A Light In The Darkness

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

Isaiah 42:16

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: APPRECIATE YOUR LOYALTY

1. A little old lady got into an argument with her pastor. It got rather abrasive. The pastor thought he would never see her again, however she showed up for the next service.

2. “I thought you’d be gone for good!” said the pastor to her. “Pastor,” she said, “I’m going to be loyal to my church…[he nodded approval]…“even if the devil is in the pulpit!”

B. THESIS & TITLE

1. Our country, and indeed, our world is experiencing a time of darkness. There are wars, protests, riots, plagues, conflicts, lawlessness, and even the threat of revolution by some ideological factions.

2. A confidential friend told me that many of the policemen in the big cities are relocating their families out into the countryside until after the election. They fear the antifa factions may attack their homes.

3. People are fearful of what might happen; they’re discouraged and depressed with all the turmoil. There’s a cloud of apprehension that seems to be hanging over us.

4. It seems like the words of Isaiah 60:2 speak to us; “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people….” Our day is a time when people “call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness” Isa. 5:20.

5. Into this cloud of darkness, I want to bring the light of hope tonight! I want to give you 3 causes for hope: a. It’s NOT as dark as you think; b. the Light of the world is with us; and c. the Light will triumph in the end!

6. The title of this message is “A Light in the Darkness.”

I. IT’S NOT AS DARK AS YOU THINK

A. PREVIOUS DARK TIMES

1. There have been many dark times in history. The Romans attempted all-out extermination of the Christians for 3 centuries. Almost 4 million are buried in the catacombs (underground caverns around Rome) because they had to flee underground to escape.

2. The civilized world was almost overrun by the hordes of Genghis Khan, by the Goths, by the Muslims under Saladin. There was the black plague that killed 75-200 million people. There were the “Dark Ages” when the Scriptures were inaccessible except to the (mostly) unsaved clergy who spoke Latin.

3. There was the terrible U.S. Civil War in which the states took up arms against each other (600,000 men died). Then two world wars wracked the world, killing hundreds of millions of people. We nearly had a nuclear war with the USSR in 1962 that could’ve wiped out all life. These times were certainly darker times than we’re facing today, yet God brought us through them!

B. PERSPECTIVE ON BAD TIMES

1. Troubles always need perspective – comparison. When you think of other people with worse troubles, it usually makes you brighten up because yours aren’t that bad.

2. ILLUS. I’ve often told the story of the college student who had to take a job working night at a ski resort. He would gripe and complain to the older man who worked with him about how many troubles he had: delaying college, working nights, missing social life, etc.

3. At last the older man got enough and said, “You don’t know what problems are! You don’t have any real problems; all you have are inconveniences!” The man pulled up his sleeve and showed him a tattooed number. “All my family died in concentration camps. Compared to that problem, yours are just inconveniences!” True!

4. My parents always quoted the proverb, “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet.”

II. THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD IS COME

A. GOOD NEWS: LIGHT HAS DAWNED!

1. Isaiah 9:2 announces the Good News, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”

2. Aren’t you glad the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12) has come! The Lord is with us; He will never lead us or forsake us; He will guide us out. Isaiah 42:16, “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know…I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.” Praise God!

3. God has given us His Word to light our path; to hide it within our hearts, that we might not sin against God. It shows us where to go, how to live, and how to please God.

B. 4 THINGS THE LIGHT REPRESENTS

1. KNOWLEDGE, INSTEAD OF IGNORANCE

The Psalmist says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple (119:130). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (119:105). Before we knew Jesus we walked in spiritual darkness. We didn’t know about our terrible spiritual needs. We didn’t have the right priorities or direction for our lives. But Jesus threw light on all these things so we could establish our steps!