What Do You Do When The Lights Go Out?

Five-year old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go in alone. “It’s dark in there and I’m scared.” She asked again, and he persisted. Finally, she said, “It’s OK, go; Jesus will be in there with you.” Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when suddenly he had an idea. ‘Jesus’, he said, ‘if you’re in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?’

The story is told of a little girl who was being put to bed one night and she was afraid of the dark. So she asked her mother if she could stay with her. ‘Don’t be afraid’, said her mother, ‘God will be with you’. ‘I know’, said the little girl, ‘but I’d rather have someone with skin on’.

Are you afraid of the dark?

I remember occasions as a small child being terrified to go to bed on my own. Most of the time it wasn’t too bad, I used to share a room with my older brother. But as we got older the time came when mum and dad allowed him to stay up for a little bit later than me. During the summer time it didn’t bother me, my bedtime was 7pm, his was 8pm and the nights were light. But come the winter… that hour, alone in the room in the darkness seemed like an eternity.

Have you ever noticed how many strange noises there are in a house, in the dark, when you’re afraid? All sorts of ghosts and monsters flooded my imagination, walking up and down the corridor outside, or hiding under the bed waiting for an opportunity to get me! Only one thing would make the creatures of the night go away, only one thing would keep me safe – light! I must have light to make the darkness go away. Torches, candles, the front light off my bike – the source of the light really didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered, in my fear, was making the darkness, and all the evil monsters that lurk in the depths of its blackness, disappear.

I wonder how many of us really ever lose that fear of the dark. And I don’t just mean the darkness that comes with night. I’m talking about the darkness that comes when we don’t know Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I’m talking about the darkness that comes when sickness and disease strikes. I’m talking about the darkness we face when our finances take a nosedive. I’m talking about the darkness that rocks us to the core when our families break up or breakdown. I’m talking about the darkness that shakes the whole planet when earthquakes, tidal waves and famine wipe out millions of people. I’m talking about the darkness we face every day of our lives because we live in a sinful world where humanity constantly rejects the God who created and loves us.

‘Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.’ Psalm 112:4

I want to talk this morning about the two types of darkness that we as Christians often have to face as we seek to live our lives in obedience to God.

The first of course is:

The darkness of the world in which we live

Often, when the bible talk about ‘darkness’ it is talking about sin and evil and godlessness. And you don’t have to look too hard around about us to see just how dark our world is.

? We have scientists who are trying to clone, hybrid embryos – part human, part animal!

? In 2016 there were 190,400 abortions carried out in England and Wales. Only 2% of those were carried out for ‘medical’ reasons. That means 98% abortions were carried out as a form of contraception. And these figures continue to rise year on year. The one place on this earth where a baby should be safest – it’s mother’s womb – is rapidly becoming the most dangerous.

The world in which we live is dark:

1. It is dark because we have put out trust in money, power, possessions.

2. It is dark because we have turned to the stars, the moon, and psychic hotlines for our answers and our help.

3. It is dark because we have turned to drugs, violence, deceit, and lies to solve our problems.

4. It is dark because we have allowed our educated thinkers to convince people that God does not exist.

5. It is dark because the world has rejected God and His ways.

6. It is dark because many of our church buildings have become social clubs instead of houses of prayer. Church members are more concerned with being entertained than hearing the word of God. Our leaders are more concerned with pleasing man than serving God. We are more interested in the philosophies and ideologies of men than the message of Christ. And in many places the church has stopped preaching the word of God, and substituted it for a wishy washy gospel.