Embracing Hope: Christ as Our Light in Darkness

"Now there is nothing that is more important in the Christian Life one must inevitably deduce from the reading of the scriptures nothing more important than that we should keep a balance by nature and as the result of sin we are inevitably creatures of extremes we tend to go from one extreme to the other we find it very difficult to maintain a balance and to see the relationship of things to one another." [00:34:55]

"But as we've been doing so there may very well have been a danger in the minds of some to look upon that subject that great Doctrine in isolation and it is a particular Temptation with regard to that Doctrine to do so because it leads to certain subjective experiences as we've been seeing to certain experimental results and again by nature as the result of sin we're all always very interested in that in the subjective in the experimental." [00:18:36]

"The Holy Ghost is not sent to call attention to himself he is sent peculiarly to call attention to the Lord to glorify him to make him known the Lord Jesus Christ says that he the son has come to glorify the father and the spirit will come to glorify him he will not speak of himself he says meaning by that that he will not speak out of himself he shall glorify me." [00:04:22]

"Everything that the Holy Spirit brings to us and enables us to do is ultimately designed to make us glory in the Lord Jesus Christ he shall glorify me very well we therefore take advantage of this season to remind ourselves of the coming of our blessed Lord in into this world and I trust that as we do so we shall be led to rejoice in him and to glorify him more than we've ever done before." [00:09:33]

"The gospel is always an announcement and a message of hope we are so familiar with these things that we tend to lose that but this is what we've got to tell the world this morning that there is a hope a hope one and only but there is hope now that's introduced here in a very dramatic manner by this word word nevertheless." [00:11:33]

"Nevertheless now that's the gospel that's precisely how the gospel always comes com in and nothing is more important than that we should be constantly reminding ourselves and other people of that very thing the gospel is something that breaks in upon us it comes with this nevertheless it's a surprise it's a kind of protestation but above all it is a great announcement." [00:12:55]

"You and I as Christians are living in the same world as everybody else we are aware of the troubles the trials and the problems and all that is so true of this modern world and yet we are different and yet that's it we are always the people who are saying nevertheless what does that mean well it means this that we listen to men and women they talk about the world they say have you heard the news what do you think of it what's going to happen and they give their opinions and indulge in their for boings and so on." [00:14:27]

"The world has come to its end the Christian begins at that point if you like we can put it in the familiar statement man's extremity is God's opportunity but it's all summed up in this word nevertheless you watch this word as you read through your Bible from beginning to end this is the saving word often in the New Testament it's but it's the same thing it's always this protest it's it's it's coming to the world and saying all right of course you can't go any further you've said all you've got to say but listen nevertheless we go on men's extremity is God's opportunity." [00:15:34]

"The world is always telling us that there is but it never materializes I'm old enough to have seen a great change in the world in this respect I remember a time when rarely people believed that political action could change the universe those who remember the conditions before the first world war will know exactly what I mean there was on optimism political action even the church fell into the Trap and the great days in the Assemblies of all the denominations used to be when the leading politicians came and gave addresses this was wonderful these were the great leaders nobody believes that sort of thing any longer thank God for that." [00:24:30]

"Galilee was the most despised part of the land of Palestine it was furthest away of all from Jerusalem it was a back of Beyond place and it was actually bordering on the lands of the Gentiles and thus it was utterly despised as today even then people thought that all great things happen always in the capital city that's one of the great fallacies of the human race I trust none of you have come to London because you're guilty of that felly but people do think London are the center there you rely are at the center that's where you really see things and understand and you you're glad you've come from some little Village away in the backwood somewhere that nobody's ever heard of the Galilee of the Gentiles they called it Nazareth can any good has any good come out of Nazareth the thing is utterly important but you know that's where he came from he was Jesus of Nazareth he spent most of his time up there that's where the great things were done that's where the great messages were preached galile of the Gentiles." [00:29:10]

"Unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and here you see it of course at its very ecme what is this salvation how is it going to come well says the Greek it's going to be some great philosophic declaration that's what we are waiting for we are waiting for a great mind to propound a theory we need is we need some Enlightenment and help we are waiting then for some great philosophic pronouncement all the Jews in their blindness they argued that what was needed was a great military leader and conqueror someone with exceptional strength some great king who was going to conquer all enemies and set up his own Throne there above all the universe that's how they expected it but it doesn't happen like that a little child is born a helpless babe is born and again remember in a stable straw cattle mangers not in palaces not in a great palace in the capital city no no Little Town of Bethlehem despised Bethlehem Judah the very least of the Cities as it were of Judah the very least always the least and as I said the circum ances look at them helpless babe that's the Savior look at the condition circumstances poor poverty couldn't afford a lamb could only afford two Turtle dos my dear friends this is Christianity this is the thing that keeps on breaking in that's why there's always hope for the most vile the most desperate the most hopeless it's God and this is how he does it unto us a child is born." [00:35:34]

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light they that dwell in the land in the shadow of death upon them the light shine what a man needs in darkness above everything is light and it's come I am the light of the world he is the light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of his people Israel suddenly into the midst of the darkness and the despair there comes this great light oh how ridiculous even as it were to mention it go and work it out for yourself my dear friend listen to this no man has seen God at any time the only begotten who is in the bosom of the father he hath declared him I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh into the father but by me light on God light on men light on living light on dying light on the glory of Eternity it's the whole message this light and there's none anywhere else he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of Life the people that walked in darkness you see they were walking in it he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of Life they've seen a great light is there anybody here who hasn't seen it you can't be a Christian without seeing this light the light that comes in the face of Jesus Christ the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ there it is for you again God who commanded the light to shine out of Darkness chaos was over the Earth the spirit brooded over the deep it was all in a state of Chaos inor and suddenly comes the command let there be light and there was light and Order begins to follow and God who commanded the light to shine out of Darkness as Paul has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ light light of the world forever ever shining there is no night in thee." [00:40:26]