How To Avoid Darkness

Introduction:

Discuss how darkness is one of the central themes of Halloween

Six Flags After Dark

Haunted Houses (After Dark)

Remember back to trick or treating as a child.

Discuss how churches and Christians like to use this as a moment of pride to show that they walk in the light rather than the darkness.

Transition to the Problem

The Problem.

How many people in here know or know of a pastor who has had an affair and is out of ministry now?

I know of a pastor personally who was probably the most popular pastor the church had ever had. They had unbelievable growth and made plans to build new buildings and then one day boom. Pastor Leaves the church and His wife to be with the Piano player.

But this man had done so many great things and preached so many good messages. Surely he was walking in the light.

How many of you deal with outbursts of anger?

Discuss

Pastor, I just lose my temper ever once in a while.

Maybe you are the parent that is all good except for when you get to the stands of the little league baseball game, or on the sideline of the soccer match. Or you get mad when your favorite football team loses.

How many of you would say that you struggle with having Selfish Ambitions?

This is the foundation of the American Dream.

let me build my kingdom.

It is the reason why giving to the church is not a priority and at best it is second tier.

It is why service in the church is not given priority. Again at best it is second tier.

Look real quick with me to I John 1:5-7

1 John 1:5–7 CSB

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

You see, here is the problem, a lot of people in the church read this passage of scripture and think to themselves, I am good.

I walk in the light.

My walk with Jesus isn’t perfect, I may fail and sin every now and then but for the most part I walk in the light.

Yet daily you willfully choose to sin.

We don’t like to here that we choose to sin. But that is exactly what we do.

How many remember telling your kids at least 2 million times “You Know Better than to do that!”

James 4:17 CSB

17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.

How many times did you tell your kids oh its okay, since you weren’t “thinking about what you were doing, I’ll let it slide.”

yet we think God will.

It is because we practice Idoletry

We have created our own version of who God is.

Look back at 1 John 1:5

1 John 1:5 (CSB)

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.

So How do we ensure that we are walking in the light? How do we avoid the darkness?

We must recognize what it means to walk in darkness, to walk outside of the presence of God who is the light.

The bible gives us a clear understanding of this if we simply read and obey it.

Resolve the Tension with the Text

Turn in your bible over to Galatians 5.

Galatians 5:17 CSB

17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

Lets understand this real quick. Our desire is to walk with the Lord because He is the Light and we want to walk in the light.

This verse tells us that the flesh desires what is against the Spirit (or God’s Will)

Therefore, without being a champion Clue player, we can deduce that to walk in the flesh is to walk in darkness.

Now watch this, Before God shows us what the fruit of the Spirit is, He tells us exactly what our flesh will desire.

Galatians 5:19–21 CSB

19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We often at first glance of this text think, well that’s not me. I don’t struggle with the things in vs. 19.

But then our brain checks out. We just say, we’re good and we move on.

Lets look at a few of them:

Idolatry - Any thing in our lives that takes priority over our Walk with the Lord is an Idol. And if you put an attribute to God that is not given to Him in the Scriptures, (My God would Never…) then you have created an Idol.

Hatred - Let me tell you that I personally know some “Christians” who ABSOLUTELY HATE ME.

I have had a visitor, come in to one of my last churches and I asked a member to basically let them sit with them and that “Christian” said, I would not say a word to that person for anything in the world.

jealousy - How many times do we get jealous when someone else gets something that we want?

Dissensions and Factions - Oh my soul, I have seen more “factions” put together in churches and watched them purposely lead dissension in the church because they didn’t like someone.

These are just a few of the works of the flesh and if you have these in your life and you are not ACTIVELY AND DAILY WORKING TO DESTROY THEM, THEN YOU ARE NOT WALKING IN THE LIGHT, YOU ARE WALKING IN DARKNESS BY FRIEND.

Teach and Illustrate How to Apply it.

When you seek to apply this idea of walking in the light of Christ we must continue to use Scripture as the ultimate judge of our walk.

It cannot be based on someone elses walk or their opinion of your world.

Does your life display the fruit of the spirit?

Galatians 5:22–23 CSB

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

A few other things you can focus on to help in this application include:

In our daily lives, we are constantly faced with choices that shape our character and influence our relationship with God. One crucial choice is whether to avoid the works of the flesh and instead walk in the light of Christ. Here are a few practical ways to apply this principle to your life:

Self-Examination: Regularly reflect on your actions, thoughts, and motives. Identify areas where you may be succumbing to the works of the flesh, such as anger, jealousy, or selfishness. Self-awareness is the first step in making better choices.

Prayer and Surrender: Engage in daily prayer, seeking God's guidance and strength. Surrender your weaknesses and temptations to Him, asking for the wisdom and power to overcome them. God is our ultimate source of light and strength.

Scripture Study: Dive into the Bible to understand what it means to walk in the light. Read passages that emphasize the virtues and qualities Christ exemplified, such as love, patience, and humility. Let these Scriptures guide your actions.

Accountability: Share your spiritual journey with a trusted friend or mentor who can hold you accountable for your choices. Open, honest conversations can help you stay on track and receive support in times of temptation.

Choose Love and Kindness: When faced with conflict or negativity, consciously choose love, forgiveness, and kindness. Make an effort to extend grace to others, just as God extends grace to you.

Serve Others: Engage in acts of service and charity. By focusing on the needs of others, you can move away from self-centered desires and align yourself with the compassionate nature of Christ.

Set Boundaries: Recognize situations, relationships, or environments that lead you toward the works of the flesh. Establish healthy boundaries to protect your spiritual well-being.

Seek Community: Connect with a community of believers who share your desire to walk in the light. Participate in fellowship, worship, and shared experiences to strengthen your faith.

Cast a Vision

What would happen if we decided to in unity walk in the light?

I hear people in passing conversation talk about how this world is getting darker and darker.

Can I help you real quick. This world is not getting Darker.

All the way back in Genesis 3, This world Got Dark.

And Dark is Dark, It doesn’t get any darker.

It only appears Darker because there is less and less light.

Eclipse yesterday.

Darkness is simply the Absence of Light.

So the less light there is, the darker it will APPEAR.

But can I also tell you this...

Darkness can NEVER DEFEAT LIGHT.

John 1:5 CSB

5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

So let me encourage you…Shine your light.

You have the one thing that can dispel the darkness around and that is the Light of Christ.

But we hide.

This Saturday is an opportunity for you to come out and let your light shine.

IN a world that is being tormented by the darkness, Lets introduce the Light. Lets walk by that light so that we might avoid the darkness.