When Light Becomes Darkness

I don’t know if you caught Revive Our Hearts this morning, but the broadcast was about spiritual revival and how the church looks around at the prevalent sin in our culture and starts to despair.

The old gentleman they were interviewing, Richard Owen Roberts, (friend of old Evangelist Hyman Appleman, who I recall visiting our church as children several times), replied this way:

Justice demands that we pin the blame where it belongs—on the church. The church is the light of the world. If the light has become darkness, how can you blame the darkness?

So, the question I want to pose  today is how does the light become darkness?

Jesus is called the light of the world, and told us that we are “lights” that should be shining for all the world to see.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matt 5:14

How do we become “lightless?” How is our influence dulled and dimmed until the last flicker of godliness and holiness is snuffed out, only to go up in a puff of smoke?

We cease to shine when we:

1. Tolerate sin in our own lives.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Conversely, if we are not walking in the light, we no longer have fellowship with God or one another like we should. Sin clouds our minds and ruins our testimonies. The remedy is to confront the sin in our lives and to ask forgiveness of those we have sinned against.

2. Try to justify or ignore what is clearly called sin in scripture.

We not only tolerate the sin in our own lives, but we then try to justify it. Or the Holy Spirit prompts us to change and we just click “Ignore” in our minds.

We twist scripture and ask unending questions that do not lead us to godliness, but confusion. “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” What God calls sin is just that.  And when we ignore it in ourselves, we end up becoming defeated and deflecting Christians. A defeated Christian doesn’t do the right thing, and the Deflecting Christian starts criticizing and pointing out sin in others, so that they will not look so bad themselves.

Ask yourself who is behind the “Did God really say…” question. (Gen. 3:1)  Oh how about  “Did God really mean? ” or  “Does God really expect us to live like this in this culture?” questions when it comes to clearly defined sin in scripture.

The Bible reads  “Has not the scripture said?” and answers our foolish questions with authority.

Romans 1 addresses this progression from unthankfulness towards God– to the desire to self rule–to practicing sin –to  approving of others who do the same.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.  They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness,

evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,  slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,  foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.  Though they know  God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but  give approval to those who practice them.

“Sin is any act, attitude or disposition that fails to measure up to God’s standards.”

3. Are not abiding with Christ.

Knowing God. Abiding in Him. Is that enough for you?

What if your whole identity apart from being in Christ were stripped away from you.

What if you woke to find that you were no longer a wife, mother, Sunday School teacher, pastors wife, a pastors kid , a missionary, a teacher, a ladies event organizer, or whatever else it is you find your identity in. Have you been allowing these things to define you? Do you hide behind these titles and labels rather than glorying in the title “Child of God,” or “Daughter of the King.”

We have got it all wrong if we find security in position, power, groups, denominations, or movements because all of these things involve flawed human beings and positions that come and go.

What if you were just evaluated on how well you know God and how well your life reflects Christ-likeness.

We are doing lots of great things for the kingdom of God, but with the wrong purpose. If our work for God is done with any other reason than to know God and to glorify Him, we are on dangerous ground.

God wants us to come to the end of all of our selfish ambitionsand chasing after fleeting happiness.

“So it is that He allows us to be frustrated and disappointed in our strivings after this or that end until at last He comes to us and says, “My child, I never promised you that if you would surrender, repent and get right with Me, you would have an eased situation, great power, success in your sevice or even revival. What I do promise you is that if you will walk with ME and allow Me to show you sin as soon as it comes in, and cleanse you from it, you will have not these things but — Me. Make Me your desired End and you will surely have that end , and you shall be satisfied, lacking nothing that is in the will of God for you.”- Roy Hession

4. We are like the world.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my kids acting like the pop culture of today. Why? Because of the constant anti-biblical message, the humanistic messages of the music, video games, magazines and culture of today. I don’t want my kids fed the doctrine of self-rule and the “do what’s best for you regardless of who it hurts” trash of today. “Following ones heart” has rarely ended well, yet this is how they are marketed to by movie and magazine executives.  Life has a grander purpose than self.

And we live in an extremely self focused world. If I don’t “like” it, I delete it from my life. If I don’t like the way you treat me, then by all means, I’ll either de-friend you or defame you on FB or in real life.

I think that parents need to take a serious look at what “rudiments of the world” we have unconsciously accepted in our homes.  We, as parents, set the example of selflessness, asking forgiveness first, protecting the weak, denying the flesh, encouraging the sinning, erring brother back to Christ, even if it means we get hurt in the process. It is not all about us.

I don’t want my kids following their hearts, or their “Inner Star.” Why? Because what if my heart tells me to take vengeance on someone who wronged me, or to just get even. What if it told me to kill someone else. Our hearts need to be constantly calibrated with God’s word, because left to itself and its desires  it is all about self, which is contrary to scripture.

I have yet to see a national women’s magazine in the check out line that encourages us biblically. Imagine seeing these headlines on the front of Glamour– “10 Ways to Root Out Pride–Forever! ” or “How to Put Their Needs Before Your Own!” or “Do Good To Those Who Hurt and Use You!”

Be a shining light. It takes time in God’s Word, examining your own life for purity first, then repenting of what would extinguish our flame and ruin our relationship with God and others and our influence in this world.