Sermon #8 Darkness

[Pastor Josh]

Sermon #8 Darkness

Introduction: In today's study we are going to discuss Darkness which is the absence of light. It is the opposite of light, and in darkness there is no light. Many of us today find ourselves dwelling in darkness unable to see the light, unable to see the truth nor are some of us able to discern between darkness and light; that is to say, to discern right from wrong or good from bad. To many of us things that are bad and evil seem attractive now these are the things of the flesh and the things of this world that we are subjected to on a daily basis and therefore things of this nature can easily get mistaken for good, eventually leading us down the wrong path and putting our souls in danger of condemnation. Many people are unaware that when the antichrist comes and Satan is kicked out of heaven they will be promoting things like peace, unity, diversity, self-reliance, human perfection, moral perfection, political correctness, religionism, and legalism which are all things that on the surface they sound great; however, they are in direct conflict with the teachings of Christ and contrast greatly with how a Christian is to live their life. If you choose to be a Christian and want to dwell in the light and oppose darkness you must abide by Christ's doctrine which clearly states that through faith we all must surrender our lives to let His Holy Spirit take control of our lives which are both spiritual and physical. We must lay all our burdens on him and have the understanding that only through Jesus Christ can we be free of sin and live a righteous life.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

So no man can ascend to Heaven or attain salvation by his own merit or works. It is only by Grace which is unmerited favor or a gift from God. It took Christ who is free of sin to take away our sins.

1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

By being tethered to flesh bodies we cannot live sin free for we are all sinners and imperfect by nature. The flesh has a mind and will of its own and we Humans have little control over this. Obtaining moral perfection is impossible for anyone but Christ.

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

For us to think we can rely on ourselves for salvation or to attain the heavenly is to directly deny that which Christ has done for us on the cross. He took the stripes and we receive the healing. It is only by His blood that we can wash away our sin and be made worthy to be in the presence of our Father YHVH who is in Heaven.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Corruption, darkness, evil, sin are things that cannot exist within the presence of our Father for those things are instantly consumed by Him. God is a consuming fire and our Father knows this and that is why He sent His only begotten son down here to Earth as a mediator between us and our Him.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

It is Christ's Blood and our Faith in Him that we now have fellowship with our Father.

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Because of our Father's Grace and His unwaivering faithfulness to us we are able to partake in the wonderful blessing of the kingdom of Heaven so we should daily thank the Lord for this wonderful gift and privilege. We cannot depend upon ourselves so there fore we must seek refuge with our Father

Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

We need to shed the human ego and cast our burdens upon the lord for it is only through Him that we are going to be able to find peace

Psa 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

How do we become righteous when we are flesh you might be asking, well it is only Through Christ that the unrighteous can be mad righteous so in other words we must be faithful to him in the way that He is faithful to us in His promises and His word. God is not the author of darkness, evil or confusion. As a Christian we should be able to discern the light from the darkness. For God is light just as it says in

Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

So with all that being said let us look closer at the subject of darkness in our study today we are going to see several different kinds of darkness as well as what darkness is illustrative of in GOD's Word...

Different Kinds of Darkness:

Pre-creational Darkness:

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Natural Darkness:

Gen 15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

Miraculous Darkness:

Exo 10:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

Exo 10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

Supernatural Darkness:

Mat 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Spiritual Darkness:

Act 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

Act 13:9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

Act 13:10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

Act 13:11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

Eternal Darkness:

Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Darkness Is Illustrative of:

God's unsearchableness:

Psa 97:2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

The way of sin:

Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Afflictions:

Psa 112:4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

Moral Depravity:

Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Ignorance:

1Jn 2:8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

1Jn 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

1Jn 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

1Jn 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Death:

Job 10:21 Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;

Job 10:22 A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

Hell:

Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Conclusion: If God is light and darkness is the absence of light then darkness is truly the absence of God. It is a place and a condition where He does not exist. It is a place in the heart of evil people whom do not seek to find the Lord. Darkness is Hell which we know is not a place but morerather is the Absence of God it is to be removed from his presence and therefore the death of your soul because All should that have eternal life dwell in the presence of God. Darkness is ignorance of God's word it is the way of sin, it is moral depravity, it is affliction, hatred and it is Death. Darkness is not something that we desire to be a part of for we are beings of light whom cling to life and love which are all things natural to light. You want to with God and become a part of His kingdom therefore we need to shed those things of darkness and start living in His will and seek after the things that He wants from us as His children. We must learn to discern the light from the dark, the good from the bad and pray for the strength to resist the temptation and the wiles of Satan whom is the prince of darkness and the father of death. Do you want death? I don't think so beloved. Join Christ and make your stand against darkness.