Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: EG
Program Code: EG002947
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00:09 It's been 2,000 years since the glorious light of the Cross
00:12 illuminated the world veiled in darkness and confusion 00:15 about the character of God. 00:17 And still today the greatest need of mankind 00:19 as a revelation of God's love 00:21 has revealed in the life of Christ. 00:23 Amazing Facts presents the Everlasting Gospel 00:27 with Pastor Doug Batchelor coming to you each week 00:29 from Sacramento Central Church in sunny California. 00:33 Discover hidden treasures and God's word today. 00:38 The message today is dealing with the subject 00:41 of "Adjusting to the Darkness." 00:44 And a part of the reason this came into my mind 00:47 was because flying back from Australia, 00:51 they feed everybody to long flight 00:53 and then they turn off the lights 00:55 hoping that everybody will drift off to sleep. 00:57 I have hard time sleeping on planes and I felt bad 01:00 turning on the little night light for my chair 01:03 that I might disturb the people around me 01:06 but I--I noticed that after 01:08 they turned off the cabin lights, 01:09 it doesn't take long for your eyes to get adjusted to dark. 01:14 And that's not always a good thing 01:16 when you adjust to the dark. 01:19 You ever been to one of those restaurants, 01:21 it supposed to be romantic. 01:25 The dark restaurants. 01:27 I've got a theory that may be they are just not clean 01:29 as they turn lights down. 01:32 And they call them romantic. 01:34 Problem is you can't see the menu 01:37 and say you order and then you have to eat 01:38 by faith instead of sight because you don't know 01:41 what exactly it is you have ordered on the menu. 01:45 But it's also dangerous in our world 01:48 if you get too adjusted to the dark. 01:51 We are living in a time of great darkness. 01:54 Hey, I want to start with an amazing fact. 01:58 What would you think if I told you 02:02 that this is the longest burning light bulb in the world? 02:08 It's in not far from here. 02:11 It's in the fire house of Hayward, California. 02:15 Now, think about it for a moment, 02:16 when this light first began to burn, 02:18 this particular bulb the Wright Brothers 02:21 has not flown their plane yet. 02:25 Then this bulb burned on through World War I, 02:30 it burned through the stock market crash. 02:34 It burned on through World War II and the Korean War 02:36 and the Vietnam War with only brief interruptions 02:40 while they relocated the Hayward 02:44 the fire house there in Livermore. 02:46 And today it is Guinness Book of World Records 02:50 said it's the longest known burning light bulb in the world. 02:54 A 108 years it's been burning. 02:57 Well, 1901 yeah, that would be about a 108 years 03:01 and you can go down there 03:02 and look for yourself its still burning. 03:04 It uses a 120 watts only put out four watts though. 03:09 It was made by the Shelby Glass Company 03:12 back in the 1901 and that's when they used to-- 03:15 they used hand blown glass bulbs. 03:18 They were eventually bought by a General Electric and phased out. 03:22 But, and they used a very thick carbon filament so there it is. 03:27 You kind of wonder why they don't make 03:29 a more like that today, ha? 03:32 They go out of businesses, 03:33 now I guess they did go out of business. 03:34 Didn't they? 03:36 If they made their light bulbs to burn a hundred years 03:38 I mean, you would eventually saturate the market. 03:42 Well, you know, it's nice to know that a light bulb 03:46 can last that long but it's also interesting, 03:49 here we are living in a time 03:51 when never has there been more manmade light 03:55 than you have in the world today and yet this great darkness. 04:01 You have probably seen this amazing satellite picture 04:03 that has been taken from space. 04:06 They use some special filters and time relay 04:08 but it shows the lights that are being generated 04:11 from the major cities of the globe. 04:13 Actually you can see the whole globe 04:15 they have got it, the picture is taken. 04:17 How much power do you think it takes 04:21 to light up the world that way? 04:24 Isn't that phenomenal? 04:26 Never has there been more manmade light 04:29 and yet we are living in a time in the world 04:30 where there is never been more darkness 04:33 that was our scripture reading. 04:35 Isaiah 60 and specially you go to verse 2. 04:38 "For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, 04:42 and gross darkness the people." 04:45 Now the word gross is kind of a unique word 04:49 it has a few different meanings for us today. 04:51 Some are used to buy things by the gross 04:53 and what do that mean? 04:55 As a dozen of something 04:58 or the word grose might mean disgusting. 05:03 Mean you want to-want someone to say, 05:05 that those are gross mashed potatoes, 05:09 that you have made. 05:11 Gross also means concentrated, something that is thick. 05:19 And so when the Bible says, that there is gross darkness 05:24 that covers the people but in spite of that 05:26 "The Lord will arise on thee, 05:28 and his glory will be seen thee." 05:31 You know it's in the time of the greatest darkness 05:33 that the Lord's people are going to shine the brightest. 05:37 You read in Revelation about the bride of Christ 05:39 and it describes what she is wearing, 05:41 clothed with the sun, standing on the moon a crown of stars. 05:46 Why do you think that she-- what she is wearing stands out? 05:50 Because she is against the backdrop of a darkened heavens. 05:55 And it's in the darkness that God's church 05:57 is supposed to shine. 06:00 It's very dangerous though, if we get to the place 06:04 in this world filled with gross darkness 06:07 that you get to where you are adjusted to it 06:11 and you are used to it. 06:13 You know, there is a couple of kinds of people 06:15 that will be in the world when the Lord comes 06:20 it's gonna be the darkest when the Lord comes. 06:24 You have got your cockroaches and your moths 06:26 and I think I have talked to you about that before. 06:28 It's interesting in the darkest night, 06:33 I go up to-- or sometimes by myself 06:36 and no artificial lights around. 06:38 Mater of fact, it's so dark up there on night, 06:41 if there is clouds or there is no moon 06:45 that when we lay down in the bed upstairs, 06:49 you look at the wall and the airport rotating beacon 06:55 ten miles away you can see it flash. 06:58 Because your eyes adjust to the dark 07:00 and all seems to you what was that? 07:02 What was that? 07:03 And there is a periodic flash you get up 07:05 it's a little bitty airport light 10 miles away 07:07 and it actually can be seen. 07:10 But while I'm sometimes studying there in the bedroom I turn on, 07:14 you know the houses run on battery 07:15 so we use low voltage bulbs just enough. 07:19 And turn on light so I can study at night 07:22 and moths that might be miles away see that little light 07:26 because it's the only artificial light long way off, 07:29 and they are attracted to it. 07:30 And they come to me they started beating against 07:32 the office widow upstairs 07:33 because they see that little light in the dark. 07:36 Moths are attracted to the light. 07:38 And then I remember growing up in New York City. 07:41 Some of the places that I lived 07:43 or my friends lived have cockroach problems. 07:47 And you would walk into a room. 07:51 I remember one time I had a friend named Andy, 07:55 and he had a cockroach infestation in his house. 07:59 And only if you are grown up in the city 08:01 you know what I'm talking about. 08:03 We used to play game where we would flip on the lights 08:06 and see if we could run in 08:07 before the cockroaches all got away. 08:11 And we would actually spray lighter fluid on the floor, 08:15 don't do this, around them and light it, 08:18 so we didn't circle them. 08:20 Only crazy kids would do something like this. 08:23 But they tried to scurry away 08:24 when you turned on the lights, you had to be fast. 08:26 They ran from the light. 08:28 When Jesus comes, there is going to be moths 08:31 that are attracted to Him. 08:33 They will say this is our God and there will be cockroaches 08:35 that will run from the wrath of the Lamb. 08:40 Problem is that you get used to cockroaches 08:44 and you get used to the darkness. 08:49 You know, there is a part of a poem by Alexander Pope 08:54 and it says "Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, 08:58 as to be hated needs but to be seen, 09:01 yet too oft, familiar with her face, 09:04 we first endure, then pity, then embrace." 09:08 And that's what happens with sin overtime. 09:10 At first it seems like it's a bad thing, 09:15 and then little by little through exposure 09:17 we get to where once reposed us now intrigues us. 09:24 But once we thought it was so bad now seems attractive. 09:27 And little by little you can get 09:29 to where you are adjusted to the light. 09:30 It's like that Irish man who moved to the States 09:33 and he worked for a year, 09:35 and then his wife finally was able to come and join him. 09:38 And she said to her husband, the people here sure talk funny. 09:42 He said, well, you should have heard them a year ago. 09:46 He had gotten used to it. 09:48 By the way I discovered when I'm in Australia 09:51 I have got an accent. 09:53 Because everybody there told me I had one, 09:55 I said I never had until I came here. 09:58 And I suppose in a couple of weeks, 09:59 when I'm England I'll have an accent again. 10:03 But, you can get used to just about anything as time goes by. 10:08 The danger is this, if we get used to the darkness. 10:13 You know, they have got some scriptures that talk about this. 10:17 2 Peter 2:17 speaking of the laws it says, 10:22 "These are wells without water, 10:25 clouds carried about by a tempest," 10:28 notice the words of Peter "for whom is reserved 10:32 the blackness of darkness forever." 10:36 We all have two destines, light or dark. 10:40 The Bible begins describing the conflict between light and dark. 10:46 God said let there be light. Darkness covered the earth. 10:50 God separated the light from the darkness. 10:52 In the world today there is this conflict still. 10:56 The Bible tells us that in the last days, 11:00 there is gonna be a deep darkness in the world. 11:04 Are you children of the light or children of the dark? 11:06 Jude says it the exact same way. 11:08 Jude 1:13 Speaking of the laws, 11:11 "Raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame, 11:14 wandering stars, for whom is reserved 11:18 the blackness and darkness for ever." 11:21 You know the angels that kept now their first estate 11:24 are reserved in everlasting chains of darkness. 11:27 But these are about the most intense words 11:30 that the Bible uses to describe this gross darkness, 11:32 the blackness of darkness forever. 11:37 What's the darkest dark you have ever seen? 11:41 I remember going one time 11:43 and this will never happen again, 11:45 but while I was speaking in somewhere in the South East 11:49 I don't even remember where I was, 11:51 I was doing a camp meeting. 11:52 And I kept driving to the camp meeting 11:54 by a sign that said Endless Caverns. 11:58 Any of you remember where Endless Caverns is, ha? 12:02 Virginia, okay, yeah that right. It is in Virginia. 12:06 And I thought, well, I want to go see it one day 12:10 and I realize I had time before the camp meeting 12:12 and so I went in and we have to go down 12:15 this stairs to the entrance area 12:18 and they get the little souvenirs 12:19 and I said are there are any more tourists in the caverns? 12:21 And they said well we are supposed to have one more tour 12:23 but we don't have anyone but you. 12:26 It was raining outside, it wasn't a good day I guess 12:28 and they didn't have too many people 12:29 and so eventually few people filtered out 12:32 who has been on the last tour and they have the student 12:34 who was working through the summer 12:36 and she said she take me on a tour. 12:38 And so I went down I got a tour by myself on this Cavern. 12:41 And it actually isn't endless, 12:44 but I guess the people that first discovered it, 12:46 wonder, because it does go on 12:47 and on some beautiful things down there 12:49 and they got light stationed everywhere 12:50 that just illuminate the beautiful, 12:52 stalactites and stalagmites 12:54 and at some point I don't remember what brought around 12:59 but I asked would you mind turning off lights? 13:05 I said I would like to see 13:06 what is like when it's perfectly black here. 13:09 And she said, no problem and matter of fact 13:10 that may have been part of what they normally do. 13:13 And so they turned off the lights 13:15 and you are two or three hundred feet down 13:16 below ground in this Cavern. 13:18 You just hear that little drips in the background. 13:22 No light at all. 13:25 No bleed over light and you open your eyes 13:30 as wide as you can and you wait a little bit. 13:33 Usually when you open your eyes wide, 13:35 people slowly dilates you, you begin to take in some 13:37 kind of shape and form? 13:39 Nothing. And that's pretty spooky. 13:43 It's so dark down there, a cat can't even see. 13:48 Then I remember I took out my keychain 13:50 I have got one of those little illuminating lights 13:52 so you can light up, LED light your key at night. 13:56 And I pulled it out and I turned it on, 13:57 man it was like you turned on a spot light. 14:00 You could see everything because eye pupils are about that big. 14:02 You look like you have taken LSD. 14:05 Don't ask me how I would know that, 14:07 but things just light up real fast. 14:12 Hey you know, I remember hearing a story one time 14:16 where they had this kind of a circus program 14:19 and it was on in a studio and they were taping this guy 14:24 in front of live audience going through 14:27 his routine with a bunch of tigers in a cage. 14:30 He had like six or eight tigers, 14:31 big man eating tigers in there 14:34 and he actually had to go into a chamber, 14:36 where they let him in a chamber 14:37 they locked it then he went into another door 14:40 because they had a double door so that you can get in and out 14:42 and they locked that and he gets in there 14:43 and he starts working these tigers through this routine 14:46 and the tapes or the TV cameras are rolling 14:48 and they got the lights on and the studio audience is watching 14:52 and he is making them all stack up 14:54 and get on their little stands around 14:56 and he is cracking his whip, 14:57 he had a little wooden chair in his hand 14:59 and they had a power failure. 15:04 I'm not going to tell you what happened. 15:07 Okay, since you beg me. 15:11 That 30 seconds was all but can you imagine 15:15 how long that must have felt for that man in there. 15:18 Had no flashlight, and finally they popped on 15:21 the lights and he was there. 15:24 Well he is half of him. 15:25 No he was still there 15:28 and the tigers were still in their positions 15:30 and someone asked him afterward, they said were you scared? 15:34 He said, yes. 15:36 So what did you do? 15:37 He said well, I knew that they could see me 15:41 but I could not see them. 15:43 Cats can see about a hundred times 15:44 better than people in the dark. 15:47 And he said but, he said they didn't know 15:51 that I couldn't see them. 15:53 And so I had to keep my eyes open and be glaring 15:56 and cracking my weapon holding my chair, 15:58 since but I have no idea where they were 16:01 but I could have let them know I didn't know where they were. 16:05 I don't know how that fits in 16:06 but I just wanted to tell you that 16:07 but I thought that was an interesting story. 16:13 Black holes, have you ever been sitting 16:18 in a well lit room and then someone turns out the light 16:23 and all of the sudden the darkness seems twice as dark 16:26 because you have been in the light. 16:28 How was it for those how have been with the Lord 16:30 and then they walk out into the world. 16:33 You know don't they see the contrast? 16:36 It's a shame if their eyes get adjusted. 16:39 2 Corinthians 4:3 says, "If our gospel is hidden, 16:44 it's hidden to them that are lost, 16:48 in whom the God of this age 16:49 has blinded the minds of them they believe not, 16:52 lest the glorious Gospel light should shine upon them 16:57 for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness" 17:00 speaking about Genesis "has shown in our hearts" 17:03 that same word that said let there be light back in Genesis. 17:07 "It brings lights into our lives in our dark hearts 17:11 to give the light of the knowledge 17:13 of the glory of God and the face of Jesus." 17:16 You know, they have got out there in space this black holes. 17:20 And evidently a black hole is the result of a sun 17:23 or some great luminary body that has collapsed 17:27 and has a magnetic force, the gravitational pull 17:30 that is so powerful that anything 17:34 within hundreds of million of miles get sucked in. 17:38 I actually don't know what their distance is 17:40 but the surrounding vicinity anything get sucked into it 17:44 even light that travels 186,000 miles per second. 17:49 Black holes are so powerful that it will even suck in the light. 17:52 The devils darkness is so intense, 17:55 but he basically gobbles up any light around him. 18:00 He has committed the unpardonable sin. 18:03 And you know some people 18:05 that have grieved away the spirit 18:07 they are like black holes. 18:10 You try and reach them they just-- 18:12 they have no interest at all. 18:15 Bible talks about that deep dark everlasting gross darkness 18:22 like a black hole it just sucks it up, nothing ever shows on it. 18:29 Then you know there are some people 18:30 who are allergic to the light. 18:33 Really, there is a very rare disease 18:37 called Xeroderma Pigmentosum. 18:42 It's mostly children that have it 18:43 because its actually ultimately its--its terminal. 18:48 They do not have in their cells that natural mechanism 18:54 we all have where cells repair from light damage. 18:56 You and I are exposed to light all the time 18:58 and you know they always say you have to slather yourself 19:00 with sunscreen and stuff because, overexposure to light 19:03 you get burned and but your sunburn heals eventually. 19:07 Well, even your eyes get a certain amount of light damage, 19:10 but the cells heal. 19:13 The young people that have xeroderma pigmentosum 19:15 they don't heal. 19:16 Their skin cells never heal. 19:18 They almost all get skin cancer or blindness. 19:22 They have to live in the dark. 19:23 Even artificial light hurts them. 19:26 They have constantly got to wear glasses 19:29 and special clothing and stay indoors. 19:31 The only time they can go outside is when it's dark. 19:34 They can't even go out when there is moon out. 19:37 They are allergic to the light. 19:39 Wouldn't that be terrible? 19:42 You probably met people like that 19:44 that are allergic to the light. 19:46 Now, we understand when a child is afraid of the dark, 19:53 but it's sort of sad if a grown person is afraid of the light. 19:59 Heard one time about a four-year-old boy 20:00 that was trying to pour himself some Kool-Aid 20:03 and he spilled some on the linoleum in the kitchen floor. 20:05 And he wanted to help mom mop it up but it was night. 20:08 So he ran to the porch door because he knew the mop 20:10 was outside and they kept it outside on the porch. 20:13 But it was dark and his mom saw 20:16 that he wanted to do this and he went out 20:18 and he hesitated there at the door. 20:20 Because he--kind of dark and scary in the backyard 20:24 and his mom said son, you don't need to be afraid 20:28 Jesus is everywhere even in the darkness, 20:31 so he stared outside the door for a minute. 20:34 He said, Jesus can You hand me the mop. 20:38 So you expect sometimes children are afraid of the dark 20:41 but it's really sad as if people are afraid of the light. 20:46 And Bible describes that Jesus said, 20:48 John 3:19 "This is the condemnation," 20:53 by the word--no the way that word condemnation 20:56 is krisis and it's where we get the word, crisis. 21:01 "This is the crises that light is coming to the world 21:05 and men love darkness rather than light," why? 21:10 "Because their deeds are evil." 21:14 For everyone that does evil hates the light. 21:16 Why did they kill Jesus? 21:19 Because of His darkness or his light? 21:21 His light made their darkness standout. 21:25 "Everyone that does evil hates the light 21:26 neither comes to the light, 21:28 lest his deeds be reproved or exposed 21:30 but he that does truth comes to the light 21:33 that his deeds may be made manifest 21:36 that they are wrought in God." 21:39 You know, it's a little easier sleeping 21:40 when its dark and that's why lot of people sleep in the church 21:46 it's because it gross darkness I wasn't speaking 21:49 about anyone right now. 21:51 I'm talking about generally the church 21:53 because gross darkness covers the land and the people. 21:59 This is the condemnation that God sends light 22:01 into the world and men love darkness rather than light. 22:04 Now, have you ever been in a room 22:06 where you know you are sleeping through 22:07 the night and its dark and all of a sudden the light comes on 22:11 and when you are flying cross country 22:14 and everybody is got their window sheets down. 22:16 Some people are watching that little monitors 22:18 and they ask you to all shut your windows 22:20 and you didn't know are they are during the night 22:22 the sun came up, while you are flying 22:24 and when you are flying from the west to the east. 22:30 Sun comes up pretty quick 22:32 because you are helping it come up. 22:34 All of a sudden someone flips up 22:36 their sheet right there, blind 22:38 and you put that down again. 22:40 It will hurt my eyes or someone comes into your room, 22:43 they cut on the light and you have had 22:45 your head under the pillow. 22:48 Eventually you can't spend your life 22:49 with your head under the pillow or with your eye mask on. 22:54 Eventually you have got to get adjusted. 22:56 If you are Christian the closer you come to the Lord, 22:58 the more it exposes the things in your life 23:00 that need changing but you don't get discouraged by that. 23:03 You keep approaching the Lord and the light of God burns 23:06 those things out of our lives if we don't turn away. 23:09 Light actually purifies, light will sterilize and cleanse us. 23:16 You know, the Bible tells us that God is light. 23:19 I John 1:5,6 "This the message that you have heard from him, 23:25 and that we declare unto you, 23:27 that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all, 23:33 if we say we've got fellowship with him, 23:35 and we walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth." 23:40 Someone said character is who you are in the dark. 23:45 Character is who you are when you 23:46 don't think anyone is watching. 23:49 Matthew 4:16 speaking of the time in which Christ came, 23:54 "The people that sat in darkness have seen a great light, 23:58 and to them that sat in the region 24:00 and shadow of death the light is sprung up." 24:04 Psalm 89:15 "Blessed are the people 24:07 that know the joyful sound the walk, 24:10 O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance." 24:13 Now, God is light and if we have got darkness in our hearts 24:16 and darkness in our life then we need to invite that light. 24:19 Introduce that light into our lives. 24:22 We are called to be light in the world. 24:27 Matthew 5:14 not only is Jesus the light of the world, 24:32 he said "You are the light of the world. 24:35 A city that is on a hill cannot be hidden, 24:38 neither do men light a candle, 24:39 and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick 24:42 and it gives light to all that are in the house." 24:46 You know what a blackout is when there is a power failure. 24:51 And people and sometimes nations are plunged into darkness. 24:55 Sometimes we have a blackout in the church. 24:58 There is a power failure because God's people 25:01 His children, His church are failing 25:03 to reflect the light of God 25:05 or let that light shine in their lives. 25:09 Did you know that you glow? 25:12 It's true I did an amazing fact few weeks ago. 25:14 They did some studies in Japan, 25:17 they have got very sensitive equipment right now 25:19 that can measure light and they put the subjects 25:22 in this perfectly dark room and they found out that people glow. 25:27 It's a light that is about a 1,000 times dimmer 25:29 than what you can pick up with the human eye. 25:31 I don't know if a cat can see it or not. 25:34 But you emit light. 25:37 They figure that it's because of-- 25:40 might actually because of free radicals. 25:41 It's like a natural bioluminescence all living 25:45 cells emit a certain amount of light. 25:48 The interesting thing they found in the study in Japan 25:51 they took the subjects and they took these men 25:53 and they photographed them with this hypersensitive 25:55 very, very sensitive light detecting equipment. 25:59 And they notice that the light went up and down 26:01 at different times during the day. 26:04 And different parts of their bodies glowed brighter. 26:07 They actually glow brighter 26:08 around the chest region of their bodies. 26:12 So, when Jesus said let your light shine, 26:13 He was being serious. We have all got light. 26:17 Did Adam and Eve glow? 26:19 They did, and that's why they knew they were naked 26:22 after they sinned, the light went out. 26:25 Did Mosses glow when he talked to God? 26:28 Now you are more sure about that. 26:29 We got that Scripture, right. 26:31 He actually had to veil his face. 26:33 And so I think in heaven, we all are gonna 26:36 just glow a lot brighter than we do. 26:39 Right now, we just still glow in a little bit. 26:42 Just don't let your light go out. 26:46 The brightest man made light in the world 26:48 is not very far from here, it's down there in Las Vegas. 26:52 It's a light that comes out of the top of the Luxor hotel. 26:55 You heard me talk about this before 26:56 but I think it's interesting. 26:59 On the top of the hotel talk about the power bill 27:03 they have got 45 xenon lights 27:08 that are each one is big as a washing machine 27:11 and I don't even know how many 27:12 million candle power they put up. 27:15 It's just really brighter they had problems at first 27:18 because planes coming in to the Las Vegas Airport 27:20 periodically will take a flight path right over the hotel 27:24 and it would blind the pilots momentarily. 27:27 They fly over this like flash of lightening they go 27:30 what was that there's no clouds in the sky 27:32 and they flown over the light 27:34 come out of the top of the Luxor hotel. 27:36 You see you can't see that light unless 27:39 there is dust in the Las Vegas air. 27:43 Have you ever gone out with the big spotlight at night? 27:46 Come on, any of you men ever have a spotting light. 27:49 You go out in the dark in the wilderness 27:51 and you turn it on you don't see the light 27:52 till it hit something. 27:55 And sometimes it's even those lights are so powerful 27:57 they might even be clouds overhead you can shine it, 27:59 you can see them illuminating 28:01 the ceiling of clouds at overhead. 28:03 Any of you ever done that? 28:04 You know what I'm talking about? 28:05 It's really something, but you don't see it 28:06 till it hits something. 28:08 What really fun is you go into your neighbors tent, 28:11 you got to wait till they are asleep, 28:14 and then you unzip it and you holler 28:15 and they look at you and you turn it on. 28:17 Then you throw whole water on them and you run. 28:22 Now, I don't know why that just came to me. 28:23 I thought, I probably never done anything like that before. 28:27 But it's actually someone did that to me. 28:29 And then you are blinded and you can't do anything about it. 28:34 Takes a while for your eyes to get adjusted. 28:36 Light doesn't do anything unless it hits something. 28:40 You get the point? 28:42 Jesus sends His light into the world 28:45 but the world is not gonna see it 28:46 unless it bounces off something 28:49 and it's supposed to be reflecting of you and I. 28:51 You and I are to reflect His light, 28:54 just as the moon reflects the light of the sun 28:56 you can't see the moon unless 28:58 it's picking up the light of the sun. 29:02 Luke 1:79, speaking of Christ and His mission, 29:06 "He came to give light to them that sit in darkness 29:10 and in the shadow of death, 29:12 to guide their feet in the way of peace." 29:16 Now, we are told in God's word 29:18 that we are to walk in the light. 29:21 Don't get adjusted to the dark, walk in the light. 29:28 It seems like at one time the things that shocked 29:30 and amazed us now entertain and amuse us. 29:35 John 12:35, 36 "Yet a little while the light with you. 29:40 Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you." 29:44 Can a person's light go out? 29:48 If God sends light into your Life, it is never stagnant. 29:55 That light will always get brighter or it will get dimmer. 30:00 You need to be either fueling that light 30:02 so it grows brighter and brighter till the day dawn 30:04 and the day start rise in your heart. 30:06 You find the light of God in the Bible describe 30:09 as either growing brighter or it gets dimmer. 30:13 All of us are like dimmer Switches, we are active. 30:18 Which way you are turning your switch? 30:21 Is the light of God in your life getting brighter 30:22 are you studying and walking in the light? 30:24 If God gives you light 30:27 and you follow what He's revealed to you 30:30 He will give you more light. 30:32 Well, why does He stop giving you light 30:34 if you stop walking in the light? 30:36 Because any light that God gives you, 30:38 you are responsible for and you will be judged by. 30:42 God loves you too much to give you more light 30:45 than you are gonna walk in 30:46 because then you just become accountable for it. 30:49 Did you get that? 30:51 If God gives you increased light 30:54 and you don't walk in the light the more He gives you. 30:58 Jesus said if you were blind you could not see 31:00 you would have no sin but now that you see your sin remains. 31:03 We are accountable for the light that we receive. 31:06 Some of us had been stagnant in our experience 31:08 because we are not walking in the light that He has given us. 31:11 I have seen it many times in evangelistic meetings 31:12 someone comes and you can see them 31:14 they are on the front row and their faces are beamed 31:17 and they go wow, how come I have never heard this before 31:19 this is wonderful and they are asking questions, 31:21 and they are sitting on the edge of the their seat 31:23 and they are drinking it in and their faces are shinning. 31:27 And then you covers some difficult subject 31:31 and all of a sudden the body language changes. 31:34 You can see it, I've seen it so many times. 31:35 Evangelists get good at spottiness. 31:38 Instead of sitting up and sitting forward 31:39 they sit back and they fold their arms. 31:42 And all of a sudden you can see little detachment happening. 31:45 And then may be they miss a night and you go visit them. 31:51 You can bet it's good, visit them before they miss a night. 31:54 And I'll say brother, sister, 31:57 I said you are so excited you are coming, you missed 32:00 couple of nights, can I help you what's going on? 32:03 Did this make sense? Yes. 32:04 Did this make sense? Yes. 32:07 And I remember this one girl who was talking to me, 32:11 she just love the meeting. 32:12 She was drinking it all in and she in particular 32:15 had a problem with the presentation 32:19 on Christian appearance and dress. 32:25 She dressed differently 32:29 and I won't go into detail but you figure it out. 32:34 And when I cover that subject everything changed 32:37 and she said Brother Doug, I don't know what happened, 32:39 something happened. 32:41 She said I was just felt so close to the Lord 32:43 and God was in my life and He was hearing my prayers 32:45 and I just felt like he was with me all day long 32:48 and now this last week He said-- 32:50 she said its like the light went out. 32:54 And I said that, sister, 32:55 you remember we covered that subject? Yeah. 32:58 And I said, then you started folding your arms 33:01 and you didn't look too happy. 33:02 She said, no, I don't agree with that. 33:05 I said well, God's not giving you any more light 33:07 because you are not walking in the light that He has given you. 33:11 I said if you want that light to keep shining 33:13 you step out and follow what He has reveled. 33:16 You can read in Peter that the light of God 33:18 is progressive, add to your faith virtue 33:21 and your virtue knowledge and it's like Jacob's Ladder 33:25 and so some of us who want to jump the rungs in the ladder. 33:29 If God reveal something to you, 33:31 you and your life that needs addressing 33:33 and you are now in a holding pattern. 33:35 You are trading lot and you are wondering 33:36 why you are not getting anywhere. 33:39 Walk in the light, you can you can only be in a holding 33:42 pattern so long, you gonna run out of gas 33:44 and drop out of the sky. 33:46 It's very dangerous, try to maintain your relationship 33:50 with Jesus without growth. 33:52 When you think you are standing still 33:54 as a Christian you are actually sliding backwards. 33:57 You are loosing altitude you may not even know it. 34:00 You got to be moving forward friends. 34:03 Walk in the light while you got the light. 34:07 Job 29:3 "When his candle shined on my head, 34:11 and when by his light I walked through the darkness, 34:15 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, 34:17 and a light unto my path." 34:18 1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, 34:22 as he is in the light, we have fellowship 34:24 with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ 34:27 his Son cleanse us from all sin." 34:29 Did you get that? 34:30 How many want to be cleansed from sin? 34:33 There is a condition for cleansing. 34:35 What is that condition? 34:37 Turn your back on the darkness and walk forward in the light. 34:41 Continue to talk in the advancing light 34:44 that God gives you. 34:45 You know what typically happens with denominations? 34:49 We are part of the denomination but there is a history. 34:52 It's sad but it's true. 34:55 God will raise up some individual 34:58 that will discover new light from God's word 35:00 that's been neglected or a group of individuals 35:02 and they say, hey, how come we? 35:04 How come we stop baptizing by immersion? 35:07 We need to go back to Bible baptism 35:09 and a whole new moment comes out 35:10 of this new light and it's called Baptist. 35:14 But then after the founders die, the people say 35:18 well, here's what the founders wrote. 35:19 They didn't say anything about this subject 35:22 so we're not changing and they stop growing. 35:25 And pretty soon a couple of generations go by 35:27 and it will turn into a denomination 35:29 instead of a movement. 35:32 If you will forgive me for saying so, 35:34 I have seen it happen historically with Lutherans. 35:38 Luther found great light and those who recognize 35:41 that they have walked in the light, then Luther died 35:43 and say well, Luther never knew about baptism by immersion. 35:46 And they stopped. 35:49 And John Wesley comes along and he teaches about 35:51 sanctification and Godly living 35:53 that why they're called the Methodist 35:54 because they had a method of holiness in their lives. 35:57 And the devotional life and then Wesley died 36:02 and his brothers and they kind of flattened out. 36:06 And pretty soon the church few generation go by 36:09 and they start, they don't realize 36:11 that they are ordaining gays 36:16 and all kinds of things started happening to the church 36:19 and they go, what happened? 36:22 They stopped walking in the light. 36:24 Are we immune to that? 36:27 If we don't continue to live in the light and walk in the light 36:30 pretty soon you become a denomination, 36:32 you become an organization that a social club 36:35 and you just start drifting down back with the world. 36:38 And you still have your name, you still have your building. 36:42 What happens to denomination happens to individuals. 36:46 When you trace the history of the seven churches in Revelation 36:50 starting out with Ephesus going for concurring and to concur. 36:55 You look at the ups and downs of those seven churches, 37:00 it begins on fire with that first love. 37:02 Eventually looses the love and after going through 37:05 a few cycles by the time 37:06 you get to the end of Laodicea, it's lukewarm. 37:09 They don't know that they are poor and wretched 37:12 and miserable and blind and naked. 37:14 It comes on gradually to pretty soon it's just an institution. 37:20 Laodicea describes a lukewarm institution. 37:23 Think they are rich and increase with goods. 37:24 You got lot of property, you have got lot of institutions, 37:26 lot of educational things and hospitals 37:30 and the people think they are rich and increase 37:32 with goods and in their lives 37:33 they are not walking in the light they are in darkness. 37:37 And they don't know it and then you end up 37:38 with a blind leading the blind. 37:43 You know, the deepest darkness 37:45 biblically comes before deliverance. 37:49 "It's only darkest before the dawn" Thomas Fuller said. 37:54 You know, by now the days are getting really short. 37:58 I was kind of depressed coming back from Sydney 38:00 because there it was going from spring to summer 38:03 and it was just gorgeous. 38:05 I spent several days walking around the harbor 38:07 just reveling in spring time. 38:10 And then one day I went from 38:12 going into spring to going into winter. 38:16 Actually I was going in from spring to summer, 38:18 now I'm going from fall to winter. 38:20 And there the days were getting longer 38:22 and here now the days are getting shorter. 38:24 All in one day, and I remember first day 38:29 I was back I looked up it was 5 o'clock and it was dark out. 38:31 I thought bomber. 38:34 You know what I like about Christmas? 38:36 Not Santa Claus, when you get to Christmas 38:41 the days finally start getting longer again. 38:45 You know in Alaska they have, 38:47 they have diagnosed and if what happened you know, 38:50 probably in Scandinavia to any of these northern countries 38:53 but where they get the long winter nights, 38:56 they have diagnosed a depression connected 39:00 with these long nights where sun comes up 39:03 through an hour or two a day 39:05 and it goes back down again. 39:08 That would, that would be kind of depressing 39:10 but nice thing about Alaska, they also produce 39:13 some of the best vegetables 39:14 because they have got the longest day light. 39:17 If you want to have those long days 39:18 sometimes it comes after long night. 39:21 When is Jesus coming? 39:24 I'm not talking for a day or hour 39:25 no not 2012 Mayan calendar. 39:30 Since I mentioned it 39:32 I'll tell you Karen and I and the boys were in Belize 39:35 and I got to drive by a Mayan Indian. 39:39 Gave me a ride while I was there 39:41 and I asked him about the Mayan calendar 39:43 and he just laughed almost choked. 39:45 See that's the most absurd thing they ever heard. 39:48 Here Hollywood is making a movie about the Mayan calendar 39:50 and the Mayans are laughing. 39:52 They don't think the world is ending in 2012. 39:54 They got thousands of calendar and stones 39:57 that all could be interpreted different ways. 39:59 But yeah, if Hollywood could make a buck 40:01 who knows it might be 2012 40:02 and everyone is gonna be laughing as it happens. 40:04 But it will have nothing to do with the Mayan calendar. 40:07 Could be sooner, 40:10 got another character out there saying its 2011. 40:15 I actually think It's happening in 1996. 40:20 See you missed it, no I just-- 40:21 I'm seeing if you are listening. 40:25 When is Jesus coming? 40:28 Midnight, we didn't know where He is coming from. 40:33 I know exactly when He is coming. 40:35 Midnight, I'm not talking about 40:38 what hour the day I'm talking about what hour of the world. 40:42 Bible says 40:45 "And at midnight there was a cry made, 40:48 Behold, the bridegroom comes go out to meet him. 40:53 And all those virgins trimmed their lamps." 40:55 They needed to do something when Jesus came 40:57 to dispel the darkness and help other people 40:59 find their way to the wedding. 41:01 It's during the darkest time of the world's history 41:05 that the church needed the most to let their light shine. 41:10 You know, just before the children of Israel came out 41:12 of Egypt there was a plague of darkness, 41:17 darkness on the headquarters of Egypt. 41:21 Just before the Lord comes 41:22 one of the seven last plagues is what? 41:25 Darkness on the seat of the beast. 41:28 By the way I want to read this to you from Exodus 10:21 41:33 "The Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward heaven, 41:36 that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, 41:38 even darkness that may be felt." 41:41 That's called gross darkness. 41:44 "And Moses stretched out his hand towards heaven 41:47 and there was a thick darkness 41:49 in all the land of Egypt for three days. 41:52 They saw not one another, neither any arose 41:55 from his place for three days but all the children of Israel 41:59 had light in their dwellings." 42:03 Does God want us to be in darkness? 42:05 Doesn't the Bible say but you are not children of the night, 42:09 we are children of the day. 42:11 The day of the Lord should not overtake us as a thief. 42:13 Let us not walk in darkness as others do. 42:19 1 Thessalonians 5:4, 5 "But you, brethren, 42:23 are not in darkness, that that day 42:24 should overtake you as a thief. 42:26 You are the children of light, and the children of the day 42:29 we are not of the night, nor of darkness." 42:32 The light of God ought to be seen in our lives. 42:37 You know, there are few other verses I want to share with you. 42:42 When Jesus died it was a time 42:44 when the world rejected its Creator 42:47 and there was a super natural darkness. 42:50 Matthew 27:45 "Now from the sixth hour 42:54 there was darkness over all the land to the ninth hour." 42:58 During the plague of Moses it was three days of darkness. 43:00 During the death of Jesus, it was three hours of darkness, 43:03 supernatural darkness. 43:06 And then "Jesus cried with a loud voice, 43:09 Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? 43:11 My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" 43:13 At the time where it looks like the world is forsaken by God. 43:18 There is gonna be gross darkness. 43:22 Could we have the grossest darkness 43:24 in an age of man where we have the most artificial light? 43:29 Could it be possible that all of the artificial light 43:32 we are able to now create is really deceiving us. 43:38 We think that's the substitute for the real light. 43:43 Hey, you know we have got something interesting 43:46 that we are doing here at Central Church 43:48 talking about light and darkness? 43:51 We are very intrigued about the idea of putting solar panels 43:54 on the roof as actually a cost saving. 43:59 That's its--well, I will tell you about that sometime. 44:02 Well, we can covert sunlight into light in the church. 44:05 I'm really intrigued by solar light 44:07 because you take the light that God made 44:09 and if you can store it, you can turn it into natural light. 44:14 Sort of what the Lord does with us. 44:16 He shines in our hearts and then is reproduced in our lives. 44:23 The day is coming when there's gonna be no more dark. 44:26 Romans 13:12 "The night is far spent, 44:30 the day is at hand, let us 44:31 therefore cast off the works of darkness." 44:34 Are you getting adjusted to the light? 44:36 Are you casting off the works of darkness? 44:40 And let us put on the armor. 44:42 Doesn't say armor of God it says the armor of light. 44:48 Do your clothes glow? 44:51 Talk about good detergent the blood of Christ 44:53 will make your cloths glow. 44:56 Better an OxiClean. 44:59 Ephesians 5:8 "For you once were darkness, 45:03 but now you are light in the Lord, 45:05 walk as children of Light." 45:09 You all glow a little bit right now, we just need to glow more. 45:13 Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship 45:18 with the unfruitful works of darkness, 45:21 but rather reprove them." 45:24 Don't get used to the dark, 45:27 we need to ask God to help us recognize 45:29 the darkness of this world and reprove it. 45:31 "For it is a shame even to speak of those things 45:33 that are done by them in secret." 45:35 2 Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who has commanded 45:39 the light to shine out of darkness, 45:41 has shined in our hearts" 45:43 and I mentioned this one before 45:44 "the light to give us the light of the knowledge 45:47 of the glory of God in the face of Jesus." 45:50 So how do we--how do we let these lights 45:53 shine in a dark world. 45:56 Well, several ways. 45:59 One is very simply the word of God is light. 46:02 But you don't see the light of God word 46:04 until it hits something. 46:06 As you read the word of God 46:08 and you allowed into your lives 46:10 and you seek to live it out and you walk in the light, 46:13 people are gonna see that light 46:15 in your life and they will follow. 46:18 And then some good news friends, 46:21 we are going to a place 46:22 where it's never going to be dark again. 46:26 I like this Revelation 21:23, 46:30 "And the city had no need of the sun, 46:32 neither of the moon, to shine in it 46:34 for the glory of God did lighten it, 46:36 and the Lamb is the light thereof." 46:40 You know when you think about the brilliance of heaven, 46:43 whenever when Ellen White went into vision 46:50 and she would see the glories of heaven. 46:54 When the vision ended and she had to come back to the world 46:57 and going into vision she said glory, glory, glory 47:01 and to be ever louder glory, glory, glory 47:04 because things were getting brighter, brighter, brighter. 47:08 And as the vision ended she would often say, 47:10 dark, dark, dark. 47:13 This world is so dark. 47:15 You know, Bible teaches that, Isaiah 30:26, 47:18 speaking of heaven, "Moreover the light of the moon 47:23 in that kingdom will be like the light of the sun, 47:27 and the light of the sun will be sevenfold." 47:31 So picture right now don't do it 47:33 but if were to go outside and you would look 47:35 at the sun, it burn your eyes. 47:37 Can you imaging living in a world 47:39 where your eyes are able to adjust to a moon 47:41 that is brighter than our sun is now, that's what it says. 47:47 Our whole world was darkened by sin 47:51 and the sun will be seven times brighter 47:54 than it is now and I have got a theory 47:56 that in that kingdom because we will not have 47:59 xeroderma pigmentosum, we will be able to look into the sun 48:03 in its strength and it won't hurt our eyes 48:11 because God will be brighter than the sun there. 48:15 The city is not illuminated by the natural sign, 48:18 it's illuminated by God himself. 48:22 I'm tired of living in the dark, this dark world, 48:26 this gross darkness will cover the people. 48:29 But as we walk in the light, as He is in the light 48:32 His blood will cleanse us from all sin. 48:34 You know, what the command is to us? 48:36 It's in our scripture reading. It says arise and shine. 48:41 God is calling us to "Arise and to shine 48:45 and like the glory of the Lord, rise upon me. 48:48 His glory will be seen on thee." 48:51 I don't know about you friends 48:52 but by His grace I want to be a light in this dark world. 48:56 At midnight Jesus is coming 48:57 and this when we are supposed to trim our lamps 49:00 and keep them burning. 49:01 So people will see the light of God in our lives. 49:03 Very simple message today about light and darkness, 49:05 but it's very real, it's not all theory. 49:08 We do live in a dark world. 49:10 How many of you want to let your light shine 49:12 to reflect His light off of you, 49:15 and let's and we'll sing 515 49:18 our closing hymn the Lord is my light. 49:23 Let's sing verses 1, 2 and 4. 49:44 The Lord is my light, then why should I fear 49:50 By day and by night His presence is near 49:57 He is my salvation from sorrow and sin 50:03 This blessed persuasion the Spirit brings in 50:10 The Lord is my light, my joy, and my song 50:16 By day and by night He leads me along 50:23 The Lord is my light, my joy, and my song 50:30 By day and by night He leads me along 50:38 I like to give you an opportunity friends, 50:42 to make a decision today. 50:44 Some may be of you who recognize 50:48 that you are not walking in the light that God has given you. 50:51 You've not been allowing His light to reflect 50:53 and to shine in your life 50:56 or may be He has revealed light to you 50:59 and you are neglecting or ignoring it. 51:02 Can't be in a holding pattern for long 51:04 you gonna lose altitude friends, that light will get dimmer. 51:07 If you want more light to go brighter and brighter 51:09 until that day, you got to walk in the light. 51:12 And if the Holy Spirit is speaking to you 51:14 and you recognize Lord, I'm willing to step out in faith 51:18 and to walk in that light 51:20 or you need some special prayer in your life. 51:22 May be you felt it you just got this plague 51:24 of darkness in your heart 51:25 and you want the light of God's glory to shine in again. 51:28 Well, I have special prayer for you 51:30 come as we sing Verse 2 together 51:32 "The Lord is my light." 51:35 The Lord is my light, though clouds may arise 51:42 Faith, stronger than sight, looks up to the skies 51:50 Where Jesus forever in glory doth reign 51:57 Then how can I ever in darkness remain? 52:05 The Lord is my light, my joy, and my song 52:13 By day and by night He leads me along 52:20 The Lord is my light, my joy, and my song 52:28 By day and by night He leads me along 52:39 Not only do we want the Lord's light to shine 52:41 in us as individuals we are also a church family 52:45 and collectively as God's people, 52:46 we're to be a temple of light in this community. Amen. 52:50 We want to be a light on the hill. 52:52 Is it your prayer that as His body 52:54 we can walk in the light 52:55 not become a stagnant denomination or institution 52:59 but to walk in increasing light and follow where He leads. 53:03 Is that your prayer? 53:04 Let's sing the fourth verse together and then we will pray. 53:07 The Lord is my light, my all and in all 53:15 There is in His sight no darkness at all 53:23 He is my Redeemer, my Savior and King 53:30 With saints and with angels His praises I sing 53:38 The Lord is my light, my joy, and my song 53:46 By day and by night He leads me along 53:54 The Lord is my light, my joy, and my song 54:02 By day and by night He leads me along 54:16 Dear Father, Lord, we know 54:19 that we are living in a world of abject gross darkness. 54:24 Heaven forbid that we should become used to the dark. 54:29 I pray Lord, that our eyes will not get adjusted 54:32 to the dark so we feel comfortable in the shadows. 54:35 But that we'll yearn to walk in the light 54:37 even though at times, 54:39 it exposes the spots of defilement in our characters. 54:42 We know the blood of Jesus will purge our armor of light. 54:48 I pray that each person here, 54:51 as individuals will be resolved by Your grace to walk 54:54 in the light that You shed on our paths. 54:56 That will approach the light that will have that yearning 54:59 like a moth in the darkness to fly towards the light 55:03 without reservation. 55:05 And I pray that as we come to you 55:07 that You will also help us to reflect the light of Jesus 55:11 in this perishing world we are living in the time. 55:14 We are nearing midnight right now Lord, 55:17 where it seems that judgment and the values of the world 55:20 have been so skewed by this darkness 55:22 that people are stumbling and mumbling 55:25 and bumbling in the dark. 55:28 Help us Lord, not to be among those 55:31 who are just the blind leading the blind 55:33 but help us to walk in the light 55:35 that it will grow brighter and brighter 55:37 until that day dawn and the day start arise in our hearts. 55:42 Lord, we pray that You will arise and shine upon us 55:45 and that You will dispel the darkness of the devil 55:48 in our hearts and that we may be a light in this world. 55:51 Bless each person Lord, we are talking 55:53 with lot of metaphors today 55:54 but we want to apply these things in practical ways, 55:57 real ways in our lives and as we go from this place 56:01 to walk in the light, we ask in Jesus name, amen. 56:11 Journey back through time to the center of the universe 56:16 discover how a perfect angel transformed 56:19 into Satan the arch villain. 56:22 The birth of evil, a rebellion in heaven. 56:27 A mutiny that moved to earth. 56:31 Behold, the creation of a beautiful new planet 56:34 and the first humans. 56:36 Witness the temptation of evil. 56:39 Discover god's amazing plan to save his children. 56:43 This is a story that involves every life on earth. 56:48 Every life. 56:51 The Cosmic Conflict, if God is good, 56:54 if God is all powerful, if God is love, 56:57 then what went wrong? 57:00 Available now on DVD. 57:07 In the same way all of the planets in our solar system 57:10 revolve around the sun 57:12 everything we do here at Amazing Facts 57:14 revolves around the nucleus of God's word the Scriptures. 57:19 That's why we're very excited to tell you 57:21 about the release of a new resource 57:23 that will bless you in your personal study. 57:25 It's the Amazing Facts Prophecy Study Bible, 57:29 and this Bible is like no other. 57:30 It is filled with wonderful resources. 57:33 Of course, it has a concordance and there's maps, 57:35 red letter edition, New King James version, 57:38 how to understand the history of the Bible 57:40 and best of all 27 of the popular 57:43 Amazing Facts study guides are in this Bible. 57:47 Answering questions like how will Jesus come, 57:50 who is the beast, what is the mark of the beast, 57:52 and what does the Bible say about death, and hell, 57:55 and heaven, and much more. 57:56 If you'd like to know how you can obtain a copy of this 57:59 incredible Bible study resource then simply call 58:02 the toll free number on your screen 58:03 or go to amazingfacts.org. |
Revised 2014-12-17