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let's pray together heavenly father
you are a good god lord
and their times where lives when...
the world will really against us saying no god is not good
biblically the truth is you are a good god
and father
bad things happen
grievous things happen things that hurt our hearts and break our hearts and
impact our souls happen and that's what's happened to the warren family
this weekend
uh... as their twenty seven-year-old son took his own life god pray for them
uh... we pray for comfort for Rick and Kay
we pray for wisdom for them to know how to
lead their church in and to speak to i'm sure they'll be media requests for
his time in his response
given wisdom father and how to respond what to say
uh... how to do with it these are pressures that many of us will never
fully understand of the weight that they bearer in these kinds of scenarios of
situations so we just pray for them
and here dot knowing that
even in the midst of the spain and uh... broken this there's still a plan that
you have to uh...
to deal with this into to help them work through and so we just commitment to
your care
in here lord of course when we thank you for the work that you're doing in our
midst we thank you for uh... your blessing upon us as a church family
we thank you god for the team who just got back from haiti and for
uh... the impact that they had there as well as the impact you had upon their
hearts of souls
but taking them there
and showing them a a developing country and uh...
a ministry this trying to very tangible
uh... loving things and name of jesus christ to help
their own uh... people their own country
and so allow that to settle into their souls lord allow them to now impact us
is
it's sort of
salt in a in the midst of us that uh... that their heart vision for getting
there
thing progressing to jesus christ out to the world
affect in effect asked god to many different ways
so we can be the church you're calling us to be
some give you the praise lord give you the are in the glory
in jesus precious name we pray
joaquin alike
one of things
growing up like a member was uh... i get to get some friends you want watch a
scary movie
and so you you get the movie and you you turn down the lights because three
movies are always best watched in the dark and and that's where the big images
was scary movies is that they don't do a scary movie in broad daylight do they
here not much gary bower broad daylight no they do it in the dark and i guess as
i've gotten older i've been less inclined to want to watch that kinda
stuff simply because
had become too analytical and and so when they're walking into that room
that's got no lights and you know the killers insides like to me up to get
turned a light on that's the first like the i'd have she just walk by six dead
bodies who saw the door open the door closed
do not go in and that's our
or out of the releases as you walk into the lights are basically what getting
boring cast light switch an apprentice that that was the remotes
and they can use it will be the weights the work waivers that cell phones
nowadays turn yourself or not at all like the room up a little bit so you can
see but all rolled into a dark is a scary movie right
all of us
no it is too low add those times when we can sort of sense that we're in the dark
we don't know what to do
if you're the parent of a teenager you've been in the dark
you could be in the dark right now after the teenager
you think you know i'm not sure anyhow to have that i don't know what the next
thing is to say i don't know how to deal with this
at what what i should be doing is apparent they feel very much in the dark
husbands
when your wife tracy u_n_ asks if this helps it makes me look fat
you were in the dark
you had no idea what the light switches
you wish there was a way to turn on a let you get out
which are in that room and you don't know what to say what to do in your in
the dark
we know it is this image of light and dark displays of this all the time for a
life and john takes us into this image in the first john chapter one and i'd
let you in your bibles to turn to be there as we look at what he's talking
about what it says
that there's this idea of spiritual darkness in spiritual life
and we want to walk through that passes this morning and so you can listen as i
agreed to us
the first few verses
of the past sporting at first john chapter one would have started first
five
john says
this is the message we have heard from him comes from jesus
and the clergy ever back up further
we are here last summit we talked about
john was an eyewitness he makes it very clear the first part of ur straw we
talked with the gospel of john helped
uh... john was there with jesus called him john was there when
geez went to the across a job was there when he went to the empty tomb john was
there we had a chance to actually touch cheeses in the resurrected four
as so when he says he's live witness
it puts him into a category that that gives us a fourteen the say the things
to be saying here in first job john wrote the gospel of john first second
third john in the book of revelation those are all books
in the bible that he broke
and here he's talking terms of being an eyewitness
and so he says this is a mess that we've heard from jesus in the clear to you so
he's got this message from jesus has got his lights
in indian there's no darkness at all so like darkness
for sex
if weakling
to have fellowship with him get walk in the darkness we lie you do that led by
the truth
but if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one
another and the blood of jesus son pure faiza small said
if we claim
to be without sin
we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in a small explain the context that verse
in just a few moments
verse nine verse that many of us if the brunt of the church will be familiar
with says the first john one nine if we confess our sins
he does jesus is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and will care financed from all on writes this
if we claim we have not seen and
we make him out to be a liar in his word is no place in our lives chapter two
my dear children i write this to you so that you will not send black if anybody
does cn
we have one
who speaks to the father in our defense jesus christ the right to swim
chap two verse two
he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins
and only for hours but also for the sins of the whole world
as is our customer work through this process and try to break it down so we
can understand it
first of all john one vs five to seven tells recruited dots light
dot as light
john's going to tell us very much as well that he knows this because he was
an eyewitness to the light
john side jesus john her jesus
john side uses and john touched
cheeses
as who uses this is a basis for where he's going
member if you're here last sunday
we talked about how john
tear talked in terms of
uh... him being able to test uses and i'd just ask the question
what would that be like for this guy john
to write down
that hike scotch the eternal one
what was that like for john to think in terms of
he knew the jesus was from the father so no beginning no end
and jesus
was the one that john actually touched with his hands
we read about the last update he actually declined and jesus justice and
at the last separate opposition
assured let's just bottled john's brain
to think in terms of i had actually physically touched
eternity
in the person jesus price
musta been amazed
we don't need a much of an imagination to be wow
by this idea of john having this experiences so few
and so and for someone versed five
pieces that we have this message
we had this message that we've heard from jesus
and because john was an eyewitness in
and saw jesus in her jesus he says we're going to create a message to you
instant message god is like was he saying
he's telling us something about the character of god
john is johnson's that god's light
liked darkness not just you need to john himself
would go back into the old testament we get race through the same image you let
me just give you one for subscription
second set of twenty two burst twenty nine
there david rating and he says
you are mile ample lord
the lord turns might darkness into light
you are my lap in other words you're my lights
and you turn my darkness in delight
as sole john
who are not not done david understanding that the only way in which he was going
to have like to see his world properly like to see spiritually what might have
been a counter with his heavenly father
so john carries the same idea off
if we don't look at the gospel of john doe the book that john actually grow and
we look at john chapter twelve wrist forty six
he's going to use is here when jesus said i've come into the world as alike
so that no one who believes in me to stay in darkness
and so obviously there's an assumption here by jesus
that there's darkness in the world
we are all part of that darkness
and he has come as the lights and so if we want to be able to see
the light from london to see the way which god calls us to that we need to
have his connection with jesus christ
he's the lights
i have come into the world as alike
jesus himself and john shepard cooper's forty six
scholars tells to inverse five
that there's two parts of this phrase book dot being like it says dot is like
in him is no darkness at all and there's nothing tricky there really is just
uh... once as stated in the positive dot is like
and an exact same thing as stated in the negative by saying in individual
darkness loss was nothing tricky but that's just
stating the same thing two different ways as was
uh... their natural way of looking at the world making those kinds of
observations
god is like positive
negatively in him as build our personal same message both ways
so john is telling us something about god's character
burst five
number six what we believe has to affect how we live but this is a verse six
we claims least told us that god's light
so if we claim to have fellowship with him with the one who's the lights yet
walking darkness so here's that energy again light and darkness
so quickly they have fellowship with him yet walking darkness we live together by
the truth
so
what john is saying here is that
knowing that god is light
we need to understand how that than effects house
when we meet
well if there's no darkness in god he's the light
then if i'm walking in libya darkness
and there's a problem here
because somehow i haven't connected the dots
that if i say i'm going to know god
be connected to the one who is the light
than my life has to be reflection of the fact that either live with the one who
has the like who is the like jesus
so what i believe has to affect how i live i said that many times before this
church here
what i'd believe has to affect how i lived because of a dozen affect how i
believe how i lived
then there's a question as to whether he believed or not
what i'd believe has to affect how i live
so it's not just about agreeing to a set of beliefs
its most saying this is what i believe and then fax and how i live my life hai
work it out how i see my life
day after day after day
summers here this morning they get pass on this as well process
but what it says it's as if we claimed to have fellowship with him
that it was if i claim to be a follower of jesus it so it could be that you're
here this morning
and you'd ever need a claim that's ok for six you have nothing to worry about
verse six for utah
verse six is for those individuals who call themselves christians followers of
jesus christ
air saying one thing but they're not living it out
and so if you haven't played the followed jesus christ and persecute you
get a passive that's not a problem up it's only for those who have made that
claim that proclamation a high emma christian
i followed jesus christ
than jungles unsafe
but you're not walking like it will then we have a problem
ver seven
uses but if we walk in the light
as he is unlike
we have fellowship with one another
was the same way saying walking with god provides fellowship with other believers
now it's very interesting to note because you think the logical way of
stating this would be if we walk in the light heads daughter jesus is in the
light we have fellowship with him that's what you think you would say
but doesn't say that
the process
it says if we walk in the light as he is a night
we have fellowship with other beliefs
that's interest
it's like a demonstration of are having a great relationship with jesus christ
is seen in our fellowship with other believers of the regulation jesus christ
quite interest
you see if i keep on isolating myself from other believers
thinking that somehow i have some sense of pure your knowledge and they're not
doing what they should be doing
that doesn't that's not an indication of my
and then spirituality that may be the case and it an indication about lack of
spirituals
is important to note
that john says if we walk in the light
so the assumption is that the person's fallen trees of scripture
then we're gonna fellowship with others
it's a warning sign
if i keep on isolated myself from other believers people who've announced their
christians and somehow i don't think well they don't do this so they don't do
that in i can't find all the fittings their separation anneke vice lady i
think i sleep
that may not be an all new kitchen me walking in the light
because walking like tarzan's leads me to have fellowship with other believers
so we'd gone suspicions hope there are lots of stuff is chris is that we don't
necessarily all agree on
there's a number of different theological issues we talk about whether
it's eternal security or whether it's uh... other the uh... the the
tribulation or or about uh... owed the rapture there's a number of different
theological issues the christians don't agree on
answered about the cost of christ make we disagree that the believers
speaking in tongues another big issue within the at the church
and so but what it cost to do is is we can have debate about those things and
still walk together
as believers who
don't agree on some of those issues
separation doesn't indicate my spirituality
and down through the ages there been brilliant men and women
prove debated and discussed some of these theological issues
and it never come to a point where they said okay we've late that one to rest
will never disagree if this again here it is as all crystal-clear because it is
very dainty still booked me in britain and the base being hedimo different
issues description
that made them a says i find something to disagree with somebody but i i sleep
move away from now
we acknowledge that hey we don't get along with this but we still fellowship
with each other why because of
first job
if you walk in the light as he is in the right we have fellowship with one
another
and the blood of jesus son purified from all said
the focus point again being jesus christ
that's the center point
of our treatment
let's move on
chapter one verses a three to ten tells that we need to be honest about arsen
need to be on supporters in the conversing
john racist if we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves in the truth is
not in us
what's going on there
well history for us
in john's date there was this group of people who are spiritual leaders
they they believe that they had sort of a quarter on truth
and they were above other believers
and so they i think of themselves and in fact or causing problems within the
local churches there the john wants to write the correct this teaching
and so
wonder things was that they were so spiritually superior the dataset
it's not this is a first-rate if we claim to be without sin
we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not
in-house
s_o_s_ context the first eight
and i don't know that that's too much of a problem today within the events of the
world
what we have such a spiritual leaders and where we say well uh... we don't
even said
i think the problem is seen in another way in the event of the church
is seen in a in a
an idea or a casualness to this
approach that well you know i'm not really a bad person
and we can sort of
come down to the lowest common denominator sort of thing well
you'll entrance into heaven
is really about the he'll be a good person
and just making sure that you don't do really bad things and so if i've never
done anything really bad then i'm not a bad person
and that's a dangerous ground
to begin treading upon
we know there's all kinds of bad examples in our world
and when i compare myself than to those bad examples i can sorta think well i'd
not like them i'm not a bad person like them
and so
*** god's willing to accept me is because i'm not that bad
we need to elevate the discussion beyond
good or bad
we need to move the discussions this idea of
whether we're sinful or perfect
because that's what jesus was about
jesus came
he says we can give us and we deceive ourselves in the truth is that in his
first nine
if we confess our sins he is faithful and just
will forgive us our sins
well if i'm not a bad person that i probably don't need forgiveness and not
gotten into a probable with think what what's the point of jesus even coming
back
jesus came to die in approx
jesus came to pay the price for my salvation
jesus ko that the professionals like the scriptures tell us
when he was on that cross he had committed no sin
and five percent of the world was put up on him on that crossed and he paid the
price for us
and so it's not about whether i'm good or bad
it's about whether or not i ve responded to
the perfect seamless one jesus christ
or not
that's the question
we look at the first time we see that confession is actually some meeting we
heard this long-time book confessions bid for the sole actually is good for
the sole
verse nine
if we confess our sins of the spiritually isn't going to be a votes in
and just below if you think they have been deceived yourself
because we've all sinned
he says we confess our sins he is faithful and just
and forgive us our sins and care for us
from all on writes notes but the choice is ours is it
verse nine starts off with
so this is about the family is born into
this is in the boat the church that i grew up in this isn't about me being a
good person or a bad person is bubbly recognizing do i understand it jesus
christ died of a cross for myself they should
two deals my sin
the reason we can say confessions did for the sole
is because the result we see in first lines two different things that we see
ones that we get forgiveness
and that's uh... uh... legal term
to forgive needs literally to let go of it as in the debt
so when god says alfred give u he's letting goal that's in that we've
committed he lets go back and we're not held accountable for that
and then this is the purifiers
that means that he cleanses in such a way there's not even the hint of state
sin in our lives
silverstein says if we will confess our sins he will forgive us
that's remove the debt and he will princess
that means is not even a hint of a stain of mice in anymore because of what jesus
christ in the process what
but starts offers like this with the word
not everybody gets it
it's if we pass for weekend
if we come to him we get it
if we come to admit that i need him
we'd get it
if we come to him in asking to forgive us our sins
we'd get it
not because of where i'd been born not because my parents not because my
grandparents
not because the money i gave of the things that i've done at the desired and
or the church that i can do anything else we only get a free country and
individually in asked
for yet
that incredible work
that we just celebrated last week and then he stir
of jesus dying on across was for aspin's individuals to respond to it so first
nights is
we can fix it
burst ten reminds us that spiritual leaders 'em
doesn't even work
the pieces verse ten
if we claim
we had not seen he's imaginings rangeley spiritual leaders who have said that
they stops him
if we claim that we have not sent
we make it out to be a liar
another words what john is saying is that we actually attacking the very
character
he's gotten told us
if we claim that we have not seen
we make it out to be alive
in his word has no place
in our lives
john says
that there's this clear understanding that we need it
bring allies to god mentioned who he is he's the light i'm not polite none of us
as individuals of the lake jesus alike so i need to come to him and i'll never
find the right by the work of my good deeds
or anything else i'll only find the light when i give my life to christ
masson to forgive me
there are serious results
but the says that the first and the first hand
it says
we claim that we have not seen the serious results of this make you know to
be a liar attacked the character of god
in his words no place their lives
his working to be the truth of scripture or the word being jesus christ himself
so you get way it's back
if i say i have sent
i've got no problem with that person
that i've gotten a she was gone
it god says when you're with them i would have a place in your lives
sar danger again here as evens out of my respects isn't so much the same that
we've never seen
are dangers of saying that we've ever done anything back
sinister
lina dot stab since is worse in this
and so if i've lied
he said was not a big deal lot according to god's word is just cuz i think that's
it
but done anything at all
i've had that impure thought i've said that wrong word five i've i've whatever
the case maybe if we think how small it may be
if across the line of dot sanderson then that's when i know that i need to have
his forgiveness
so i'm not about me being a good person or a bad person
as what we have in relation to jesus christ for not having a relationship
with jesus christ
that's so important for us to understand sport
we wrapped up in chapter two responded to we see this that the only answer for
arson actually is jesus
my dear children
i write this to use so that you will not soon
but if anyone does sin
the one who speaks we have one who speaks the father no defense
jesus christ
we are people in-process
and here's where sometimes the danger lies
study just came out
within this past calendar year
called on hemorrhage in faith as a canadian study
has just received a copy of this past week
uh...
done by james penner who sociologists university of lethbridge
and uh... researched why young comedians are leaving the church
and so damaging faces a title the study and the subtitle is
whiteman canadian adults are leaving
staying or returning to the church
one of the interesting conclusions that they come to is that when young people
leave the church they leave out of this disconnect of faith having any
connection to the real world to their real life to the day-to-day activities
and so
when they hear about just being a good person or just attending church or or
dress in certain ways or or just behaving in certain ways but they don't
see that actually impacted evening
then they disconnect from life
and they walk away from the church
interested pastor stephen has just returned from haiti with a group of
young adults were pinned down here
doing a missions trip
one of the connecting forces that they sittings pack comes up with in this
study
is that when young people go on missions trips
this gives them a viable connection
to the reality of how faith connects to the real world
and it helps them bentson stay the course
in their journey with jesus christ fascinating
mission trips are huge part of a healthy young persons
experience
of walking the walk over a long period of time their lives
and so i cornerstone
we are extremely committed to this idea why because of the health that it not
only is but it also produces over the long haul for our young people to stay
the course in walking with their faith ridge
through our long period of time
good stuff
but when they hear us say one thing
and disconnect
by how we live in another way
then they look at and say well my fiesta the church's got nothing for me and so a
cornerstone were huge believers in the fact that
now our faces inc shroud of the practical date by day-by-day was a size
we sang earlier said every our client need the
while because as fundamentally important that i don't disconnect from dot from
sunday this sunday as they will monday to start is actually about to do with my
life c_i_d_ worst urban sunday's now that's not a spirit of journey
that's a religious thing that you've gotten into
our faith is profoundly impactful and our day-to-day living
and if it isn't than we are going to find ourselves walking away all police
unless just religion and i don't want that
jesus christ
is practical
jesus christ is necessary every single day of our lives
and supported so we keep on having this idea
of the practicality of our faith impacting that what we believe affects
how we left
as i sat with gil possibly executive director
uh... you for pricing he went over the study cuz you price is one of the uh...
of people that prompted in and help fund the study
he's addresses i think that's one of the good things about cornerstone
as i've seen what's going on there
is that uh... you've got young families growing in your church you've got uh...
the college-age demographics growing in your church
a sis is because the practicality of making sure that the message
is seen in tangible ways of how it affects everyday life
so important
so important
so john chapter two says dear children you'll see this phrase used again to get
by john
it's a pastoral freeze
he cares about these people he's like gods come on
i write this to you so that she will not stand
white house the bases wilson minutes just to be saying that we're going to
set
and if we say we haven't seen the without a problem
well there's two possible ways scholars say that we can look at this first of
all john saying to the boats in by saying you don't set
don't send by saying you don't send because you do send
and the good news is that jesus is our advocate he's won the standard fancies
when the we can go to ask for forgiveness
or the second way that we can look at that is
john saying you know what i don't want to open this door to ally since the city
in other words i i don't want to think that what you're going to send so it
doesn't matter than how you live so you can just going to listen you want no
paul address that great in the book a role models
we don't want cities like reasoning preseason by no means we don't like to
see you
and so when i go to allowed to live in our lives not allowed to have access
there but the reality is that because we're human and we still on part of this
process in this journey we do see the screw up
and the good news is this is a chap two verse one
but it really does and we have one who speaks the father defense jesus christ
the writes this one
jesus is our hope
jesus or hope
we just came through this easter weekend
talking about the price if you pay for our salvation
he's our hope
but he's not only our whole as assistant chap two verse one but this is a chap
two verse two
he's the twenty sacrifice
for our sins nahi for hours
but also for the sins of the whole world
jesus hope for our world
last monthly i got an airplane
calvin flight on the phoenix and
i am
my flag
i'm not a
dap i'm not a
a big social guy on the airplane i come in a sit down and i jenny reading or
something and and so uh... giren beside a guy who's a
that uh...
window seat mallika aisle seat and so we sit down together stephan were barely
taken off on the tarmac win uh... he just turned to me and uh... stars
commenting about what that's a pretty easy topic of right and that he's
thinking it was not too bad he lives in calgary and i suppose all you need to
live right at the weather is bad
and so we doubled letter for a little bit and he's going i've been to
saskatoon eastman school there how might be a like
so uh...
whichever little bits of stuff and then he just keeps on asking the questions if
i didn't get to the big question of what would you do in saskatoon
answer that question generally has uh... screeching halt the most conversations
when i say a newly passed a cornerstone church doesn't
you know an awfully go in there by themselves
and so this particular plays i sit on the lead after carswell church wide open
up a whole window questions yet for me is well how's that working out for you
not bad actually
he's leaving
as one hundred except what our church i'm excitable what god's doing in our
midst
because when you met
so we have had has long conversation about our church in some the growth that
we're seeing in in east as well
uh... why are you brought up
and so i think semester we preach users
unita book dot
icy what ya and his son jesus prices so
we had this conversation but he says well but charges talk about god
as yeah bases i think this is practicality and so we want this message
both
how faith affects how we live
and he start to see these lights are you guys are sees laced throughout with
himself
a certified was own walk
and how he goes to church
but is only kids of walked away from the church and i think in his family's part
of this year
damaging faith
because the walkway from church
and so we chatted for much of the flight then about how if what i'd believe
doesn't impact how i live
then it probably isn't true of what i believe in
and he said well i hadn't really thought about that way before
we had this great conversation
and all three talked about
jesus being the hope not only for the people who charge but for the world and
so as a church family we try to get that were noted as we get that word it we
find is that we have growth in other people are coming
picture-book who jesus christ is in wikipedia lines
late and darkness
every month
i get up
purple can update from a mystical rats mac international
reflecting the nationals based in cambodia
started by a canadian um... former arson p officer whose heart was broken by the
issue of human trafficking
answer except this ministry in cambodia he works there he's been there for quite
awhile and sometimes you just heart heart breaking stories
emigrates let me just sure it a little bit is to complete this morning
he's that was being interviewed on that side of a for them
at penn streak for t_v_ show
was impossible to concentrate
across for me was a young man apparently mentally ill obviously recently beaten
and dressed as a younger
the image of him sitting on a bench twitching and shaking was absolutely
heartbreaking
a spectacle of human broken is on display for us
in cambodia many little boys a repeatedly sexually abused by tourist
pedophiles
they grow up both physically and psychologically damaged and often many
struggle with gender confusion
they are relegated to the fringes of cambodian society which despises
imposter sizes them
they're subject to public school aren't beatings in insults which forced them to
retreat from delayed in many of them only
late at night
uh... boy there's the image right there liked darkness
they're forced from the daylight
scattered into the darkness
because they're awesome signs the beaten
they put on the fringes of society the rejected by their families are devoid of
hope and few had and have few contacts with them with those who continued to
abuse them the represent for me lives of almost complete dislocation despair i
don't know but you but i find such circumstances completely overwhelming
how could any hope ever be restored such lives yet me goes on to tell the story
of how they're doing that very thing for many of these young men young boys
who've been beaten ostracized
and putting them shameful shameful situations
brian con he found a rat tak international
believes
that josh first john chubb to first to is the message that we've got to get out
he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only the for hours but also for
the since the whole world
ec our messages in the boat are staying together as a church family
our messages below us coming together as a church family to fight again what the
instructions are first of all live our lives because it practically impacts
every single day of how we live our lives
and part of that process is getting the word out that jesus is the hope if we as
a church family are doing that they were missing the boat i was most fundamental
call that we have dali big guy but also by god to our world in which we live
and there's a world
was so full of
hopelessness and despair that they needed here
the jesus loves
legends of travel
we need to hear that god loves them
and things can change
and their lives ken
exchange but a very grace of god