Dark Times Have No Power Over God's Light

James 1:21 “Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

I. Transformational Dependency on and Discipline of God's Grace

++A. Be aware of the trap of pride and guilt.

++B. Abandon personal performance and embrace God’s grace.

++C. Continually commit yourself to the foundation of grace (at the start and end of each day)

II. Transformational Dependency on and Discipline of the Word

++A. Embrace God’s path of righteousness for yourself.

++B. Engage the Word of God as the power to stay on the path of righteousness.

++C. Continually commit to internalizing the Word throughout your day.

III. Transformational Dependency on and Discipline of Prayer

A. Surrender self-sufficiency to God-dependency in every aspect of your life.

B. Know that surrender leads to peace.

C. Continually commit to crowding out the world with spiritual longing to talk with God.

IV. Transformational Dependency on and Discipline of Holiness (Obedience)

++A. Understand your victory in Christ.

++B. Identify how personal your sin is to you and to God

++C. Continually commit to actively putting sin to death

V. Transformational Dependency on and Discipline of Personal Evangelism

++A. God has called you to share your faith.

++B. God will teach you as you share your faith.

++C. Continually commit to loving others enough to share your faith.

VI. Transformational Dependency on and Discipline of Serving (Spiritual Gifts)

++A. God fully equips you to fulfill His expectation (call) in you.

++B. You are the Holy Spirit’s spiritual gift to His church.

++C. Continually commit to loving God’s church as “it” (they) loves you.

Mark Talbot in writing about suffering’s contribution to spiritual formation said,

“It is through suffering when He [God] prompts me to lift my gaze above the world's distractions to live in conscious dependence on Him. My suffering focuses me, driving those distractions away.”[1] - Mark Talbot

[1] Larry J. Waters (edited by), Mark Talbot, WHEN SUFFERING IS REDEMPTIVE: Stories of How Anguish and Pain Accomplish. (Place of publication not identified: LEXHAM PR, 2018), 48.

Talbot went on to say that,

“Physical suffering is a major area of spiritual attack…if Satan cannot solicit through prohibited pleasure…he will solicit through pain…Satan uses pain to drive a child of God into the twisted, confused maze of a life without God and His Word.”[1] - Mark Talbot

In the same book, Dr. Mark McGinniss reminded us that,

“No one gets from the cradle to the grave without shedding tears,”[2] (Job 1; Phil. 1:29). - Mark McGinniss

[1]Ibid., 15.

[2]Ibid., Mark McGinniss, 63.

However, unavoidable suffering should not be confused with purposeless suffering. All creation, including our lives, groans in our sin tarnished state of existence. We struggle to avoid what we should not do, while at the same time often fail to do the things that we should do (Rom. 7). All of creation and every aspect of our existence is found to be trapped in a state of groaning (Rom. 1 + 8), knowing deep in our heart that our existence was meant to be so much more than what it is. That state of groaning drives humanity to strive for something better, something more complete, more satisfying. However, we are so distracted by this life that we often fail to see a life that is better, that is more complete, more content, more at peace with our existence and purpose. At some point for each one of us, God uses whatever He can to get our attention, to draw our eyes past the distraction of life around us to see the true source of life. At times God is able to get our attention through simple means like the beauty of creation around us, the testimony of His Word, or the encouragement of other believers. Other times, we are so distracted in life that the Lord must use more complex, less subtle means to get us to look up, to see Him, to see that we are not the center of life, the center of our own existence, but Jesus Christ is.

In the book, “When Suffering is Redemptive,” Mark McGinniss concludes,

““A ‘good’ theology writes chapters of trust in God even in the deepest pain.”[1] - McGinniss

[1]Ibid., 61.

You see, our suffering is never without purpose. It takes great force from God to get my attention off of myself long enough for me to see and learn to trust Him and in the scheme of life itself, He has enlisted each believer in Him to help shine the light of His life, His existence, to the world. Life in Jesus Christ is the only thing that no one can attain on their own, no one can reproduce for themselves or others, no one can match the contentment and purposefulness of. Satan would like everyone to think that the answers for life and its struggles are found in one’s self or others, but the Bible teaches that it can only be found in Christ.

I. Transformational Dependency on and Discipline of Redemptive Suffering

++A. God’s grace and love shine brightest in the darkest trials.

++B. See God’s strengthening work.

++C. Continually commit to “Who” and “What” instead of “why.”

Main Idea: God’s grace and love shine brightest in the darkest trials.

Life starts with Jesus Christ, not ourselves v. 4a

“In Him was life...”

Life does not naturally belong to or is found naturally in one’s self.

In Science, light is often regarded as the source of energy and life

In Philosophy, light and darkness were epitomized in the gods of the ANE (Persians, Greeks, Egyptians all had gods of darkness and light).

Today, light is the symbol of realization, enlightenment or the raising of awareness

All of these observations believe that the source of such light in found in humanity itself, but our text teaches that life has its source only in Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ own teachings affirms this

John 14:6 NASB

Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

You see, the source or resource of life itself is not naturally found in one’s self, one’s own right to exist, it starts with and is only found in Jesus Christ Himself.

“In a rationalistic generation that finds its answers in a closed system of either scientific analysis or the secure logic of verbal formulas, the Johannine message may suggest that we ought to look for ultimate meaning not merely in our systems or in enlightenment but in the ultimate source of the universe—the Life-giver.” [1] - Gerald Borchert

[1]Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 109.

Life found in Christ shines bright on others v. 4b

“…and the life was the Light of men.”

Only life in Christ can stand in contrast to the things of this world

In the image of God, we participate in purpose, meaning, and behavior that reflect the character of God in ways that no one apart from Christ can

That exercised character of God in the lives of believers in Jesus Christ shines a light on all humanity as a witness and invitation to others to see and come to Christ.

Matthew 11:28–30 NASB

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.“For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

Life is a gift or a power from without the human situation that confronts the world v. 5

Darkness has no power over light

Darkness always gives way to light

The light of Jesus Christ cannot help but penetrate the darkness of sin and suffering in this life.

The darkness of the world strives to extinguish Christ’s light, but like actual darkness, is powerless to do so

The light of Jesus Christ is meant to penetrate the darkness of this life and its suffering. We so often ask the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” There are two assumptions in that question:

1. Bad things (suffering) is always bad

Often, God allows the “dark” experiences of this sin-cursed life to make the room darker, so it is easier to see the light of His Son, Jesus Christ. These bad things (suffering) are not always bad, but meant from a loving God to help people see Christ more clearly.

2. People are generally good (light found naturally in one’s self)

The responsibility of one’s self to be the source of light is too big a burden for any person to bear. The entire OT bears witness to the reality that no one can rise to the challenge of being good.

Psalm 14:1-3 “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.”

Psalm 53:1-3 “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,” They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good. God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God. Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.”

Rom. 3:10 “as it is written,“There is none righteous, not even one;”

Psalm 119:129-136 “Thy testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul observes them.

The unfolding of Thy words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

I opened my mouth wide and panted, For I longed for Thy commandments.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, After Thy manner with those who love Thy name.

Establish my footsteps in Thy word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.

Redeem me from the oppression of man, That I may keep Thy precepts.

Make Thy face shine upon Thy servant, And teach me Thy statutes.

My eyes shed streams of water, Because they do not keep Thy law.”

This idea of the discipline of Redemptive Suffering this month is not the discipline of seeking out suffering for its redemptive work in you, but rather accepting it when it comes, knowing that it is the Lord who desires you to see Him more brightly when such dark suffering strikes you.

Life is found in Christ alone...

That life is meant to shine bright in the darkness of this life and its suffering darkness

What suffering have you, are you, or will you face? Please know that God will not waste your suffering, He has a purpose in it that we will continue to explore throughout this month as we strive to understand the Spiritual Discipline of Redemptive suffering, which is by-the-way, the engrafted word (the realization of the words truth) of God.

James 1:21 NASB

Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

So, the question remains then, “How do we receive this implanted (engrafted) word of God that suffering brings?

Over the next couple of weeks, we will seek to bring some understanding to the answer to that question, keeping in mind that the light itself that can penetrate the darkness of suffering is found only in Jesus Christ as a gift from Him that is not naturally sourced within one’s own self.