Join me in your Bible, please, in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs and chapter 20. Proverbs 20. I have So turn to Proverbs 20, I'm gonna read a couple verses out of the Gospel of John, but then that's where our text is, is Proverbs 20. John In chapter 1, and you might even be able to have some of this memorized perhaps, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." Over in John 8, verse 12, it says, Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Now our text. Proverbs 20 and verse 27. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly. Father, I pray and ask you would help us this morning. Would you give me clear thought and clear speech that your truth might not be hindered, but might go forth with clarity. Use, Father, I pray your word as only you can. You know the needs of every heart, each person who's gathered, each family, each community. Father, you know what is needed. And so I pray that you would take your truth and make application as needed. Perhaps, Father, there may be one amongst us who's never trusted Christ as their personal Savior. And we would ask that you might be pleased to work in that life, draw them unto yourself, help them to see their need, to put their faith in Jesus Christ, that this might be the day that they are saved and redeemed. Father, would you work in the heart of your children, you know, the things that each and every one of us face. And we are desperately in need of your strength and encouragement and guidance. Would you help us now, I pray, in Jesus' name, amen. This is the Christmas season, of course, and it's the Season of Lights. That's actually the title of our new Christmas track that's out there in the track rack, and I think some of them are at the Welcome Center. And that's even the title of the cantata, if I remember correctly, Season of Light. And Christmastime is a time of lights this afternoon, there'll be the lighting of all the lights downtown, and perhaps you already have your Christmas tree up, if you're of that kind of a notion. I won't ask you, so you won't be embarrassed if you're the only one. We do not. We would have. except the garage door's stuck shut. I can't get in. So that'll be a big challenge for me. But usually the day after Thanksgiving is the day of Christmas decorating fever. And we didn't quite get that done this time, but it will be coming, amen? The season of lights. And of course, The truth, regardless of all the cultural festivities that we add to the day, the birth of Christ is a time of light. Those that walked in darkness saw a great light, the Bible says. The shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night, it says, the glory of the Lord shone round about them. How could that not be a beaming light? There was the star, whatever the star was, I mean, I think I know what it was, but that's just my opinion, but it was bright. It was bright enough that the wise men followed it all the way from the east. They saw it and it directed them right to where Jesus was. So it is a season of light. Light's a wonderful thing. Candles, blinky lights, whatever kind of lights. Light's a wonderful thing. Light is visible and invisible. If you didn't know that, there's the infrared light and then there's the Whatever the other one is. Ultraviolet, thank you. So they're at the two ends of the spectrum, the visible light's in the middle, you know. And that's pretty amazing. The study of light is pretty phenomenal. The speed of light is amazing. That's pretty fast. 186. Yeah, that's it. That's pretty fast, amen. That's pretty fast. And what's amazing, actually, is if you go to that fountainhead of old wisdom Wikipedia, and type in light, and just read a couple articles in there, people were trying to study the speed of light like in the 1600s, long, long time ago, and they weren't that far off, considering the lack of all of our modern equipment that we can do all that stuff, you know, with great precision, they were not off all that far. That's pretty amazing, isn't it? All that God has made. Light is a wonderful thing. In the book of Genesis, it says, in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. Right? And then it says, and God said, let there be light. Light. From that point forward, light seems to be associated with God and righteousness and darkness, with things that are evil and bad. Darkness is simply the absence of light. I don't know how else to describe it. I tried to look up some definitions of light, and they all used some form of the word light to define light. It was not very helpful. Things you can see, it's like, well, of course, because if the light was out, I wouldn't see anything. So I was kind of like, duh. We use the concept of darkness or the absence of light to describe periods of time, such as the Dark Ages, or sometimes it's called the Middle Ages, depends on which historian you're reading and how they want to define it. The Dark Ages is that time when there was a lot of ignorance and superstition and Not a lot of revelation of God's truth. It seemed to have been hidden, you might say. I found it interesting that historians of a particular theological bent don't appreciate those ages being called the Dark Ages. They think they're the Golden Ages. That's interesting. In the beginning of worldwide missions, after William Carey went to India, The whole continent of Africa was called the Dark Continent only because there was an absence of gospel light there. It was a dark continent. We can talk about somebody having a dark spirit or sometimes we use it to describe ourselves and we say, you know what, I'm completely in the dark about that. Meaning, I don't know anything. Ignorant. Light is a wonderful thing. I want you to look at this verse. Now in John, those passages I read in John, it says that his life is the light of man. And then he says, and more than just John chapter 8, but in other places, Jesus says that he is the light of the world. How can that be? How does that work? What is the truth that God's trying to get us to see? I want you to look at this verse here in Proverbs. because the very wording that Solomon uses here, which is very picturesque. Proverbs is a book that's filled with object lessons and visual aids, if you will. He's using word stories and word pictures to help us think about some things. And it says in verse 27, the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. Candles are interesting. I was just reading a little bit about the history of candle making, and that's gone through a lot of processes. Candles are not naturally occurring. They have to be made. Now you can burn like animal fat or oils and stuff like that. And like they did in days gone by, there'd be open bowls of oil of some sort with a wick in there. And they'd light the wick and that would give light. But that's not a candle. That's not a candle. There were torches and other forms of light, but candles are interesting in that they have to be created. They have to be made. They have to be formed. And even after they're formed, they give no light. They have to be lit in order to give light. He says the spirit of man is the candle The Lord I want you to think first off about the candles formation And I'm talking about you as a candle The candles formation in Genesis chapter 2 it says in the Lord God form man of the dust of the ground and breathe into his nostrils the breath of life And man became a living soul. Now we won't go into a big grammar lesson, but the breath of life is the same as the spirit of life. It came from God. God shaped man and then he put within man the potential and the ability to be lit and to shine for him. The formation of the candle, the spirit of man, is the candle of the Lord. You are a three-part being, body, soul, and spirit. And even somebody who doesn't know the Lord as their Savior is still a three-part being. They're an unlit candle. They have the potential to shine forth the Lord. in a bright way, but it has to be lit. It has to be lit. So think about that. You're a candle, and God's made you with the possibility to shine his glory, to show him to the world. Now think about Jesus. Jesus came down and he shown the Father, didn't he? When Thomas said, show us the Father and it sufficeth us. And Jesus said, have I been with you so long and yet still you don't know? If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. Jesus was a lit candle, if I can say it that way. Because he was fully God and fully man. And that was a candle that was completely lit, shining forth. That's why Jesus said, I am the light of the world. I'm the light of the world. I'm shining forth the glory of God, the creator of all. I'm showing it out, the candle's formation. Well, that helps me in many ways. One way is it helps me to recognize the value of each living person. I don't have to agree with them in any fashion. I can disagree on every issue, every topic, but they are still made in the image of God, and they bear His image, and they bear the possibility of shining His glory. That makes them precious. That makes human life sacred. and precious beyond comprehension actually. I think it was Harry Ironside, I was reading his commentary about this verse and he talked about how the most degraded human being, the most backwards, the most isolated, the most degenerated, you know, whatever, some person in some obscure place who lives an extremely primitive life, man at his lowest state seeks to show the light of God. which is why they're worshiping animals or they're rocks or whatever. There's something within man that drives him to recognize God. But you could take any other beast, the highest functioning beast there is, and they don't look for God at all. Not at all. Researchers who've gone through the jungle and they're looking to find, you know, I don't know what you call a group of gorillas. There's probably a term for that. But what they don't find is they don't find a temple. They don't find a worship site. They don't find an altar. They may find indications of some sort of societal behavior, interaction, etc. but they don't find evidence of rational worship of a God. Only man has that, because only man is the candle of the Lord. Only man. Because only man did God bend down and instill something divine in that which was human. That's quite important for us. That is such a foundational truth. It's probably why I tend to repeat that often. Because we need to be reminded of that truth. Alright? The candle's formation. Next, I want you to think about the candle's illumination. Illumination. Psalms 18.28 says, For thou will light my candle. The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. So just because an individual has the potential, like a candle, to show forth light, it's not showing any light until it's lit. It has to be lit first. Then it shows light. When we have the holes in the darkness ceremony during the missions conference, and everybody's coming forward with their candle, and there's a candle burning down here on the communion table representing the church, okay, 1st Baptist, and there's the candle and there's the flame. The flame isn't 1st Baptist. The flame is the Lord. Notice our text doesn't say The spirit of man is the flame of the Lord. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. It has the potential to show the light of the Lord, but it has to be lit with the Lord's light. That's why David says, for thou wilt light my candle. The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. Because without the light of the Lord, we're in the dark. We're in the dark. Personally, within our families, within our communities, within our nation. All of humanity is in the dark without the Lord. They need His light. His light. Do you understand what I'm saying? They need to be saved. Because though they're made in the image of God, they have no guarantee of heaven. They're in condemnation. Jesus said, men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Their deeds are evil. And the more our own culture and our own nation, the more we as a people push God to the side, push him out of the public square, deny his existence, deny his truth, push him over here and say that he's irrelevant to everything else in our life, the darker we get as a culture. That doesn't mean necessarily that we become more violent or more... I'm not saying that. I'm saying there is an absence of God's light. No wonder there's been such a transformation of our own culture. And that's not to say that our culture somehow was redeemed and lily pure or something. I'm certainly not implying that. There was plenty of wickedness before America was even America. That's not what I'm saying. But there was a time when our culture recognized the existence of God, and the validity and the authority of His truth, and things were kind of ordered along that way, and the more that's pushed aside, the more free man is to do what he wants without God. We could just go to Romans chapter 1. and see the evidence and the progression of where that goes, where men are exalting the creature above the creator. They go into idolatry, which is hand in hand with immorality. They go together, because man now is free from any restraints to live in light of the God who made him. even though he's still the candle of the Lord. But he's not been lit yet. They need the gospel. They need Christ. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom also we all had our conversation in times past That's in the darkness, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and we're by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who's rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins. I'm going to rephrase that. even when we were trapped in the darkness of sin. Because before you got saved, you weren't in the dirt, you were walking around, living, interacting, behaving in certain ways, maybe a good citizen, but at the very best, an unsaved man can live for himself. And at worst, he lives to the damage and detriment of others. We were dead in sins. He's dead to God. He's disconnected. He's unlit. He says, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened, made alive, us together with Christ. Jesus, His life is the light of men that come into the world. He is the light of life. And when the Bible talks about quickening us, to use the word picture that Solomon's giving for us here in Proverbs, is the Lord lights your candle. And now, the flame that's there is not you, the flame is Christ. You're the candle. That part of you, your spirit, which allows you to have a spiritual dimension, a spiritual recognition, spiritual interaction, whatever kind of way you want to describe it, that's what links you to the Lord. Now you're lit, you're energized, you're plugged in. And your candle is showing forth light. That's why the Lord says, you know, you don't light a candle and put it under a bushel, do you? You put it on a candlestick. Because the whole point is for the light to be shown. So you can see where you're going. The candle's illumination. For thou wilt light my candle. He's going to light me up. And now I have a purpose. I have a function other than just myself. Thirdly, I want you to think about the candle's utilization. Job 32 and verse 8 says, but there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. And When he's talking about the inspiration of the Almighty, he's talking about that breath that God gave, that impartation of something of the divine into the earthly, so that man became a living soul. Job 29 in verse 3, he says, When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness, Part of the reason God wants to light your candle is so you can see your own way. So you don't have to be bound by sin. You can be freed. Philippians 2 15 that ye may be blameless and harmless the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world. That's what we're supposed to be. If God's lit your candle, you're supposed to be shining out the light of Christ in this dark world. So that the dark world knows where to go. They're not lost in the dark. Matthew 5, 14, Jesus says, ye are the, ye are the light of the world. Now how does that happen if he said he's the light of the world? Do we become Jesus? No. But our candles are lit because he lights our candle with his flame. And now that's what's on our, that's what's burning, that's what's shining. It's the light of Christ shining on our candle. And now we become the light of the world. Because Jesus isn't here anymore, is he? No, he's not. He's in heaven at the right hand of the Father. The Spirit dwells within us. We have him within us, but he's not here physically, which is why he said he had to go away and that greater works his followers would do. How is it we do greater works? When Jesus was here, the only place he could shine his light was in the little country of Israel. That was it. One place, the light of Christ is shining out and his fame went abroad so much that the scribes and the Pharisees and the priests and all those people, they wanted to kill him. That's how dark they were. That's how dark Herod was. Herod was so dark, he said, I know Jesus. If that's the Messiah, he is the true king, and I hate him, and I want him dead. That sounds like a guy who's in the dark. Doesn't it? That's bad. Well, the light of Christ only shone in Israel. So how is it greater things are being done? Because now the light of Christ shines around the globe. around the globe. Here in America, Canada, Mexico, Brother Yates is down in Mexico right now. Over in Burma, Brother Davis, Brother McQueary as he travels around Turkey and then all the people that he's led to the Lord and various churches that have been started in that country. And we can think about all over Africa, Kenya, the Hesher Swartz are there, and the Fulkers who are gonna be with us in a little bit, in Cameroon, and other missionaries, and people who've been led to the Lord in that country. Brother Yinka, who's now back on the evangelist trail and going back and forth to Nigeria like he was before, and he's preaching the gospel, and the light of Christ is shining around the globe. greater light is now shining than what was shining when Christ was walking around Israel. Because now His light has been transferred and other candles have been lit. That's the whole illustration of the, you know, don't light your candle and put it on a bushel, but you put it on a candlestick. Okay? The candlestick from Revelation we know is the church. And so when your light is lit, the Lord intends for you to stick your candle on the candlestick with a bunch of other candles. So to collectively together, we shine even brighter than if we were all by ourselves. Not because the flame is bigger, but because there's more outlets for the flame. There's more ways for that light to shine. The Lord intends, if he calls us a candle, What happens to candles? They burn and eventually they're gone, right? They're consumed. Candles are consumable. And that's us. You say, I don't like that illustration. Well, you know what? You're consumable whether you're lit or not. Because you don't get to live forever on this planet enjoying your health and wealth and fame and fortune. The day is coming when your earthly life will be at an end, will it not? Only when life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last. That's it. So you can either have your light lit by Jesus Christ and shine forth his glory and be used to light the light of others as you share the light of Christ, or you can stand in the corner and be useless. I said, Pastor, that's not very nice. You're right, that's not, it wasn't very, as soon as I said it, I was like, boy, I shouldn't have said it like that. That was pretty blunt. But that's the truth, isn't it? That's the truth. It's intended that he might use us. But there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. So when I have the light of Christ, then that word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. He enlightens. Just go read Psalm 119 one time and read about what God's Word is going to do for you and how it's going to enlighten your life and give you direction. So ye are the light of the world, Jesus said. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Verse 16, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. See, the Lord lighting your candle is for your benefit and the benefit of others. It's for both. That's the utilization of the candle. So, in conclusion, what light is shining through you. You don't get to pick whether there is light, or that, maybe I should say that, you don't get to pick whether you're illustrating something, because everybody's illustrating something. Jesus says in Luke 11, 33-36, No man, when he hath lighted a candle, put it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light." It's almost like he's repeating what he said in Sermon on the Mount. But in this particular case, he goes on to give some more instruction. He says, the light of the body is the eye. Therefore, when thine eye is single, meaning you're focused, he's talking about being focused with purpose. If you're single-minded about the things of God, He says, thy whole body also is full of light. But, when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light." What's your life focused on? That's what's shining out. And if we're focused on the temporary of this life, Whether that's our wealth, whether that's our recreation, whatever, that's temporary, isn't it? You've never, I mean, preachers say this all the time, and it's sort of tongue-in-cheek, and everybody sort of chuckles, but hearses do not pull U-haul trailers. Because you're leaving everything. I know how much everyone in this room, when you do, I know exactly what you're going to leave. So how do you know? You've been looking at my tithe check? Nope. Because you're going to leave everything. You're not taking one dime, one dollar. You're not taking one precious article of whatever possessions are precious to you. I'll not take a single volume out of my library. None of that will go. Everything stays. Everything. And if I'm focused on the temporary and not the eternal, my eye might be filled with the wrong thing. So think about Jesus. It's the season of light. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is your banker. Is that what it says? No, no. A Savior, which is your employer. Is that what it says? Nope. a Savior, which is your husband, your wife, your kids, your parents, your friends. Nope. And I'm not dismissing any of those things. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. That's the light I need lit. That's the light I need. Unsaved people have wealth and riches and friends and fame and everything else that has to do with life. We're going through the same kind of process, aren't we? But the light that I need on my candle is the light of Christ. Because that's the only thing that's going to save people, is Christ. And he's reached down and he's lit my candle. And I would say he's probably lit most everybody else's candle that's here this morning. And he didn't light your candle so that you could go hide in a corner or under a bushel or not join in with the other candles. He lit your candle because he wants his light to guide you and draw them. So what's shining? What's shining? Father, would you help us this morning? We're beginning the Christmas season, and how wonderful it is that you loved us so much that you would send your Savior, your Son, to be our Savior. You saw fit to shine your light in a very special way through Christ. You were gracious enough to extend that light to us. And we thank you for that. And that is why we celebrate and we revel at this time of year. And I think that's quite appropriate. Sometimes father in all of our revelry and celebration We kind of get our eyes on all of that and not really on you so I pray you'd help us Father there may be somebody here this morning who Their candles not been lit yet They have the exact same potential to shine the light of Christ as anybody else If they would let you light their candle If someone like that is with us, would you draw them? Help them to see their need to trust in Jesus that they might be forgiven and cleansed and placed into his family. Father, would you work in the hearts of your children that we might be the shining lights you intend us to be? Help us please.