does have one flaw the the name of this song is actually called my lighthouse [Music] in my suffering in my doubts in my failures you won't walk out your great love will lead me through you are the peace in my troubled sea you are the peace in my troubles the silence you won't let go in the questions your truth will [Music] you are the peace in my troubled sea my lighthouse my lighthouse shining in the darkness i will follow you i light out i will trust the promise you will carry me safe to show [Music] safe to show [Music] i won't fear what tomorrow brings each morning i'll rise and say my god's love will lead me through you are the [Music] you are the peace in my troubled sea you are my light my lighthouse my lighthouse shining in the darkness [Music] [Music] to shore before us you're the brightest you will lead us through the storms far before us you're the brightest you will lead us through the storms fight before us you're the brightest you will lead us through the storm far before [Music] you will lead us through the storms my light out my lighthouse shining in the darkness i [Music] i will trust the promise you will carry me today [Music] safe to show and all of god's people said amen good to see you paul before i bring the message several things i just want to highlight and join t.j in welcoming senator loffler and her husband jeff we're glad to have you with us jeff glad you're both here thank you for thank you for standing for the life of the unborn amen amen i want to highlight what tj said about the lunch on the 13th you know before covert we used to have that on a regular basis for people to be introduced to apostles at least give you a look at who we are what we believe and give you an opportunity if you want to join so please sign up for that lunch and come and join us we will be appropriate appropriately spaced and now talking about appropriately spaced i know you heard about this peace uh treaty between the united arab emirates and israel and as many of you know i was preaching there last fall in the united arab emirates and met with some of the members of the royal family and and i'm so glad to hear that and we're going to have a privilege to hear more about that on october 4th that sunday october 4th mark your calendars we're going to have secretary mike pompeo with us here at church he it will be it will be in the evening but you need to mark because you know the spacing that we're doing now and if it's going to be uh as more people come they're going to have end up if they're not here early will end up in the overflows on both sides of the building so you mark your calendar it will not be streamed and so come and hear this great man whom i admire and love very much he's going to be the guest of leading the way and he's going to be speaking here on sunday night being open to our father your psalmist david said make the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you o lord my rock and my redeemer and i pray father that you order my words and you order my thoughts so that they'll be honoring to you that people will see jesus not a weak man for i pray that in his name amen and amen and amen you know recently some of you know this we were in cape cod visiting with our eldest daughter and her family and as we were walking one of these days in the chatham area we came across a magnificent lighthouse i've always been fascinated by lighthouses somehow for some reason and so we stopped and we wanted to see that magnificent lighthouse on the hill and we began to read the plaque that was written there large plaque and and it tells about the history of this particular lighthouse set on a hill and it goes all the way back almost to the time of the settlers but the most amazing thing to read about that white house lighthouse is that how many ships that that lighthouse had rescued from certain destruction how many lives that saved from certain death and i believe with all my heart that this what the lord jesus christ had in mind after the beatitudes which we looked at when he said blessed are you who are broken in spirit blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteous blessed are you who exercise mercy blessed blessed blessed that the peacemakers blessed blessed and then reach the zenith of those beatitudes blessed are you when you're persecuted for righteousness sake and then he immediately turns and says you who have climbed that mount of beatitudes are the salt of the earth you are the light of the world we saw in the last message the incalculable value of salt back then and this was a big shock to the disciples who are very coming from modest workers and fishermen to be told that they are have incalculable value just like salt was at that time and today we're going to turn our attention to the splendor of light of being the light of the world something we forget very often but like a a lighthouse that guides those who are caught in the storms of life like a lighthouse that rescues the perishing like a lighthouse that guides to christ like a lighthouse pointing people to a safe harbor and so please turn with me to matthew chapter 5 verses 14 15 and 16 just three verses and in the pew bible page 1501 if you don't have your own bible with you matthew 5. we're continuing in this series we began last message appropriating appropriating the happiness that is in you would you stand with me as we read the word of god you are the light of the world a city on a hill cannot be hid neither do people light a lamp and put it under a ball instead they put it on its stand and it gives to everyone in the house in the same way let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven be seated please many years ago i read a story that appeared in the naval institute magazine and i sort of tucked it away and i've been fond of telling that story ever since and it's a story about a battleship that was maneuvering its way in a very dark and foggy night and the light coordinates uh reported to the captain that their ship seemed to be on course for a collision course with another ship the light of which at a distance the captain immediately gave orders to the signal to ship the signal the other ship and to say to them please turn 20 degrees north well the return signal came and said uh it is advisable for you to change course 20 degrees the captain of the battleship immediately signaled back and he said i am captain smith of yxc's battleship change course 20 degrees now the response came back i am seaman second class so and so and you better change your course 20 degrees by that time the captain was furious i mean who does this second cl semen second class think he is how dare he talk to me the captain of a battleship in that way and he yelled at his light coordinates and he said to him give send the following message i am battleship xyz change course 20 degrees immediately i'm ordering you can the reply i cannot change course i'm a lighthouse beloved the lighthouse does not normally talk it simply shines the light a lighthouse often does not beat drums but the light is always a welcoming sight to a lost mariner but shining it must shining it must it is light and the light of that lighthouse must be seen it must be seen in order to be effective jesus said let your light shine that it all may see it now before i get carried away i want to give you three things that if those of you taking notes you can write them down three things that our lord jesus christ is telling us about being light first of all he's telling us that light must be visible it must be visible secondly it's saying light has to be guide a guide it has to guide thirdly light issues a warning a warning the last one is going to be a hard one but i'm going to get to it in a minute first of all light is visible it has to be visible otherwise it's useless our lord is saying that his faithful disciples are to fulfill a dual role listen carefully fulfill a dual role not one or the other both salt which is hidden but light is visible salt works quietly and even secretly but light works openly salt works within light works without salt which is indirectly influences but light directly leads salt which works through our living of the gospel of jesus christ and light which works through our direct witness for jesus christ salt which works negatively meaning it corruption as we saw in the last message the retired corruption but not change it but light works positively it reveals and replaces the wrong and that is why a battery a battery has to have the positive and the negative you can't have a battery just with the positive so all these poor misguided preachers who preach a power of positive thinking they miss out on half of the gospel because the gospel is both positive and negative repent that's negative why positive that you may be forgiven and restored and i can go through the scripture the whole morning but i i want you i want to show you this it is vitally important to understand that there's a negative side there's a positive side and that's why the gospel is only good news for those who receive it now if you are a disciple of jesus christ your light has to shine it has to shine your light has to be visible your light should lead others to christ your light should exposed error and lead to the truth now a person who says my faith is very private it's dead giveaway dead giveaway it is not faith of jesus and it's not faith in jesus i don't know what kind of faith they have because everybody now talks about faith faith this faith-based faith this have faith in your mother-in-law have faith in you know ever faith faith faith the faith of jesus has to be visible uh question where should your light shine in the church no jesus said you are the light of what not the not of the church you are the light of the world your light has to shine in the marketplace your light has to shine in the factory floor your light has to shine in the boardroom your light has to shine in your office your light has to shine on your college your high school campus your light has to shine at your work your light has to shine even in the golf course wherever you go there goes the light amen wherever you go you are the light secondly light guides it guides when you're lost in the darkness any light no matter how faint it may be any light is a welcome sight you would directly aim for that light why because light indicates that some help is possible some life is possible some guidance is possible some direction is possible i never forget in the 80s i used to travel a great deal in fact on an annual basis i used to give a lecture um in switzerland uh near the the jew mountains and very close to the border of france on the french side and we all stayed in lausanne and i drove up to these mountains they have no street lights on those mountains not one and one night i was traveling in the dark now i have driven that road many many many times i'm there every year and i i know it but always in the daytime this is the first time i'm driving at night and these are very narrow street very very calm street they're very and and and it's on a cliff literally the wheels are inches away from a 2000 foot drop and after going around and around and around in the darkness i'm almost running out of gas and then all of a sudden i see a faint light at the distance and i gunned for that light light guides listen to me when your walk with christ is openly visible people are going to ask you questions they will i'm not saying all of them but some will why are you so peaceful when everybody else is fearful why are you contented when everybody else seems to be discontented why are you not fretting when everybody else is why are you not anxious and worried whenever like everybody else why are you not cheating on on your employer like everybody else why are you so scrupulously honest and truthful ah then you tell them who did it are you surprised that jesus was always plagued with questions they're always asking him questions always ask him because his blazing integrity caused him to ask questions why because that's what light does light causes questions jesus the light of the world and when you are in jesus you too be the light of the world you know when people see you as a person who is not hateful and revengeful but loving and forgiving when they see you not jealous and envious and covetous but joyful and giving when people see you not short-tempered and angry but peaceful at peace with yourself and at peace with god they're going to ask questions and then this is your greatest opportunity to tell them who changed you they tell them who changed you do you know why because whether you know it or not whether you know it or not these folks are wondering in their mind and asking themselves can i too cease from being angry and selfish and fretful can i can i too have that peace that doesn't make sense and contentment in life jesus said when people see all of this when they see you and they see your shining light they're going to glorify your father in heaven one of the way they glorify god is that they will they want to know jesus and you're going to help them there's a story about a godly preacher you never heard of him i'm sure he was contemporary of john wesley and yet everybody knows john wesley very few people know john fletcher john fletcher was renowned as a godly man the man of god he was renowned for shining the light of christ one sunday morning a man was walking in the village and his neighbor asked him he said where you going he said i'm going to see john fletcher and so a few hours later as he was coming back the same man asked him he said have you seen did you see john fletcher and the man thought for a long time and then he said no i saw christ and him crucified you see that's why paul said first corinthians 2 2 he said i am determined to see nothing among you but christ and him crucified as a matter of fact voltaire who was anti-christian as most of you know uh when he was asked once have you ever met someone who was so godly that you may have been persuaded to become a christian he said yes i met a man by the name of john fletcher once isn't that amazing isn't that fantastic now i've got to confess to you i always come clean with you there's some areas in my life i'm not very proud of and cause me grief and keep me constantly in prayer because i want to shine in every area of my life and i i want the light of christ to shine but chief among those areas is my terrible driving habits i know nick ayers over there he tells a lot of stories about me they're all true as a matter of fact back in the 70s when we lived in sydney australia as an anglican clergyman i used to wear a clerical collar and with my driving habit that used to be a restraint or i must admit sometimes i forget but when my dear wife is sitting next to me and i'm about to kind of do you know lead foot and like thank god i'm in the process of being sanctified but and she would say to me remember you're wearing your clerical collar it's a complete change it's a complete change right but it's nothing clerical is nothing in comparison of being a light of christ a light of the world being the light of the world therefore i must serve in every area of my life every area of my life as a guide to guide people out of darkness into his marvelous light i don't know about you but this puts me on my knees constantly constantly my desire my longing to be a light of christ light to the world keeps me on my knees not just in my desire to be faithful in interpreting the word of god and not read into it what i want to read into it but faithfully open the word of god tell you what it says not what i think of it and not just in my witnessing power to lead people to christ but in every aspect of my life why because light is visible light guides thirdly light warns it warns light often reveals to us danger ahead danger ahead this is probably the most difficult task for the light can i get an amen you have experience in new families you've experienced it at work you experience everywhere you go this is one of the most difficult things it really is why do i say this because human nature the way it is people don't like to be warned they really don't they don't want to confront to be confronted by the truth they don't want to be confronted with the truth instead they want to do their thing they want to do what they want to do they want to do things their way they want to make up their own religion they want to create a god who agrees with them they want to live the way they think they should live not how the word of god tells them to live and yet when jesus was born at the birth of jesus the gospel of matthew tells us that the people who sat in darkness saw a great light the apostle john goes on to expound in this in the gospel of john he said the light has come into the world but people preferred to stay in darkness listen to me only those who receive him become the children of light can i get an amen in fact that's the only division you can have in your head it's the only division we've been divided now in our culture what's it called identity this and identity policy but listen there's only one identity either you're a child of light or child of darkness the whole world is divided that way from every nation every tribe every tongue and every language the world is divided between the sons of light and the sons of darkness and even the children of light they can only keep their light shining and be brighter as they walk closely to the light of the world now beloved listen to me listen here's a fact the closer you walk with jesus the brighter your light will shine the shinier your light will be but listen do not be surprised you heard it here do not be surprised when many of those who sit in darkness feel threatened by your light don't be surprised some will ask questions and we must be ready to give an answer but some will not i don't know i'm telling you a lot about my life today which i don't normally do but one summer in sydney early 70s when i was going through college one summer i worked as a driver professional driver can you believe that i think i caused a lot of repentance in my car [Laughter] it's like the the two people who went to heaven you're the minister and a new york bus driver and when they got to heaven the angel gave the minister a very small shack but then he gave the new york bus driver a mansion and when the minister complained he said listen when you preach people went to sleep but when he drove the bus he caused them to repent [Applause] but i was driving a specific area those of you who know sydney will know exactly what i'm talking about as a notorious area well known in sydney where a lot of nefarious things take place and i would be driving and coming into a dark alley and the light of my car would shine in that dark alley and whether the person is about to hit someone or doing a drug dealing or whatever it is as soon as they see the light of my car they literally fled they they escaped they run they run they scatter like jackrabbits why they did not want the deeds exposed by the same token some of those who are lost will be thankful for the light and they will ask you how can i get there so don't be surprised by those who reject your light rejoice with those who will see it as a god in john chapter 3. you know some of those liberal preachers who always want to quote one part of the verse never quote the rest of it here's the verse record in john 3 for god sent his son not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him and they stop they stop there they don't go and read the rest of it which says this is the condemnation hey there are condom there's condemnation yeah there is condemnation there's judgment coming this is condemnation the delight has come into the world but men love darkness rather than light why because their deeds are evil john is saying the reason that some people some people do not heed the warning of the light that you and i are to be is because their deeds will be exposed and reproved and they don't like that at all they don't like it one bit so don't be surprised when some reject your light i know and you know that light can be irritating right light can be irritating to some most of you who read my books know that there was a period in my life when i lived in rebellion against god so those of you who are parents of prodigals or children of prodigals who have particles in your life be encouraged be encouraged because in that time of rebellion i am absolutely convinced it was some people particularly my older sister on their knees praying for me but during that time i detested church people i really did i mean i detested preachers and teachers and sunday school teachers i just detested them i detested anyone who thought they're gonna have to lead me back to christ i just detested them godly people not only irritated me i hid from them i literally i literally ran away when i see them coming maybe that's why today i'm a little bit more sympathetic and pray for those who see me as an irritant how many of you know that other people see me as an irritant listen i have seen him walk out of this place for all the last 33 years i see them walking out in anger one of them thank god later on come to christ and give her testimony right here don't ever forget the word of god tells us in ephesians chapter 5 verse 8 for you once can you say the word once with me for you once were darkness but now your light in the lord walk as children of light i was thinking about being irritated by the light and i thought of a story i heard as a young man growing up in the middle east a story of a nomad who woke up in the middle of the night in his tent feeling hungry so he let out a candle by his mat and reached for a bag of dates and he started eating those dates he took a bite from the first date and then he put it close to the candle light and there is a worm wiggling so he tossed it out he got a second one and he took a bite puts it close to the light of the candle his worm wiggling so he tossed it out and he did this with the third and the fourth one and then he stopped himself and said now wait a minute if i'm gonna have all these dates thrown out i'm still hungry what do i do listen to his logic he blew out the candle and ate the dates worms and all there are some who will see warning light as a threat so they run away from it they would rather blow out the candle and eat the worms instead of facing the truth about their dreadful eternity with unquenchable fire and undying worms so they blow out the light because it offends him light does not only expose darkness but it points away out of darkness now beloved hemorrhoid please knowledge will not get you to heaven political action will not get you to heaven international diplomacy will not get you to heaven only jesus will get you to heaven but having said that as i repeat again from last message i thank god for those who stand in the arena of all these areas i told you in the last message that one of the biggest mistakes believers have made is that they withdrew from different arenas in society they withdrew from the media they withdrew from academia they withdrew from political scene they withdrew from educational scene and they abandoned these arenas to the sacrists and that's why we're in the mess we're in we need light as long as we know amen give god praise give god praise as long as we know that only jesus will get you to heaven because our world is desperately in need of light in every area of life every arena the shine of the shining light of the gospel of jesus christ in every area in our society believers need to be constantly filling their lamps with the oil of the holy spirit so they keep on shining brighter for christ now i can give you one more warning about the light there are some who thinks that being light is best accomplished as being a flashlight flashing right in people's eyes they really do who i mean i'm sure you know that blinds them right our light must never be displayed in anger but in love our light must not be displayed in volatile reactions but in compassion our light must not be displayed in revenge but in thoughtfulness if you want to be like the light the light of the the light of the world the lord jesus christ we must have compassion we must have compassion we must do it listen you you've been hearing me those have you been hearing long long enough to know that i have never preached on hell without weeping publicly i grieve over those people who do not surrender the life to jesus christ or end up in christless eternity we must have compassion for those who are in darkness the bible said jesus saw them as sheep without shepherd and he had compassion on them there may be some here today or those millions of people watching around the world on kingdom sat or in many of the platforms i thank god for all these opportunities for millions of people watching us live in australia and in the middle east and north africa all over and europe there may be somebody here somebody watching out of curiosity who would say michael i i really have resisted the light of christ for a long time i've resisted the light that my neighbors or my family members have been trying to to lead me and guide me to christ i've been resisting it for years if that is you today you can come to the light of the world and that you take heed of his loving warning and warm invitation he's inviting you come to jesus for he has his arms wide open repent turn to him repent of your religious dogma because your religion will never get you to heaven accept christ as your only savior and lord you will experience nothing but joy and peace in the midst of difficult difficulties that this world is throwing at us when you choose christ and then you'll spend eternity with him in heaven i believe with all my heart the reason you are watching and i thank god that he has privileged us to be in 196 countries heard fourteen thousand times a week twenty six languages and if you're watching right now it's an indication that god loves you he really loves you and that is why he wanted you to hear this message it's an indication that god is reaching out to you and say will you come to me would you come to me i'm ready to forgive you when you repent i'm going to ask that every eye is closed and every head is bowed as we come to the king of kings and the lord of all lords this is a holy moment this is the moment like a surgeon just about cut and beginning to operate the holy spirit is the surgeon here and whether you are in this room or anywhere around the world and you say i want to repent i want to turn i want to accept the light now would you raise your hand i'm sure i won't be able to see everybody but i'll see it here in this room but not over there were you all watching but god can god will see but if in this room just raise your hands i can pray for you i pray with you thank you thank you thank you see those hands thank you thank you father you're the searcher of our hearts you know our motives better than we even know our own motives you know our thoughts before we think them and so i lift up to you every precious person who have raised their hands or even they didn't raise their hand but deep down they want to turn to you i pray in the power of jesus's blood that was shared on calvary and through the strength of the holy spirit that they will be empowered and strengthened to keep walking with you and be light as they're transformed from darkness that they be themselves the light of the world just like you transformed our lives and father we thank you we praise you we worship you and we adore you and all of god's people said praise the lord amen amen let's stand and sing together [Music] let's respond to the mercy and the compassion of jesus [Music] together we sing everyone needs everyone needs compassion love that's never failing let mercy fall on me everyone needs forgiveness the kindness of the savior the hope of nations [Music] he is [Music] jesus conquered the grave [Music] so take me as you find all my fears and fears i give my life to everything i believe [Music] my god is [Music] jesus the race together we left up let the whole world [Music] he is [Music] [Music] is [Music] jesus [Music] thank you so much for coming today go with god be the light of the world we'll see you next week [Music] thank you for being part of our worship today please contact us and tell us about what god is doing in your life if you are in the atlanta area we hope that you can visit us in person god bless [Music] you

Channel: Leading The Way

Views: 1,860

Rating: 5 out of 5

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Id: xkLBKZfKp-A

Length: 82min 34sec (4954 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 16 2020