6-28-21 Darkness or Light?

Darkness or Light - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com "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. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying." Romans 13:12-13. We take many things for granted that are, in reality, blessings from God. Take light, for instance. We assume that the sun will come up every morning, and warm the earth, help plants grow, and allow us to see any obstacles that might trip us. It will set in the evening and darkness will come over the earth, and with it, coolness and the lesser light of the moon and the stars. The moon is only a reflection of the sun’s light. If you’re blessed to live where the artificial lights of the world don’t cover them, you can see millions of stars that glitter in the darkness. What a beautiful sight to see. Darkness does have a certain kind of beauty, unless you’re referring to the darkness of Satan. Darkness is used to describe the evil works of the devil, but the glorious works of God are described as light. The Apostle John wrote much about Jesus being the light of the world. After stating that Jesus is the Creator of all things, John writess “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:4-5. People who choose to follow the darkness of Satan cannot understand the Light of God. It’s hard to wrap our minds around it, but light was the first thing Jesus spoke into existence, even before He created the sun, moon, or stars. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the eath. 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.” Genesis 1:1-2. God created the heaven and earth, but all was dark until God spoke “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Genesis 1:3. The Hebrew word here is “owr” which is the light itself, not the thing from which it’s emitted. There had to be light before anything could survive. “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day and darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:4-5. It’s important to understand Genesis in order to understand that there was no big bang, and no evolutionary cosmic goo that somehow became life in its many forms. It wasn’t until the fourth day that God spoke the sun and moon into being. “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” Genesis 1:14-19. On this fourth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars. Light had already been spoken into being, but now it was contained and set on a rotation of rising and setting. The world is a very dark place without light. Satan is ruler of the evil done in darkness. Jesus is the Light of the World, but Satan is the god of this world. Those who follow Satan cannot understand light "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil." John 3:19. The word for darkness is the Greek word “skotos” which metaphorically means “of ignorance respecting divine things and human duties, and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality, together with their consequent misery in hell”. It’s much better to embrace the light of Jesus and not face the misery that results from sin that makes life miserable. The disease sin brings is not worth stumbling around in darkness. I’ve never been in jail, but people I know who have spent time there don’t want to go back. The sin wasn’t worth the price paid. Yet, the darkness has a stronghold upon the sinner, the darkness engulfs them. “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, 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." Luke 11:34-35. Various translations render the word “single” as “good” “healthy, and “clear”. Darkness will always cause you to stumble and fall. Light extinguishes the darkness, even a spark in the darkness shines bright. Remember, Jesus is the Light of the world, and His light shines through those of us who call ourselves Christians. "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." John 8:12. Following Jesus is following the light. He will light your pathway. Follow His light and flee from the darkness of sin. Paul was a hateful man who was going to Damascus to arrest people who had placed their faith in Jesus Christ. His life was changed dramatically when he saw the light of Jesus. “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:” Acts 9:3. The darkness in which Paul lived was shattered by the light of God. Jesus gave Paul a mission. “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:16-18. Before Paul could fulfill this directive from Jesus, he had to let go of the darkness. Paul did let go of his dark sin and faithfully spread the light of the Gospel to a dark world and today we benefit from his faithfulness. We need to follow His example in spreading the Light of God to a dark world. When a person encounters Jesus, it may not be quite as dramatic as Paul’s encounter, but it is just as important, and it should be just as life changing. We need to stop living in the darkness of sin and death. "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." John 12:46. Study Scripture, which is God’s word, and apply it to your life. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105. How can you follow the light if you don’t turn it on? The Holy Spirit lives in each and every Christian. He is our guide in following God’s instructions, but we can hinder him. “Quench not the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19. Don’t let the Light of God dim in your life. Stand firm on His word every day. It may not be easy to walk in the Light of the World, but it makes life easier than stumbling in the darkness. We all slip into the darkness at times. Sometimes we move away from the Light on purpose, but you can rest assured that there is always forgiveness for the truly repentant person. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2. The word “propitiation” is from the Greek word “hilasmos” which means “appeasing”. So, Jesus is the appeasement for our sins. Thank You, Jesus. The Apostle Paul, who was highly educated in his Jewish faith, understood that God created everything. "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6. This agrees with Genesis chapter 1 as well as with the Gospel of John chapter 1. Jesus Christ is the Creator of all that is and He called light into existence. He was the light before the sun, moon, and stars. He will be the Light throughout eternity, and He shines through us today. Let His light shine through your life. Turn away from darkness and walk in His light daily. In Romans, chapter 1, Paul reveals the consequence of the sin of rejecting God as the Creator and we see that happening in the nations today as the darkness of sin is accepted as the standard of living. We are swiftly moving to the end of time. It’s hard to imagine a world where darkness rules even more than it does today. We can see the darkness of sin getting blacker, but today we still have the Light of the world in us. "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth." John 12:35. As Christians we need to walk in the light without wavering. We cannot waver in our walk, but must stay in God’s Light. Parents must teach children to follow the Light instead of the darkness of the world. It's important to teach our children, but it’s also important for parents to walk in the Light as examples to the children. If we quench the Light of God in us, we leave the world in the dark. The darkness of sin is growing because Christians aren’t following the Light and are allowing Satan’s dark lies to be taught to children in schools and allowing dark, satanic thoughts to permeate our children’s thinking through music, movies, and television. Satan’s dark evil is strong in the world of entertainment. Moses led the Israelites from captivity in Egypt and for 40 years wandering in the wilderness. When Moses died, Joshua led the Israelites in the battle for the land that God promised to Abraham. Satanic evil was thriving there and the battle was tough, but Joshua was a strong leader who followed God instead of the satanic gods of the Egyptians and the pagan inhabitants of the Promised Land. Joshua made his position clear. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but a for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15. Fathers, you need to take a stand and lead your family in the Light of God. Mothers, if the father in the household is weak and chooses darkness, you take a stand. As Christian parents, be sure you walk in the same Light in which you want your children to walk. Don’t let the light that shines in you be darkness. When we accept Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for salvation, our life needs to change from walking in darkness to walking in the Light. "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness." 1 Thessalonians 5:5. Stop serving darkness. Like Joshua challenged the Israelites, choose this day whom ye will serve…demonic gods who fill you with darkness, or Jesus Christ who is the Light of the world. Christians are a new creation in Christ. All sin is forgiven when you surrender to Christ, so stop stumbling in the dark and come to the Light of the world and allow His light to outshine the darkness of Satan. Walk in His light. God bless you all, Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.com ron@straitandnarrowministry.com All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed. 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