"Being A Mirror For "Ner" "Ori" To The Dark World Of Drug & Alcohol Addiction"

 

"Being A Mirror For "Ner" "Ori" To The Dark World Of Drug & Alcohol Addiction"

All Scripture Quoted From The Life Recovery Bible

Sermon #16, April 28, 2024

Good evening, welcome to Recovery Church Centralia. Tonight's topic is, "Being A Mirror For "Ner" "Ori" To The Dark World Of Drug And Alcohol Addiction." So would you please stand with me as we read from the Biggest Book, or as Dr. Bob called it, "the Good Book, from page 690, Psalm 18:28. If you have a Life Recovery Bible you'll find those verses on this page. And just as a reminder, if I ever just start reading Scripture, but do not give you where it is in the Most Holy Book, aka, the Bible, please stand and say, "L-B, where is it written?!"

Page 690, Psalm 18:28, "You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness." In Hebrew the word "ner" means lamp. The word "ori" means my light. So we are to be ner ori's, reflecting as a highly polished mirror would, the only light of hope to the dark world of drug and alcohol addiction.

We cannot fight the battles of drug and alcohol dependency alone. It is the Highest Power Who gives us the power to take the necessary action to overcome the things that will always cripple and destroy us. If we don't turn it over to Him we will be eventually locked up, shut up, or covered up. We must have His light that gives us His strength to fight these battles. Once we grasp this Lamp Light, which is Jesus, He will be there for our battles and we will start to see victory in the war that we always lost in the past. But best of all, we can be guaranteed a permanent victory. And just like it is written on page xiii of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, the first edition, "We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body." We too, will recover.

It is written on page 418, 2 Samuel 22:29, "O Lord, you are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness." People who lived before the advent of electricity took great care of their lamps. It made life easier and safer. With a lamp you could check on your children and your animals at night. With a lamp you were able to get necessary tasks done efficiently and keep bad guys or wild beasts at bay. Are you daily seeking a close personal relationship with God? Are you daily working the program of recovery by working and using the principles learned from working the 12 Steps? In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, in Bill's story on page 14, it says this, "I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all." Are you doing that?

Spiritually speaking, the Highest Power, who is God, is our "Lamp," our (ner). He lights up our path in life. When we keep Him near, He keeps us from (figuratively) speaking, stubbing our toes, tripping, or accidentally walking off a cliff. With the Highest Power as our Lamp, we have the light we need to do the work He has called us to do. What's more, remaining in God's light scares away the enemy too, like king alcohol or the demon addiction. Our dark impulses and temptations flee like roaches, rats, and varmints. It is written on page 696, Psalm 27:1, "The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?"

It is written in the Big Book, in the Foreward to Second Edition, p. xvii this, "By late 1937, the number of members having substantial sobriety time behind them was sufficient to convince the membership that a new light had entered the dark world of the alcoholic. This "ner" "ori" has shone into our dark worlds showing the way to safety.

This Light the members of A.A. were finding in late 1937 is written about on page 1354, John 8:12, "Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” Jesus as the Light of the world, exposes all that has been hidden and will guide all of us down the path of recovery which brings life. In part, for us to trudge in this Light means we have to be always honest and vulnerable with others as we walk in fellowship with the Highest Power. If you do not know what the definition of the word trudge means, I quote it from the little Big Book Dictionary. Trudge: move oneself slowly along / walk or march steadily; usually with difficulty. As we express our feelings, needs, struggles, our sins with people we trust like a sponsor or pastor, God's light will fall on our failures and strengths. This will light up the path we should be on so we'll know which direction we need to take for significant progress in recovery.

Now imagine this image. If the Highest Power is my Lamp and yours - and his and hers and theirs - what happens when the people of God who are in recovery come together, like here at Recovery Church Centralia? The light intensifies; the glow off our mirrors spreads. Some - not all - will be attracted. Many who are living in the darkness of alcoholism and addiction will see that light and say, "Wow, that looks beautiful, I want emotional sobriety, I want to give my life to Jesus! It looks safe. I want to be there, please show me how. And, as it not only says we are to do this in the Biggest Book, or as Dr. Bob called it, the Good Book, but in the 12 & 12 it says in Step Eleven, p. 101 this, "Then he asked for the grace to bring love, forgiveness, harmony, truth, faith, hope, light, and joy to every human being he could."

When we daily polish our mirrors by prayer, time in the Word, and time listening before the Great Mystery, we will find what is written in the 12 & 12, Step 12, page 110 happens to those who had no hope. "To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as they move from darkness into light, to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning, to see whole families reassembled, to see the alcoholic outcast received back into his community in full citizenship, and above all to watch these people awaken to the presence of a loving God in their lives - these things are the substance of what we receive as we carry

A.A.'s message to the next alcoholic."

I will liken living in the dark world of addiction and alcoholism to a bunch of tents full of campers, with only one small lamp to share. Midnight hikes to the outhouse would surely turn into comical adventures as all those campers try to follow one small beam of light down a dark path.

The campers in front would see well enough, but those in the back would, at best, stub their toes. At worst, they would march headlong into a tree. In such a scenario, it wouldn't be long before these campers started to wrestle over whose turn it was to hold the light.

But just imagine if each camper had his or her own "ner" "ori." In the good book on page 663, Job 29:3, it is stated. "When he lit up the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness." If all of you, including myself, had a lamp, and helped others get that light that comes from the Father of Lights, there would be less stubbed toes, or worse. If one fell down in hard times, but had "the light" to be bathed in, page 1148, Micah 7:8b, would be our truth, "For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light." So, I encourage you to be all in, and share the light you reflect with others. And take this to heart, "If what we do is different than what we say, then the sobriety message is emptied of its power in our lives." That is a saying my Mum taught me concerning our trudge with the Highest Power and sobriety.

Take the eleventh step prayer from the 12 & 12, found on page 99 to heart. For it says this, "Lord, make me a channel of thy peace - that where there is hatred, I may bring love - that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness -that where there is discord, I may bring harmony - that where there is error, I may bring truth - that where there is doubt, I may bring faith - that where there is despair, I may bring hope - that where there are shadows, I may bring light - that where there is sadness, I may bring joy."

Find the light, adjust your mirror towards it, keep it polished. Your life and that of others can depend on it as we live the example taught to us from the 12 Steps that are all based out of the Biggest Book, aka, the Bible. So, I leave you with this, a poem.

Behind the Eyes

All don’t look just at the skin,

But the lamp of the soul that’s within.

This is where true sobriety lies;

It can be seen behind the eyes.

© 2024 William Laughing-Bear

If you want to embrace Christ as your Savior, we invite you to come talk to Delilah, Amber, Daniel or myself, or read Romans 10:8-13, page 1445; it explains how to come to salvation. And we will be taking people through the 12 Steps the way Dr. Bob did, using the Biggest Book and an A.A. Big Book approach later this year again. It will also give you an even deeper relationship with Jesus and you will learn the history of how A.A. used to be. Let us know in advance if you are interested. And yes, we plan to be up and running with zoom as well for those who cannot be there in person as we go through the Steps. So, if interested, please let us know in advance so we can have enough supplies.

Aarons Blessing, Aaronic Blessing

Numbers 6:24-26

"May the Lord bless you and protect you.

May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace."