darkness – Faith Baptist Church

Lost and Found

Matt Otto D-Groups December 19, 2022December 19, 2022darkness, life, light

Darkness hides things that should be visible.

Practically speaking, we are either at darkness’ mercy or attempt to use it to our advantage. Neither approach is ultimately in our best interest. Darkness covers dangers making them impossible to avoid until it is too late, leaving us bruised. Walking into the jagged countertop corner or tripping over a tool or a toy at night can cause us to wince in pain or worse. Sometimes, we use darkness to hide our failures and poor decisions. We sneak to the fridge in the middle of the night to indulge our midnight cravings or bury our sinful lusts at the bottom of our sock drawer.

What we often experience in our everyday physical circumstances is even more cunning and corrupting in the arena of our spiritual condition. Scripture tells us that our inborn spiritual condition loves darkness rather than light and that our works are evil (John 3:19). The darkness of heart is so insidious that we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are good enough in our self-righteousness. We believe our own “religious” lies and retreat even further from the Light that offers life.

When speaking in spiritual contexts, Jesus used powerful word-pictures that we all can identify with. Jesus said that He didn’t come for the spiritually healthy, but the spiritually sick (Lk 5:31-32). He didn’t come for the spiritually rich, but for the spiritually bankrupt (Matt 5:3). The Messiah’s mission was marked by seeking and saving the lost. He came for sinners. He came for you and me. Jesus, the Redeemer, came to regain our ownership. It is a healthy spiritual exercise to remember where He found us and to rejoice in what He redeemed us from (Eph 1:7).

Take a few moments to read through the following psalm, Psalm 103:1-4:

¹Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost
being, praise his holy name.

²Praise the Lord, my soul, and
forget not all his benefits—

³who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

⁴who redeems your life from the pit and
crowns you with love and compassion.

The arrival of Jesus, the Glorious Light, is great news! He comes with transforming power, surprising simplicity, and rich benefits. Respond to the Light and let His glory grip you anew! We are lost no more!

Luke 19:9-10 (ESV) – “And Jesus said to [Zacchaeus], ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’”

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Scared of the Dark

Matt Otto D-Groups December 5, 2022December 6, 2022darkness, glory, light

Have you ever been startled awake in the darkness of night and heard your house making eerie, inexplicable noises? Have you, subsequently, slipped out of bed as quietly as possible in order to investigate? In the process, have you found something that made your heart race or breath stop because you thought there was someone or something that had entered your home while you were sleeping? And, finally, did you likely discover that the corner of the dresser in your bedroom and the Lego on the floor in the hallway are likely a much greater threat than an imagined intruder? It rarely occurs to us that many of the things we fear are much less menacing and dangerous than we imagine. On the flip side, some of the things we give little attention to may be much more threatening.

The truth is, darkness itself is much more horrific than we give it credit for! The reason this is true is because the darkness described in the Bible is not simply a physical absence of light, but a very real spiritual reality and a result of sin. To put it another way, this spiritual darkness is a consequence of mankind’s initial rebellion against its Creator. In the Garden, Adam and Eve chose to steal God’s glory. They became “glory thieves” by choosing to give the glory God deserved to someone much less deserving: themselves. Simply put, they sinned or “missed the mark.” Ever since their first heist, every one of their descendants has received the all-permeating sin genome (Rom 5:12) and all of creation groans for its promised redemption (Rom 8:21-22). Despite humanity’s best intentions, it cannot break free from its sinful nature. Powerless to generate any light on their own (Is 64:6), every man, woman, and child is destined to follow in their ancestors’ footsteps. Spiritual darkness only births more spiritual darkness!

Yet, in spite of this scenario being played out in an exhaustingly repetitive sin-cycle among God’s people throughout the Old Testament, God promised that a Light would come that would bring salvation to the nations! For centuries, God spoke through the prophets of “the radiance of God’s glory” who would provide “purification for sins” (Heb 1:1-4). And when He arrived, they missed it! Shockingly, they rejected the Prince of Peace, because He didn’t fit their expectations.

Don’t miss Jesus this Christmas! He is the Great Creator and the Glorious Promise. No matter the depth and darkness of your sin or circumstances, He has come to bring freedom and new life. Welcome Him! “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in” (Ps 24:7-9). There is no need to fear the darkness when you let the Light shine in!

Matthew 4:16 (NIV) – “the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

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