Introduction
Last Sunday we began a new four-part series “Light in the Darkness”. And I introduced the series by saying that we live in a spiritual dark and evil world. But the Good News for those of us who are Christian is that with God we don’t have to walk in that darkness.
And I shared with you three ways how God keeps us from walking in that darkness. Today, I want to expound on that third way that I mentioned last week. And that third way to refresh our memories is this: God keeps me in His light by shinning His light on the right path I should take.
So, to begin our study, we head back to the Old Testament and to the longest Psalm in the Bible- Psalm 119 for one verse- verse 105. And then we will go over to the words of a song King David composed after God had delivered him from his enemies. And that is in 2 Samuel 22:29. So please stand for the reading of those two Scriptures.
Scripture
Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
2 Samuel 22:29 (NKJV)
29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord.
The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.
King David tells us very clearly that Jesus Christ and His Word are the lights to our path in this dark world. Now, I know in the darkness I can see nothing. I got bruises to confirm that fact. But now that I have God’s light, what am I able to see?
Point #1
With Jesus and His Word shinning its’ light, I can see my present situation not only from this world’s perspective, but I can also see what God is doing in my life spiritually.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (NKJV)
Seeing the Invisible
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
What we see in the natural, with these eyes, is not necessarily the way things really are. And so, God shines His Light on that situation so that we get a fuller picture of what is going on.
As an example, take Jesus’ death on the cross. If we look at it with these natural eyes, we will say that a great teacher died on the cross that day. But God and His Word sheds light on that situation so we know that the God-Man Jesus in His death was reconciling us to God by paying the price for our sins. That’s a whole lot more than my natural eyes saw. God’s light gave me a fuller picture.
Another example would be the death of Lazarus. Mary and Martha called for Jesus to come heal their brother, but Jesus was three days late on purpose. With their natural eyes, all they could see is that Lazarus had died, and Jesus did not make it there on time. When Jesus arrived, He raised Lazarus from the grave showing to his disciples and to the sisters of Lazarus that nothing is impossible with God. They got to see a whole lot more going on because Jesus shined a light on the situation.
And God does the same things in our lives. One of our own, Pepper, had a surgery and after the surgery there have been complications. If Pepper looked at the situation from her natural eyes, she would say that she experienced a surgery gone bad. But I have heard Bro. Greg say several times from this pulpit, Pepper has got a lot closer to God during this time. When Pepper expands her vision to see not only the natural but the spiritual, there is a whole lot more going than just surgery complications.
So, my word to you is this: in your situations that you find yourself in always look for the spiritual. You should be able to see it because God is shining His light on it.
Point #2
With Jesus and His Word shinning its’ light, I can see dimly what the future holds after my death.
1 Corinthians 13:11–12 (NKJV)
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
In April 2014 CBS News did a survey about death. Three in four Americans believe in the existence of either heaven or hell, 66 percent who think both exist. Eleven percent believe only heaven exists. Seventeen percent of Americans don't think either place exists.
That survey which is eight years old says one third of all Americans does not believe as the Bible says-there is a heaven and there is a hell. Probably a lot more people don’t believe heaven or hell exist today I guess by the way people are living.
But I am glad today that Jesus and His Word has shed enough about heaven and hell that I believe in the existence of both. And I believe because Jesus is my Lord and Savior, I am going to heaven.
Do I know with 100% accuracy what heaven will be like and what hell will be like? And the answer is no. Like Paul says in our passage of Scripture, I see dimly.
Let me show you what I mean.
John 14:1–4 (NKJV)
14 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
God says that he has many mansions for His children. I don’t know how big the mansions are. Is anyone else going to live in the mansion besides me? How is God going to space these mansions out and is there going to be enough room for all these mansions?
I only know dimly, there are mansions in heaven, but let me assure you although I only see dimly, I see enough to live my life in such a way that I am preparing for it.
And that is what God light does, it shines enough on what happens after death that I need to prepare myself for it.
Point #3
With Jesus and His Word shinning its’ light, I can see how things has happened in my past to draw me to a relationship with or closer to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
I believe that to you and I who are Christian God shines His light in our past to show us how He is drawing us to Him or growing us in our relationship with Him.
Let me give you an example of this from Anne and my life. We were searching for our first home, and we saw two homes that we liked. One was on Illinois Street and the other on Tennessee Street in Kenner. We were not Christians at the time. We were nothing at that point in our life. We chose the house on Illinois St. Little did we know that two houses were a great Christian couple who worked on us for about two years to accept Christ as our Savior. I believe looking back with God’s light He had us chose that house so that we could come to know Jesus.
To this very day, I think if we would have chosen the Tennessee Street house, we may have never come to know Jesus.
And I believe that God allows each Christian to look back with God’s light to see how He has been working in their life.
Conclusion
For the past, present and the future, we need the Light of Christ and the Light of His Word to encourage us as we walk through our journey of Faith.
