Victory Over Darkness (Easter)
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Introduction
Introduction
Easter is a time where we recognize the greatest sacrifice ever seen on this Earth.
All done out of LOVE!!!! Full Love
But not only do we recognize the sacrifice we also recognize the true Victory. A Conquering of something that seems unconquerable. DARKNESS!!!!!
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
But what is Darkness. What is it that this Victory is over?
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Darkness
Darkness
Darkness is Everything that is not like Christ essentially.
Darkness is defined as evil Or it can be…
lonely
sadness
despair
Separation: Darkness separates us from God and others
Bondage: Darkness leads to bondage to sin and fear
Confusion: (Lack of Knowledge) Darkness brings confusion and lack of direction
Death: Ultimately, spiritual darkness leads to eternal death
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Bondage: Darkness leads to bondage to sin and fear
16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Confusion: (Lack of Knowledge) Darkness brings confusion and lack of direction
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.
Death: Ultimately, spiritual darkness leads to eternal death
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We define darkness as BAD
But we are very used to darkness. We expect darkness.
Something good happening in our life. It’s just a matter of time.
Things going well in your home you thinking about the bad
Our mind is conditioned to Darkness.
we want to know, why our mind is conditioned to protect itself against harm...that’s your first primary DRIVER...protect myself
Relate to Easter:
Jesus conquered on the cross. He bridged the separation, broke the bondage, brought clarity, and defeated death.
But what if I told you Darkness isn’t really a thing. It doesn’t really exist.
How do you define it? Darkness is the Absence of Light
You can define light. Light has a source. You can CREATE light
Can you create Darkness?—-no you just remove light.
Think about it you don’t make darkness, you don’t create it. You remove light and there is darkness.
So Darkness is only the removal of LIGHT!!!!
Once Light comes in Darkness ALWAYS goes away.
But when light is removed...darkness is there!!!
And darkness will never be more powerful that light...
All the darkness in the world can’t extinguish the light of a single candle
Run to Darkness
And the ultimate light is Jesus.
Once He enters: Darkness Ceases
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus says whoever Follows. That’s a choice to Follow the LIGHT!!!
We have to make the Transformation from Darkness to Light:
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
Process of moving from darkness to light:
Repentance: Turning away from sin (darkness) and toward God (light).
Belief: Trusting in Jesus as the Light of the world.
Following: Obeying Jesus and walking in His ways.
Renewal: Being transformed by the Holy Spirit
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
We are so used to darkness though. It’s hard to live in the light.
We make choices in life to turn away from the light consistently and
our growth stops,
our peace stops
We feel less loved
But we sometimes run back to darkness
We need to get away....depressed I just need to think. Turn off the lights!!
And it’s easy to remove.
We do similarly with Christ depending on what is going on in life.
Person...hadn’t gone to church, but came back why? Bad thing was over.
I hadn’t been praying. Why? So much going on.
Depressed or I need to think - go to a dark place
I need to get my self together
You don’t understand. I need to think I got so much going on. I’m stressed. Life is so hard.
Why not stay linked with God.
I’m in the dark...I don’t know. Not anymore!!!
Jesus had trials
Jesus had temptations
Jesus had SADNESS and HURT and DISMAY
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
Jesus had something going on but he dealt with it in the light.
When we are at our lowest. Shame creeps in and we go to our dark place, away from people, away from God, away from the support so we can
We go away from Jesus and try to fix our own brokenness
Jigsaw puzzle in the Dark.
No one else will see.
God wants you with Him
And he gave you knowledge to know...because His knowledge and knowing Him is LIGHT
The light never leaves. We do!!!
The SUN is always shining and it doesn’t move. But night time comes, why? Because the Earth moves away from the Sun.
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
Understanding this light is a forever light. It shines.
Sun is always shining but the earth moves away from it
During the summer, areas within the Arctic Circle experience continuous daylight, a phenomenon known as the midnight sun.
So we must remain in the light.
Feeling bad—- stay in the light
Sad - Stay in the light
Don’t let your emotions dictate where you go. You go where you KNOW to go.
But what about when we have no choice but to go to the darkness.
What about when the lights go out and it’s not our call
We have nothing to combat it?
The ULTIMATE DARKNESS is coming.… The thing we are most AFRAID of....DEATH
This looming figure that TAKES, TAKES, and TAKES.
And we see death as the ultimate darkness. The lights finally go out. We are gone from the light permanently
DEATH
Victory over Darkness is Victory over Death
Death is the ultimate darkness
We think about it more than anything
We prepare live our lives around it
how many things in our life protect us from death\
Seat belts
Prevention things...no one wants to die
Insurance
Wills
All around Death
And we know it will happen one day, but we don’t want it.
Death is not the Opposite of life but part of it
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The Death that used to Take, Take, Take....now GIVES
It gives us to God. This life no longer ends in uncertainty. NOT KNOWING.
You know how hard it is to go somewhere and NOT KNOW...That’s Fear.
You standing at the mouth of a large cave. And someone says GO!!!!
Why?
24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Blessed
Grandmother when I was 10. Had the opportunity to go see her. Still with me!. Ate away at me for Years....that was my first real introduction to it between her and my Aunt passed when I was about 8 happened right around the same time. One I got to say somewhat say goodbye too and have a lasting image the other was a late night call that rocked the world around me.
I learned at that young age that death takes man… takes fast.
Then my grandfather passed when I was 18
Once again here it was taking!!!!
Aunt Bobby- I got to sit in that room and talk to her
Aunt Molly - I got to go to that hospital listen to music and talk
Aunt Carrie - She passed… what did we do..… We Sung
Can’t tell me that with some of the closest people in my life. I have such good memories of how they left.
And knowing that the their lights didn’t go out. It got brighter.
So I say the words of 1 Corinthians for those who are in HIM!!!!!
55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
He conquered all that DEATH had rule over.
6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
So even in that DARKNESS that we have no control over is LIGHT!!!!
A brighter light than you have ever seen
A light that shines so bright that it illuminates even those you left behind. Because of God’s light in those individuals I just mentioned to you… my light got brighter. They help me to see how great God is even in the moments when their body was at its weakest God’s light was BRIGHT… God’s light was touching all those around them.
WE SUNG Joyful SONGS… nobody was in there HUMMING.....
Where is it’s STING Death?
Where is your VICTORY Death?
He said he is going to prepare a place. Not a place for you to DIE. but LIVE!!!!!
So Walk in the light and at the end of that light is More...ever lasting light
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
