Sarah Thomas - Living, Praying & Shining His Light - Sunday, June 14, 2026

I'm going to start this morning with a pre-story.

As I was praying and asking God what I should share today, he said what I should read and share today.

He said to read and share from John 18.

I was telling uh Warren and Rwanda earlier, and as I read through John 18, I was a bit surprised.

So I said to God, you know, I tend to be an encourager.

This passage is filled with uh betrayal, yucky things like ears being cut off, uh Jesus being arrested, uh Peter denying Jesus, people hitting and tying Jesus up, a big crowd choosing to set an actual criminal free and therefore sentencing Jesus to death.

Not very encouraging so far.

And so I was like, sure, surely that can't be right.

Surely that can't be right.

It doesn't sound joyful or encouraging.

Uh so I read through um Matthew 18 and Luke 18.

They sounded much better.

Uh I thought those chapters were just much more delightful.

And Mark only has 16 chapters, so it couldn't have been that book.

Um, so I decided that I would go with Matthew or Luke.

It was up to God.

No worries.

Uh and I will give you one guess uh about who won the argument uh between God saying for me to share from John 18 and and me really strongly suggesting that I share from either Luke or Matthew instead.

I'll give you one guess.

One guess.

So if you have your Bibles today or your apps, let's open up to John 18.

Let's read John 18, verse 1.

John 18:1

Uh when he had finished praying, Jesus left his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.

On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

The chapter starts with when he had finished praying.

When Jesus had finished praying, and I thought, what had he been praying?

So I looked back at John 17 to have a look.

And I read that Jesus prays for himself, he prays for his disciples, and then he prays for us, people who we get to hear the good news of Jesus, those who we get to believe.

The last thing Jesus did before he was betrayed by Judas was pray for us.

Let me read it to you, the prayer that Jesus prayed to you and I.

For you and I.

John 17, starting in verse 20.

I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message.

That's us.

I pray that they may all be one.

Father, may they in us sorry, Father, may they be in us just as you are in me and I am in you.

May they be one so that the world will believe that you sent me.

I gave them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one just as you and I are one.

I in them, you and me, so that they may be completely one in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me.

Father, you have given them to me, and I want them to be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory.

The glory you gave me, for you loved me before the world was made.

Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you, and those know that and these know that you sent me.

I made you known to them, and I will continue to do so, in order that the love you have for me may be in them, so that I also may be in them.

Jesus prayed for us to live in unity.

He prayed for us to know and see and experience his glory.

He prayed for us to know the Father's love and to live in that love in the same union that Jesus has with his Father and the Holy Spirit.

I'll just read verse 22 again.

I gave them the same glory you gave me.

Jesus has given us the same glory that his father gave him, that they may be one as we are one.

Again, that we they may be one as we are one.

There is nothing more perfect than the connection, the communion, the unity, the relationship between Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

And here Jesus is praying that we have the same connection and communion with Him.

In them and you in me, I in them and you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity.

It's extraordinary.

In verse 26, it says, The love you have for me may be in them, and that I also may be in them.

This is the last line that Jesus of the prayer that Jesus prayed before he was betrayed.

That same love that the Father has for Jesus will also be in us.

He prayed that.

He prayed too that he will be in us as well.

The love you have for me may be in them, and that I also may be in them.

We know this.

We we read Psalm 139, verse 7.

Psalms 139:7

That's why it makes sense.

Is there anywhere I can go to run away from your spirit?

Anywhere that I go, you are already there.

Because the Father's love and Jesus are in us all the time.

It says in Psalm 139 that even if we go to heaven, if we go to the place of the dead, he is with us in the morning, he's with us in the middle of the ocean or in total darkness.

He's with us, leading us, loving us, his light shining for us.

So back in John 17, I was thinking, is this a good way for us to also pray?

Like Jesus did.

Praying for ourselves and praying for believers, then praying for those who are yet to believe.

Sounds like a great system to me.

I think so.

I learned something this week that I didn't know.

I didn't know that there's a difference between our Catholic nuns and Catholic sisters.

I thought they were all the same thing.

Nuns are also called sister so-and-so, but there's a difference between nuns and sisters.

Sisters are called to serve in the community.

We see them out and about, we've got a few sisters of mercy here in orange.

Nuns, on the other hand, are called to live in silence and are always called to pray.

And they pray for us, and I didn't know that.

They pray for God's church for believers.

Hundreds of women, hundreds of nuns all around the world spend their entire life praying.

Their calling is to pray.

They obviously have a very orderly plan for what and when and how and who they pray for, but we're on that list.

I love knowing that so much.

That's why I love praying for nations.

It's part of the incredible part of this house, is that every Sunday we pray for a nation.

We pray for brothers and sisters around the world.

They may not know that a little church here in orange is praying for them, but we know, God knows.

And if ever they find out, I reckon their heart will just be so excited about that.

Let's look at the prayer that Jesus prayed for himself.

It says in John 17, verse 1, that Jesus looked up to heaven.

John 17:1

He prayed that his life would show everyone how great his father is.

Verse 4 says, I have shown people here on earth how great you are.

Jesus prayed that his life reflects God's glory, that his life points all of us to his father, so we can have eternal life.

He prayed that the time had come for his true greatness to be revealed, so that everyone will know God and all his goodness and mercy.

And that would be my prayer, too, for myself and each of us, that our lives would reveal the goodness and truth of Jesus and therefore the Father.

Last weekend we were on holidays up towards Queensland and uh and we went to the market in the little town we were visiting.

And at one of the stalls, I saw um thank you stickers on some homemade cards that were for sale.

And I thought, oh, they must be thank you cards.

Lovely, very pretty.

But then I saw that the little packets of homemade earrings also had the same little thank you sticker on them.

And as I kept looking, I saw that everything they were selling had the same little thank you sticker attached.

And my insides, if I would guess, I would say my spirit sort of jumped.

It felt like a little leap inside my belly, and it was just so unexpected and sudden because I just suddenly noticed all these thank yous.

I'm not sure if I gasped, but it felt like such an incredible realization.

In that split second, as I was looking at the things these the two people standing behind the stall had for sale, it was a table filled with thanks.

Unashamed, totally out there for all to see.

Thanks.

Thank you.

I looked up at the two people selling the things that they had made and tried to figure out if they'd seen or heard my leaping insides because it felt like it was loud, it felt really obvious.

And I kind of looked at one of the ladies and it kind of there was this little look of recognition between us.

And I just said, Oh, did did you make these?

And and she said yes.

And I said, Can I have one?

Can I have them?

She said yes.

I said, Did you paint them?

Yes.

And as I paid the lady, uh, another person, the other person wrapped them up and she wrapped them in.

So the earring packet itself had thank you on it, the tissue paper had thank you.

There were other stickers, the the bag that she put it on had thank you back in front.

That she then closed the bag with another little thank you sticker.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank yous were everywhere.

It was unmistakably intentional.

And it was such a testimony to these ladies' life and outlook.

It made me think about what I want my life to say.

How I live, the things I say.

Does everything I do and say reflect the love of Jesus?

Certainly sometimes, but always I don't think so.

Not always.

I shared with Rowana earlier this week about a TV show that I'd seen.

It's very silly.

It's called Zoe Something, something.

Anyway, it's about a girl called Zoe.

She was in an MRI machine.

It's a fictional story.

She was in an MRI machine and there was an earthquake.

I don't actually know what would happen if you were in an MRI machine and there was an earthquake.

But in this case, uh her brain started to be able to hear the songs that people sing inside their own heads.

She essentially hears their hearts' desires and thoughts and dreams and hopes as they sing.

And now she's kind of used to it.

She watches and listens as people sing around her, and often she will act on what she hears.

She intervenes if someone is sad or checks on people if the song was telling her that they were hurting or lonely or sad or scared.

It's a very silly show.

But I also love the idea of it.

She's learning that people have very private inner thoughts that she can now hear, and she really graciously and lovingly does something about them for these people.

It makes me want to be kinder, more aware of people's faces, to look for small clues about how someone might be feeling.

There's an old saying, I'm not sure who said it.

I know that Robin Williams is often credited with it, but I don't know if it was him.

Goes something like this: be kind to everyone you meet.

They might be fighting a battle you know nothing about.

Something close to that.

And it reminds me of this scripture.

Colossians 4.

Starting in verse 2, it says, continue to pray seriously.

Stay awake.

Like people who watch carefully and remember to thank God.

Also pray for us.

Ask God to make it possible for us to tell people his message.

We want people to understand the message about Christ that was a secret before.

I am now in prison because I have taught people these things.

Pray that I will be able to tell people this message clearly.

That is what I should do.

When you are with people who do not believe in Christ, be careful how you live.

Use every chance to do good things.

When you speak to people, always speak kind words.

Say things that will help them.

Then when someone asks you a question, you will know how to reply.

I want to stay awake.

I want to watch carefully.

I want to ask God seriously what I am to say to people, who I am to speak to, how I can tell them about Christ.

I don't want to miss a chance to be kinder, to be softer, to be more understanding, more loving.

I want to hear their heart.

I want to hear what God has for them.

I want my life to be a clear message that Jesus loves everyone.

On Mondays at work, I have the same patient come and see me at nine o'clock every week.

And I always try and wear something extra bright and cheerful on Mondays.

Brighter and more cheerful.

Last Monday, as he was leaving, he said, you know, this Monday appointment when I see you, it's the highlight of my week.

Please insert a crying emoji here.

I looked at him and my heart split in two.

It's such a privilege to carry God's glory within us.

It's an honor to demonstrate it to those around us.

I honestly do nothing special for this gentleman.

I am kind, I am chatty, and I do whatever it is that he's there there for me to do.

And then he heads on his way.

But he sees and feels something more than that, obviously.

It made me think about the scripture that's been highlighted for this church at the start of the year in Matthew 5 verse 14.

Matthew 5:14

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.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

It doesn't say on good days, let your light shine.

It doesn't say when we feel like it, let your light shine.

Implying it says, Let your light shine.

Implying that we can choose to let it shine or not let or choose not to let it shine.

And it's not for our own benefit.

John 18 verse 1 also says that when Jesus finished praying, he went.

John 18:1

He went.

Because after we pray, there's places to go.

There's work to be done.

There's other places to go and pray for.

There's work to do.

And I especially love that it says he left with his disciples.

He lived his life with people, people he had called, people who had chosen to follow him, people who wanted to be near him, people who wanted to learn and hear from him.

He left after he'd prayed with his disciples.

He didn't need them.

He's God.

But he was showing us that we need to live in community.

I was chatting to Tanya at home group this week, and I was saying how important it is that each of us is here, that each of us turns up, that we miss out when even one of us isn't in the room.

Whether it's prayer meeting or church on Sunday or home group, not only does the individual who hasn't come along miss out, we do too.

We miss their prayers.

We miss hearing the revelations that might have come from heaven for them.

We miss the unity.

I know there's circumstances that come up, there's illnesses, there's holidays, there's things out of our control, but absence, your absence is noticed.

It's missed.

We miss part of the glory that is God's glory that's in you when you're not here.

We miss that.

In this church, one of our core values is prayer.

We have pre-service prayer.

We have post-service ministry prayer.

We pray for the nation's mid-service, which we've already done.

We have a Wednesday and a Friday prayer meeting.

We have a school of prayer coming up in a couple of weeks, and we routinely host and host prayer and fasting weeks.

We have an extended prayer ministry as well as an intercession team that meets monthly, specifically to pray for this city and nation.

We are regularly encouraged to pray with each other and for each other, seeking God for words for each other.

Someone from the intercession team is rostered to pray each week and for Sunday on morning in church.

It seems to me that we as a church also have many ways and opportunities to also pray like Jesus did in John 17.

Praying for ourselves, praying for each other, and praying for the lost.

Let's never stop doing that.

In Hebrews 10, verse 25, it says to never stop meeting together.

Hebrews 10:25

To encourage each other.

It's important.

Some people have stopped.

This is the this is not me speaking, this is the Bible.

Some people have stopped meeting with a group of ch Christians.

But that's not good.

We should all continue to meet together.

We need to help one another to be strong and brave.

That is now even more important because the Lord's great day is coming.

You know that the Lord will.

Return soon.

So that's verse one of John 18.

What have we learned so far?

We learned one of the ways Jesus prays is that he prays for himself, for believers, and for us.

And out of those prayers, we learned that our lives should shine and reflect Jesus to those around us.

And that Jesus is always with us.

Because he prayed that he would also be in us.

We learned that Jesus has given us the same glory that his Father gave him.

We also learned that Jesus lived in community with other believers.

And we should as well.

So let's keep reading John 18, because that's what I've been told to do.

Starting in verse 2.

John 18.

Might be a long morning at this place.

I'm kidding.

It's not be done.

Now Judas who betrayed him knew the place because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.

So Judas came to the garden guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees.

They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons, and Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, Who is it that you want?

Jesus of Nazareth, they replied, I am he, Jesus said.

And Judas, the traitor, was standing there with them.

Then Jesus said, I am he, and they drew back and fell to the ground.

And he asked them, Who is it you want?

Jesus of Nazareth, they said.

Jesus replied, I told you that I am he.

If you are looking for me, then please let these men go.

That that this happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled.

I have not lost one of those you gave me.

It says in verse four, Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, Who is it that you want?

He faced his accusers head on.

It says, knowing all that was going to happen to him, not only facing death, but facing the betrayals.

Tanya was telling us about it this morning, the denials, the humiliation, the beatings, the whippings, the false accusations, the weight of our sins, the loss of communion and communication with his father in heaven.

Knowing all of that, he walked up to the soldiers and officials and spoke to them face on.

It's pretty brave.

Who is it you want?

This week I also learned that buffaloes are the only animal on the planet that run into storms.

They charge the storm.

They face them head on, literally running into them because it's the fastest way they know they're going to get through the storm.

Running away prolongs the storm.

You're in it for longer.

Facing the storm headlong, running through it makes it go faster.

You're out the other side faster.

That's incredible.

I love that.

I love that buffaloes do that.

I didn't know that.

Jesus knew what he was about to face, and so he chose to walk up and face his accusers head on.

He leads us so well.

He demonstrates here that we too can have the courage to face our enemies or situations that scare us.

I love it so much.

We can face storms with the confidence of Jesus because he lives in us.

Remember the verse in Psalm 139, where can we go from your presence?

Or the verse in John 17, where it says that Jesus prays that we are given the same glory that the Father gave him.

We too know that Jesus is always with us.

I haven't done an exact count, but the Bible records many times that God will never leave us or forsake us.

Because I read Luke 18, I'm not meant to share from Luke 18, I will do a tiny share.

God said okay.

There's a story in Luke 18.

I think it demonstrates courage in facing a scary situation head on pretty well.

Starting in verse 35.

As Jesus and his followers arrived at Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting by the roadside, and when he heard the crowd approaching, he asked, What's all this commotion about?

It's Jesus, they said.

Jesus the Nazarene is passing by.

The blind beggar shouted, Jesus, son of David, have pity and show me mercy.

Those in the front of the crowd scolded him and warned him to be quiet.

They scolded him and warned him to be quiet.

But the blind beggar screamed even louder, Jesus, son of David, show me mercy.

And suddenly Jesus stopped and directed those nearby, bring the man over to me.

When they brought him before Jesus, he asked the man, What do you want me to do for you?

Master, he said, please, I want to see.

Jesus said, Now you will see.

Receive your sight this moment, for your faith in me has given you sight and new life.

Instantly he could see again.

His eyes popped open and he saw Jesus standing in front of him.

Can you imagine?

He shouted loud praises to God and followed Jesus.

And when the crowd saw what happened, they too erupted with shouts of praise to God.

I love that story so much because it demonstrates a desperate, hurting human, facing opposition and calling out to Jesus anyway.

And when the crowd told him to be quiet, they scolded him and told him to be quiet.

The blind man didn't back down.

He cried out even louder.

He screamed.

He faced his opponents to his healing and he screamed out even louder.

I loved that he called Jesus son of David.

He understood that he was who he was desperate to meet.

He knew that Jesus was the Messiah.

And he wasn't going to let anyone get in his way from meeting him.

He faced the storm and ran straight towards it.

And the result is miraculous.

He was able to talk to Jesus.

He was able to tell Jesus his need, his desire to see, and Jesus healed him instantly.

It says here, he received sight and new life.

That's what his faith and courage and belief in the Messiah did.

But the story doesn't finish there.

Because it then says that his shouts then turned to loud praises and he started to follow Jesus.

And the entire crowd who had seen what Jesus did then also started to praise God.

This one man who faced opposition stood and screamed so loudly, he faced his enemy, ran towards Jesus, and not only did he get his sight and new life, his miraculous healing then caused the crowd to also celebrate and praise God.

One last example in this section of my message about facing situations head-on.

It's a very familiar story to all of us, I'm sure.

The story of David and Goliath found in the Bible in 1 Samuel 17.

Warren shared the same scripture last week when he shared, if you were here or have heard it.

There were two armies, the Israelites and the Philistines.

The Philistines had a giant soldier called Goliath.

He was three meters tall, and King Saul and the Israelite army were all scared of him.

And it says that for 40 days Goliath stood up and insulted the Israelite army every morning and every night.

When David was sent to the battleground by his father to take his brothers some food and check that they were okay, he witnessed the fear of the Israelite army when Goliath shouted his insult at them.

He eventually found himself in front of King Saul, and in verse 32 of 1 Samuel 17, it says, David said to King Saul, we should not be afraid of this Philistine.

I am your servant.

I am ready to go fight against him.

When Saul questioned his ability to fight, David shared about his qualifications as a shepherd.

He said he's able to fight lions and bears because God has kept him safe from them.

He will also keep him safe from this Philistine soldier.

So Saul said, Then do it.

And we all know the ending of the story.

Goliath kept up his insults, this time targeted directly at David, not the whole army.

They were insults directly sent to David.

And in verse 45, we read that David said to him, You have come to fight against me with a sword, a knife, and a spear, but I come to fight against you with the authority of the Lord Almighty.

He is the one who leads Israel's army, and you have insulted him.

David wasn't even a soldier.

His intention was simply to obey his father and deliver food to his brothers and check they were okay and return to his father with that news.

But he saw a need and he wasn't afraid.

He knew the Lord was with him, but also he was prepared.

He didn't plan on fighting a giant that day, but he was ready to fight because his work as a shepherd had prepared him.

He faced Goliath head on and was victorious.

He shone his light, he didn't hide it.

He was unafraid because he knew God was with him, the Lord Almighty.

He ran headlong into enemy territory with his Lord because he was ready spiritually, he was ready physically, and he was ready mentally.

Me too.

I want to be ready to face and fight and shine whenever and wherever is needed.

How about you?

I know I didn't get far through John 18.

I'm sorry.

I didn't even get to the ear chopping or the Jesus being arrested.

You'll need to read the rest yourselves.

I recommend you finish it this week.

Let me know what God tells you.

It's a big chapter.

But these first few verses in John 18 have taught us how we fight our battles, running straight towards them, with God, with each other, in prayer, in faith, with our light shining, making Jesus' name known.

Praying for ourselves, praying for and with other believers, praying for the lost, with God in us living in unity.

We fight our enemies with the authority of the Lord Almighty.

People around us will praise God and they will meet our Father because of our testimonies of His power.

It's an absolute privilege to have God's glory shining through us.

It's an honor to demonstrate it to those around us.

Father, this morning we come and we thank you for the word that you've taught us this morning.

We thank you and we don't hold any of this lightly.

It's such an honor, such a privilege to live with your glory and your presence.

I pray that we open our eyes and we meet you face to face.

We want to see Jesus.

We want to live with you, Jesus.

Amen.