While It Was Still Dark

But John chapter 1 verse one it says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men. In him was life and in that life was the light of men and the light shines in the darkness. Verse 5 says and the darkness does not comprehend it. Another translation says it this way in the in the English Standard Version. It says the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Today I want to share a thought that the Lord has put on my heart u about the light and how it shines and how the darkness cannot comprehend it but they also the darkness cannot overcome it. God it can't comprehend it. It doesn't always understand it but it certainly can't shut it out. Our world may not always understand the things we do in the church, but the world cannot stop the church. Hell may not understand what takes place in the house of God, but hell cannot stop what happens in the house of God. The darkness can't comprehend it, but the darkness can also not overcome it. John 20:1, it says this. Now, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark.

The Lord's help today, I want to preach on that title, while it was still dark. I feel through the Holy Ghost that there are some in this room today, you are dealing with darkness. You are dealing with a dark season in your life. There has been moments of frustrations, seasons of difficulties, and you're living what seems to be in darkness. But I want you to hear this today from this preacher. Light is coming. I want you to hear this today. Light is coming. I need you to hear this today. Light is on its way. And darkness cannot stop it. Darkness cannot prevent it. Darkness cannot hold it back. The light is coming. The light is coming. The light is coming. It's coming to change somebody's life forever. I think it would be good at the very beginning of this service that we would just serve hell notice, hey, the light is coming back. The light is coming back. Somebody ought to tell the devil, you got 30 minutes to pack up with your stuff because in just a little bit, the light is coming back. My life's about to get changed because Jesus is still on the throne. I believe this today. I believe that today can be the day of salvation for somebody. I believe that today things can change. Situations can be resolved. I believe that today God can give you solution in hand for every problem you've been facing, for every difficulty you've been going through.

I believe in a prayer answering God. I believe that in this atmosphere, walls can fall down, chains can break, lives can be changed, lives can be restored, lives can be put back together again because that's what our God does. The light is coming. Look at your neighbor. Say, "The light is coming." The light is coming. The light is coming. Hey, darkness isn't going to understand it, but darkness isn't going to be able to stop it today. Y'all hear that, right? Your enemy cannot stop you today from getting your victory. Your enemy cannot prevent you from getting what you need in this service today. If you need healing in your body, I want you to hear this. Our God is a healer. Our God is a healer. If you need healing in your body, including the organ right here between your two ears, my God is a healer. And today can be your day of healing, of restoration. God can put it back together again. My Bible says that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church. Hell cannot stop us. Hell cannot keep you back. For some of you, it's been a long time and hell's confused you for too long. But today ought to be the day of breakthrough. Today ought to be the day where God does something new in your life. Where you walk out that has black back doors and you can't explain what he's done.

You can't tell even your neighbor how it happened. But God did something in your life that changed everything. Do I have a witness in the room? Anybody willing to testify saying, "God's changed some things in my life. God's fixed some things in my life where there seemed to be no hope. God changed it. He shifted it. He made things appear where they were not before. He is still a creator. He is still on the throne. He still has all power and all dominion. And he can do the work today. Y'all going to have to excuse me. I've been gone for a while. I've been gone for I it feels like I haven't been here in a while. I work in those offices every Monday through Thursday, but I don't see you all. I'm a little extra excited to see everybody today. I'm excited to see everybody today. But what I'm really excited about is what God's going to do in this house. What I'm really excited about is the things that God's already been talking to me about. How there are going to be dead things that come back to life today. Where darkness has been dwelling, light's about to appear. Where there's been no hope, he's about to give you hope. where there's been diagnosis, he's about to change the doctor's report because our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we Oh, I wish I had somebody today that still believe that he's a prayer answering God.

that somebody today would believe that he can change that doctor's report. Where there's cancer, cancer be gone, where there's depression, depression be gone, where there's ailment in body, let there be a healing virtue released in the house today. I believe it. I believe it in this room. No matter where you're sitting in this congregation right now, my God's able. No matter what Monday look like this week, no matter what Thursday look like this week, I believe my God is able today. Today light is coming. Light is coming. In John here in the first chapter, we see the author, he's describing this darkness. He's describing this moment where there is no light. But he doesn't just speak of darkness. There is a depth to the dark that he is speaking about. Can we kill the lights in here real quick? All right. So, this is darkness. Just in case you don't know, there's still some light in the room. Y'all can turn the light back on. I don't want anybody falling asleep on me. I saw some of y'all. Y'all saw that was a there's a sneak of preach and then some of y'all was to sneak a nap. Some of y'all were trying to sneak one in right there. I got that. I saw you. But that's darkness in case you were confused. But in John chapter 1, the author, he's speaking to more than just a darkness.

He's speaking to something that's symbolically deeper than that. You see, the gospel writers when they would describe darkness, they would use a word that was different than what John is using here in John the first chapter. They would use this Greek term called scotos. Scottos. But when John is describing darkness in John chapter 1, he uses the Greek word scotia. Scotia. Now, I'm not going to ask for any of y'all to spell this. Isn't a spelling be today. And if you already know it, good for you. We'll give you extra stars on this Sunday. We'll give you like a brownie or something when you leave. Probably not a brownie. But anyways, John uses this term scootia. And when he uses this term, he's talking about there being a physical darkness, yes, but he's talking about a deeper absence. He's talking about a spiritual or mental absence where revelation has not appeared to you yet. He he's telling us, hey, that that this darkness is not just a lack of light, but it's a lack of understanding and insight to who Jesus is. It's a blindness of sorts. It's the inability to see what is right in front of you. Not just physically, but also spiritually speaking. And so John, he he's describing this darkness. He's describing this moment of utter darkness where you cannot physically or spiritually see, where people could not comprehend. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't like dark rooms.

I'm not a big fan of darkness in general really. But unless I'm sleeping, then I like it to be dark. But if not, I don't enjoy darkness. Let me tell you where I really don't enjoy darkness. I don't enjoy darkness at the church. I love this place. I love 1800 Last Casters Pike. I love it with all my heart and my soul. But let me tell you what I'm terrified of is this place at like 4:00 a.m. when all the lights are off. I'm going to say I've done more rebuking in that that time frame. You think things are in the corners that do not exist. You walk down corridors and you're claiming the name of Jesus and his blood. You're speaking to things as if they are, but they're not. I'm going to tell you right now, you find repentance really quickly when you start walking through the church sanctuary at about 2:00 a.m. You come up here and you pray. It gets dark and you're like, "Lord, I I'm hearing things. Isn't it funny how your imagination works like that? You know it's not there, but in your mind, in your mind's eye, you see it as if it's there. We don't like dark. At least I don't. I shouldn't speak for you. I don't like darkness. I don't like whenever there's no light. But again, John, he's talking about a deeper darkness.

He's talking more than just a physical darkness. He's talking about a spiritual darkness, or can I say it this way, a spiritual ignorance. He's talking about this place where a person has no knowledge of Jesus, no understanding of God. Furthermore, they don't have an understanding of his plan or his purpose or his will for their life. Isaiah the prophet described it this way. He says, "The people who sit in darkness will have seen a great light." Isaiah, he's not talking about that there's going to be a darkness and somebody's going to light a candle. No, he's saying there is going to be no comprehension of this Jesus until he arrives. But when he arrives, when he shows up in the flesh, when he begins to demonstrate his power and his authority, there's going to be in essence a light switch that's turned on. And people are going to be able to see this great light as something different than this world has ever known or figured before its being here. He Isaiah says this, but then in John 12:35, Jesus says to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going." We have to comprehend tonight or today, excuse me, that there is a darkness. And again, it's not just a lack of light, but there is a darkness in our world today.

And it is a lack of understanding, a lack of comprehension to who Jesus is. The more and more our country, the more and more our state, our city moves past Jesus into this postChristian world, there is a darkness that is coming down on us, there are other countries that I have visited. My wife and I, we've been to Europe several times. There is a darkness there. Not again a lack of light, but a lack of comprehension to who Jesus is. Hear me today. It is an impossibility. It is an impossibility to know where you're going without having a relationship with Jesus. It is an impossibility for you to comprehend in which direction you're going without a an ongoing understanding and relationship and walk with him. It's Listen, folks. It's scary. It is scary to live this life without a relationship with Jesus. I don't know how you live life without this. This is a lamp to your feet. A It's a light for your path. I don't know how you live life without a daily relationship with the word of God. Folks, I don't know how a person can live a day without having time set aside where you pray and talk to Jesus. I I'll just shoot you straight. It terrifies me to think that anything could be leading my life outside of him. Let me guar tell you how you can guarantee confusion in your life.

Listen to every voice outside of Jesus's. Listen listen to everybody else besides him. Chaos follows that kind of lifestyle. Fear overcomes people who are not walking in the light, walking according to the word of God, walking in covenant relationship with Jesus. When you do not have an ongoing relationship with God, you are truly walking in darkness. And so in John chapter 20, we find Mary and she is getting to the place where Jesus is at where he is his body is to be to have been buried. And there is an absence of natural light. Mary is walking in darkness. But again, not just a physical darkness. There is a lot of confusions that or a lot of questions that she's asking herself. There's confusion. It's a moment where she doesn't know what's next. I wonder in this room today, is there anybody that's kind of walking in a little bit of darkness? Where you're not quite sure what even today holds, much less tomorrow. You don't know exactly what direction you're taking. You You're making decisions, not not quite sure of the ramifications or the impact that they have on your life. kind of confused on why it is you're dealing with the things that you're dealing with or going through the same situations that you feel like in the past you've defeated but you find yourself there again today Mary Magdalene she has this place in John chapter 20 where she is going to the tomb and she is walking in darkness she's walking in confusion she doesn't comprehend the things that she is dealing with in her life the way I see she is she is coming to Jesus us with confusion.

How many of you today, you're here, but you're willing to admit, "I'm a little confused. I'm a little unsure, Pastor Wes. I'm dealing with stuff I didn't think I was going to have to deal with. I'm not I'm not quite sure why I'm in this season of life that I'm in." We see here in John 20, it's dark, but Mary still gets to where Jesus is at. The darkness was not going to hold her back. She still got to where Jesus was at. Some of you today, you're walking in confusion. You comprehend on some level this person by the name of Jesus. But all your life you were taught that that if you love Jesus then good things are going to always happen to you. But right now you're finding yourself in a season where things aren't always peachy, not always rainbows and unicorns. And you're finding yourself saying, "What what's going on here? The this doesn't line up with my expectation. They told me that that God was a good God, but there's some crazy stuff that's happening in my life. They told me that he was an on-time God, but I don't see him right now in this storm that I'm dealing with. They told me that he was faithful. They told me that he was true, yet I'm walking in the season and I feel alone. I feel like I'm in a season of darkness.

May maybe today you came to church and you've got more questions than you have answers. I want you to hear this. You've come to the right place. Mary, she comes to the tomb and she comes in a in a season of darkness. Just like some of you have come to church today and you have problems. You have questions. You have issues. You have a mess that you're dealing with. Me, a mess in your money, a mess in your marriage, a mess in your relationships. You have problems at work. You have troubles in your business. And you're asking yourself, "What exactly is going on right now?" you find yourself in a very similar place as Mary did in John chapter 20. Now again, I'm just going to be real with y'all for a second. We need to remember who Mary was. We see John 20, we see Mary and we think friend of Jesus. We think of someone who has it all together, who's figured it out, who looks the part, who talks the part, who knows when to lift up their hands in church. But that wasn't always Mary. Mary Mary Mary wasn't always cleaned and polished. She wasn't the one that was most likely to have visited the tomb on that particular day. The Bible says that that Mary was not a person with titles or status before Christ found her. No, she was a woman who had seven devils that he had to cast out of her.

She had a crazy kind of past, but she was delivered by this man Jesus. And so this day she comes to the tomb not because she has all the answers, but because she has a history with Jesus. She's there to honor the Lord, but she's there to honor him because she has a history with Jesus. Some of you today, you're here, you're in the house of God today, not because you have all the answers, not because you have it all figured out, but you have a history with Jesus. You have experienced him in times past. You have seen him split the waters. You have seen him make a way where there seems to be no way. You're here today because you have a history with Jesus. Some of y'all, y'all came to church today and you didn't come here to play church. You didn't come here today because you got a new suit. You didn't get here today because you got a new hairdo. You didn't come here today because you want to even and I don't mean this as a disrespect, brother Fred, but you didn't come today to join a connect group. You came to the house of God because you got a history with Jesus. Because you got some hurts, because you got some pains, because you got some frustrations and you don't know where else to take those hurts and those situations and those circumstances than to Calvary and to where Jesus is at.

You don't have another answer in this world. You've tried them all and you know the only place where you can find a real touch, where you can find a real solution to your problems is where Jesus is at. Mary Magdalene, she gets to the tomb and again she is not expecting to have all of her answers, but she knows that's where Jesus is and that's where she has a history. That's where she has a relationship. I come to the house of God and there are times where I start acting silly. I'm just going to be honest with you. There are times where I will shout in your ear, I apologize. There are times where I'm going to dance on your purse purse and I I'm sorry about that, too. There are times I may wave my hands and may hit you in the face. I am so sorry if I've done that to you in the past. But I do that because I have a history with him. I do that because I know where I was at when he found me. I know where I was doing when he approached me for the very first time and he changed my life. So if I do a dance and I do a shout in your ear, I'm sorry, but I'm not sorry. I've got a history with Jesus. I've got a history with him. He changed my life.

He changed my family forever. Mary Magdalene, she goes, "I've got to get to where Jesus is because I have a history with Jesus." I wonder in this room today, do you have a history with Jesus? Has he has he changed your life? Has he put things back together again? Has he restored your home? Has he given you peace? Has he given you joy? Has he given you his spirit? That's right. If you got his spirit living inside of you, you got a history with Jesus. You got a And no matter how dark it gets, and no matter how lonely you might start to feel, you've got a history with him. You know where he's at. Well, I need I need a prodal to hear this today. He still knows where you're at. And you still got a history with him. All you got to do is surrender and come back to him. He's waiting on you. He's ready to receive you again. because you have a history with him. Look at your neighbor and say, "I've got a history." Mary Magdalene, she had a history with Jesus. And so, she gets to where he is at, but when she gets there, she identifies that his body is not there. I listen, I know today's not Easter. I get that some of you are like, you've been gone a long time, Wes thinking today's Easter. I get today's not Easter.

I don't think it has to be just Easter when we talk about the resurrection and the fact that he's alive and the fact that he's on the throne. I don't think it's just one Sunday a year where we get to talk about that as a church. Here's the reality. We would not be here today if it wasn't for the fact that he resurrected, that he's alive, that he's well today. But we find this on resurrection Sunday where the stone has been rolled away and Mary Magdalene she gets there and she is all kinds of messed up because he's not there. What does she think happens? What did she think happened to Jesus? She says somebody took his body. Somebody done stole Jesus. That's what she thought to herself. Even though Jesus made it very clear that that nobody can take my life unless I lay it down. Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and in 3 days I'm going to raise it up." Jesus made it very clear what was happening. But Mary Magdalene, she gets there and she thinks somebody stole Jesus. Why did she think that? Because she was in darkness. In moments of darkness, you'll start perceiving things that aren't real as if they're real. in darkness, you have a chance to forget about the promises of God, to forget about the things that he's declared over your life. You you'll forget that the day that he picked you up and put you on the rock to stay when you're walking in darkness.

Mary Magdalene, she had forgotten and again she had perceived things incorrectly, not because she was a bad person, but because she was in a season of darkness. Some of you in this room, the devil has lied to you for too long. Well, I feel this in the Holy Ghost today. Some of you, you have convinced yourself you're no longer the head, but you're the tail. Some of you have convinced yourself you've gone too far and you've messed up too much. You can't possibly do something for the kingdom of God. Some of you have allowed the devil to define you, to label you by things that that never belong to you. And it was in a season of darkness. But here this preacher today, the light is coming back. The light is coming back. The light has a different truth, has a different reality for your life. Let Jesus define you today. Mary Magdalene, she had forgotten. She had convinced herselves of all kinds of things. But then when light began to become apparent apparent in her life, then the reality of what really was came to fruition. Folks in this place today, you and I, we cannot afford to live a life in darkness. You can't afford it. You can't afford to let the enemy write all your truths. Amen. Some of you, you've allowed this and the things you find on this to describe and define your life.

Well, I'm not feeling good today, so let me just Google my situation here. I've got this random disease that I didn't even know existed two minutes ago. kind of being funny, but that it's kind of how we are sometimes. I feel the Holy Ghost. What if we learn how to put this down and pick this back up? What if instead on a Monday morning when we're feeling the blues, cuz they come on Mondays, that's the truth. What if instead of the instead of grabbing our phone first thing in the morning, we found oursel a comfy chair, we opened up the word of God and said, "Jesus, tell me who I am today. Tell me who I belong to today. Reveal tr God. I'm tired of walking in darkness. I'm tired of living lies. I'm tired of the enemy telling me something that I'm not. God, show me again today who I am. Remind me today it was your blood that you spilled on Calvary that you redeem me, that you purchased me, that I am a child of the king. That's what this says. That's what this says about me and it's what it says about you. You are a child of the king. Who are you? Whose are you? Those are the things you find in the light, not when you're living in the darkness. Don't don't don't let the enemy lie to you anymore.

Don't let him deceive you anymore. Don't Don't let him tell you you can't do such and such for the kingdom of God because of your personality or your inability. Do you know who gives you the talent and who gives you the ability, equips you to do the things for the kingdom of God? Jesus. He's the one that gets to decide what you do for the kingdom of God. Not your adversary. Not not your DNA. Not because you made a mistake two two years ago and you're still living there. Hear me today. It is time to get out of the darkness. It's time to walk out of the darkness and it's time to start walking in his marvelous light. How does he see you today? When's the last time you asked him, "God, what do you see me for? What do you see me as?" I'm going to tell you right now, his label for you is probably quite different than your label for yourself. He probably has a different definition and a different description to describe you than what you describe yourself as. Some of you, you see yourself as a failure. You see yourself as a mistake. You see yourself as an accident. But I want you to hear this. Your God does not see you that way. He does not see you through the same lens that you see yourself. Today you and I, we need to get back to walking in the light.

In John chapter 1 verse one says, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made in him was life, and that life was the light of mankind." Right? The light that's inside of you today, it came from his life. It came from him coming to this earth, robing himself in flesh, dying on. That is the life that we have today. That is the light that we have today. And it's from Jesus Christ. But that's why the devil wanted to take his life so bad. The devil wanted nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy the light that was given to mankind. And so the devil convinced himself, "If I can kill Jesus, I can take their light. I can take their light." The devil, he makes me laugh sometimes because he really does think sometimes he knows best. It astounds me. It blows me away that even today in 2025, the devil still thinks he gets a say in my life and in your life and what happens in our world. He convinced himself, "If I can kill Jesus, I can steal the light." And I want you to hear this. Jesus did die. Jesus did give up the ghost. That's what the word of God says.

They beat him. They hung him on a cross. He the man Jesus died on the cross. And the Bible says that right after his death, there was a great darkness that fell on the earth. Hear this. It didn't it didn't it wasn't a great darkness on Jerusalem. It was a great darkness in this world for those three hours because the light was snatched out of this world. And the devil I have to believe he did a whole lot of rejoicing, brother Freeman, in those three hours. I think he had convinced himself once again he was the victor that he had authority that no one could stop him. But don't you know that those three hours were very short-lived because after those three hours there was a Sunday morning and that stone rolled away and Jesus came out and he is now the eternal light for each and every one of us. Oh, I need somebody to hear this today. Just because you have found yourself in a season of darkness does not mean that darkness is going to last forever. that that darkness is going to live on for the rest of your life. Just because you've been depressed doesn't mean you always have to be depressed. Just because there is a darkness over your life, hovering over your life, does not mean that darkness gets to exist for the rest of your being. I want you to hear this today.

Sunday is coming. The light is coming. The light is coming back. And the light can speak to the darkness. And the darkness has to flee. Oh, I wish today that somebody would walk out those back doors, no longer walking in darkness, but allowing his overwhelming love and grace and peace and joy and light begin to define your life. I'm looking today for a group of people that are tired of the darkness, who are tired of walking in lies, who are tired of walking in shame, who are tired of walking in guilt, who are who are tired of being labeled by everything they're actually not. I'm looking today for a group of people that will look to Jesus as not just the author, but the finisher of their faith and say, "Jesus, it is you that gets to write my story today. It is you that gets to tell me who I am and who I am to become. Jesus is today the light. Jesus today is the life. And Jesus still is speaking life. In Genesis the first chapter, we see God's first command is what? Let there be light. He spoke light into creation. And today he is still speaking light over your circumstances. He is speaking light over your darkness. He has not stopped. He has not ceased that commandment. He said, "Let there be light." And we know even from studying science that light is growing on the daily.

But today in this house, wherever you find yourself hear this preacher today, light is coming your way. It's coming your way. Jesus is the light and Jesus is the life. Jesus speaks to dead things and causes them to come back to life again. You remember when he went to Lazarus? Lazarus had been dead for how many days? Four days. Four. What did they say? They said, "Jesus, if you just got here earlier, you could call him back to life." And Jesus said, "No, I can still do that. Nothing's too dead for me. Nothing's too damaged for me. Nothing's gone too far that I can't repair and restore it back to where it should be." They said, "Jesus, it's been 4 days. We are not going to see Lazarus if you got here earlier, Jesus." And Jesus said, "No, he's gonna come back to life." You know what they said? They said, "Sure. You're right. Jesus, you're right. I'll give you that. You're right. On the resurrection day, he'll come back. And Jesus said, "No, no, no. You've missed it again." You see, I am the life, but I'm also the resurrection. Amen. I'm the resurrection. You're waiting for the resurrection. It's right here in front of you. I am the resurrection. And all I have to do is call out his name. Amen. All I have to do is say the word Lazarus and he's going to come back to life.

Let me tell you something that I think is funny is that Jesus had to say Lazarus. Because if he just said come back to life, we would have seen a mess that day because everything that was dead in that hillside would have come out. Yeah. Yeah. everything that was dead would have come back to life. Because when all Jesus has to do is open his mouth, put it in the atmosphere. Speak life and life comes back. And I feel this today in the Holy Ghost. He's looking at some of you today and he knows you by name. And he's been calling out your name. He's just waiting for you to hear the fact that he's speaking your name and life. Your name and light. Your name. And I'm putting it back together. Your name and your marriage restored. Your name. Your family put back together. Your name. Finances. your name healing, your name provision. Oh, I wish somebody today would believe that our God can still speak life. That he can still speak life. All he has to do is say your name and he's got all authority and he's got all power to speak into your existence. Jesus said, "Lazarus, you got to come out." And he did because he's the life and he is the resurrection. And when Jesus speaks, life happens. When Jesus speaks, light shows up. When Jesus speaks, darkness, they do not comprehend it, but they do not overcome it either.

Give me about five more minutes. I promise I'll wrap up here soon. There is not a darkness in this world that Jesus cannot speak to. There is not an addiction in this room that Jesus cannot speak to. There is not a hurt in this room that Jesus cannot speak to. There is not a dysfunction that Jesus cannot look to today and say, "You're going to be in order from this day forward." There is not a family situation that he cannot put back together again. There is not a call of God that he cannot bring back to life. Oh, I don't care what your failure looks like. I don't care what that past disappointment was. My God can speak to it today. The question is, do you believe that? I can believe it all day. I can get back here behind this pullpit and I can tell you that my Jesus is the light of this world and that he speaks life and that all you have to do is open his mouth and speak a word and you can receive whatever you need. I can say that all day. The question is will you believe it for yourself? Will you believe it today? Will you believe that your darkness not does not get to stop his light? Will you believe it? I was talking to Bishop before church today. I love our bishop. He's a man of wisdom.

I was telling Bishop what I was going to preach about today and he said, "Wes, do you know how much how much darkness it takes to stop light?" And I was like, "Bishop, I really wish you wouldn't ask me these kind of questions right before I preach. I wish we would say this for after the service. I don't want to be confused before I take the pulpit." I said, "Bishop, how much?" He said, "There isn't enough darkness in this world." There's not enough darkness in this world. All if everything was dark, if it was the darkest night that has ever existed and you got one candle and lit that candle, you know what that candle would do? It would not bow to the darkness. The darkness would bow to the light. That singular light can pierce through darkness. No matter how deep or how great the darkness is, his light can speak and pierce and change and completely eradicate the darkness that's in your life. It just takes a singular light. But today, we don't know a singular light. We know the greatest light. We don't know just a candle. We know the light of lights. We know the light that shines brightest. And today, he is in the room. He's in the room. He's in the room for you. For your situation, for your circumstance, for your darkness today, Jesus is here. When that when that three hours span was going on and the musicians can't make their way, I don't know what they're going to sing today.

It's going to be good, I'm sure. But when that darkness was on earth and it looked like there was no hope in this world, you know what Jesus wasn't doing? He wasn't sitting in the corner sucking his thumb, pouting, thinking to himself, "Oh my, I've messed up this time. How do I get back in charge?" No, that's not what he was doing. The Bible says that he was going to down to Hades, that he was going to get all authority and all power so that he could speak to any situation in this room today and bring life to it. Amen. That's what he was doing. And those three hours when they looked like there was no hope in this world, Jesus was at work. He was at work. The Bible says that during that span where things looked so hopeless, where there was never going to be peace, where there was never going to be a tomorrow because Jesus was our tomorrow and our hope is gone. The Bible says that in the temple, Jesus was at work. And the Bible says that in that moment of darkness, in that moment of despair, that in the temple, the veil was torn. And the Bible says that the veil, it was torn not from the bottom up because that's what man can do. The veil was torn from the top down because it was only a work God could do.

And God saw on 1800 last Cass's pike. He saw a group of people that he loved so much that he said, "I'll go to Calvary. I'll die for them. I'll shed every ounce of blood for them. And when it looks like all hope is gone, I'm going to go to the temple and I'm going to tear down the thing that separates me from mankind. So on that day in July, no matter how dark their season has gotten, I'm going to make it a way where they can come approach me, where they can find me, where they can speak to me, where they can find life again, and they can find light in their darkness. Hear me today. When the world was at its darkest, Jesus was still in work. He was still operating. He was still doing something for you and I. And today, no matter how dark it looks like for you, no, no matter how gloomy of a season it's been, no. No matter what the doctor's report said, no. No matter what the diagnosis was, no matter what the personal mistake was in your life, no matter how bad it feels like today, I need you to hear this. Today, light is coming. Light is on its way. Darkness has an expiration attached to it. There is an expiration date. There's an expiration hour. There's an expiration minute for the darkness that you are facing.

And you're going to get out of that season of darkness and you're going to experience his light. Today can be the day where you leave darkness behind and you start walking in his marvelous light. in John chapter 1 and you can stand your feet. The Bible says that darkness could not comprehend it. But that word it has a dual meaning. It doesn't just mean it can't comprehend it. also means it cannot overcome it. The devil cannot understand grace. He doesn't get that option. He can't understand grace, but he can't stop grace. Our adversary, he cannot comprehend peace, but he cannot stop peace. Praise God. Our adversary, he cannot comprehend joy. He can't stop your joy. He cannot comprehend restoration. But he can't stop you from being restored in this house today. The darkness cannot comprehend it, but it also can't stop it. It can't overcome it. And while it may seem dark today, light is coming. Light is coming. Light is coming. His glory is going to fall down on us and his light is going to be made manifest in our situation. Light is coming. Let's bow our heads right now. what I have delivered, what I feel like you put on my heart today to preach to your people. And I believe that today in this room, there are people that are dealing with the weight of darkness in their life. They feel there is no hope.

They feel there is no joy. They feel like there is no peace for their life. But they are not here today by accident. God, today you are calling out to them. God, you are calling out their name today. And you are calling them back into your marvelous light. I believe there are people in this room that they are longing for the light. They are longing for the truth. They are longing for the peace that God only you can give. And so today God, I ask that you would invade the darkness. That you would invade this season of hurt, the season of frustration, the season of pain. And God, that you would bring light where there is darkness. And that you would bring life where there is death. And that you would bring alive our spirits. and that you would begin to activate something in us today, God. Lord, I pray that today, Lord, in this room, no matter how dark it feels and dark it appears, I pray that your spirit, God, would begin to minister to hearts and minds and lives, God. And I pray that your light would begin to speak truth. Reveal truth today, God. Reveal your promises to your people in Jesus name. Right now, I'm going to open up this altar. I'm going to ask for you to come forward. When you do this, this is symbolic today. It's you literally leaving the darkness behind you.

It's time for you to leave the baggage behind you. It's time for you to take off the weight of darkness and leave it behind you and start pursuing the light. Start pursuing the light today. Start pursuing the life that you can have in Jesus. He can transform you in this house. He can change your life forever today. That's it, saint of God. That's it, child of God. Come on, step out of your seat right now. Don't let your past hold you back anymore. Don't let your future be determined by darkness anymore. Come on, child of the king.