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Saving Grace, Mobile, AL
Sharing Joy: as we shine like starsi
Brian Pohlman told me the other day that he has canceled his subscription to animal planet because my sermon
last week that considered the ants was so informative that he figures he no longer needs to pay the cable company. I am of
course happy to do my part to assist my dear members in any way that I can as they seek to reduce some of their expenses. I
am of course praying that mostly my sermons inform you about Jesus. Last week for example, just a reminder it was not the
ants but Jesus that demonstrated humility and forgave our pride when he became obedient to death even death on a cross.
Secondarily though if I can, within a sermon, provide such insight into the animal kingdom well fine and good! And Brian,
your comment got me to thinking if one sermon can help you avoid the expense of animal planet I wonder how much money I
can save you with two sermons? Who knows maybe after today’s sermon you can also cancel the Discovery Channel?
Today we move from the animal kingdom out into the solar system as we hear the Apostle Paul's encouragement to
share our joy as we shine like stars.
Mankind has always been fascinated by the stars. Earlier in our history we looked up into the heavens and
connected the dots to make pictures of lions, tigers, and bears oh my. Later in history some looked into the heavens and
imagined mysterious forces at work that control and direct the course of one’s day. Astrology is still popular today. But
many people today are not content to simple gaze up into the mysterious night sky. They send probes to collect data of the
heavenly bodies, they chart and graph their movements, and they study their compositions. But still I imagine most
astronomers look up into the heavens on a clear night full of ten thousand billion billion stars and sing, “twinkle twinkle little
star how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky”… We are still fascinated by the stars.
There are many theories how stars are formed. The current theory is that over billions of years gas clouds begin to
attract mass. As mass builds and builds and the gravitational pull increases a star condenses until it gets hot enough to
start the process of fusion. For us as we consider our star the sun it is a much more simple explanation. In Genesis chapter
1 we read, “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them
serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the
earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.
He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night,
and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the
fourth day.”
There are also many theories how Christians are formed. Some say that a person can ignite the spark within
themselves during a process of time normally not billions of years but hopefully before their matter becomes methane gas.
Other theories imagine that one can amass knowledge and become enlightened. For us again it is much more simple. In
Romans chapter 10 we read, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the
word of Christ.”
Before we talk about how stars shine it is fascinating to think about how stars are formed. Before we talk about how
we shine like stars it is imperative to understand how we are formed. Because if we forget who gave us this little light of ours
we can get confused by a passage like verse 12 where Paul writes, “—continue to work out your salvation with fear and
trembling,” A person could be tempted to read a passage like that and theorize that the shining that we do is a result of the
work that we do. But that is simply not the case. First of all that would completely go against the rest of scripture that
clearly tells us that our light our spark our faith is a gift from God. It would also ignore the fact that Paul is talking to
believers here these people already have faith. And it ignores what Paul says in the rest of his sentence we call it verse 13,
“for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
God knows that we are cold dead masses incapable of igniting any spark within ourselves. Our God is well aware
that we are incapable of shinning as a result of the work that we do. I don’t know… what verse do we want to look at to
remind ourselves of that cold reality? Romans 8:7-8, “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor
can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” Or should we consider Ephesians 2:1 “As for you, you
were dead in your transgressions and sins” Or should we go old school with Ezekiel who describes our hearts without God as
stones, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and
give them a heart of flesh.” (11: 19) Apparently it doesn’t matter where we look in scripture, by nature my soul is a black
hole; void of illumination it actually sucks in all light.
A star shines because of a thermonuclear reaction that takes place within it. The energy within transfers through the
stars layers and radiates out into space as heat and light. The hotter the reaction the bluer the star is, the colder the
reaction the more red the star is. Our star, the sun for example has a luminosity of 4x1020 megawatts, which means it is a
number that starts with four and has 20 zeros, that’s bright yall.
Saving Grace, Mobile, AL
We shine like stars because of a reaction that takes place within us. 2 Corinthians 4: 6 really says this well, “For
God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Christ.” God’s light is his son, our Savior Jesus. At his transfiguration his face shone like the
sun, and his cloths became as bright as light. At Paul’s conversion a light brighter than the sun blazed around him and his
companions. The light identified himself as Jesus whom Paul was persecuting. And by the grace of God in no less a
magnificent display of power with no less a dramatic effect, God’s light, his son, our savior Jesus has shone on you as well.
The psalmist marvels, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Jesus shines on us
through his word, through the gospel. We shine like stars because of a reaction that takes place within us. 13, “for it is God
who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
God must shine in us before he shines through us. With God shining in us Paul tells us how we are to shine. 14 Do
everything without complaining or arguing, Complaining and arguing are like sun spots; that is darkened areas that appear
on the suns surface from time to time. As Christians we are asked to do things that are not natural to us. "turn the other
cheek, take words and actions in the kindest possible way, do unto others as you would have them do to you... those things
are hard to do. If we obey but complain the entire time we show a sin spot. As Christians our heavenly father has told us,
have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness, godless myths, hypocrisy, divisive people. If we obey but argue reasons
why those things aren’t that bad we show a sin spot. As parents you are not satisfied when your children obey but grumble
and complain the entire time. Their pitching a fit makes it quite clear that they are not obeying you willingly; their heart is
not in it. Nothing gets under your skin faster than a poor attitude you know what I mean parents? Well our heavenly father
knows how you feel. Have you checked your attitude lately? Do you display any sin spots?
Some scientists believe that increased sun spots are a sign that a star is dying. Eventually the dark spots become
less noticeable as the entire star begins to fade. Eventually a fading star dies when either it doesn’t have enough fuel to
keep burning or it attracts too much matter and mass to itself. Some theories suggest as the dying star collapses in on itself
it creates a black hole. Our light too is in danger of fading or dying if we do not have enough fuel; if we don’t hold on to the
word of life. Our light is in danger of fading and dying if we attract to ourselves too much of this worldly mass that does not
matter.
As we consider the cosmic proportions of this potential problem it causes us to fear and tremble, as we continue to
work out our salvation. But it does not cause us to morn and despair. For the same God who created the light that shines in
us also sustains that light. Through the word of life that tells us about the perfect life and innocent death of Jesus. Through
the word of life that tells us his son Jesus died for you. God’s son took the blackness of our sin upon himself and instead of
staying buried in a black hole in the ground he burst forth in radiant glory. Our sins of complaining about and arguing with
God are forgiven! God’s Son shines on us now and one day we will bask in his light in heaven. A city that does not need the
sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Revelation 21:23 )
But until the day comes for us to bath in the light of God’s son, God wants us to wants us to shine like stars. Do
everything without grumbling or arguing. 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a
crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life— Can you
imagine what this world would be like without our star shinning on us. Forget about the fact that we would all be as pasty as
some people’s legs. The sun provides our bodies with vitamin D, it has been suggested that it is what keeps some people
from being crabby. The sun drives our climate and weather. But more importantly, without the sun there would not be life as
we know it. Energy from the Sun, in the form of sunlight and heat, supports almost all life on Earth via photosynthesis.
Plants depend on the sun for food, animals depend on plants for food, and we depend on plants and animals for food. Can
you imagine what would happen to a crooked and depraved if God did not send his sons and daughters to shine like stars as
they held out the word of life? Nothing. Nothing would happen to them they would continue to be a depraved and crooked a
damned people lost in the darkness of their unbelief. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And
how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
(Rom 10:14)
By God’s mercy the bright light of the gospel has dispelled the spiritual darkness that was by nature in your heart
and mine. By grace God sustains that light within you so that you might shine like stars with the light of the gospel before
others. They may gaze upon you with fascination, as you live a Christian life without grumbling or arguing people may start
to wonder what you are, …Perhaps as we shine like stars we will be given the chance to share our Joy. Amen
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Philippians 2:12-18
Sharing Joy series August 17th 2008
Pastor Harmon Lewis