Broken To Glow

Broken To Glow

Genesis 1:1-3

Matthew 5:13-16

 

 

Introduction

 

It is such an honor to Pastor such a wonderful Church. I want to personally thank everyone who helped make this possible. Our Children’s Pastors, Sister Felicia and Brother Josh and their staff did a wonderful job planning this putting this on. 

 

Thank you to all of you who showed up to be a bow and sow a seed. It blessed my heart Wednesday night to pull up and see so many people working together to make a difference in the lives of so many children. 

 

Friday and Saturday was nothing short of amazing and I am so thankful for all of you parents for allowing us the opportunity to love on your children and sow into their lives. 

 

Read Scripture

 

In John chapter 8:12 Jesus encountered a group of people who brought a woman to him in hopes that he would permit them to stone her for her wrong doings. Jesus responds “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

 

The rocks never took flight but instead fell to the ground and the scribes as Pharisees walked away. 

 

Jesus stands up to see no one and he asked the woman where her accusers are and has no one condemned her and she responded and said “No one, Lord.”

 

Jesus said Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more. He then turns to those who brought her who are still standing by and says these words “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

 

We know that God the Father spoke light into existence in Genesis Chapter 1 when he moved upon the face of the waters and the Earth was without form and void; and darkness hovered over the face of the waters. 

 

In Matthew 5, Jesus was preaching the famous Sermon on the Mount. He first tells the church that they are the salt of the Earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on. 

 

He then refers to the church as the Light. He said “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. He told them that people do not light candles that are made to give light to a room just to put it under a basket for it to serve no purpose. 

 

The candle was equivalent to out light bulbs in these days. They were designed to light up a house to eliminate darkness and expose what is in the room. Everything that was in them vicinity of the Light, was touched by the light and revealed to the human eyes. 

 

I can’t help but remember the day when my light was like Earth when it was created. I cant help but remember when my life was without form, void, and darkness covered it… 

 

But I also can’t help but remember that night when the light came on in the middle of a gym auditorium when Jesus passed by my way. 

 

When the light touches your life, you will never want to live in darkness again. 

 

I came to Renovation Church of God on a Sunday morning to remind the people of God that we a re still a city on a hill that cannot be hid! We are still the Light of the world that exposes and eliminated darkness!

 

We are called to be an exact reflection of Jesus, the light of the world! 

 

This world seems to be getting darker by the minute. In the process of that, many preachers have surrendered their back bones and have tried to dilute or water down what it means to live holy lifestyles. We have compromised the truth in the pursuit of developing a mega church. 

 

Society is telling us to forfeit sound doctrine and take a back seat to preaching on sin. Every sermon needs to be motivational and no one needs to leave feeling convicted. 

 

No sir. No mam. This word was never supposed to conform to your lifestyle, your lifestyle is supposed to conform to His word!

 

We have been told to accept and condone homosexuality and somehow meet in the middle. We have been asked to preach that alcohol and tobacco addiction is not a sin as long as it is done in moderation. We have been told that marijuana is a plant that grows from the ground and that we should adapt and get with the times. 

 

Religious leaders are producing church members but restricting the power that will change their life. 

 

Some churches who were supposed to be lit up like a city on a hill now looks like a church that forgot to pay its electric bill. 

 

What was lit up is now darkened and overshadowed but what is around us. But there is still a remedy for darkness. The church is still the LIGHT of the world! 

 

The only thing that can defeat darkness is the light!

 

The Bible says in Genesis that God moved on the face of the earth adn it was dark, void, and without form. He showed us the remedy for darkness when he spoke the words “Let there be Light”. 

 

I came to speak to some people in the room today who are surrounded by the shadow of darkness and tell you that indeed it may look dark in the moment. Hell may be throwing a party at your expense. Demons may be laughing and taunting in your face but ALL OF THAT STOPS WHEN THE LIGHT COMES ON! 

 

It is time for someone in the place this morning to turn the light on in your life! Anchor in the presence of God and dwell in his Glory! 

 

1. Turn The Light On

 

God never promised us that we would never face adversity while we live here on Earth. 

 

I know the world is a dark, cold place. But you can’t say we weren’t warned. Paul told Timothy that in the last days that people would be a lover of themselves. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:12 that in the last days “the love of many would grow cold.”

 

I know that it is bad, but I just want to tell someone in the place today who has not accepted Christ, If you think it is bad right now, wait until the church is gone!

 

God never promised us that we wouldn’t face adversity. As a matter of fact, he used Paul in Ephesians 6 to minister to us when Paul would preach “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities, and rulers of darkness and wickedness in high places.”

 

We (the light) can not be combative against a person or a group of people more than we are the powers and principalities that grip their spirit. 

 

Have you ever realized the closer you get to God, the more Hell seems to rage against you? 

 

Moses had gotten close to God throughout the book of Exodus but he endured a problem. In Exodus 33, Moses is found praying to God because the people he was leading was no longer worshipping Jehovah, but instead they were found worshipping Idols. 

 

But Moses got alone with God on Mount Sinai and came down with what the King James Bible calls a Testimony. 

 

Read it…its there! He went to a mountain to meet with God as a frustrated leader of wayward people but when he came down , he was glowing and brought back a testimony. 

 

Moses was glowing because of a prayer he prayed in Exodus 33:18 when he said “God, Show me your Glory.”

 

He met with God on the mountain but before he could be in the glory of God, God gave him instructions and one of them was “Bring no one with you.” 

 

Moses had to separate himself from the crowd before he could glow in the Glory. 

 

Some of us are wondering why our lights aren’t shining as bright as they used to, but when you surround your self with negativity, you will lack the positive charge that is needed to ignite the fire in your life. 

 

What and who you surround yourself with matters!

 

What and you surround yourself with will determine the experience you have with God. Had Moses stayed in the company of idol worshippers in the low place, he would have never experienced the glory of God in the high place. 

 

When Moses came down from the mountain his face was glowing because he had been in the Glory of God. When he got near the people, they were afraid to come near him. 

 

They were not afraid of Moses, they had been around him for a long time. They were afraid of the light. 

 

People who are doing things in darkness will always be fearful of what the light reveals. 

 

Mark 4:22 says “For nothing is hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad.”

 

What is done in darkness will always come to light. 

 

This is why people who are doing things they should be doing, saying things they shouldn’t be saying, and participating in things they shouldn’t be participating in; avoid those who glow in the Holy Ghost. 

 

Say what you want to say, but a person glows differently when the power from on high is dwelling within.

 

We are called to be the light and in doing that we are called to expose darkness and to preach and teach sound doctrine to those who have been whispered lies. 

 

When you look up the word light in scripture, it literally means “Hope”.

 

Jesus literally said that the church  is the hope of the world. Why? Because we know him and he gives hope to all who believe on him. This is why Paul said “For i am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.” 

 

This is why we preach Jesus Christ and him crucified because he is the HOPE of the world and He brings light to the darkened places. 

 

As believers we are a reflection of his light and a testimony of what his light can do. When he found us, we were lost, wondering in the darkness, but he didn’t wait for us to come to him, he came to us! 

 

Yet it amazes me that we profess to be a product of light yet enjoy the characteristics of darkness. 

 

You can’t be a city on a hill if you are in secret service for the city down under. 

 

Jesus is not coming back for a church who is a bride by day and a harlot by night. He is coming back for a bride without spot and without blemish. He is coming back for a church that is tired of lukewarm Christianity and traditionalism. 

He desires a church who is willing to separate themselves from the world in order to tap into a source called the Holy Ghost that Jesus said when he came upon us, we would receive POWER!

 

We need a generation of bible believing, devil stomping, truth preaching, hand raising, tongue talking; men and women who will stand up and say “I will be a that city on a hill who refuses to hide it’s light. I will be that candle that lights up the room!” 

 

When no one else is praising, I’ll praise him. When no one else will shout, I’ll shout! When no one else will dance, I’ll dance! Why? Because I refuse to let the influence of darkness rob me of my praise!

 

God is looking for a church who will say “God, Show me your Glory!”

 

2. Monsters Under My Bed

 

When we moved to my childhood home, we were walking through it and picking out bedrooms. My brother is 8 years is older than me and he saw some splattered red paint on the ceiling. Me being young and gullible, He looked at me and told me that someone was killed in our house and that it was in that room…that later became my bedroom. 

 

It would terrify me to be in my room by myself. If i was in there, every light was on and the closet door was open. But before I would go to sleep every night, I would have to check under my bed. 

 

I allowed something hat happened before we arrived to cause me to live in fear. 

 

Y’all are laughing at me this morning, but some of y'all have monsters under your beds. 

 

A Monster is something from your past that is still haunting you today. 

 

If you don’t deal with your past, then your past will eventually deal with you. But the best way to deal with your past is the same way that God dealt with it.

 

Psalms 103:12 says “He removed our transgressions and casted them as far as the East is to the west. 

 

When you were born again, God literally removed your past form his remembrance. 

 

If it was not worth the God of the universe remembering then why are you letting some make believe monster under your beds keep you from your purpose. 

 

Mark 4:21 says “Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel or under a bed?”

 

Some of us are so concerned with the monster under our beds that our entire purpose is choked out of us because we can’t get past previous sins, traumatic experiences, relationships, and so on…

 

But listen to your Pastor for just a minute…

 

I’m sorry if your momma walked out on you…but God didn’t!

 

I’m sorry if you never knew your daddy, but your Father loves you!

 

I’m sorry if you were sexually abused, But God didn’t do that!

 

I’m sorry if suicide has ever came through your mid, but that isn’t the thoughts God has toward you!

 

I’m sorry if you endured an abusive marriage, but God has not forsaken you. 

 

God did not cause anything that happened to you, but he sent a remedy for them when he sent Jesus. 

 

Jesus said that he was sent to preach the gospel to the bound and the poor and to set the captive free. 

 

I came to speak to some monsters in the place today to let them know taht the light is coming on. Weeping has endured through the night season, but morning is coming, joy is coming! 

 

I feel like telling someone, Hope is coming in the morning. Peace is coming in the morning. rejoicing is coming in the morning. 

 

You may have to endure the night, but breakthrough is coming in the morning. I know the night has been king, but the sun is coming up. I know you have cried bitter tears, but Joy is coming!

 

Hold on to your faith because Joy comes in the morning. 

 

When I was little, I found out a secret when it came to the monsters under my bed…

 

A little light, drives the monsters away. 

 

Don’t hide your light, use your light!

 

3. Broken to Glow

 

I brought some glow sticks with me today. Please don't do anything with them just yet. 

 

But glow sticks are pretty interesting when your think about them, but what is most interesting is before you can use them, you have to break them. 

 

You have to bend them until you hear them crack but the instructions not he package does not call it breaking them. It calls it Activating them. 

 

The breaking you are experiencing is only activating your anointing. 

 

We have to experience the breaking before we can experience the breakthrough. Don’t pack your bags prematurely and run from the breaking because it is the breaking that gives you the ability to light up a dark room. 

 

So many people hear preachers, teachers, singers, musicians, and so on… and the think “I want what they have…” You better be careful. You don't know the price they paid for the oil that is on their life. 

 

I was doing a zoom call a couple of weeks ago with our young preachers and God hit me with this… The very thing that almost took me out is what produced the oil to break others out. 

 

The thing that you feel is breaking you is the very thing that God is using to make you. 

 

He’s breaking you so that you will glow! He breaking you to free the bound. He’s breaking you to mend the broken. He’s breaking you to carry the call. 

 

Pastor, why would God break me if he desires to use me? 

 

Breaking the glow stick is the only way that you can get it to glow. The breaking is what makes us a city on a hill that cannot be hid. 

 

Conclusion

 

You should have gotten a glow stick when you came in tonight. As they begin to dim the lights, I am going to ask you some questions and if you relate to those questions…activate your glow sticks.

 

If someone you love has walked away from God - Crack it

 

If you have walked the path of divorce - Crack it

 

If you have battled depression - Crack it

 

If you have been through a form of abuse - Crack it

 

If you have been bound by addiction - Crack it

 

If you have dealt with low self-esteem - Crack it

 

If you grew up in a single parent home - Crack it

 

If you are a single parent - Crack it

 

If you have a past that haunts you - Crack it

 

If you have buried someone you love - Crack it

 

If you have battled suicide - Crack it

 

If you have made decisions you regret - Crack it

 

 

But… 

 

 

If you have been saved - Wave it

 

If you have been delivered - Wave it

 

If you have been filled with the Holy Ghost - Wave it

 

If you want to experience the Glory of God - Wave it

 

If you are ready to move forward - Wave it

 

We have all battled things that has tried to take our light but God still uses broken people to build a city on a hill that cannot be hid! 

 

If you are here and you’ve never surrendered your life to Christ…run to him today.  If you are not as close to him today as you use to be…run to him. If you are here and desiring to be filled with the Holy Ghost…run to him!

 

What you have been through has not disqualified but activated the oil on your life. 

 

He is not finished with, he’s just getting started!