Sermon # 23 - From Darkness To Light Series

As we continue our study this topic of ‘Freedom from Bondage’ we recognize that it is indeed the will of God that His people should be liberated from every sin and bondage. In this chapter we will study the metaphor of light and darkness, which is widely used in the Bible to explain this concept of freedom from sin and bondage to sin.

In Genesis chapter 1, as we read the creation narrative, one of the first things God said was “Let there be light.’ We infer that this was so, because God’s desire was that mankind should enjoy being in the light, and not stumble in the darkness. It is the same for our spiritual life too, that in areas of our lives where there is darkness, the Lord aspires to shed His light, which alone can expel all the darkness of sin and bondage.

We read in Isaiah 9:2, “the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them light hath shone.” (Darby)

The Prophet Isaiah in the above verse, prophesied about a light that would shine upon two groups of people; the ones who walked in darkness, and those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death. This prophesy that was prophesied by Isaiah, was fulfilled almost 700 later, when Jesus came down to the earth.

We read in Matthew 4:14, “This was done to make come true what the prophet Isaiah had said,” (GNB) and in Matthew 4:16 “The people who live in darkness will see a great light. On those who live in the dark land of death the light will shine." (GNB)

When Jesus commenced his earthly ministry, this prophesy of Isaiah was actually fulfilled. In John 12:35, “Jesus answered, for the one who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.”(GNB)

One sure way to identify those who walk in the light from those who walk in darkness, is the former know where they are going, while the latter do not, as they are still groping in the dark. There are also those who assume that they are in walking the light, but are in reality still floundering in darkness.

We will consider the lives of three people in the Bible, who were once in darkness and came into the light, to lead lives that were totally transformed.

Zacchaeus received ‘The Light’

We read in Luke 19:2, “There was a chief tax collector there named Zacchaeus, who was rich.”(GNT)

This passage in Luke 19 describes the encounter that a man named Zacchaeus had with Jesus. Zacchaeus was the chief of the tax collectors and a rich man. Here was a man who must have had a strong will power, for two reasons; one the fact that he had achieved the position of chief of the tax collectors in his town, and the other, that when he decided to see Jesus, he did not allow his height or the great crowd that gathered there to hinder him, but climbed up a tree to have a glimpse of Jesus. He was one who when he desired to have something, would go all out to attain it. He was also a wealthy man, and making loads of money seemed to have been Zacchaeus’ main goal in life. Zacchaeus walked in darkness, not knowing where he was going, until the day he met Jesus.

There are many who are confident of their own strength and will power, believing that with these two components, they can accomplish anything they want. Such people who strive to succeed with their own strength, will sadly at some point in their lives, come to a place where they will encounter discouragement and dissatisfaction. There are those like Zacchaeus, who believe that one can accomplish anything in life if they have lots of money, which prompts them to chase after money. Some have a wrong understanding that the lack of money is the reason for various problems, and that the abundance of money is the only solution.

There is a story told of a man who was so obsessed with money, that as he hoarded more and more, and he did not even care about his wife or children. He made his wife promise him that when he died, she would place all of the money he possessed in his coffin, as he wished to take it with him. His wife was perplexed, that she could not benefit from the money while her husband lived, and now she had to part with all of it after he was gone. One day the man died and the relatives of the family who came to attend the funeral were extremely sympathetic of the wife, who had to part with all of the money. When they enquired of her as to how she had the heart to place all the money in the coffin, she replied ‘that was simple, I deposited all the money in the bank, wrote out a cheque for the entire amount and placed the cheque in the coffin. I have kept my promise and my husband can now liquidate it when he gets to the other side.’ Though this may sound hilarious, it is pathetic that many people who are consumed by the love for money, do not realize that we can take nothing with us when we leave this world.