Defeating Darkness
by Darrell W. Johns
August 24, 2022 · Atlanta West Pentecostal Church (Lithia Springs, GA)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Matthew 6:22-23, Matthew 5:14-16, 1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 5:8-10, John 3:16-20, Acts 26:18, Colossians 1:13, Ephesians 6:12, Romans 1:21, Romans 13:12, Ephesians 5:11, 1 John 2:9-11, John 8:12, John 12:46, 2 Corinthians 6:14, 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-10, Matthew 8:12, 2 Peter 2:4, 2 Peter 2:17, Jude 1:6, Jude 1:12-13, Romans 8:26, Philippians 4:8, Matthew 6:19-21, Matthew 6:24, 1 John 1:5-9

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/darrell-w-johns--defeating-darkness
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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matthew chapter 6 verse 22 i felt to continue this theme of light and darkness wasn't a planned series but it's turning out that way matthew chapter 6 verses 22 and 23 the light of the body is the eye if therefore thine i be single my whole body shall be full of light but if thine i be evil thy whole body shall be full of darkness if therefore the light that is in the big darkness how great is that darkness from this passage not just these two verses and from other scriptures i want to speak to you on the theme of defeating darkness defeating darkness god bless you please be seated on sunday august 14th i spoke on the theme let there be light from genesis chapter 1 and other passages of scripture when i look back i think i may have referred to over 50 verses of scripture in that message and either just a reference to it or quoting or reading it but paul said if our gospel be hid it is said to them that are lost and the god of this world is blind in the minds of them that believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of christ should shine at him for god who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts i thank god that we are not living in darkness we are living in light amen the light of the glorious gospel of christ has shined us and we have been brought out of darkness and into marvelous light last wednesday night i i spoke on the theme you are the light of the world from the sermon on the mount matthew chapter 5 verses 14 through 16. you're the light of the world a city that is set on the hill cannot be hid neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick and give it a light to all that are in the house let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven so the theme of last wednesday night was to live in such a way that others can see the change in your life that you are light in a dark world don't hide from the dark god never intended for us to be put out of sight but in a bright shining place like a city set on a hill like a light on a lampstand and then we recognize that light cannot fellowship with darkness they they're opposites and they cannot get along first peter two and nine on the screens i concluded with this last wednesday night but you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people a called out people that you should show forth the praises of him who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light i want to just make one reference to this this verse that to show forth praises in this context is by our life but when we say words of praise when we speak words of praise to god we are vocalizing the light that is in us to the world so when we come to church or when we are worshiping at home when we're listening to music that is not dark music but is music of the light we can show forth praises we can be a demonstration of light to the world ephesians 5 which was the primary passage of our study last week i spoke about this that in the past paul said you were sometimes darkness but now you are light in the lord walk as children of light and then he applies it for the fruit of the spirit a fruit of this light in you is in all goodness and righteousness and truth proving what is acceptable to the lord so i want to first talk about we're talking about defeating darkness but i want to define darkness biblically some of these passages i've used before some not there are so many passages in the bible about light and darkness but i want to define darkness biblically i will not read all these verses on the screen but i'll refer to them and give you the reference if you're taking notes first of all on the screen darkness is evil these are the words of jesus i'm starting in john 3 16 because most of us know this verse for god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him the new king james should not perish but have everlasting life for god did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved he who believes in him is not condemned but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of god there's no other way for anyone to ever be saved from hell than through jesus christ by his sacrifice on the cross and by applying it to our lives by obeying acts 2 38 and here's verse 19 and this is the condemnation what is it that condemns people of their sins that light has come into the world now we know jesus christ was light and he was the light of men he was life and the light of men he said he's the light of the world i talked about that last week he was the light of the world and then he told us we are the light of the world right but here is the condemnation that light has come into the world and men people love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil now i don't think i have to prove this scripturally but we stand on the word of god and darkness biblically and spiritually is evil and jesus said that condemnation comes to people because they will not come to the light because their deeds are evil and they want to stay in darkness they do not want to come to the light and then he explains this in verse 20 for everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed now i know that there are a lot of really nice people in the world and there are a lot of people who love the lord in some measure many of them might have a a more committed or disciplined devotional life than some of us they may not be walking in all truth like apollos had to be shown more truth sincerity without truth will not save you it takes sincerity and true you have to have truth and walk in it in sincerity and the probably the darkest you know lives of people are people who are religious in word and name but they're hypocrites and they live a dark sinfully dark lives anyway jesus said they don't want to come to the light because if they come to the light their deeds are going to be exposed that light of truth is going to convict him of their sins and so they want to stay in darkness so while there's a lot of nice people in the world there's a lot of people in our world that intentionally live in darkness they love darkness because their deeds are evil and they are enemies of the light of the gospel of jesus christ and when you go to work and school and wherever you go in the world and your testimony amen that's what i talked about last week you're the light of the world your testimony is light to them but if they choose darkness rather than light if they're not drawn to the light because of your testimony then they may hate you they may run from you they may try to make you feel like you're there's something wrong with you because you're living in light living in godliness and they love their darkness so jesus said everyone practicing evil hates the light does not come to the light now so darkness is first of all evil secondly and there's not necessarily a list but darkness is the kingdom of satan when paul spoke of his conversion in acts 28 18 he spoke of his mission to turn people from darkness to light from the power of satan unto god so we know he's the prince and power of the air he is sentenced and will eventually spend eternity in a lake of fire and out of outer darkness but he is this prince of this kingdom of darkness according to colossians 1 13 god delivered us from the power of darkness so the darkness of sin has power it has power to addict it has power to hold captive it has power to blind sin is darkness and darkness according to colossians 1 13 has power according to ephesians 6 and 12 the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places darkness refers to a kingdom darkness is something that we don't anyone anything to do with darkness is a terrible thing and so my ipad just jumped to an unknown location and so if you'll give me one minute church is not over unfortunately for some darkness is a power darkness is spiritual ephesians 6 and 12. darkness is evil i've already referred to john 3 19 that men love darkness rather than light because their their deeds are evil so darkness is evil and then according to john 3 19 the same passage darkness is demonstrated in deeds in things that people do it is a condition of a heart a darkened heart their foolish heart was darkened if you remember that from romans chapter one because they rejected truth so darkness is demonstrated by deeds this is also found in romans 13 12 that we should cast off the works of darkness ephesians 5 11 refers to the unfruitful works of darkness and then darkness is hatred and i want to take a moment just to read this verse or two or three because people that are religious but have hatred in their hearts have darkness in their lives first john 2 9. first john 2 9. he who says he is in the light i'm a christian i'm a believer and hates his brother or his sister or her sister is in darkness until now he who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him but he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes amen the bible has a lot to say about forgiveness amen all the way from the very first sons of adam and eve murder hatred part of the human race sometimes we have to allow trust to be proven and earned but forgiveness should always be instantaneous amen darkness according to the bible is the way of life john 8 and 12 he talks about people walking in darkness so it's not just an act but it is a way of life john 12 and 46 you abide in darkness the bible says and then according to second corinthians 6 14 we're told by the apostle paul under the inspiration of the spirit to not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers and he talks about this fellowship not just common ground but close fellowship where this becomes a person you're in a partnership with a marriage with a a choice of a relationship that doesn't have an equal yoke you're not on the same spiritual page and he says what communion has light with darkness there is a relationship that is improper when it is an unbeliever and a believer darkness according to this verse can be people people that live in darkness choose darkness and we should not choose them to be our close friends second corinthians 6 17 i should have put this verse on the screen wherefore this is the same passage come out from among them and be separate saith the lord touch not the unclean thing and i will receive you i'll be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters saith the lord almighty now i want to read through a passage first thessalonians believe it or not i'm kind of hurrying through this section of my notes because i want to just establish what darkness is it's a kingdom it's a power there their actions sometimes it's manifest in people it's evil deeds all of that is part of darkness that we're to defeat in our lives first thessalonians 5 and 2. now this passage is talking about the coming of the lord is talking about living in light or living in darkness and people who live in the light should not be caught off guard by the coming of the lord i don't believe we'll know when he comes but we should not be caught off guard which is to say living an unrepented life and a life that is not an overcoming life so here's what paul says first thessalonians 5 2 for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the lord so cometh as a thief in the night for when they say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape they're going to be caught off guard by the coming of the lord but you brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief there's several biblical references to the idea of a thief coming at night when you're not watching when you're not looking because he wants to sneak into your life but paul says we are not in darkness that the coming of the lord should come on us and catch us unprepared you verse 5 are the children of light and the children of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness therefore let us not sleep let's not go to spiritual sleep let's not be asleep at the wheel of life and not aware of our times aware of the coming of the lord aware of the darkness of our world we need to be awake he says let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober for they that sleep sleep in the night and they'd be drunken or drunken in the night but let us who were of the day be sober putting on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation for god had not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our lord jesus christ who died for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him whether we're alive when the lord comes back or we've already passed away death and the coming of the lord should not catch us off guard or spiritually asleep or unprepared amen so we should not live our lives hoping that we're going to get a last minute deathbed repentance there was a thief on the cross who is granted paradise as he was dying we believe that god can save anyone we're not the savior he is we don't choose who he saves he does but we know too much to live like that this is not about just fire insurance it is about a relationship it is about living in the light and walking in the light and our lifestyle is one of life and not darkness there's not hidden agendas and hidden deeds and some dark places in our life that are hidden away we are not of the darkness amen and we should defeat the darkness in our lives darkness is going to be punished there are several verses of this and like i've previously done i'm just going to kind of walk through these quickly but amos said that the day of the lord is darkness and it is not light he said it is a day of darkness even very dark i don't know what very dark is but you know it's dark and then sometimes it's very dark and amos said it is going to be very dark and no brightness in it the bible when they rejected the lord matthew 8 and 12 jesus said they're going to be cast into outer darkness where there are this weeping and gnashing of teeth the invited guest had no wedding garment on he's cast into outer darkness the man who's an unprofitable servant the one talent man he is cast into outer darkness second peter two and four the angels who defected are going to be cast into chains or delivered into chains of darkness ii peter 2 17 speaks of false teachers who are going to be in a in the midst of darkness reserved forever jude chapter 1 verse 6 speaks about angels who are going to be reserved in everlasting chains of darkness and jude talks about people who are really hypocrites they're spots in your feasts they feast with you they serve themselves he said they're like clouds without water carried about with winds laid autumn trees without fruit twice dead pulled up by the roots jude gets really on a roll here raging waves of the sea foaming up their own shame wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever amen darkness will be judged and darkness will be dealt with forever so i just want to say now that i don't want to live in darkness i don't want to die in darkness darkness at every level spiritually will be judged and defeated in the end and if we are to escape the destruction of darkness we need to defeat the darkness in our own lives you cannot run from it you cannot conquer it you can only deal with darkness by bringing it to the light amen now i want to just refer to a verse now not in my notes it's in romans 8 that i just spoke about romans 8 26 for the spirit you know it makes intercession for us there are some things about ourselves that we may not even know the psalmist said keep that thy servant from presumptuous sins and cleanse me from secret faults there may be some things that we're not even aware of that are in us but i believe the holy ghost works in us jesus christ in us works in us to convict us and if you will just say lord i want to come to you today and i want your word and your spirit to shine down in my heart with the light of truth i want you to shine into the darkest place of my life and cleanse the darkness out of me i don't want a thought or a deed let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy side oh lord lord i want you to cleanse me amen you've got to bring it to the light our text matthew 6 the middle chapter of the sermon on the mount single discourse given by jesus you'll also find these two verses in luke 11 same ideas the context of a passage always matters so we have two verses and then you have two verses before and one verse after that are all related to the same idea that we're going to talk about tonight but i want to address the text first matthew 6 22-23 now jesus is not talking about your physical eye and it's difficult theologians say it's difficult to draw this perfect analogy because your light your eye rather does really not let light into your whole body so he's talking about something a little broader than your physical eye in this illustration here let's read it the light of the body is the eye if your eye is single my whole body shall be full of light if i be evil i hope body shall be full of darkness if therefore the light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness but we know that the physical light does allow us to see the world and typically where you look you go right remember paul said demas has forsaken me having loved this present world he got caught up in whatever it was in this present world that attracted him we know that the lust of the eyes is one of the three gates that satan uses to tempt us you tend to go toward what you focus on if you're looking there you'll probably go there if you look there you'll probably throw there right what you fix your attention on is what you become and jesus says if your eye is evil and evil is the right word in the original then your whole body is going to be full of darkness and if your eye is single if it is right if you're if you have a general aim in life that is sincere that is right that is toward light then you're going to walk toward that you know you walk in the light as he is in the light so this word singles interesting it doesn't sound like it matches but a couple of different cross references and word studies it can refer to something that is simple like a napkin robertson and vincent's word studies and other commentaries say like a cloth that you've only folded one time you know i conduct a lot of elections in different districts and we always say please fold your ballot no more than once don't make a tiny airplane out of it so this is the idea that that jesus says it's just something that is simple it's not complex if your eye is simply looking toward the goodness of god and trying to do the right thing then you're going to tend to go that way so there's a lot of little nuances of these words it can mean simplicity right a sincerity about your life if you look at the original word if your eye is single now i thought of a verse that would talk about a person who lives but they desire to do the right thing a general desire it doesn't mean you're perfect it doesn't mean you're never tempted it just means that generally you're sincere in your walk with god and your eye is pure your general outlook toward life and living for god is sincere philippians 4 8. finally brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good rapport if there be any virtue and if there be any praise think on these things that's a good word from paul the epistles to kind of say what is what does this mean for your eye to be single and not evil well have a general desire in life to do what is right and live in the light if your vision if your aim in life is fixed on evil then you're going to go toward evil every time if your eyes are fixed on the earth and treasures you know paul says we we look not at things that can be seen but things that cannot be seen whatever you focus on determines the aim of your life so these two verses are telling us that if you have a general desire to do the right thing and make the right choices and live in the light then your life is going to tend toward godliness but if your eye is evil if your fundamental aim in life is wrong it's going to always be wrong you can't look toward evil and live toward good you can't look toward darkness and live toward light so now i want to back up because there are three little sections here that go together matthew 8 19 lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth where moth and rest death corrupt and where thieves break through and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rest death corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal for where your treasure is guess what there will your heart be also now i love this verse and i probably use this first to help people all the way back to being a youth pastor so many times because this is just the way it is wherever you put your treasure that's where your heart is going to automatically go your heart does not have a choice the choice of will is where you put your treasure now that can be time talent but obviously here is talking about finances but wherever you put your treasure that's where your heart is going to go but jesus is teaching this principle right if you want to go to heaven you need to have some treasure in heaven if you have no treasure in heaven you will not go there you cannot live there it's just impossible now in verse 19 jesus tells us don't lay not up for yourselves treasures on the earth and he tells us why now this verse verse 19 is not so much like a prohibition jesus is not really saying don't do it if you do you're going to be lost and go to hell he just tells you why you shouldn't lay up an inordinate amount of treasure on the earth he's saying look what can happen moth and rust can corrupt and thieves can break in and steal in other words he's saying investments that you make on planet earth are subject to loss a june 17 report i read said that this sell-off in what's going on in our country has erased nearly three trillion dollars from u.s retirement accounts by calculations one writer said that 401 plan 401k plan participants have lost about 1.4 trillion dollars from their account since the end of 2021. people with iras most of which are 401k rollovers have lost 2 trillion dollars this year 401ks depending on your risk and diversification have lost between four and 20 percent so far this year and you can find varying statistics about this i am not preaching against investing i am not preaching about against having retirement there's a lot of balancing scriptures about saving and giving and spending and other principles in the bible but what i am saying is what jesus said that whatever you lay up on this earth is subject to a lot of things amen i'm not taking advantage of a down market to depress you or bring darkness into this room no lighting effects please stuff can happen when you invest on earth verse 20. but in contrast lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rest that corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal i believe that when you invest in the kingdom of god that it only earns interest and never loses there's never a downturn in heaven's economy and whatever you gave on sunday and whatever you give every week or twice a month or whenever you you're paid and you return your ties to the lord whatever you do from all of your life there's never been a lost penny in your account in heaven and it accrues to an eternal reward where your treasure is there will your heart be also and according to jesus it's gaining something there amen where your treasure is there will your heart be also and then jesus gives us these two verses and i'm just going to put them on the screen quickly matthew 6 22 the light of the body is the eye and then i want to go all the way right now to 23. remember if your eye is evil if your eye is good but then i want to go to verse 24. this is the verse after the two verses of our text so right before our text jesus is talking about laying up treasures right and right after those two verses in our text about your eye being evil or your eye being pure or single now jesus is going to talk about money again or what you do with your life no man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other you cannot serve god and mammon a mammon is an interesting word it can mean money or what one trusts in it's not always used in a negative sense in the bible you know in the hebrew or greek when it's talking about things that people live for but here's what jesus said it is impossible for you to live with one foot in the world and one foot in the church it is impossible for you to live in darkness and pretend to be in the light it is impossible for you to lay everything that you have all of the investments of your life i'm not talking about money alone on this earth and i'm not talking about anyone in this room because that's not you you're here because you're investing in heaven right now sitting here you're investing in heaven okay but you cannot just invest everything on this earth and have a scent of treasure in heaven it's impossible jesus doesn't say that you're not allowed to serve two competing masters he just says you're not capable of it that's why if your eye is evil if you're looking the wrong direction guess what there's a magnetic force that will pull you in that direction toward darkness every time so while you may not have everything figured out in your life who does you're not perfect neither am i jesus is the only one who ever was what you can get right and what i can get right is every day i can get up determined to do the right thing to walk in the light to live for jesus christ and not let my life drift toward darkness and not allow my life to be filled with darkness jesus tells us what happens with divided loyalties two masters darkness pulling one way light pulling the other sin pulling one way righteous is pulling the other the kingdom of satan pulling one way the kingdom of god pulling the other jesus said here's what's going to happen you're going to end up hating one and loving the other now that is good news there because if you walk in the light you're going to hate darkness and hate the master calls satan and you're going to love jesus christ he said you're going to hold to the one and you're going to despise the other you cannot serve god and mammon it is fair to say that you cannot serve god and money you cannot serve god in this world you cannot serve god in yourself or your job or another person he becomes an idol in your life we are humanly spiritually incapable of serving two masters that's why i believe james would write a double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways you're trying to do the right thing but you're torn you've got a double mind it's impossible jesus said to live that way you'll end up gravitating toward darkness there are clear choices in every one of these three examples in matthew chapter 6. you notice that he says lay up treasures that's an action right i think action lay up treasures that is not an emotion i know sometimes people think that we pentecostals are all about emotionalism and how it feels well i thank god for what i feel but it is not based on an emotion it is based on the reality that my name is written in heaven that jesus christ delivered me from the power of darkness translated me into this kingdom of light amen laying up treasure is a choice having a an aim in life my eye choosing the direction that i go is a choice amen making sure that i serve jesus christ and not the devil that is a choice that i can make to serve the lord amen first john 1 5. this is just a related passage about light and darkness but i felt like it would be a good way to kind of summarize this theme first john 1 and 5. this then is a message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that god is light and in him is no darkness at all if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness notice walk in darkness our choices direction decisions lifestyle if we say we have fellowship with him but and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth but if we walk in the light do the right thing serve the lord if we walk in the light as he is in the light a couple of things happen first of all we have fellowship one with another we can get along because we're walking in light we've laid down grudges we have a forgiving spirit we've resolved differences no irreconcilable differences in the body of christ it's all put under the blood if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of jesus christ his son cleanseth us from all sin if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if you don't mind would you stand right now defeating darkness is really accomplished by walking in the light doing what is right aiming your life toward the nature of jesus christ and many other ways that you could explain this idea of growing up and being like jesus we're talking about light and darkness a couple of things i want to say in closing don't pretend to be living in the light while walking in the darkness john says this don't lie about it then john says to walk in this light and one way you know that you're walking in the light is if you have fellowship with other brothers and sisters in christ you're in community starting small group sunday small group fair that's a method of trying to help people gather and be strengthened as well as bringing people into a relationship with jesus christ but beyond a method or a program or a team that serves at church fellowship is realizing that that brother and that sister that you love and are able to fellowship with are going to spend eternity together and john would write in first john that if you say you love god but you hate your brother you really got it all wrong you're all messed up right a fellowship is a sign of walking in the light so if there's some forgiveness that you need to give if there's some apologies that you need to offer if you're walking in the light it means to ensure fellowship and if you walk in light john says you will have fellowship and that if you confess your sins he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and then as a a process i believe beyond this immediate forgiveness is to cleanse us from all unrighteousness it's an outgrowth of that forgiveness because the act of sin is a demonstration it's the fruit of unrighteousness in us but when god forgives us he also cleanses us of that unrighteous character in us that leads us to do sinful deeds so we want to walk in light so we can defeat the darkness in our lives