Darkness & Light (8/6/12)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading 1 Thes 5:1-11.

Have you ever felt like everyone else in the world was absolutely crazy except for you and I, and you have serious doubts about me? With issues like gay marriage, bailouts, deficits, excessive debt, and anti-Christian bias - sometimes we just scratch our heads and wonder how we got here. The answer is that some of our incompatibility with the world and the resultant tensions we face in our daily lives are directly traced to the conflict between the kingdoms of darkness and light. Our decidedly different Christian worldview clearly puts us at odds with much of our society and culture's worldview. We don't think the same as the majority of people in our world, but that's OK.

The scripture we read contrasts the children of darkness and light. As believers we no longer live as those who walk in spiritual darkness. We've been awakened to the light of life found through the salvation bought for us by the precious blood of Jesus. Even though we don't know the day Jesus will return and end our struggle, we do know that he wants us to live in his light here and now. We're not supposed to get too deeply entangled in this world, but we are to work to affect the lives of others with the light of the Gospel.

Making decisions in the dark can lead to poor choices, or we can make wrong turns. Back in the days before electricity, a tight-fisted farmer griped at his hired hand for wasting oil by carrying a lantern. When asked why he needed it, the hand said, "I don't want to fall and get dirty. I'm going to visit my fiance." The farmer exclaimed, "Why, when I went courting I never carried one of them things. I wasn't scared of the dark, and I still found my wife." The hired hand smirked and said, "Yea, and that's why I carry a lantern."

Although Christians are no longer children of darkness, we need to remember the futility of our lives without Jesus and determine not to live that way anymore. It should also compel us to work harder helping the lost find the Light of the World. Many who live in the darkness can't see the danger of their condition. They rush ahead toward certain destruction, claiming how peaceful and safe they feel. They need a Christian to help them find the path to eternal life. That's our job, to show them where they can meet Jesus and have him change their lives.

According to verse 7 we humans think our indiscretions are covered by darkness. But Yahweh sees clearly in our spiritual darkness. There's nothing hidden from his sight. The sons of darkness prefer the night to the day so their deeds may be hidden from as many eyes as possible. They work hard to keep their true character a secret. But their Creator knows everything about them, and that's what really counts. The all-knowing (omniscient) Lord God Almighty can't be caught by surprise and never misses anything. So the idea of hiding from him as we live against his righteous standards of life is foolish.

Some use the ostrich method to try to hide. They bury their heads in the sand, declaring that all's well even when their lives and the lives of others are disintegrating all around them. Some use the lemming method. They join the masses racing toward destruction, assuming that the majority can't be wrong. They lose their lives trusting in the false safety and peace of never bucking the crowd or swimming against the flow. Instead of making a real search on their own, they accept someone else's philosophy based on their own bias for faulty human reasoning.

Those who persist in darkness will eventually suffer eternal punishment. It will come upon them "suddenly," and they'll have no chance of escape. The unexpected event will catch them unawares because they've refused to hear the many warnings Yahweh's been giving. Every single human on earth has sufficient information, leaving them no excuse for missing out on Heaven (Rom 1:2). It 's not about bias or exclusivity on behalf of the Father, Son, and Spirit. It's about the fact that the Creator and Designer of our world made the parameters for how things work. It's not God's fault that many refuse to read or abide by the operating manual.

Walking as children of light, what should we do with the knowledge that Jesus is coming again and wants us to be ready for his return? Verse 6 tells us to be alert and self-controlled. In our natural state, we can't be alert because we're spiritually asleep. We're spiritually dead and can't be awakened regardless of the method used. We have to be awakened by the Holy Spirit. We need to be raised from the dead by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Christians should be alert to what's happening around them. We should be aware of situations and the opportunities they bring us to shine our Gospel lights into the darkness. Otherwise we can get caught up in sin and be distracted.

Sin is like a drug within our systems, holding us in its deadly grasp. Our sinful nature holds us in a way that can only be broken by the power of Yahweh Almighty. Only our Creator can make us aware of his work of grace in and through Jesus the Christ. He does this by his mercy, as he quickens us with his life-giving flow. Seeing the light isn't enough, we must enter into the light. Only then have we surrendered our darkness to him for true change have we overcome the darkness. We must immerse ourselves in the light and let it cleanse us completely of our sins.

Once we're awake, our Father tells us to live as those who are alert and self-controlled. We're to be "on watch," expecting his return. And while we wait we should be living for his glory, shining his light into the world's darkness. The darkness around us is strong enough that if we're not diligent, we can be lulled into a drowsiness that will cloud our minds and hearts. This will limit our effectiveness in serving him as well as blur our perspective in discerning all the good and evil spiritual things we encounter. We must be valiant soldiers in the army of our Lord. We must be diligent workers for his Kingdom. We must be alert watchmen ready to sound the alarm.

Not only are we assured of our loving Father's presence, but also that his plan for us includes a provision for us to share this presence with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We're called to be responsible for one another. We're accountable for offering encouragement and edification to one another. It's part of the contract we signed with our Lord and Master when we agreed to accept his eternal life and light into our lives. We didn't join a sect or a denomination which does more to separate us than to bring unity. We joined the family of the Most High God and all true believers are our brothers and sisters.

Building each other up isn't an optional part of our walk with Jesus. If we're not involved in this body ministry we're in disobedience to our Master. If it's in our best interests to be strengthening one another, it's dumb to avoid this practice. If we all had a vision of the Body of Christ filled with active participants, not passive spectators, we could greatly turn up our spiritual wattage and see the world filled with holy light. The power of the Holy Spirit shining through the true believers can do amazing things. A big problem is that many don't try to accomplish this task for their Lord. We need more individual believers to become active in Kingdom business.

On Feb 4, 1993 Russian cosmonauts successfully deployed a giant space reflector. This aluminum-covered disc was used on the Mir space station to reflect sunlight to the dark side of the earth. With a 25-foot disc they were able to produce a two-mile circle of light on the ground. If the light of the universal Church has dimmed, it's most likely due to our feeble efforts to produce light rather than reflect light. We're not light producers. We can only reflect the light of our heavenly Lord. And the amount of light we can reflect grows exponentially as we join together in performing this task.

We need to stand alongside other believers and encourage them, doing our best to build them up and holding them accountable for their walk with Jesus. We need each other in order to keep our perspective and remain focused on what really matters. Jesus is what really matters, not all the social and governmental problems we face. Jesus is what really matters, not who can prove their doctrinal positions. Jesus is what really matters, not the form or fashion we use in worshiping and adoring him.

If you're saved, be ready for the return of Jesus. Stay ready by walking as close to him as you can. Shine a bright and bold light into the darkness around you. Focused lives require a focal point. That focal point is Jesus and his salvation.

Blessings & Peace, Mike