Untitled Sermon

The Clarity of Darkness and the Mission of the Church

Baptist Men’s Day Sermon

1-31-21

Introduction

If you were anything like me as a child, I was petrified of the dark. As a child, I remember as a joke; my older cousins would lock me in a dark room, shut the door and prop themselves against it so I couldn't open it. I would scream uncontrollably, "Let me out!" "Open the door!" as I heard snickering and laughing on the other side. In those moments, all I could think about was how mean they were to be laughing at this overwhelming fear that I couldn't help; it was innate in me, I couldn't shake it! More than that, to prompt this fear in me was all the more disturbing. Who would possibly find pleasure in making little children cry? After about 30 seconds, they would release the door, and I would fly through it by the force of gravity, landing as a great tree falling in the open forest. While crying, attempting to catch my breath, and whipping the snot from my nose, I would look intently into their eyes and say, "Why do you guys do that? You know I'm scared of the dark! How can you laugh so uncontrollably at my distress?" While catching their breath from all the laughing, they would respond, "We're not laughing at your distress; we're laughing because we locked you in the room, and the light switch was literally in front of your face."

Beloved, this world is a dark place and is being ruled by the prince of darkness himself, the deceiver (Satan). Many times, we find ourselves overwhelmed by this harsh reality, therefore leading us to desire someplace better, a final and eternal home where darkness is swallowed up by the light. Although heaven is to be desired and an eternal hope is the grand culmination of our relationship with Jesus, this does not mean that darkness is to be avoided. Conversely, if Jesus is the light of the world and his spirit resides in and leads us, how can we shine the light while navigating this life's darkness?

Today, I would like to argue that God does His best work in the dark. Why? Because the darker the circumstances, the brighter the light is, and more important it becomes.

When I was locked in that dark room, if it would have dawned on me that I possessed the power to change my circumstances by just flipping the light switch, I would have been fine. I literally had the ability to change how I view my perspective and the things around me, yet I was overwhelmed and consumed by fear so much that I missed how I could make a change.

Beloved, you have at your disposal the power to change the world. You possess the light of the world; He lives inside of you. You have the ability to make a difference and brighten up this dark place, but if we sulk in our circumstances and complain about how awful and dark life is and never take steps to make a change, then how will this world ever see the light?

This morning I would like to consider three texts. In each text, "darkness" is not avoided but is highlighted in each verse to supplement context and show that God does some of His best work in the dark.

Creation Narrative

1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." There was an evening, and there was a morning: one day (Genesis 1:1-5).

From the very beginning, we see God doing marvelous things in and with darkness. The beginning of creation started with darkness. In other words, we could consider that darkness might be interpreted as a blank slate waiting for God to unfold His grand masterpiece. It's almost like the darkness paved the way for the light to be established. Consider this, that God can fashion the foundation of the world (ex nihilo) from nothing. With absolutely nothing, God crafted all of creation and said that it was good.

Friends, if God can take darkness, absolutely nothing and establish all of creation, then why are we so frantic about the darkness we see, read and hear about in this life? It shouldn't surprise us. As a matter of fact, the world started in a dark state; what more should we expect? Here's the thing, the beauty of the Genesis narrative is not about the darkness or the nothingness in particular. It is about how our creator treated it. He acted on it, made something from it.

Some have asked, why doesn't God show up on the scene and fix all the mess we encounter in this life. Well, he kind of already did (Phil. 2:5-11). Now, we have been entrusted with His spirit to carry that message to all men who live in the dark. To be a light in this dark world by shining bright so that all can see Jesus in us (Matt. 5:14). Imagine if we would only act with what we have, just as God did initially; how much good or could make a difference we make?

Jesus on the Cross

Consider another place in scripture where God does some of His best work in the dark.

33When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" 35When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "See, he's calling for Elijah." 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a stick, offered him a drink, and said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down." 37Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. 38Then the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Mark 15:33-38).

This instance is recorded in all the synoptic Gospels (Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44). In each account, the writers record that the skies darkened. It is quite neat that these accounts would mention this. A general reader would hover over this statement due to the lack of understanding one might have in the Old Testament scriptures. Still, each writer mentioned this instance based on a Jewish interpretation of "the darkened skies."

'"In that day," declares the Sovereign Lord, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight."' (Amos 8:9).

The prophet Amos mentions God bringing a curse on his people through the darkening of the skies. Therefore, curses and darkness as seen as synonymous. The audiences in gospels' accounts immediately knew that something incredibly wrong had taken place at the darkening of the skies, and possible fear might have filled their persons. Again, the significance of the darkness here in this passage is not the darkness itself, but what the darkness paved the way for.

1. Jesus Cries Out to the Father

I'm not exactly sure what happened that day on the cross between The Father and The Son. The text does not speak to the relational ambiguity but notice that The Son cries out to The Father when everything gets dark. In other words, the relationship between The Father and Son was made especially evident through the darkness.Jesus cried Psalm 22. This psalm identifies with one experiencing alienation, separation, and despair in one open cry. I don't know about you, but I call on The Father too when I am facing dark and perilous times in my life. My relationship with God is manifested more when I experience the darkness of this life because our God desires to answer our plea of despair and be there for us, even why it seems the darkness has consumed us.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him (1 John 1:5).

Jesus, through the Old Testament scriptures, points to himself on the cross. He brings a cohesive understanding that all scripture points to the redemptive plan of salvation through His death. Once again, it's not the fact that darkness (dark times) come. Instead, it is how you respond in those times. Friends, it is essential that when dark times come, we stand steadfast in whom we know, not what we know. Through the darkness Jesus paved the way for salvation. As Amos mentioned that the darkening skies pointed to a curse, it should be noted that the object being curse is not people but Jesus. Jesus became a curse for us so that we may be called the righteous of God. Paul would also mention that Christ became a curse for us due to our shortcomings.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree (Galatians 3:13).

2. The Veil was Torn

I have spoken in great length about the significance of the veil being torn in this pulpit before. So, I will not treat this extensively but just as a refresher, the veil mention here in the text is the veil covering the holy of holies in the temple. The significance of it being torn is to represent Jesus being our great high priest, and that access to God (Revelation) is no longer hidden; instead, it is available for all who desire it. Through the darkness, God paved the way for the salvation of humanity through His Son, Jesus. If this was the case for salvation, then what do you believe are the lengths Jesus will go through to trust him in dark situations and still be a light in the dark.

Paul’s Conversion (Exposition of Acts 9)

Our final example of how God does His best work in the dark brings me to the narrative of Paul’s Conversion.

Paul, formerly Saul, was one who persecuted the church. On his way to do that very thing, Jesus shows up, blinds him, and leads him to Damascus. Now, the text tells us for three days; he was completely blind. Ananias then is instructed to lay hands on him so that He may regain His sight. After doing so, Saul arises and goes to take the Gospel to the nations. Although this text has a plethora of applications for us, I would like to point out just a few.

1. Jesus Blinding Paul was for Salvation and Preparation.

· We are not told precisely what Saul endured during his blindness. Paul later addresses these things but not in great detail (2 Cor. 12:6-7). However, we know that the Christophany (Revelation of Jesus Christ) that Paul made a complete 180. The same Jesus that Saul crucified over was the same Saul being led by Him into Damascus. In other words, Saul’s blindness was the initial stage of Jesus working in Him. You know, sometimes God has to put us in or send us through the dark so that we may rely on his leading rather than our own.

Beloved, sometimes when we are encountered with dark times and situations, Jesus is not putting us through punishment; instead, He is preparing us for something that He has for us to do or achieve. God was doing something in Paul so that He could prepare him for the work ahead. Paul’s blinding (dark times) was not punishment, somewhat, preparation.The most intriguing part of this narrative is not the Damascus road experience or the scales falling from Paul’s eyes. Instead, it’s the fact that after all of it was over, Paul immediately went to share the goodness of Jesus. Here is where I expound on the missiological implications of the darkness. Believe it or not, Jesus saved us from the darkness to send us right back into it! We were saved from our sin and shortcomings of this dark world that we formerly participated in, only to be released back into that same world but not as a participator but a transformer! I believe, at times, we (believers) can become a bit narcissistic. We go through a troubled or dark time, and after coming out of it, we love to sit, ponder and reflect on it. But the truth is that that might be your testimony and how God has worked in your life and brought you through, but that same message might be someone else’s salvation.The text never said that Paul sat and reflected on what he had experienced while being in the dark for three days; no, it says that He immediately rose to carry the good news to the nation because lives were at stake. Brothers and sisters, God does His best work in the dark.

Conclusion

As stewards of the Gospel, we are to be the ambassador for Jesus. Every day, we see all around us that this world is a dark place and is ruled by evils of all sorts. However, that doesn’t mean that we bunker down and hid from the boogeyman until Jesus comes; no, we go and fight the evils and darkness of this world with the good news of Jesus and make a difference where he leads us with the gifts he has gifted us.