Merry Life Repair – 1 – Light Your Darkness with Hope

 

Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt and I am happy to share the Word of God with you.

 

It has begun. Mariah Carey has been loosed from he captivity. Every where you go you WILL hear… “All I want for Christmas is you.”

The decorations are going up as we speak.

The holiday shopping is revved up in person and online.

• During peak hours online shoppers spent 15.7 million dollars per minute.

Do you have any idea how you are going to get all your shopping done?

The schedule is filling up with Christmas parties.

The kids are counting the days until winter break.

 

This season is called merry and bright.
…the most wonderful time of the year.
Silver bells, silent nights, joy to the world, white Christmas, rocking around the Christmas tree…

 

This is marketing to get you in the “Christmas Spirit.” I am all for Christmas cheer… but allow me to give you some Christmas real.

 

There are 2 major wars happening as we speak. Either could be a catalyst for a world war.
Our US Economy is not strong. Inflation is killing us.
   -Yet the other world economies are doing even worse.
   -Desperate times.
We are less than a year from an election, and our culture is more polarized and divided than ever.
Cancel culture scares us. It is impossible to have a polite difference of opinion. You will be called Hitler immediately.

For my Holiday cards this year I might write “Merry Christmas!  I don’t think you are Hitler!”

Depression is up.
Loneliness is up.
Suicide will likely be up.
Drug use is up.

 

When the calendar swings over to 2024…
Divorce will be up. January is called “divorce month.”

The credit card bills that were maxed over the Holidays will start coming due.

 

The holiday marketing wants to focus you on making the season merry and bright.

We need to more than a merry and bright season… we need merry and bright lives throughout the year.

 

We are going to focus on repairing the broken parts of our life.

We all have areas in need of repair. We need to fix some things.

We want you to join us this Christmas season as we apply the lessons of hope, love, joy, and peace to the broken areas of our lives.

Today we are going to talk about fixing the darkness.

If things are dark, what should you do? Install some light.

 

You can either sit in darkness, or you can turn on the light and push out the darkness.

The answer to darkness is light.

The answer to darkness is NOT…

• Learning to live with darkness.
• Lowering your expectations.
• Adjusting to the new normal of darkness.

 

When light shows up, darkness leaves.

Darkness is front and center… but a single light pushes darkness to the margins where shadows remain.

Light is the force that is stronger than darkness.

 

If your aim is to make your LIFE merry and bright… you need a light to push away the darkness.

 

What is the darkness in your life?  In the words of Simon & Garfunkel “Hello darkness my old friend.. I’ve come to talk with you again.” What is that darkness you keep coming back to?

Your darkness?

 

• Lies/secrets
• Hateful thoughts
• Past regret
• Fear
• Depression
• Greed
• Spiritual darkness

 

What is your darkness? If you want to fix your fix your darkness problem, you need to identify your darkness.

 

You need a light to expel the darkness in your life.

A poor example of light…

• Government and systems – they lie all the time.
• Education – Education is great… but you are always at the mercy of the bias of a teacher.
• Counseling can provide value but it teaches you to own the darkness rather than find light.
• Medication can help with depression, but it often needs adjustment.
• Religion can be a place of community and you can learn some truth in religion… but is religion the light? There was a period of time when religion controlled the entire world and we have a name for that time period – the dark ages.
• More success allows you purchase everything materialistic great desires… but it brings no light.
• Self help and life hacks can be useful… but if slight incremental improvement could defeat darkness you would darkness free by now…

You need to identify your darkness.
You need to identify your light.

This traditional Christmas season is a poor light. You can go through the entire Christmas season… have all the trees, presents, the carols, and even the egg nog… but still be in darkness.

 

During a time of darkness an Israelite prophet wrote these words.

Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

Isaiah, lived in a dark time. Israel was on their way to exile and slavery in Babylon… But God gave Isaiah this prophecy.

It is a prophecy to all who walk in darkness…  that they can see a great light.

He goes on to prophecy about a child born and son given who is wonderful, counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace…

Hundreds of years later this prophecy is fulfilled when Magi, wisemen, kings see a great light in the sky and followed that star. That great light led them to the child/son of Isaiah prophecy.

This Child’s name is Jesus.

A follower of Jesus named John said this about Jesus.

John 1:4 (NIV) In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I want you to consider Jesus to be the light that darkness can’t handle.

The life of Jesus is light.  The lessons he taught that are recorded in Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John are exactly what you need to push out the darkness.

 

Jesus vs your darkness

• Lies/secrets
• Hateful thoughts
• Past regret
• Fear
• Depression
• Greed
• Spiritual darkness

Jesus taught about truth and called out lies.  Jesus taught that nothing remains secret.

Jesus taught that love is what everything hangs on. Love God, love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Jesus gave hope for past regret. He redeems your regret and turns it into victory.

Jesus lived fearlessly. His followers learned to do the same. Don’t fear what people can do to you Jesus says.

When things were the darkest for Jesus he still trusted, served, loved others. Depression could not rob him.

Jesus taught us to overcome greed by being generous.

Jesus taught us that even the spiritual darkness of the devil is no match for light. IT IS WRITTEN.

 

Jesus vs your darkness… Jesus wins every time.  Try his light.

Not religion, but Jesus.
Not tradition but Jesus.

I dare you to make Jesus a part of your every day.
Make Jesus a part of your family routine.
Talk to Jesus. 
Read the gospels about Jesus.
When things don’t make sense, talk to Jesus some more.

Treat other people like Jesus did.

But know this… Light reveals.

 

Light reveals

Light will reveal some things that need to change.
…reveal some people you need to love, forgive, and serve.
…reveal greed, materialism, and self-centeredness.
…reveal others around you who are still walking in darkness.

 

Light Reveals Hope  

Why bother if you have no hope?

I have heard many times  this quote from Hal Lindsay.

“Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air…but only for one second without hope.”

Without hope… why bother?

The darkness quickly robs us from hope.

People in darkness can’t see hope… if you can’t hope… then why bother trying to change.

 

In darkness we don’t have hope… but we have a lot of fear.

 

As I draw to a close… I want to ask our music team to come… and I want to teach you the Greek word for Fear and the Greek word for Hope.

 

Elpis

Elpis is the Greek word for Fear.

Now I want to show you the Greek word for Hope.

 

Elpis

 

The tech team did not make a mistake… IT IS THE SAME WORD. The same word elpis can mean either fear or hope. The difference has to do with YOU.

 

Elpis Expectation   

1.       expectation of evil, fear
2.        expectation of good, hope

 

If you expect evil… then you have elpis – fear.
If you expect good… then you have elpis – hope.

What kind of “elpis” do you have today?

If you are in the darkness you are saying… why bother? Why try? I am afraid.

If you will step towards the light you will see… I have hope for better. I can try again. I have hope.

 

Do you have hope in Jesus?
Do you believe he can fix the broken dark parts of your life?