Confession Study #6

Psalm 51
God, be merciful to me because you are loving. Because you are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs. Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again. I know about my wrongs, and I can't forget my sin. You are the only one I have sinned against; I have done what you say is wrong. You are right when you speak and fair when you judge. I was brought into this world in sin. In sin my mother gave birth to me. You want me to be completely truthful, so teach me wisdom. Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you crushed be happy again. Turn your face from my sins and wipe out all my guilt. Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again. Do not send me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach your ways to those who do wrong, and sinners will turn back to you. God, save me from the guilt of murder, God of my salvation, and I will sing about your goodness. Lord, let me speak so I may praise you. You are not pleased by sacrifices, or I would give them. You don't want burnt offerings. The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin. Do whatever good you wish for Jerusalem. Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with right sacrifices and whole burnt offerings, and bulls will be offered on your altar.

• Another example of confession and humility together. David had sinned with Bathsheba and made this Psalm in response. 

Micah 7:8-10
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness. Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, she who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?” My eyes will see her downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets.

• Coming out of the darkness into the light through confession and humility! What a great combination!

Confess is a verb.
Definition: admit, confirm
Synonyms: acknowledge, affirm, allow, assert, attest, aver, avow, blow, blurt out, chirp, clue in, come clean, come out, concede, confide, declare, disclose, divulge, dump on, evince, finger, fink, grant, humble oneself, leak, let on, level with, make clean breast of, manifest, narrate, open one's heart, own, own up, post, profess, prove, rat on, recognize, relate, reveal, sing, snitch, sound off, spill the beans, spit out, squeal, tip hand, unload, vent, weasel
Antonyms: conceal, deny, disavow, disown, hide, mask, repudiate, secrete

The Light Study #9

Proverbs 15:30
Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

• I read this as you should share your faith. But it could also be read as visiting someone with good news (IE: good news sharing) lifts up the spirit. So, it is probably both.

Proverbs 20:27
The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being.

• OK, this one is definitely about sharing your faith. Your heart is being convicted by the Spirit that is in you.

Ecclesiastes 2:13-14
I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.

• Being in the light is better than being in the darkness.

John 11:9-10
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

• If you are in the darkness, you will stumble. If you walk in the light, you will not stumble.

1 John 2:3-11
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

• If you are in the light, you have to love everyone, including your enemy (but not the devil, it's OK to hate the devil).

The Light Study #8

John 9:1-5
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

• You know, I think that still applies today, that Jesus is the light of the world even now. He's the light that is in the Christians today. If there is light, then Jesus is there.

John 12:35-36
Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

• When you believe in Jesus, you become a child of the light. Or at least you might be able to become a child of the light. It does say that you 'MAY' become children of light.

John 12:44-46
Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

• Jesus came as a light, so that people wouldn't stay in darkness.

Ephesians 5:8-13
You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

• If I live as a child of light, then there would be fruit of the light, such as goodness, righteousness, and truth. I need to find out what pleases the Lord and do that. I also need to have nothing to do with fruitless deeds, but focus on exposing those deeds. Everything illuminated becomes a light. So if sin is exposed, it, too becomes a light. I may not be understanding that correctly.

The Light Study #7

Luke 11:33-36
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

• Everything seems to go back to what you look at with your eyes. If you are looking at darkness, then your heart becomes full of darkness. If you look at righteous things, then your heart becomes full of light... kind of like the saying, 'you are what you eat' but in this case, 'you are what you see.'

John 1:1-13
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

• Jesus is the light of mankind and overcomes the darkness.

John 3:19-21
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

• If you do evil things, you are communicating that you hate the light, thus you hate Jesus. That is what you deeds indicate. But if you live by the truth, you come into the light, showing that everything you have done was with God watching and overseeing the work.

John 8:12
Later, Jesus talked to the people again, saying, "I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness but will have the light that gives life."

• If you follow Jesus, you live in the light that gives life and never live in the darkness.

The Light Study #6

Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

• What good is it if there is light in a room and nobody is in the room? It's useless. In the same way, if a person is full of light, but they do nothing with it, wouldn't that be useless too?

Matthew 6:19-24
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

• What is interesting in this passage is that the darkness is talked about like it is a type of light. kind of like you could shine your darkness on someone... and I guess, in a sense, you could. If you body is full of light, your eyes will show it.

Luke 8:16-18
“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”

• I find that intriguing that it says 'be careful how you LISTEN.' It's not careful what you think, or be careful what you say, but be careful how you listen. It does make sense. What you hear will have an affect on you, whether positively or negatively. Food for thought.

The Light Study #5

Psalm 89:15-18
Happy are the people who know how to praise you. Lord, let them live in the light of your presence. In your name they rejoice and continually praise your goodness. You are their glorious strength, and in your kindness you honor our king. Our king, our shield, belongs to the LORD, to the Holy One of Israel.

• There are ways you can praise God. There has to be knowledge in how to do it, as some KNOW how to praise the Lord. Those who know how to praise God life in the light.

Psalm 97:10-12
People who love the Lord hate evil. The Lord watches over those who follow him and frees them from the power of the wicked. Light shines on those who do right; joy belongs to those who are honest. Rejoice in the LORD, you who do right. Praise his holy name.

• If you love God then you hate evil. Light shines on those who do right. 

Psalm 119:105, 113-114, 117, 120
Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. I hate disloyal people, but I love your teachings. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Help me, and I will be saved. I will always respect your demands. I shake in fear of you; I respect your laws.

• The word is like a light for my path. The word lights the way.

Proverbs 6:20-23
My son, keep your father's commands, and don't forget your mother's teaching. Keep their words in mind forever as though you had them tied around your neck. They will guide you when you walk. They will guard you when you sleep. They will speak to you when you are awake. These commands are like a lamp; this teaching is like a light. And the correction that comes from them will help you have life.

• Do I look at God's commands like a light? The corrections that come from them give life direction and help me have life. Am I going aimlessly or do I have direction?

Isaiah 5:20-21
How terrible it will be for people who call good things bad and bad things good, who think darkness is light and light is darkness, who think sour is sweet and sweet is sour. How terrible it will be for people who think they are wise and believe they are clever.

• How terrible it will be for people who think that darkness is light and light is darkness.

The Light Study #4

Psalm 27
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

 The Lord is light and salvation. Goes back to Genesis 1 where it talks about in the beginning there was light. God is light. Question: Do I see God as my possession? Do I see him as my salvation?

Psalm 36:5, 9
Lord, your love reaches to the heavens, your loyalty to the skies. You are the giver of life. Your light lets us enjoy life.

 Having God's light allows me to enjoy life. Without the light, it is truly difficult to enjoy life on a deep level.

Psalm 43:3
Send me your light and truth to guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to where you live.

 God is the one who can send light. Light is also a guide.

Psalm 56:12-13
God, I must keep my promises to you. I will give you my offerings to thank you, because you have saved me from death. You have kept me from being defeated. So I will walk with God in light among the living.

 This passage shows thanks... but the key thing to take note is that I must keep my promises to God to walk in the light. God is the one that has kept me alive and from defeat.

The Need for Light

1 Peter 2:9-10
Out of darkness into the light.

Did you know that the US is only 4% of the world population?

7 BILLION sinners in this world. The world is a dark place. What can I do to change it?

I live in a dark world. People are hurting. Satan doesn't want me to see the world that way. He 'spins' it to look differently.

Galatians 1:6-9
No one can change the gospel. An angel can not change the gospel.

Matthew 5:14-16
We are called 'a light'. The light of the world. The world needs more light. Jesus changed twelve people to change the world. How do we get more light? Change people.

Matthew 9:35-38
---the solution is more workers.

Do I see the world as Jesus sees the world? Do I see people as harassed and helpless?

Luke 10:29-37
Action and compassion go hand and hand.

Am I indifferent to the needs of others? Do I pay attention to the needs of other people? A 2 year old is hit by a van. Twice. And people just walk by as if nothing has happened. A homeless man finally helps the injured child who later dies due to the injuries sustained.

Love my neighbor as myself. People have no hope. They are hopeless. My neighbor feels hopeless, harassed and helpless. Am I going to do something?

Acts 17:16-17, 22-23
Paul shared with people... who happened to be there.

Acts 19:8-10
Don't let obstinacy get in the way of sharing my faith. Texas needs more light. DFW needs more light.

The Light Study #3

Psalm 27
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

This Psalm is becoming... kind of like my inspiration right now. It gives me hope in my moment of darkness and trying to be restored to God.

The Light Study #2

2 Samuel 22:26-30
“To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.”

2 Samuel 23:2-4
“The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’

Job 12:22
[God] reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.

Job 24:13-17
“There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths. When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up, kills the poor and needy, and in the night steals forth like a thief. The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed. In the dark, thieves break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light. For all of them, midnight is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness.

Job 28:11
They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light.

Job 30:26
Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.

Psalm 19:7-8
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The Light Study #1

Exodus 35:4-29
Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the LORD has commanded: From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

“All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”

 Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD. Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.