8 – Darkness

Darkness

John 1:5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

Darkness.  How dark is the darkness? Why is it necessary to know how Dark Dark is?  [Note – here I am again (spending about a week on this one) struggling with the theme of Darkness]. The scripture tells us in Eph 2:1 we were dead in our trespasses and sins. There is nothing more dark than dead. What I am struggling to try and get across is, We can never appreciate the light we have in Jesus as long as don’t grasp the darkness of the dark.  Think of a dark room where there is no light at all.  Therefore, you could not even see your hand if you put it in front of your face.  (I started to use the example of being buried alive but that was too morbid to think about, so I deleted and used a dark room with no light)

This is hard to get our minds and thoughts around because it conflicts with what we want to believe about ourselves verses what the bible communicates about us. We want to believe we are totally Free, we are totally in charge of our own path. But just as Israel was a slave in Egypt so we were slaves to sin (Rom 6:16-18).  There is no way out we need something beyond ourselves.

We have the tendency to think (like the Rich Young Ruler) we’re really not that bad.

But the bible says we’re evil continually: Gen. 6:5   The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Most believe our good will outweigh our bad.  Besides I’m not as bad “those” people (Feel free to enter those people who just came to mind… Murderers, rapists, child molesters …..)

But the bible says there is no one who does good, not even one (Rom 3:12)

READ: Try reading the following and make it personal and present tense – replace there, their, all etc with the appropriate personal pronouns: As in:  I am not Righteous, Not even me.  I do not understand, I do not seek God……

Rom. 3:9-18 What then? Are we better? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; ¹⁰ as it is written,

• THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
• THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
• ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME WORTHLESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
• “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN TOMB, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;
• “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;
• “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
• DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
• AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”
• “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

Specifically – Jesus came, lived, died, rose, and is coming again to fully eliminate the darkness. 

Many (even Christians) have a hard time with events like the flood, the conquest of Canaan, the brutality of Babylon on God’s people, the evil currently around us even now. They may even think Revelation is all about the devil doing bad things. When in truth it is book about Jesus who is the conquering Lion banishing the last vestiges of darkness. Have you read Revelation Lately! Interesting there are not many hit songs about the guy sending judgment by the 7 seals, the 7 trumpets and 7 bowls and finally leading an army on a white horse.  You know, the one to whom everyone will bow and every tongue confess as LORD! (BTW see Rev 7:9-17 … there is great mercy and grace in Revelation as the events lead to the greatest revival of all time.)

He is both the Lion and the Lamb:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xeLgkpcpM0

We like Jesus as a sweet lamb, a friend, or our savior. Jesus is all those things. But he is also the conquering hero who will banish the darkness forever.

We should be ecstatic that he:

• Rescued us from darkness: Col 1:13 Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
• He enlightened our hearts: 2 Cor 4:6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
• He is the light of the world and banishes our own darkness: John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Next:  The Light shines