LUKE 11:33-36 WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT2012 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Luke 11:33-36 What Are You Looking At

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You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2012.

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What are you looking at really is the question that we're addressing today. Jesus is talking about what we look at. And there's three things I'd like to share with you from our portion today. Answering this question or talking about this question, what are you looking at? The first thing we find in verse 33 and 34, and that is that your eye fills your body. As

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As we consider what Jesus says here today, you need to know that your eye fills your body. Check out what Jesus says in verse 33. He says,

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Before Jesus goes on to make his point, he gives us here in verse 33 a picture, an illustration, something for us to grasp hold of that we might understand what he is trying to say. It's a practical illustration that we can all understand. It's very, very simple. Have you ever considered why we have lights on the ceiling instead of the floor?

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Have you ever thought about that? Well, probably you have if you've been around because we talked about this in Luke chapter 8 where Jesus used the same picture and I used the same question. Have you ever thought about that? Why do we have lights on the ceiling instead of the floor? We could think very easily about the reasons for that, right? If you had lights on the ground, well, they would be broken very quickly as we trample on them.

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You could maybe take some steps to protect them. But we also know that it still would not be very effective because the light would be blocked by you standing on them, sitting on them. The chairs would block it. And so the end result would be is this room would be fairly dark. The lights are on the ceiling so that it can spread. It can be dispersed throughout the room and bring light to the whole room.

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Now you can go to the store and you can buy floor lamps, but you'll notice those lamps have a long post to put the light up high so that it can spread out and fill the room.

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This is the idea that Jesus is talking about here. He says, no one, when he's lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket. What do they do? They put it on a lampstand. Why do they put it on a lampstand? Because otherwise the light will not fill the room. And so they put it on a lampstand so the light fills the room so that all who come in may see the light.

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This is a picture, an illustration that Jesus used several times. We see it in Matthew chapter 5, verse 15. Jesus says, they do not light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand and gives it light to all who are in the house. Now Jesus goes on to make the point in verse 16 of Matthew 5. He says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

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So Jesus uses this picture in Matthew chapter 5 to say, you're the light on the lampstand. Shine that everyone sees your good works and glorifies God. We also see this in Luke chapter 8. He uses this same picture, the lamp on a lampstand. But then he goes on in Luke 8 17 to make a different point. He says, for nothing is secret that will not be revealed nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

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And so Jesus uses that same picture to make the point those secret and hidden things will be revealed as the lamp is put on the lampstand and all those dark corners will be lit up. Well now Jesus is using this picture to make an altogether different point. The point he's making this time we'll see in verse 34. But first get the principle. The principle is lamps fill the room with light.

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They're put on the lampstand so that they fill the room with light. Verse 34, now we see it says, the lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Jesus says here, the lamp of the body is the eye. Here's the point he's wanting to make.

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The principle is, lamps are put on a lampstand to fill the room with light. His point is, whatever enters your eye fills your body. Keeping in mind this idea, this lamp on the lampstand, he says, okay, you got the picture now, you understand lamps and lights and how they're set up and their purpose. Now understand that your eye is the lamp of your body.

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So carry on that picture of the lamp being on the lampstand to fill the whole room. He says, your eye is the lamp. Your eye is positioned. It's set up in such a way so that what enters your eye is what fills your whole body. What enters your eye is what fills yourself. You and I, well, we need this point. Because we would tend to think, we might think that we can look at things differently.

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And it doesn't affect us. We would think that, well, if you're going to taste something, for sure you know that's going to affect you. Right? Because you're going to come in contact with it. You're going to ingest some of it. It's going to affect you. If you're going to taste something that you're allergic to, you will experience the results. But if you just look at something you're allergic to, you will not experience the results. And so we might think,

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Take that to mean to understand that we can look at things and it really doesn't affect us. But Jesus is saying, no, it really does affect you. Your eye is not just seeing things that are out there, but your eye is actually gathering those things and bringing them within. And those things that you look at are actually being internalized and are actually affecting you.

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Again, we would think, it probably doesn't matter that much. It doesn't affect me. And maybe we would equate it to like window shopping, right? You know, you go window shopping through the mall. It's like, you don't got money. You know, payday is not till Friday, but you still want to go to the store. You still want to buy stuff. And so you just kind of go and dream. Well, if I had this money, you know, oh, I could buy this and that would be great. Or I can have this meal and ooh, that would be wonderful. I would look at those things and say, oh, these would be great.

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But, you know, there's no real impact because there's not an immediate hit to your bank account. We would think of the I in similar fashion.

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We can look at things. It doesn't really affect us. There's no immediate hit. But Jesus' point is, no, it really does affect you. And I would suggest to you that window shopping as well affects you. It might not be a direct hit to the bank account, but there's one coming. Because you've planted in your mind, you've planted in your heart something.

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This desire for what you want. And so you might not experience it right away. But later on there's going to be that charge. Later on there's going to be that expense. It's going to affect the way that you think. It's going to affect the way that you budget. The way that you plan. Because you've looked. Because you've seen. And so these things do affect us. The lamp of the body is the eye. And what you see fills you. It fills your mind. It fills your mind.

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It fills your heart and then ultimately it directs your body. And so Jesus says when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. When your eye is good, then your body is full of light. When the lamp is set up properly, it fills the room with light. And when your eye is set up properly, it fills your body with light. But when the lamp is broken...

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He goes on to say, but when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. So if you set up the broken lamp on the lampstand, it will not fill the room with light. The room will be filled with darkness. In the same way, when your lamp is broken, when your eye is bad, your body, yourself, your being will be filled with darkness. What you see affects you.

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It has an impact. It changes you. It fills you. That's what Jesus is saying. Now consider the context in which Jesus is sharing this. Jesus is there amidst a crowd of people. There's a great group of people around and he's just performed an amazing miracle. He's cast out a demon out of a man. And the man was mute because of this demon. But when Jesus cast him out, then now this man is able to speak.

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And the crowd is amazed, but they respond in a couple ways. Part of the crowd says, he must be of Satan. It's by Beelzebub that he casts out demons. The prince of demons, you know, is with him as he casts out these demons. And we address that. Jesus addressed that. There was another group of people that were saying,

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Well, you say that you're from God, but we're not really sure. So they're demanding now a sign. And we dealt with that last week, that the demand for a sign from Jesus to prove that he was from God. Meanwhile, he's just been working all these miracles and teaching these amazing truths about God. And so you have Jesus right in the midst of this crowd. Jesus, the light of the world, is right in front of them. But they were in darkness. He was right in front of them.

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But they accused him of being of Satan. They demanded a sign because they were in darkness. Their lamps were broken. They'd filled themselves with darkness. And so even though the light was right there in front of them, they weren't able to receive it. And their body was filled with darkness. They couldn't recognize the Savior when he was standing right in front of them. What you look at fills you.

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Your eye fills your body. We might think that we can look at things and it doesn't affect us. We might think, hey, it's just like window shopping. There's no big impact. It's not going to change me. It's not going to affect me. But Jesus here wants you to understand it does affect you. It fills your mind. It fills your heart. And it directs your body. So now Jesus is going to go on to give the exhortation. Here's his point. Your eye fills your body.

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So what should we do about that? Well, the second point I have for you this morning found in verse 35 is don't be filled with darkness. Verse 35 says, Jesus says, take heed, watch out. And then it can get a little bit confusing here.

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He says, watch out, take heed, pay attention that the light that's within you is not darkness. Like what's light darkness? Is he talking about like a black light? I mean, what's he talking about here? What's light darkness? Well, follow the lamp illustration. Jesus is saying your eyes are the lamp of your body. And as a lamp fills the room with light, your eyes fill yourself, fill your body with whatever they're taking in.

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And so whatever you're taking in through the eyes, that's what Jesus is talking about, the light. And so if you're taking in darkness, then the light is darkness. That what you're receiving, what you're filling yourself with is darkness. Jesus is saying here, take heed that you're not filling yourself with darkness.

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Again, the point is whatever enters your eye fills your body. And so if you're consuming with your eyes things that are not of God, things that are of darkness, then what you are doing is you are filling yourself with darkness. And so Jesus says, take heed. The word take heed, it means to scout or to spy. It also means to make a goal or to take aim at something.

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I like that picture of taking aim at. You know, you're aiming at something. It's an intentional thing. It's a purposeful thing. And what are we to be aiming at? What are we to line up in our sights? Well, the idea is I want to make sure that I don't fill myself with darkness. Is that your goal? Is that what you're aiming for? Do you ever think about that? Do you consider what you're taking in through your eyes? And consider that

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Well, it affects you and it fills you. And that, well, you need to make sure that you keep the things of darkness out of sight. That you don't take those things in, that they do not fill you. Or are you wanting to know how much you can do and still be saved? We get that question a lot. Can I do this and still be saved? Can I do this and still get to heaven?

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It's completely different mentalities. The one mentality is, well, I want to have darkness, but just enough light to get to heaven. That's not aiming to not be filled with darkness. That's contrary to what Jesus instructed. To aim to not be filled with darkness is to be filled with as much light as possible so that there is no darkness remaining.

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That's what Jesus is encouraging us. That's what he's commanding us. Watch out. Take heed. Pay attention. Aim for this. Shoot for this. Make this the objective and the goal of your life. That you do not allow darkness to enter in and fill your body. What kind of things are we talking about here as he talks about this darkness? I'm sure we could go through quite a long list, but here's a couple thoughts.

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First of all, maybe the foremost in our mind, is sexual sin that happens through our eyes. And this is common. This is prevalent. That we have the saying, although maybe you don't say it out loud, but maybe you say it to yourself. Well, I can look, I just can't touch. And that's acceptable to many people. It's acceptable to the world.

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But that is not the truth. And it's not what the Bible has declared. In our society, in our culture, we have a serious issue with pornography. And it's an issue that affects both guys and girls. It's not just one or the other. And some of you are caught up in pornography. It's not just out there in the world, but it's within the church as well.

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And some of you are caught up in it. And some of you are filling up yourself with darkness regularly, continually, repeatedly. And we've been watching you. And we captured some images from your computer. And they're here on the next slide. I'm just kidding. If your heart stopped right now, you're in trouble. Seriously. Because you're filling yourself with darkness.

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Remember the other way that Jesus used this picture to say, all things that are hidden will be revealed. They'll be brought to light. We think it doesn't affect us. And you think it doesn't affect your marriage. You think it doesn't affect your mentality. You think it doesn't affect your walk. But it does. It fills you with darkness. And if you're caught up in that, you need to repent and you need to get help. It's addictive. It's binding. And it's embarrassing.

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But you need to get help. And we're here to help. Please get help. Don't remain in bondage. Don't remain in that position of continuing to fill yourself with darkness. Now, I'm speaking somewhat generally. This could be talking about things that are available online, websites. But there's movies, there's television. And through that, we suck in all of this sexual immorality.

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These things that stir up within us, these fantasies and these desires for things that God has said, this will destroy your life. It can come in the form of books, many different forms. The point is, are you aiming to not fill yourself with darkness? Are you aiming to keep those things away so that you are not bringing in and filling yourself with the things that are not of God?

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The world around us celebrates and glorifies the very things that God says will destroy us. God says, don't do this. It will destroy your life. And the world takes it and says, this is what we're going to do. And we're going to celebrate it. And we're going to do it in front of everybody. And we're going to make movies. And we're going to make TV shows to...

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Show you that this is the best way. That this is fun. That it's enjoyable. That you can do this to make it appear normal. To make it appear humorous. So that we don't realize how sinful it is. Understand the enemy is taking aim. He's taking aim for you. He's taking aim for my heart. He's saying, alright, I want to convince them to fill themselves with darkness. How can I do that? The only response that we have is,

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is to take aim not to be filled, not to fall for his tricks, to protect ourselves from darkness. Job says in Job 24 15, the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight saying, no eye will see me. And he disguises his face. The eye of the adulterer waits for twilight. The eye of

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It's lusting. It's craving. It's desiring. It's also plotting and planning, scheming. All right, this is what I want to engage in. How can I do this in a way where nobody will see me? Now back in Job's day, that was wait till twilight, disguise my face, and then I can go out and fulfill this craving. No one will see me. It'll be done in secrecy. Today, secrecy is a whole lot easier, which causes us to think it doesn't really affect us.

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Because we didn't get caught. Nobody knows. But we filled ourselves with darkness. Well, we're not just talking about sexual things as we talk about filling ourselves with darkness through the eye. Because you can consider what took place back in the Garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 3 verse 6. It says that Eve saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes.

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The word lust, we often connect it with the idea of sexual immorality and those kinds of things. But the word actually could be defined as a strong desire for sinful pleasure. It's a strong desire for sin. And this is what Eve experienced through her eyes. She saw the tree was good for food. And she saw, hey, it's pleasant to my eyes. And it stirred up within her this craving, this desire for

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For the fruit that God had said, don't partake of that. And so through the eye, we can fill ourselves with darkness, with sexual sin, or with any other kind of sin. Proverbs chapter 28 verse 22 says that a man with an evil eye hastens after riches. He has an evil eye. He's pursuing riches. He's, well, he's caught up in covetousness, greed, materialism.

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These are all things that are prevalent around us and within us. It has to do with an evil eye. What we're bringing in. What we're filling ourselves with. And Jesus is saying, take heed. Aim for protection from darkness. Position yourself in a way that you do not receive these things of darkness. Take heed. I read an article this past week. It was talking about

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and how they found that an optometrist, by looking at the eye, can catch some early signs of some serious diseases. So you go in for an eye exam, the optometrist looks in your eye, he's examining, and some of the diseases that they're able to recognize are heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, cancerous tumors, arthritis, as well as Alzheimer's.

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So an optometrist looking at your eyes, they can see early indications and say, hey, you need to go to your physician and make sure he checks your heart. There's indications of a heart condition, a heart situation. It's revealed in the eye. In the same way as Jesus is talking about our eyes as the lamp of our body, we can recognize that this is an early warning system. That you can tell if there's some serious heart conditions or

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By what's happening with your eye. By what you're looking at. Think about Lot as an example of this. In Genesis chapter 13 verse 10. Abraham and Lot are about to part ways. Abraham says you choose which way you want to go. And Lot it says in Genesis 13 10. Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan. What did he do? He sucked in through his eyes the whole plain of the Jordan.

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He craved, he lusted, he desired. He said, I want that. And he went that way. It was an early warning because he ends up in that area in Sodom and Gomorrah. And of course, you know what happened there. God brought judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot escaped, but just barely. He lost pretty much everything as a result of his eyes looking up, going that direction. It was an early warning.

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Your eyes fill your body and your eyes also are that early warning system that reveal there's a heart condition. There's a more serious situation happening within and you need to pay attention to it. Sometimes we get people who come in wanting help and they're wondering, why am I struggling so much with this issue? I don't understand. I don't understand why this should be so much easier to deal with.

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Now we're always going to have struggles. We live in sinful bodies. And so there's always going to be the temptation, the desire, and fall into sin. But there's also that great struggle that sometimes we experience. And oftentimes when we evaluate, when we consider, well, what's happening in your life? We find that the thing that they're struggling with, well, they're pushing themselves towards it by filling themselves with,

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With the things of this world. For example. Someone says. I can't figure out why. I'm still struggling with lust. I mean. I thought I had it licked. I thought I had it conquered. It was beat. And I thought it was done. And I don't understand. It just like. It's still. On constant attack. And you begin to sit down. And consider. Well. What are you watching? What are you looking at? What are you doing online?

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Well, no wonder you still continue to struggle in lust. You continue to put these things that stir up within you. It fans into flame these sinful desires and it fills you with darkness. I can't figure out. I don't know why I'm struggling so much with this covetousness. I really want to be content with what I have. I can't understand why I still desire these things that God hasn't given to me.

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So you're not content with your iPhone 4 and you're reading all the articles on the iPhone 5. You're stirring up within yourself the discontentment. You understand? Through your eyes, you're filling yourself with darkness. And so Jesus says, take heed. Now listen, by saying take heed, he takes this whole issue and he hands it right to you. He sets it right in your lap, puts it in your hands, and he says, it's your responsibility. You have control. You have to choose.

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You can't blame Apple for making the iPhone 5. That's not why you have the issue with covetousness. It's you. It's in your hands. You have to choose. You have to take aim to not fill yourself with darkness. So don't be filled with darkness. Stop window shopping for sin, thinking it doesn't affect you. I'm not buying it. There's no immediate hit, but it does affect you and it will cost you.

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Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 verse 29, he says, if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Jesus says, talking about the eye, hey, if your eye is an issue and it's filling your life with darkness, gouge it out. Get rid of it. Now, quick disclaimer, this is not a physical literal command. Don't actually gouge out your eye.

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The point that Jesus is making is, look, you're filling yourself with darkness through your eye and you're going to end up in hell. And you're going to be experiencing eternal punishment because you would not cut off those things that were filling you with darkness. See, often we get to the point where we know this is an issue. We know this is what God wants us to do. We know this is a struggle. So what can I do? And the Lord says, you need to cut the cable.

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Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What about the games, Lord? I mean, the games are important. We're not willing to count the cost. We're not willing to do what it takes. Jesus says, look, gouge it out. Get rid of it. Hey, if the computer's a problem, get rid of it. If there's issues, if there's things that they're filling you with darkness, they're stirring up these sinful desires, these cravings within you.

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Get them out of your life. If it means you have to quit your job, then quit your job. If it means that you have to move, then move. Get the sinful desires out of your life. Root them out. Get rid of them. Cut them out. Cut them off. Don't put up with them and continue to fill yourself with darkness. Because what you look at fills you. And you might think that it doesn't.

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You might think that it doesn't affect you, but it does. Jesus says it does. It fills your mind, it fills your heart, and it directs your body. Your eye fills your body. So don't be filled with darkness. Instead, final point, verse 36, Jesus says, Be filled with light. Be filled with light. Verse 36 says,

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If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light. If your whole body is full of light, he says, then you'll be full of light. The point is, whatever enters your eye fills your body. And if you're looking at the things that are of the Lord, things of light, things that are good, then you will be filled with light.

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Back in verse 33, when Jesus says, if your eye is good, then you'll be filled with light. That word good, it literally means singleness or simplicity or absence of folds. It's the idea of a focus, a singleness of focus. If you're focused on the things of God, if you're focused on the things that are of the Lord, that are light, then you will be filled with light.

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Jesus also makes this point in Matthew chapter 6. This same account that we're reading right here is in Matthew chapter 6 as well. He talks about the lamp on the stand, how it affects the body. But then he goes on in Matthew 6 24 to say, no one can serve two masters. No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. He says you cannot serve God and mammon or money. You can't serve two masters.

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It's one or the other. Singleness. Focus. So many times we try to look at both. You ever try to make your eyes look opposite directions? We try that. I want to be of the Lord. I want to walk with the Lord. I want to have salvation. I want to be in the world. I want to enjoy the things of the world. I want to have fun in sin. We try to do both.

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And Jesus, in this same context, he says you can't serve two masters. You have to pick one. You have to choose what you're going to focus on, what you're going to take aim at. You know, when you're going through driver's education, they teach you not to have tunnel vision, right? You're always looking around, checking the lanes, looking in your mirrors. But in a spiritual walk, you need to have tunnel vision to be focused on the Lord. And so if you are filling yourself with darkness by what you're looking at,

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The instruction to you would be repent. The idea of repentance is to turn away. It's 180 degree turn. So here you are filling yourself with darkness. To repent is to turn away and fill yourself with light. It's to do the opposite. So you're struggling with greed. You're struggling with lust. You're struggling. Now turn away and do the opposite. You're filling yourself with covetousness. Now turn away and be filled with generosity. Be filled with giving.

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Focus on the things that God has commanded and instructed. Fill yourself with good examples. Look at the things that build you up and encourage you toward the things of God. I like Proverbs 7, 2. It says, keep my commands and live and my law as the apple of your eye. God says, look, keep my commands, keep my law as the apple of your eye, the center of your eye. Keep it that close. Keep your focus there.

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Keep your attention there. And he says the result will be there at the end of verse 36 as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light. So if you're looking at the light, you're focused on the light, you're going to be filled with the light as with the bright shining of a lamp. So if you look at the light, you'll be filled with light. Now to be filled with light, to have light, listen, this is a really great thing.

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I mean, not only is it because it's what God said and because it's what God commanded and it's going to be building you up, but being filled with light is refreshing. It's encouraging. It's renewing. It's restoring. Remember Jesus said, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Now he wasn't talking about bright light. He was talking about weight, right? But there's this parallel here between the light weight and the light bright.

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Where he says, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. When you fill yourself with the things of the Lord and you're filled with light, there's this weightlessness, this great joy, this overflow, as opposed to darkness. Darkness is heavy. And as you fill yourself with darkness, there's this heaviness upon you. There's this burden that you carry. There's this pressure and this oppression that pushes on you, that crushes you.

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shackles that bind you. As you fill yourself with darkness, it's heavier and heavier. But Jesus says, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. And as the light enters in, as you are filled with light, you experience that weightlessness where those burdens are released. The burdens are lifted. The guilt is released. You're set free by the light.

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So you will have light as you receive in the light. But I would also extend this to say you will be a light. You know when you're filled with darkness, it's hard to be a light. Again, we can consider Lot as an example. When the Lord told him, hey, get out. I'm bringing judgment. He tried to go warn his family. But they just laughed at him. His witness was just completely destroyed. He was a dark light because he lived there in full compromise. And so he wasn't a bright light. Wasn't very effective. Wasn't impacting.

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He was a dark witness. In Matthew 5, Jesus used this picture of a lamp on a stand to say, you are the light of the world. Let your light shine. And so not only will you be filled with light, the yoke is easy and the burden is light and those burdens will be lifted, but also you will be a light. You will shine forth. Sometimes we try to go around this. We try to, you know, be the light without being filled with light. We try to do good things. We try to serve people, be nice to them, invite them to church.

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Meanwhile, we're filling ourselves with darkness. And we wonder, how come it's not very effective? You got to get things in order. First, be filled with light. Fill yourself with the things of God. And then, as you serve, as you reach out, as you minister, you will be shining forth the light of God from within because you are filled with light. What you look at fills you.

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And you might think that you can look at things and it doesn't affect you. But whether it's things of God or things of this world, what you look at is what fills you. And it affects you. Jesus says so. It fills your mind. It fills your heart. And it directs your body. So what are you looking at? What are you filling yourself with? My gymnastics coach used to always tell me, where you look is where you go. Where you look is where you go.

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When you're tumbling, when you're doing flips, when you're doing whatever, on the parallel bars, on the horse, whatever you're doing, where you look, that's where you're going to go. If you want to go straight ahead, you better be looking straight ahead. Because if you turn sideways and look over there, you're in the air, you're going to be turning sideways. You're not going to land the way that you think you're going to land. You got to maintain that fixed gaze. Or maybe you've experienced it this way. I've used this illustration before, but it's been a while, so maybe it's fresh for you.

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You know when you're riding a bike and you're going down the road and then there's this rut or there's this, you know, the curb or, you know, there's something right here next and you're like, oh, I don't want to go there. What's our tendency? Our tendency is to fix our gaze on that thing. I don't want to go there. I don't want to go there. I don't want to go there. And what happens? We go there. We get stuck. We fall over. We flip. You know the way to do that? You know the way to handle that? The way that you can rescue yourself from that?

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don't look where you don't want to go. Look up, look where you want to go, and you will go there. But if you look where you don't want to go, you're going to go where you don't want to go. And if you keep looking at the world, and if you keep looking at the things that are not of God, you're going to go away from God. Because you're filling yourself with darkness. Get your eyes off of yourself. Get your eyes off of your sin, and set your eyes on Jesus.

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The worship team is going to come up and close us in a song. As they do, let me read to you from Hebrews chapter 1. I'm sorry, Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1 and 2. It says,

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who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The author of Hebrews says, look, we need to lay aside the weight and the sin. That is, in terms of what we're talking about today, we need to lay aside the things of darkness. The things that are filling us with darkness.

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And he says, looking unto Jesus. So removing our gaze from the things of sin and looking unto Jesus to run with endurance the race that he set before us. Are you ready right now, this morning, to lay aside sin? To stop filling yourself with darkness and to look to Jesus and be filled with his glorious light.

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As they lead us in this song, I want to challenge you, I want to encourage you. Do that. Turn away. Repent. Let go of those things. Gouge out the I. Not physically, but do whatever it takes. Cut the sin out of your life that you could be filled with light. Do that in your heart as we worship Him now. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word.

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