Be Light in Darkness | Sermon by Pastor Samuel Rodriguez

our faiths look at your neighbor and tell them our faith our faith is not like any other faith our faith is transparent transcendent and transformational our faith teaches us to cross over obstacles to shout down walls to break through crowds and walk on water even in the midst of storms our faith enables us to survive the fires of life to overcome the den of lions to silenced a serpent to outwit the Fox our faith empowers us to see the invisible embrace the impossible with hope for the incredible accordingly it's not a coincidence the first time the universe hears the utter words of God God's voice it was not to say let there be joy peace or even love the voice of the sovereign the divine the glorious uttered the following Genesis 1:3 let there be light because God always begins by turning the light on life requires light faith requires light why because we live in dark times even the recent occurrences that saturate and in Denis and inundate the news cycles in the past few days compel me to share this with more passion we do live in dark times some would argue that we live in the darkest hour darkened by sin immorality moral relativism spiritual apathy cultural decadence infanticide racism pornography poverty violence false prophets watered-down preaching hypocrisy unbridled consumerism Boyer is a materialism secular tyranny religious extremism tear discord division strife hatred jealousy and unbelief we live in dark times yet in the midst of darkness stems to following truth Jesus still saves Jesus filled the livers Jesus believe it or not still heals and I may be a double minority but I am one of the few that may still believe it but I do believe that Jesus believe it or not is still coming back again moreover in the midst of darkness stems of prophetic truth a revealed truth and everlasting truth utter by Jesus our Savior Matthew chapter 5 you are the light of the world you are the light of the world in a city on a hill cannot be hidden and neither do people light a lamp and put it on the Robo instead they put it on its stand and it gives light 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 let me share with you in a very expedited manner courtesy of a nonfat upside down camera macchiato ha blessed to be light for when light stands next to darkness light always wins blessed to be light by who you are you you you you are the light of the world and a city on a hill cannot be hidden so who are we to quit the quintessential query stemming from the existential womb who are we we cannot be light until we discover who we are we cannot be lied until we repudiate identity moratorium what defines us who are we are we defined by our past are we defined by our circumstances are we defined by what others say about us here's the great news from what took place on the cross Christ defines you Christ defines us matter of fact you and I were not defined by what surrounds us were defined by God's Spirit inside of us we are not defined by our circumstances we are defined by his covenant you are not even defined by the hell you may be going through your defined by the heaven you're going to you're not defined by your failures you're defined by his forgiveness and to all the religious folks you're not even defined by what you do for God you're defined by what God already did for you the cross the empty tomb the upper room his blood his word you defined by the father to sign of the Holy Spirit you're defined by Galatians 2:20 my old self has been crucified with Christ it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me and there is an attempt right now to corporately define us there is an attempt to a great degree by government and institutions and culture in society to the finest corporately a womb this group is gathering who we are so it behooves us to ask who are we corporately as a church are we just another institution in society are we another religious faith narrative competing in the marketplace of ideas are we a feel-good apparatus for the spiritually impaired are we an antiquated conduit for a set of irrelevant values no longer applicable in the world of Facebook iPad Twitter Instagram in YouTube how we respond will determine whether or not if in this critical our light overcomes darkness so who are we who are weak in some on the subtle who are we we must respond with clarity conviction and courage the following we are the light of the world we are a city on a hill we are people of the word we are salt and light we are prophetic and not pathetic we are we are disciples witnesses and Christ followers we are prophets evangelists pastors and teachers we are children of the cross fruit of the empty tomb and product of the Upper Room we are the Redeem of the Lord the Sheep of his pasture we are forgiven free and favored we are called and chosen we are warriors and worshipers we are world changers and history-makers let me tell you what we not we are not Google we are not Microsoft we are not Ford and we're not even Starbucks we are the Church of Jesus Christ and the gates of Hell shall not we'll not may not cannot no way nohow prevail against us we are the church we are the bride of Jesus and the gates of Hell will not can never prevail against we are the church we are the light of the world and to all those that are desperate pastor Samuel we need to get out of here I get that and I understand John's admonition and prayer in the book of Revelation on the island of Patmos yes come Lord Jesus come I believe that but it's time to reconcile our eschatology over Missy ology because Jesus is not coming back for a defeated church or a failing church or a discouraged church or a depressed Church he's coming back for a glorious holy thriving Church a wonderful bride belied by who you are which means with great due deference which means you are not first and foremost we are not first and foremost black white yellow or brown Hispanic charismatic or automatic you we are above all born again blood wash spirit and power children of the Living God belied by who you are always remembering that God does not call the perfect he calls the Willing he doesn't call the one that has it all he calls upon those that are willing to surrender it all for when light stands next to darkness light always wins we are blessed to be light by removing the obstacles a city on a hill cannot be hidden and neither do people light a lamp and hide it under a bone in other words if you have it you don't hide it you let it shine our challenge is to remove the ball of apathy complacency acquiescence and fear and once again lay claim to the stand of righteousness so that we may shine before all men we cannot be light until we embrace the following today's complacency is tomorrow's captivity we say that one more time for the hearing impaired today's complacency is tomorrow's captivity there is no such thing as comfortable Christianity and you are what you tolerate God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power love and sound mind so what's trying to hide your light what's attempting to turn off your like what is the name of that proverbial ball we cannot deny that there exists a spiritual battle to turn off the light there's a real spiritual battle taking place and it's revealed even in the past few days there's a real spiritual battle taking place and I'm not talking about Harry Potter and Hogwarts via the conduit of biblical allusions we know very well there are real spirits in the world today the spirit of Pharaoh is a lie holding people captive in the age of the bondage and fear the spirit of Goliath still lives mocking and intimidating the children of God the spirit of Jezebel kate is saying you're not afraid I still transcend still makes men and women hide in caves with sexual perversions and manipulation the spirit of epsilon is dividing homes churches and relationships while the spirit of Herod is killing the young through abortion and violence poverty and sex trafficking murdering infant dreams and visions yet I have news for you mmm don't drink the kool-aid in spite of what you see on CNN and Fox and MSNBC CBS NBC ABC and even Univision there is a spirit more powerful than all these spirits combined and give me some space to raise my voice here we are here to declare today that the most powerful spirit alive right now right now right now right now and forevermore the most powerful spirit alive today is not the spirit of peril it's not the spirit of soul Absalom Goliath Jezebel or Herod the most powerful spirit on the planet today is spell the Holy Spirit of Almighty God they sell the Spirit of God he silversmiths that spirit is still moving still moving he's still moving in Texas he's moving in California he's moving in New York City he's moving all across America Africa South America Latin America it is not by might nor by power but so it inward a spirit is president there is freedom second Corinthians 3:17 where that spirit is president there is power acts 1:8 so to every narrative in spirit that facilitates the platform of more relativism spiritual apathy cultural decadence and ecclesiastical lukewarmness and other words with many syllables we need to stand up with courage and be light and really be light with courage and conviction and understand for every Pharaoh that stands up there will be a Moses for every Goliath there must be a David for every nabuchadnezzar there must be a Daniel for every jessabelle there must be in Elijah for every Herod there must be in Jesus and for every devil that rises up against you there is a mightier god that will rise up for you it's time to remove the ball it's time to shake off whatever life or hell has placed upon your life always remembering that what you can't shake off Jesus washes off that if life throws you rocks build an altar that's the reality first John to a I am writing you a new command its truth is seed in him and in you because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining arise and shine for your light has come and the glory of God has risen upon you for when light stands next to darkness light always wins blessed to be light by where you stand instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house the stand represents the facilitative platform upon which we shine the light of Christ so where do we stand we stand on the undeniable and unshakeable reality that Christ is the hope of glory we stand of uncompromised and unbridled conviction and this is not politically correct but we stand on John 10 by the way of some few weeks ago I I did something I don't know well I thought it was right but I did not think it would be controversial at all I did something that well I on my Facebook page I did something that I guess you're not supposed to do what even when I guess like how silly of me I I the audacity I just posted a little comment on my Facebook page and all I said was Jesus is the only way well I never thought I was gonna get little emojis with guns and bombs and threats I kid you not and my wife said should we call someone and all I said was Jesus with braids due deference didn't mention didn't go into other compare no just saying there's only one way to be saved them that way is Jesus how do you know it was politically correct to say that you're you're intolerant your your your your your your bigoted you discriminate you your suffer from myopia and and you're all these things and I mean because all I Jesus is like the camera let me be clear we stand on the following there are not five ways to heaven there are not four ways to heaven there are not three ways to heaven I don't care if it's politically incorrect there are not two ways to heaven there's only one way to heaven and one way to be saved there's only one way to eternal life one way to be born-again that way has the name it is the name above all the other names the name to love which every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess there is the name there is one way and that name is Jesus Christ [Applause] this message brought to you by Jesus is the only way calm we stand on righteousness injustice Psalm 89 14 righteousness injustice or the foundation of your throne unfailing love and truth walk before us attendants Luke 179 to shine on those living and darkness in the shadow of death to guide our feet in the paths of peace yes we stand on righteousness and justice we stand on the certainty that Christ is the way the centrality of Christ he who wrote the law with one finger gave us grace with both hands he is the god of both righteousness and justice to be light we must understand especially in this day and age where everyone is looking to Uncle Sam to solve all the problems to be light we must understand this with great due deference you have to say in a good way it kind of justifies it all we to be light we must stand with the understanding that Uncle Sam may be our uncle but he will never be our Heavenly Father we are blessed to be light by what we do by what you do in the same way let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven Jesus changed the world because of who he was what he said and what he did his character his rhetoric and his actions let us do likewise Ephesians 5:8 for you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord live as children of light we shine when we understand that Christianity is less about promoting the perfect and more about blessing the broken we illuminate our surroundings when we embrace the truth that Christianity stands measured not by the level of rhetorical eloquence but rather by the constant of loving actions we magnify the light empowered by the conviction that there is no such thing as silent Christianity silence is not an option I was invited I was invited to in the previous administration I was invited to Pakistan it was some time after 9/11 to in I was invited to preach and the government was well aware meaning the government of Pakistan and they helped coordinate some things and the purpose was to convey a message globally from a messaging perspective that Pakistan was opening up to religious pluralism so I was invited to preach and that the vast majority of the audience was of the majority faith of that nation the Muslim faith the tubes to pastors joined me pastor John Raymer from the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and a pastor named Israel Bermudez a little quick story about Israel Bermudez we go to Pakistan we're going you know through passport control and Israel gives him two passport he already had a visa but he's going through there the gentleman behind the glass looks at him and says that's not your name here Israel didn't get it his name is Israel Bermudez for Puerto Rico so Israel goes that's the name my mother gave me and I'm right here with John boohoo and the guy says no that's not your name here find me another name you're not coming in here or that name and Israel doesn't get it so he keeps on saying what you're talking about that's done name my mother gave I'm telling you answer my god that's my name and then and the guys getting animate over there and going no you're not that's not your name here find another name finally hits me and John and I go I get Israel Pakistan you can't use your name here I get it you didn't want you to use Israel so maybe you know the guy says find another name so John and I are going what do we call them which name is Israel we call all of a sudden we got this moment of Zen your name is Jerry no biblical significance whatsoever in the Hebrew it's cherry Latin Jerry Aramaic Jerry the Greek it's still Jerry from that moment on he was called Jerry so we go to Pakistan and and we're there the first night thousands of people gathered an amazing gathering over 60% plus were of the Muslim faith and and and it was my turn to preach that evening I wish I could tell you right now that I preach the centrality of Christ and salvation through Christ alone I did not I don't even know if I mentioned Jesus I mentioned God love wind-air God loves you it was the Barney version of Christianity and it was very ambiguous and eclectic and very non conscious there's a reason for that seated on my left-hand side there were a number of clerics as senior clerics from the region that were seated and they were seated with a security apparatus and the yapper the people around them were not carrying quran's and because I was a bit intimidated truth be told I was intimidated not just a bit and and so I didn't it was at a free sort of preaching and we went back to the hotel and and John and Jerry they we had a little powwow and we met in the hotel lobby and they said pastor Sam look we traveled thousands of miles we were either gonna do this or we're not because in essence were hiding the light and I was hiding my light under the bowl of fear and and in political correctness and and we decided you know let's do this so I asked the question the quintessential question was have you paid up your life insurance policies and they responded in the affirmative and I continued to say and I well let's look at Astra exit strategy how do we exit if we have to exit and when we discovered of course that the only exit was through the crowd so the next day I pick up the microphone and and and I start preaching and as a good preacher know and more people and they were there on this side so I ignored him completely and and I started preaching and I started preaching and brilli deed the anointing really me as God just said go ahead and yeah I felt God just say preach it I got ya so I started preaching salvation through Christ didn't mention any other faith leader just mentions Christ and only through Christ Jesus is the only way to this section in the middle section not only as Jesus saved but Jesus delivers and then all of a sudden I just took my arm and I pointed here I said and jesus healed and I ran over here again it's just quick little drive-by heal and and and Jerry and Jerry and John could attest to this I mean it was and the pastors that were there from Pakistan seed it right there in a corner and an 80 year old man stood up the moment I just went jesus heals and walked away he stood up and started making a ruckus it started just making noise in two peripheral vision I'm seeing as I'm going oh Lord that's under their feet so many Bela picados are johansson and he stood up with a younger person next to him and they walked right here to the further stage and they walked over here and Jerry's over here and Jerry and Jerry's here and I'm getting I'm acting as if I'm adoring them but I'm not because I'm going what's going on and they're coming here and and they're talking to Jerry and Jerry grabs my attention and says give him the mic and of course I responded looking like a beza which means you you are a wonderful person I bless you no it doesn't mean that at all it means you're nuts and so I went no when he went like no trust me compare me give him the mic and I went like he goes so we called them up here the young man grabs the microphone and I'm interviewing him going what's going on and and he says this is my father I go ok he goes no it's not ok but it is ok but you don't want it's my dad and I went like ok go no it's not ok but it is ok like oh ok what's ok he goes that's my dad he's 80 years of age I go he's 80 wonderful god bless him he goes no you don't seem together like oh no I don't and I'm looking at your like what have you done this is a Muslim cleric coming up on the stage and I don't even know what's going on and and and he's going you don't understand go no I don't he goes well this is what you don't understand sir mr. cleric my dad my dad was born 80 years ago he was born completely blind and I go okay and the dad is going like this and then he starts touching his son's face and he starts crying right there and he starts touching his face and the son is still talking the dad grabs the mic and he looks at me and says you echo me equals you because you you and your Jesus you you went like this and you said your jesus heals the moment used I was born blind I've never seen one all my life I've been blind and the moment you said jesus heals my scales came off my eyes opened up and at that very moment Mike he goes I can see I was blind but I can see I was blind but now I see I was blind but now I see he said you're jesus healed me today I was blind but now I see then he sends us the most powerful face he says I pray from now on me and my family we will serve your Jesus there is still power in the name of Jesus when we remove the ball of fear and acquiescence and complacency there is still power in the name of Jesus but it requires us to remove the ball and to remove whatever obstruction whatever hindrance to the reality of shining the light of Christ and even in our nation in these precarious times is so polarized and divided by politics and the rhetoric of men and we and we need to understand we shine the brightest when we understand that the only agenda that can save America is not the agenda of the donkey or the elephant but exclusively the agenda of the Lamb Jesus Christ so let me finish when asked what do Christians do besides going to church on Sunday and complaining about things from Monday through Saturday here's my response we love we forgive we turn the other cheek we bless our enemies we walk in integrity we quench the thirsty we clothe the naked we feed the hungry we welcome to stranger we take care of the orphan and the widow we preach in and out of season we worship in spirit and the truth we do justice we love mercy we walk humbly before God we are light the light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it John 1:5 for Samuel 3:3 the lamp of God has not gone out yet so Gateway be light and walk like Enoch be light and believe like Abraham be light and dressed like Joseph be light and stretch like Moses be light and shout like Joshua be light and dance like David be light and fight like Gideon be light and pray like Daniel be light and bill like Nehemiah be light and preach like Peter be light and serve like Stephen be light and live like Jesus be light and change the world for when life's there to next to darkness light will always win peace god bless you [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Roma Downey x LightWorkers

Views: 3,705

Rating: 4.807229 out of 5

Keywords: lightworkers, faith, christianity, christian faith, church, jesus still saves, be light, be light in darkness, sermon, pastor, samuel rodriguez

Id: pNQxx2wOXXw

Length: 28min 0sec (1680 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 22 2020