Darkness Before Dawn Series

1. Aggie and Sun Story

The rivalry between UT and Texas A&M is well known. While living in Texas, a UT fan told me an “Aggie” joke. “Did you hear about the Aggie” who stayed up all night wondering what happened to the sun? Then it dawned on him!”

2. Psalm 8.2-4

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

3. Nature Teaches us many spiritual lessons

a. A Creator with power and superiority –

b. A Sustainer (in him we live, move, and have our being)

Lift up your eyes on high and see:

who created these?

He who brings out their host by number,

calling them all by name,

by the greatness of his might,

and because he is strong in power

not one is missing. Isaiah 40.26

1) Directs stars by name

2) As Commanding Officer with a Supreme word

c. Imminent as well as Transcendent – John 1.14, etc.

4. There is a lesson that Night and Day Teach us – Philippians 2.14-16

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

a. Darkness – stars/moon/planets

b. Coming Sunrise

c. World is a dark place, we shine as stars, but Yeshua (Jesus) is coming as the dawn and HE will outshine us all

I. The World Is In Darkness

A. Darkness is a Place of Evil

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. John 3.19-20

Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS. On January 23, 1996, He was asked to be the guest chaplain for the Kansas State House in Topeka. He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. According to an article in the Kansas City Star from January 24, 1996, his prayer stirred controversy, and one member of the legislative body walked out. Others criticized the prayer.

The controversy didn’t end there. Later that year in the Colorado House, Republican representative Mark Paschall angered lawmakers by using the same prayer as the invocation. Some members there also walked out in protest.

Paul Harvey got a hold of the prayer and read it on his program. He got more requests for copies of it than any other thing he had ever done. Here’s what he prayed:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:

We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.

We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it a choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

We have abused power and called it political savvy.

We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will... Amen

• Since 1960, in the United States there has been: 560% increase in violent crime More than a 400% increase in illegitimate births A quadrupling in divorce A tripling of the percentage of children living in a single parent home More than a 200% increase in teenage suicide A drop of 75 points in the average SAT score of High School students.