Babies Dedication and Sermon July 29, 2007 : Can the light be seen in you?

Here we have a 98-year-old brother and now we have to present two newborn babies practically, so that is also a great blessing, because we can be at the two extremes of life, at the beginning and already in the golden times as well and Silver, as the word says. We also know that the Lord is faithful in taking us through all those lines and stages of life.

And this morning we do something exceptional because we normally do the baby presentations in the 12 o'clock service. And by the way, we encourage siblings who want to present their babies or who meet people who want to present them, who always remember that for reasons of schedule and all that it is much better to do it at 12, in order to have more time in the morning, for the discipleship and all this.

But, anyway, today is something very special because we have two of our pastors who have had their babies in these last few short months and we have the privilege of introducing them. So I want to ask them, their wives to come by, Gregory and Omar, Aidimaris and Kenny, are they here? Come through here. Let's just come forward, guys. Give a blessing applause to our pastors....

We have not only the proud parents but also proud grandma's as well and that is a real joy, a real blessing, to have them as well.

It is a great blessing to have you.....so this is a family matter this morning as we also recognize that our pastors have their own normal family lives that they live, and God has given them the privilege. We have this precious baby here, Noah Jonathan, Noah Jonathan and we also have Lucas over here, a precious baby too, so beautiful. And, brothers, this morning I was thinking about how to do justice to the fact that two of our pastors celebrate their...

Are you getting this? Are you getting the translation? Ok, good, good, if not I'll be happy to translate that directly.

But it's something so special. And the Lord reminded me of two elements that every time we present a baby we remember through Scripture. One of them is what the word says and that is that God always chose the firstborn to open the womb, to start or open the womb, he said, those are going to be my property, there is something special about the firstborn and here We have two firstborn babies who have already begun this process of having a more extended family than our siblings. Therefore, the Lord has something very special that I do not believe has changed with the new covenant, with respect to the firstborn, those who open the womb, those who begin the process of maternity and paternity.

So both Lucas and Noah are in a very special lineage, very chosen because God has something very important, very interesting with those who open the womb. But God also reminded me about the vessels and utensils in the sanctuary that when God made his temple and put different utensils there that would be used in all the sacred rituals of the temple, he said that those utensils also had to be consecrated and sanctified only for he. And the first concept, or the first image of the firstborn, applies very specifically to Noah and Luke, but I believe the second concept of utensils and vessels consecrated to the Lord applies to every baby, to every Christian, we are set apart, we are sanctified, we are consecrated for the exclusive service of the Lord.

And that is why I believe that we can extend the presentation of males to females, of first-born and also of second and third and fourth, etc., of babies in a family because we are chosen steps and from that we are going to actually talk a little bit this morning. And therefore when we present babies before the Lord, what we are doing is sanctifying them, setting them apart for the Lord's use at an early age, we are saying, you are set apart and set apart for something very special, very exclusive. All life in a sense that enters into the ways of the Lord is special, it is chosen by God and when we present babies, that is what we do, we recognize their status of being separated. As the people of God, who belong to the Covenant of God, we also enter our children into that Covenant and we bless them and set them apart for the use of the Lord. So that is the symbology that we are working on and rehearsing here this morning in this place.

I think my brothers, as pastors at last, have a word they want to share about this moment, so what pastor have you seen that doesn't like to talk from time to time, so let's go to allow Omar, and I think Lucas is looking at the microphone as if he also wants to be a pastor or something like that. Okay, but we're going to let her daddy run this moment.

Well, brothers, it is for me today that I stand here more as a dad, not so much as a pastor, having my wife and now my son here by my side. And I just want to share a few words for Lucas, I know that maybe he doesn't understand now, but I say it here before you and Luke in the Scripture, in Psalm 127, verse 4, says that:

"... children are like arrows in the hands of the brave..."

And today I promise before God and with you to try to be that brave man that you need to launch yourself as an arrow into the future, and that you can achieve greater things than what your dad has achieved. May you always have your heart present in God and may God direct each of your steps, Lucas.

Amen. Amen. And I think our brother Gregory also has something to share.

Amen. We are very grateful to God. The name is Noah Jonathan, Noah Jonathan, the name Noah means 'rest' after storms and Jonathan means 'gift from God'. And he is a gift from God to our lives. So I want to read this text that one of you left on my voicemail when Noah Jonathan was born that day.

It says, “...Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord, for he will be like a tree planted by the waters that will put down its roots by the stream and will not see when the heat comes but its leaf will be green and in the year of drought it will not tire or stop bearing fruit....”

I want to read that in English, it said: “.... Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord whose confidence is in him, you, Noah Jonathan, will be like a tree planted by the water, you will send out your roots by a stream, you will not fear when he comes, your leaves will always be green. You will have no worries in the year of drought and you will never fail to bear fruit…” In the name of Jesus.

And now Father, we consecrate these lives to you…. We consecrate these lives to you, Father. We acknowledge that they belong to you….. We acknowledge that they belong to you, Lord, and that they are privileged creatures because they are born into families that know you.

They are privileged human beings because they are born in families that acknowledge you and know your name.

And so Father we set them apart for you in Jesus name. We separate them for you, Father and we sanctify them….. we sanctify them, Lord, in the name of Jesus so that they are men filled with the Holy Spirit, men who love your word... that they might be men who will be filled with your Holy Spirit, will love your word and will be founded on your word, Father, and may they grow in homes that celebrate the name of Christ….. may they grow in homes that celebrate the name of Christ Jesus, homes that exemplify the best values of the Kingdom of God.... home which will exemplify the best values and attributes of the Kingdom of God, and Father, may they, from their parents gain the example of lives that are best lived when serving you and dedicated completely to you.

Father, may they learn that through their parents, their homes, that the best way to live life is by serving you, consecrating themselves completely to you. We bless them, we declare the shadow of the Holy Spirit over them...

We declare the shadow of the Almighty on them.... your protection and your care from all attacks from the enemy and Father, we clear their way in front of them and proclaim a path full of good experiences.

We declare ahead of them, Father, a journey full of wonderful, uplifting, edifying experiences that will lead them to become that full, full manifestation of the glory of Christ here on earth.

May they be a powerful and full manifestation of the glory of Christ through human beings here on earth. Bless their parents and may they serve you with joy, Lord.

May the parents always serve you with joy, Father, tasting the sweetness of the land as they serve you, Father, as you have promised in your word. We bless them now in the name of Jesus.

We worship in the name of Jesus and God's people say, amen. Glory to God. Amen. Amen.

Amen, glory to the Lord, how good, how good.

Well, brothers, we are going to the word of God in a different way and precisely we are going to be talking a little about these issues of consecration and service to the Lord and sanctification for God and being apart a separate people for God, through a passage that God has placed on my heart this morning. I invite you to go to the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, Chapter 5, there in verse 14, says the Lord Jesus Christ, his words:

“... You are the light of the world -let me repeat that- you are the light of the world.....” I am going to say it in a personal way.... You are, I am the light of the world... you are the light of the world. A city established on a mountain cannot be hidden, nor is a light turned on and then placed under a bushel, -that is, under a receptacle that covers it, hides it- but it is placed on the candlestick so that it shines everyone in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.....” Let your light so shine, so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. The Lord bless his holy word.

It is a call, brothers, a challenge for us that comes from the very mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are the light of the world. It is a somewhat scandalous and challenging statement because the Lord has said that he is the light of the world and yet in this passage he says that we are the light of the world. And if he hadn't said it, it would have seemed outrageous, but the Lord is saying that we, who are we? The believers, the followers of Jesus Christ, the disciples of Jesus, that is what he refers to, he is speaking to believers in him. We are the light of the world and that constitutes a great challenge, it has consequences. This affirmation of the Lord has consequences that he develops in this passage.

We're going to try to put this together in a systematic way here, firstly Jesus is the light of the world, he himself spoke in those terms. Let's go, for example, in the Gospel according to Saint John there are many passages that talk about this theme, about light, Jesus Christ as light.

In John, Chapter 1, verse 9 we are told: “...That true light that enlightens every man came into this world – that is Jesus Christ – He was in the world and the world was born through him made but the world did not know him, the true light....”

John, Chapter 8, verse 12, likewise says: “...Again Jesus spoke to them saying 'I am the light of the world'.... – one of the most beautiful passages in Scripture where Jesus speaks clearly and unambiguously about what he is and who he is. Many liberal Bible commentators have said that Jesus never made claims to divinity or to be a being, say extraterrestrial, in the otherworldly sense, and that it was his followers, after he died, and generations later who assigned him to he those attributes of divinity or of a completely other, exceptional character, with respect to the human race, that he never attributed those things to himself. And even these people who say that, use the Gospels of Jesus Christ, the 4 Gospels for their knowledge of Jesus.

We cannot choose one thing and put the other away. Right here the Lord, from his own words, says, 'I am the light of the world...'

Brother, if you say something like that it is because you know very well who you are. I believe that no natural, biologically human man can say something so terribly comprehensive as that.

'I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life....'

In other words, not only does he have light in himself, but also those who follow him will have that light. As a star reflects the light of the sun, which has light in itself, likewise we will have light, and not just any light but the light of life, which is eternal life. Then the Lord says, I am the light and those who follow me will not walk in darkness.

John, Chapter 12, verse 46, says: ".... I, the light, have come into the world...."

How interesting here, this idea of the pre-existence of Jesus Christ. "I have come..." it is as if he landed from another region that he, who is the light, has come to the world, has arrived in the world.

“.... so that everyone who believes in me does not remain in darkness...”

There begins something interesting as well, and that is, since Jesus is the light and he has come into the world, those who cling to him, those who receive him, those who are in him, it is no longer possible for them to walk in darkness, because his light shines on them too. We can no longer remain in darkness.

And Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, also says something similar in verse 6, or implies it, it says: “.....for God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, is the which shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ....”

God shone in our hearts in the same way that light shone when God said, 'be it light', and there was light in the midst of darkness. Thus the light shines on those who have Jesus in their hearts because he is the light.

So we clearly see this idea that unites Jesus with the light. Now, another interesting thing is that the world that does not know Christ says the word, that it is in darkness. There is an inherent conflict between Christ, those who are in Christ, and those who are not in Jesus.

For example, look at Second Corinthians, Chapter 6, verses 14 and 15, here believers in Christ are told: “.... Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers... ... – there is establishing an opposition, a radical separation between believers and those who are unbelievers, those who do not know, those who do not receive Jesus, those who refuse to recognize the lordship and deity of Jesus.

“....for what fellowship does justice have with unrighteousness, and what fellowship light has with darkness...”

In other words, those who are in Christ , which is light, are in light, those who do not have Christ are in darkness and we, the believers, not because of pride, nor because we feel like we are better than anyone else, we cannot have a compenetration of our lives, our intimacy cannot be With those who have different values, those who do not have that intimacy with Christ Jesus, we cannot be unequally yoked, that is what it means.

Some have interpreted this to mean in marriage, that a believer should not marry an unbeliever, but it goes much deeper than that. There should be no intimacy of values, of sharing with those who do not believe in Jesus, because we are light and they are darkness.

Now, one must say that with extreme humility because we know that only through Christ we can claim that light, not through our good works, because we don't have any. Amen.

It says, "... what accords Christ with Belial, -with the demons- or what part the believer with the unbeliever.."

Now, here it is always important to point out something and it is that we need to have contact with the unbelievers to be able to bring them to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, right? We can't live like on an isolated island, no, don't touch me, don't talk to me.

Paul says that if that were the case we would have to leave this world, we have to take a ship and go to Mars or Jupiter or something like that. We are in the world and we have to be loving, affectionate, friendly, humble, attractive, pleasant people, invite them to our homes, we go to their homes, but there always has to be an internal spiritual separation in our hearts because We know that the idea is that they come and enter that dimension of light where we are. Amen. But we are a separate people, there is no communion because the values of the world are inherently opposed to the values of light.

Now, we trade and deal with the world as Christ did. Christ went to the festivals of the unbelievers, Christ met with the unbelievers. In fact, they attacked him a lot because he was with the prostitutes, with the publicans, with the sinners and those self-righteous, self-righteous people were upset with Jesus, because he was supposed to be like them who always had that sense of superiority, no, we want to rub shoulders No, that's not the idea. The separation of the believer is a separation from the inner being, it is modesty, a spiritual virginity that the believer has in his heart because he belongs to a different nation from the world, he has the light, he has the knowledge, he has the wisdom, he has God's truth and he deals with those who are in darkness to see if he can take them out and also enter that dimension of light. The believer is a seller of something absolutely extraordinary, the truth of God, the salvation of the soul, eternity for the human being. And the world is in darkness.

Look at another passage in First Peter, 2, verse 9, it says there: “.... but you are a chosen lineage, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired by God.... – you see, all these are images of something special, apart, unique, separated – ....so that you may announce the virtues of him who called you out of darkness into his admirable light...”

In other In other words, when we were without Christ, we were without God and without hope, away from God's promises, away from God's privileges, away from the Covenant that God has made with his people. We were in darkness, but when we accepted Jesus, the light came into our hearts, into our lives, and it enlightened us, and Christ brings us out of the darkness into his admirable light. Darkness is the world that does not know God.

It's not that Christ does it in a physical way, He takes us out. No, we are pulled in the sense that it's like our record is pulled from the wrong place. The divine administrator of all lives goes to a drawer where all the human records of people who are lost and condemned to eternal perdition are, and he goes there, and when a person receives Christ, automatically his record of life, his record it is taken out of that drawer and transferred to the drawer of light and eternal life. We are administratively removed from the spiritual realm of dominion, power, the government of darkness and we are placed under its admirable light. Glory to the Lord.

Now it says that "...so that you announce the virtues of him who called you...."

In other words, there is a call there also to announce and we are going to talk a little bit about that in a moment too. Then there is another passage that I do not have here at hand, but I know, it says that ".....if our Gospel is hidden among those who are lost, it is hidden, among whom the God of this age has blinded their understanding so that the light of the Gospel may shine on them....”

In other words, there are many people in the world, businessmen, educators, artists, highly developed philosophers, first-class intellectuals, many people of they are of great philanthropy and good motivations, but they are blinded by the devil and they are so happy with their philosophy in the world and their secular systems that they do not recognize Jesus Christ and the devil has blinded their understanding so that they do not realize the excellence of the Gospel and be saved. But we have received the privilege that God has removed the blindfold from our eyes and we have been able to see the light and splendor of Christ Jesus.

Then we see, Christ is the light, we receive the benefit of his light and we live in the light. The world, without Christ, is in darkness and there is an antinomy, there is a separation, there is an inherent conflict between us and the world, there is an opposition between light and darkness. This is very important because, brothers, many times I believe that we as Christians in the 21st century have lost this idea, not only of the separation of the believer, that we are a separate, separated, different people, but also that there is conflict, there is conflict between what we represent and what Christ represents and what the world represents.

Look, for example, in John 3:19, it says: “.... and this is the condemnation that light came into the world –that is, Jesus- and men loved darkness more than the light because his deeds were evil.....”

Christ cannot be pleasing, the truth of Christ, the light that Christ represents cannot be received by those who are involved in the world system and its values because there is an inherent, deep, systemic conflict between these two essences, these two worlds, these two zones of existence. And the person who is absorbed and immersed in the world when he receives and listens to the word of the Gospel, shocks him, causes him displeasure, causes conflict and rejection because the essence that is in him, the energy that is in him or her shocks with the energy that is in that believer and what the light of Christ represents.

That is why many people when they arrive at a church, for example, where the presence of God is and the values of the Gospel are strongly established, generally the person who comes seasoned with the world and the values of the world and the sensitivity of the world, feel rejection, disgust, displeasure because the essence that they are listening to and are experiencing is different from what they have inside. Only when the person is gradually, little by little, sensitizing and warming to the value of the Gospel and his mind is being transformed little by little and is being renewed, does his mind begin to like what he is seeing and hearing, experiencing, receiving, because the interior it is accommodating to the outside as well. You understand?

So, there is a conflict there, that's why when Christ came into the world with a different truth, people rejected him scandalously, including the religious ones, because the fact that you are involved in religion does not it means that you have the truth of Christ, you know? Many people get into religion but at the expense of Jesus Christ and there are many people, like the Pharisees, who have all the apparatus of religiosity but do not have the essence of the truth of Christ. Then, they also feel that same rejection.

There is a conflict.

And that's why when Christ came into the world, even the religious... religiousness is part of the world, it's not outside the world, it's simply a psychological game that people play to deceive themselves , but in reality they are immersed in the world. False religion is a subtle, psychological manifestation of the world's values, but with a veneer, a veneer of religiosity. Understands? And then when the truth of Christ, which is an acidic, corrosive truth, which goes to the point, hits the jugular, be it religious or worldly, they reject it because their internal sensitivity rejects what God represents.

Then he says, “....because whoever does evil hates the light... -John 3:19- ......and does not come to the light so that his deeds do not be rebuked, but the one who practices the truth comes to the light so that it may be manifested that his works are done in God”.

Do you remember what happened to Adam and Eve, after they sinned, God came to be intimate with them, what happened? They hid, they fled, because there was already in them that the light of God made them feel bad, there was already an element of darkness inside them. Now, when you are right with God and your soul is washed by the truth of Christ, you say to him 'Holy Spirit, come, take me, eat me, absorb me, baptize me, saturate me...' because you know that there is intimacy with him , there is an affinity between the values of the spirit and you, because the spirit is within you. But the man who is outside of God does not want that.

So we see that, we who are in the world are going to have conflicts. If Christ had a conflict with the world, how can we not have it? The church has to get used to that idea, that when it preaches a true and pure Gospel, it is going to have conflict with the world.

Now, for me the most important thing about this passage here is that call that since we are light in the world, we cannot hide the light, but quite the contrary, we have to be aggressive in exhibiting the light. light that we have within us. That is the most compromising, most challenging, and in a sense most unpleasant calling, I could say, for every believer. Because how good it would be if we could simply say, 'OK, I already have electricity, glory to God, they stamped my passport, I'm going to heaven with everything and shoes when I die. I don't have to worry about anything else, I'm just here to do what I can and everyone to fend for themselves however they can, there they are, I already have my passport stamped, right? It is not like this.

What the word says over and over again is that 'now that you have been visited by the light of God in your heart, now that you have God's truth in your life, now that you have light within you, through Jesus Christ you are in the absolute obligation to share that light with others. You have to be in a visible position where others can see the light that is in you through Jesus Christ. So you are called to be a light in the world, so says the word of the Lord.

That is why we are a chosen people, "....a holy nation, a people chosen by God so that we may announce the truths of him who called us out of darkness into his admirable light...."

You exist now to attract others unfortunate like you before to the knowledge of the light of Jesus Christ. That is why the Lord says, you are the light of the world, “....a city that is on a hill cannot be hidden.....”

In other words, the cities on the ancient world were put in high places. You can see in the world many cities that are on mountains in high places, either to be protected from the ravages of the wind, the sea or whatever, or to be able to see more around or protect themselves from enemies that came to attack or possess it. and that city looked like Jerusalem.

You can see Jerusalem from far away, those who have been able to go to Jerusalem know Israel. Israel is on a hill and you can come from the airport and from afar and you can see Jesus Christ there in the distance. Pilgrims when they came from different countries of the world to Jerusalem saw. There are psalms, they are called psalms of ancestry, which were psalms that pilgrims went up and sang when they came from different parts of the world to visit the city of Jerusalem and the Lord took that image and said, ".... a city that is It cannot be hidden on a mountain, but the whole world will see it" And we are like a city on a mountain, the church of Jesus Christ is like a city on a mountain that is lighting up and at night you can see that city.

I remember, many years ago, more than I care to remember, when I went to Acapulco, Mexico, I was studying in Mexico for a few months, when I was in high school. I remember what I did at the end of my time there in Mexico, the young people who were with me took a trip to Acapulco and we traveled all night, and at night in the distance we could see the beautiful lights of the city of Acapulco. And that brought joy and expectation to our hearts.

And I believe that the church of Jesus Christ has to be like a city set on a mountain that pilgrims who walk in darkness can see that city and orient themselves through the lights that come from it and be able to go to a safe place and find refuge there for their lives and their souls. The church of Jesus Christ has to be a light, it has to be different from the world, because if the light turns into darkness, then the pilgrims cannot orient themselves towards it.

The Lord spoke before that passage of light, about salt and said the same thing, 'you are from the earth and if the salt loses its flavor then what good is it...'

The church of Jesus Christ, every believer, a Christian family is like a city set on a mountain, it cannot be hidden. You cannot hide from who you are. I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ in the 21st century has to reach a time of crisis, a moment of definition where we decide what we are, what I am. There are too many undercover Christians in the 21st century and we have to take our light and put it where it can shine.

The Lord Jesus Christ also says, "... a light, you don't take it and put it under the bed..."

You see the word almud here. How many know what the word almud means? Raise your hand. Who can tell me the definition of the word almud? Ah..... brother, what is a bushel? Glory to God. Amen. A Franciscan priest was needed to remind us of that. Thanks brother. It is like a vessel. Almud is a measure of grain and then also by extension it is for the vessel, a bowl, a container.

So, you don't take a candle, for example, and put a plastic container on top of it to cover it, you put it up high. Where are the lights here? Look at her, where are they? They are above, so that they light up. The position of the light is where it is visible, where it can exert its influence, so we cannot hide our light, we cannot say, 'I am a Christian' and then cover ourselves up. We are robbing the world of the privilege of knowing what we have.

Now how can we hide the light? How can one do what it says here, and put the light of Christ under a bushel, instead of putting it on the candlestick? There are many ways, I have indicated about 3 or 4 and I want to share with you.

Number 1, the most obvious, we can hide our light by not bearing witness out of fear or shame. The devil has taken it upon himself in the 21st century to clothe the pure and biblical and orthodox and historical Gospel with a smell of ignorance and fanaticism and unattractiveness, in such a way that there are many people who, when you talk to them about the Gospel and being evangelical and to receive Christ, and to live for Jesus, and to live a life pleasing to God and according to the word, and to live the life that we are trying to live here as believers, they immediately say, 'ah, that's not for my. That is for the fanatics, for the poor, for the ignorant. And we have allowed ourselves to be influenced by that and many of us do not want anyone to know that we are Christians, yes or no? We are covert Christians. We are secret agents of the Kingdom of God. From time to time, when we can, we take out and teach and hide our Christian card again. We have been intimidated by the world, and we do not testify. In our factory nobody knows that we are Christians.

Someone told me the other days, 'Pastor, I've been visiting....', it was a professional person, '..... various offices in the city and I realize how many Christians there are in positions of authority in Boston.' Hey, where are they and what are they doing? Are they bearing witness? Are they being aggressive?

There are so many people, that the devil has finally convinced them that the Gospel is something for the private dimension and that while they are carrying out their official, professional, secular functions, they should not mix the things of the Gospel. And I say that is a lie from the devil. That is a satanic ruse to gag the church and take away its light, so that the church will take its light and put it under the bushel.

Now, there are sensible and wise ways for you to let your faith be known and to know your faith. And you will be surprised, there are more people out there wanting to meet a Christian who is carrying the light than you might imagine. There are many heads of factories and hospitals, many doctors and intellectuals who are eating a cable there in their homes, with their marriage destroyed, their paternity damaged, their health destroyed, fear of death, depressed, anxious, with a lot of money and a lot of position but they don't have the light and they are afraid of death and they don't know what to do with the tragedies of life. And sometimes they will need a babysitter or a dishwasher or a house cleaner who in some sensitive and engaging way offers them the light of Jesus Christ.

We cannot take away our light. If we are teachers, if we are social workers, if we are doctors, if we are university professors, all the more reason we have for the world to know that I am a Christian. You don't have to be slapping people around with a Bible to announce your faith, but you can in discreet ways and in the proud, good sense of the word, you say, 'yes, I'm a Christian, so what? What do you care! No. The idea is to announce with a pleased sense of satisfaction 'I am a Christian and if you would like to talk about my faith, I am very willing to do so'.

You can give a person a book, you can give a person a tract, you can share... a person who is in trouble say 'look, I know that maybe you... but I can bless you with a short prayer. I am not going to give you the head with the Gospel, but let me bless your life. Many people are going to say 'yes, of course'. Tears are going to come out, don't be surprised too, and there is going to be a conflict, a clash between darkness and light and those people are going to be marked. There are many people who need to announce the word of God, but the devil has intimidated us into compartmentalizing our lives and living a schizophrenic life: in the morning we are doctors, teachers, social workers, and then for a little while on Sunday we are evangelicals. The Lord rebukes the devil as Yiye Ávila would say, the two things have to be united in one.

We have to announce the Gospel, we have to be light in the darkness. We have to be a city set on a hill. We can hide our light by not bearing witness out of fear or shame.

Another way we can hide our light is by living like the world, blending in with the world's values, and that can manifest itself in exaggerated consumerism, materialism. Lots of Christian people live for the next visit to Filene's, it's an acquisitive version of drug addiction. The drug of these people is to put a new suit through their veins or a pair of shoes or whatever, right? It's that consumerism, buying new sneakers that have the Nike sign or whatever; a Tommy Hilfiger t-shirt, or whatever it's called, or whatever, right? The world, the values, the sensuality of the world manifesting it in our way of dressing, in our way of speaking, the music we consume, the programs we watch on television, the entertainment we have, the relationships we have, the way we we treat others. All these things are a way of living like the world, and then our light dies, because we also speak with our lives and not only with our words.

I think it was Saint Francis of Assisi, I don't know if it was he who said, 'preach the Gospel and when it is unavoidable, use words.' Only when it is unavoidable, because we preach the word with our lives and if we adopt the style of the world, many people enter the Gospel, but they do not experience a transformation, a renewal of their understanding, they do not experience it. Their understanding continues to function according to the values of the world, then their light is hidden because people do not see a clear message. We say one thing with our mouths and our life manifests something else.

You are the message and not just your words. Ephesians, Chapter 5, verse 5 to 13 speaks to us precisely about this need and says here:

“....Let no one deceive you with vain words because for these things the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience. Therefore, do not be partakers with them, the unbelievers, for in another time you were darkness but now you are light in the Lord, walk as children of light... -verse 11- ... and do not participate in the fruitless works of darkness , but rather rebuke them....”

And he speaks there of a series of elements, then he enters into a series of elements that distinguish the person who is in the light. For example, it says, verse 18:

“.. do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking among yourselves with psalms, spiritual hymns, always giving thanks to God and the Father for everything, submitting to each other, etc....”

All behavior that comes as a consequence of being in the light. We can hide our light, living like the world.

A third way, I'm moving forward, believe it or not. A third way we can hide our light is by abandoning the hallmarks of the Gospel and adjusting to the prevailing culture.

You know that the Gospel has some hallmarks that are scandalous, that are conflicting, that clash with what we just said a while ago. The essence of the Gospel is this scandalous aspect, scandal, reflected by the cross of Christ that scandalizes both the Jews who get into a lot in matters of power, and the Greeks who are in matters of intellect. And the cross contradicts man's expectations about God and what God should be like and what should happen to God.

And from then on the Gospel is one outrageous statement after another for the rational, intellectual mind, unredeemed by God. In terms of ethics, morality, justice, laws, government, art, excellence, all the assertions of the Christian evangelical system are against the sensitivity of the world. Look today, Hollywood, look today, the values of justice that man endorses, and of ethics, and of morality completely contrary, and the tendency of the church in this time, and it has always been to acculturate, accommodate so that supposedly the Gospel does not shock so much and others can come to the Gospel.

Guess what? That is another lie from the devil. Man needs a clear expression of the badge of the Gospel and at first there is a clash of powers, if the church stands firm the church prevails, but if the church recants and trades on the Gospel and tries to water it down to make it more attractive to the world, the church loses its power. And that is what the liberal world, the liberal churches are discovering, they are dying one after the other because they have believed that by removing the scandalous and conflicting aspects of the Gospel, for example, its insistence on miracles, the supernatural, they are going to do the trick. Gospel more accessible and pleasing to man. Lie, this is not a matter of human advertising techniques. This is a matter of God's truth.

The Kingdom of Heaven advances violently and the violent are the ones who take it away. The Gospel has always advanced by imposing itself on the world and the church, I believe, which needs at this time, in the 21st century, to reclaim, to recover its eagle and lion instincts in order to reach the world. Because today what we have is a tame kitten, hiding in a corner, fearing what man and humanity want from her. And the church has abandoned its power and we too can do the same, acculturating ourselves and trying to be like the world so that the world accepts us and Christ said "... if they did this and this to the tree itself, why not they are going to do to the branches...”

Do you think you are going to be better than Christ, who was rejected by the world? We can't be nice to the world, we never will be. We have to maintain our firm position in the love of Christ, but firm and that is what will change the world. Let's not hide our light trying to acculturate ourselves to the world.

And finally we can hide our light by being carnal and not manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the beauty of the Gospel, the excellence of the Gospel. I believe that the church preaches by showing the world a functional Gospel, a Gospel of excellence, a Gospel that changes man, a Gospel that turns a devil into an angel, a Gospel that takes an alcoholic and turns him into a man in his five senses; that takes a violent and abusive husband and turns him into a man who loves his wife as Christ loved the church; a man with a hard mouth and obscene in his speech and turns him into a man who comes out of his mouth beautiful and good words; a woman who has no self-worth, no self-esteem because life has destroyed her and turns her into a warrior, a Deborah filled with the Holy Spirit; A young man who is not functioning in school and with the power of God and the mind of Christ coming into his sensitivity becomes a young man who gets good grades and who respects his teachers.

In that excellence of the Gospel we also raise the light of Christ before humanity, we show people that the Gospel works, that the Gospel changes, that the Gospel transforms, that in the Gospel there is hope, that God can turn a fallen community such as the Latino community into a community full of God's power, fruitful, progressive, advancing, conquering, showing the excellence of the Kingdom of God. That is something that God has placed in my heart, a great passion for us to produce people in this time that exemplify the power of the Gospel.

We do not have to be afraid of having a good house, of having a good job, of having a good profession, of writing books, of directing companies and institutions because the Gospel where the light of God enters all God's wisdom and functional power. Nobody tell me that you have Christ in your heart and are a slave to the evil and negativity of the world. It is impossible.

“...You will know the truth, the truth will set you free...”

The Latino community, the black community needs to embrace God's whole truth and show the world that it is Christ who is the answer to the world. Not welfare programs, not government programs, not school programs, the truth, the light of Christ in the world, the power of God through the Holy Spirit in us.

I tell the youth of this congregation and the adults as well, those who speak English and those who do not speak English, what have professions and those who do not have professions, brother, you have within you the power of God, the same power that raised Christ from the dead. That power, that gasoline you can use to live a fruitful life, a life that shows the excellence of the Holy Spirit. It is not possible for us to say, "I am a child of God" and live like a beggar, like a person who is worthless, even if it is in a house but an orderly, clean, well-groomed, pretty house; even if it's a poor meal, but that tortilla tastes like the best tortilla that no one has ever eaten in their life.

Do you understand? Because it is God's order that we have to bring it to our lives, to our marriages, to our fatherhood and motherhood, to our school, to our treatment of others, our ethics, our experience. We cannot hide the light of the Gospel, but we have to show excellence.

Wherever you walk the Gospel goes with you, the light of the Gospel goes with you. When people look at it, they see, I don't know how they say in other countries, do they know what a cocuyo is? These little bugs at night that glow and you see them when they move in the night. The Christian is a spiritual cocuyo, put the name there that you want. When people see you walking in a world full of darkness, they see a little light illuminating the darkness, they see a manifestation of the deity, the light, the order of Christ in your life and you have that light in you, and you have the light of the world within you. You have Christ in your heart and when people look at your skin they see a luminescence in your bowels, and they say, what is that light that is there, in that person's bowels? That is the light of Christ in you, the light of the Gospel. You carry the values of the Gospel, do not hide that light. Don't let that light stop shining.

There is a big commitment that we have.... I left half the message out, but I'm going to leave it there so as not to confuse things too much. Glory to the Lord.

You are the light of the world, we are the light of the world. We have the values of the Kingdom of God, brothers, of a redeemed humanity, a new system, a new, different society within us. The Kingdom of Heaven has already come into our lives in a sense, brothers, and we move in the Kingdom of God with all its beauty, all its order, all its loveliness, all its coherence, and we have it within us. What is missing is that we believe it and that we begin to live it and that we pay the price so that it becomes a reality in our lives, that we become aware of it. May our minds be renewed so that we can understand that God is already in us, God is already in you, young man. God is already in you woman, God is already in you old man. God is already in you student. God is already in you, professional. God is already in you, housewife. Now the light of Christ illuminates you wherever you go and you are an ambassador, an ambassador of the Kingdom of God.

And God tells you, 'Don't hide your light under a bushel.' Do not rob the world of the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ and do not rob yourself of the privilege of being a bearer of the light of the Gospel. Don't hide your light. Do not stop bearing witness out of fear or shame, what the world has indoctrinated you. Don't live with the world by adopting its values. Do not abandon the hallmarks of the Gospel that clash at first, but then prevail, and finally do not hide your light by living carnally, living a life of mediocrity, living a life that contradicts beautiful values, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the character of Jesus, the order of the Kingdom of God, because the world needs to see the Kingdom of God incarnated in a community, in a marriage, in a life, in a profession. You are the bearer of the light of the Gospel.

Receive the challenge of the Holy Spirit this morning, that is, may the Lord give us an aggressive church, a church that knows its call. Stand up and receive the call of God in your life, receive the challenge of the Holy Spirit to be light in the darkness. Hallelujah! To be a city set on a mountain, to be a light set on the candlestick, to be a spiritual cocuyo, to be a bearer of light.

In the name of Jesus I declare this light on your life this morning, receive it now... raise your hand in the name of Jesus, embrace the light of the Gospel, embrace the call of Christ so that be light in the darkness. You are light. Tell yourself, I am light, I am light, I have the light of Christ. I am the light of the world because Christ dwells in my life, because the power of the Holy Spirit dwells in my life, dwells in my house, dwells in my children, dwells in my marriage, dwells in the Lion of Judah congregation and will dwell in the greater community because the world will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God by a church that will take that knowledge to the nations.

In the name of Jesus, we get rid of shyness, we get rid of fear and ask forgiveness for hiding our light and we ask, Lord, make us light. Make us light in the midst of darkness. Oh God, we want to be light, we want to be life. Send your light, Lord to our lives, we want you to use us Lord as lights in the world, in the name of Christ we ask Lord, fill us, fill us with your light, Father this morning.

We want your name to be glorified, through the light of the Gospel in us. Thank my Lord. Thank you, we adore you, we bless you, Lord.

I can think of a chorus we can sing that mixes up the metaphors but that's okay. We sing it this Friday in prayer time, 'A river of life is flowing'. God wants us to be light but also to be a river that flows to the nations and brings the knowledge of Christ to the nations.

Brothers, I believe, I persist in believing that God has something special for humanity at this time in its history. I have not given the world to the devil yet and I will not until I die, and I will always be waiting for the visitation of the glory of God in the nations. I believe that God has the greatest revival in all of history still prepared for this nation and for the world, and the church has in its power the possibility of making it a reality through the preaching of the Gospel.

If every Christian is activated as a conqueror, a witness, a walking light, the world will be conquered. I don't know how that fits with my eschatology, but the fact is that I believe that there is still a lot of ground to be conquered through a people who are proud of the light of Christ in their hearts.

So we're going to state that and anticipate that this morning. Glory to the Lord Hallelujah! Give the Lord a round of applause this morning. Amen and amen.