Light and Dark

Imagine if you will that we’re in this room as pictured with the light. We are standing far away from the light and are trying to read some important instructions. The instructions could be a matter of life and death. We really need to see these instructions. The obvious thing to do would be to move closer to the light to enhance our vision, but we have a tendency to resist. Why?

Even though we may be afraid of not seeing the instructions, we’re more afraid of what may be revealed by the light. People may see us for what we really are or what we think we are. Our sins may become public knowledge and of course that’s scary. Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. John 3:19 We think the instructions will tell us to do something we feel we can’t do. In the darkness we believe all of our filth and grunge is hidden from many people, but not from the one who really matters.

I have talked with many people who don’t want to hear the truth, but what they are looking for is someone to agree with them or validate what they already plan to do. I have done this a lot. Years ago a discovery was made in Glenrose, Texas. They had found a man’s footprint inside a dinosaur footprint. This really shook up the evolution community. According to evolution, mankind and dinosaurs existed 50 million years apart so how could this be. This unraveled the very foundation of their lie. One of the big evolutionist leaders (I can’t remember the man’s name off hand) was at the site all day, but he wouldn’t look at the evidence. He would walk right up to it, but always keep his back to the footprint. NOVA was doing a documentary and when they asked him what he thought he would only say, “I see no evidence of mankind existing with dinosaurs.” If he would have turned around he would have.

We approach the light only when we’ve exhausted all our efforts and failed. We become desperate because we’re tired of stumbling around in the dark. However, before we do, we attempt to cleanse ourselves by vigorously scrubbing. They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards. Job 12: 25 We feel that certainly we must be clean enough to approach the light now, but as we approach the light we realize we’re just as filthy as ever. You see, we don’t have the power to forgive ourselves nor to clean ourselves up. Only Jesus is capable of this task, but our pride resist and we think we can handle it ourselves. 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." John 8:12 Does this make you curious?

It’s only when we start walking in the light can we see life for what it really is and what it was meant to be. In the darkness we cannot see the truth and the real Christian life. We and others can only speculate and I assure you it is nothing like I thought. It is only when we come into the light can we see clearly for the first time. Many are walking in the shadows and think they have arrived, but only when we step into the light do we realize how far off the path we strolled.

There are those who want to believe that mankind is basically good. It’s actually the opposite. We are all born with the seed of sin and apart from God. It is only through Jesus that this darkness can be removed and we can join the light. It’s like this. Darkness is a natural state or the absence of light. You’ve never heard anyone say, “Turn the dark on.” No, we hear them say, “Turn the light on,”

We all need to realize what we have become if you have accepted Christ into your heart. Christianity is not something to be compartmentalized where we have our spiritual life and our secular life is separate. We need to see ourselves as God sees us. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9