Song Pool: The First Noel What Child is This It Came Upon A Midnight Clear O Little Town Of Bethlehem Silent Night Your Grace is Enough Give Me Jesus Away in a Manger Here I Am To Worship O Holy Night It Came Upon A Midnight Clear Joy To The World
Communion: Grace Centre - Every Saturday night and the fourth Sunday of every month
Scripture:
1 John 1;5-8 (NIV) 5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
John 12:35-36a “Then Jesus told them, ‘You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it so that you may become sons of light.”
Luke 2:27b-32 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29”Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30For my eyes have seen your salvation,31which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
Isaiah 9:1-3 1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan- 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.
Matthew 4:13-16 13Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15”Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
John 9:5 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 11:9-10 9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”
Expanding Worship
After answering the sermon questions honestly, pray that the Lord will use those insights to apply his Gospel to your life. Sit and write out the details of the Gospel and what they mean in your daily life. )
Series Intro
Background on Series: Introduction, context, maps, resources, articles
Prelude
Instrumental: Children's Bell Choir
Scripture
I John 1:5-8, 14
Books
The Light of Christmas by Dandi Daley Mackell & John Walker A beautifully illustrated children’s book.
Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone by Elyse Fitzpatrick
Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate by Jerry Bridges
The Enemy Within: Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin by Kris Lundgaard
“These, then, are the two points I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave that way.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“There may be some sins of which a man cannot speak, but there is no sin which the blood of Christ cannot wash away. … Thy sins are like great mountains, but the blood of Christ is like Noah’s flood; twenty cubits upwards shall this blood prevail, and the top of the mountains of thy sin shall be covered.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Music
Light of the World By Tim Hughes Light of the world You stepped down into darkness. Opened my eyes, let me see. Beauty that made this heart adore You Hope of a life spent with You Here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that You’re my God You’re altogether lovely All together worthy, All together wonderful to me King of all days oh, so highly exalted Glorious in heaven above Humbly You came To the earth You created All for love’s sake became poor Here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that You’re my God You’re altogether lovely All together worthy, All together wonderful to me I’ll never know how much it cost To see my sin upon that cross I’ll never know how much it cost To see my sin upon that cross I’ll never know how much it cost To see my sin upon that cross I’ll never know how much it cost
Discussion Questions
1John says here that God is light. What does that imagery mean to you? Where is it applied to Jesus in this passage? What about in John’s Gospel? We considered last week how the word fellowship is much more profound than we tend to think. What does John mean by fellowship with God? Compare this verse with verse 3.
As you mediate on this passage, does it fill you with fear and guilt or inspire you to resist sin and temptation out of vision and confidence?John intends the latter. Why does that get so distorted sometimes?
Notice that John uses ‘we’ here. He is not excluding himself. How might that bring you some assurance? Why do you think some groups exclude themselves from those walking in darkness and believe it is only the problem of the notoriously sinful? What are religious sins that are in the same category and why are they dark too? How is denying any darkness actually an indication of it?
In what way do we have and strengthen fellowship with one another when we walk/live in the light?
John says the blood of Jesus purifies or cleanses us from all sin. It is a present or continuous tense. What does this imply for the Christianlife? How does that promise, including the “all”, offer hope for us and others? Does the conviction of sin ever tend to drive you away fromChrist instead of to Him? When and why?
Advent
Last Sunday we lit the candle of Joy. We light it and the candles of promise and peace again as we remember that Christ will come again and bring us everlasting peace and joy. The fourth candle of Advent is the candle of Love. It’s light is meant to remind us of the love that God has for us. Jesus shows us God’s perfect love. He is God’s love in human form. The Bible says that “God so loved the world that he have his only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
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