Leave No Room for Darkness – Jesus: The Light of the World, part 3
What are you allowing in your heart? In today’s message, learn why you should reject darkness and live in the light of God’s word, and why it’s important. Did you know that what you allow in your life will influence you? This message will help you consider what you are allowing in your mind and soul that will influence you each day. Learn what you can do to banish darkness and invite God’s life-giving light into your life.
How & why to reject darkness and live in the light.
We have been studying Jesus being the light of the world and how the light of Jesus pierces spiritual darkness that is in people’s hearts and lives all around the world. We have seen in John’s gospel that Jesus is called the Word. Jesus, the word of God is the good news, the light of the gospel, and it shines bright into people’s lives, and it will displace, push back, and overcome every spiritual darkness in the person’s life as they look to Jesus in faith.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-5, NIV).
We have seen how Jesus—the light of the world—was with God in creation and that nothing was created without Jesus. And that in him was life and that life was the light of men. Not simply the physical light of creation but spiritual light revealing salvation and eternal life. We have seen how the word of God will light the path before you.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).
The word of God is as relevant today as it was back in the first century. Just as God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more, so is the word of God and it never changes.
I want us to consider that we leave no room for darkness in our heart. First, let’s identify what spiritual darkness is according to scripture. I am not going to list a bunch of sins in the attempt to identify spiritual darkness. Spiritual darkness is the absence of the true spiritual light of Christ the Lord. If light is a symbol and reference to God and good, darkness is the absence of God and a symbol of evil. The person of God is to have nothing to do with darkness.
“But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5).
Darkness in scripture is linked with spiritual blindness or spiritual ignorance in the world that is the result of sin, and sin is disobedience to God’s divine and moral law. Light is the opposite of darkness, and it points us to the glory of God and Christ the Lord. To walk in the light is to live in obedience to God’s word and will.
‘For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6).
“The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. 19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Proverbs 4:18-19).
Those who walk in spiritual darkness do not know they are walking in darkness and have no idea what makes them act or live the way they do.
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7).
As believers we are to leave no room for darkness in our hearts and lives. As believers we are to walk and live in the light of God’s Word, having faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior; with the understanding that it is only by the blood of Christ that we are delivered from the curse of sin and death. As believers we are to live as salt and light to the world. We are to be an influence on the world and point others to Jesus, the light of the world. We are not to be influenced by the world and fall back into spiritual darkness.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).
The believer in Christ is someone who lets the light of Christ shine bright in their life for all to see. The follower of Christ displays the truth of God’s word by the good deeds they do and give all the praise and glory to God. The person of God lets the light of the gospel shine bright in their life for all to see and leaves no room for darkness.
In Luke 11 we have a spiritual warning. Luke warns the believer about what we allow in our eyes and ears to influence us. You know the saying “you are what you eat”? The same can be said regarding what you think and believe. What you watch and listen to on a daily basis you will be influenced by and begin to believe and live by.
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you” (Luke 11:33-36).
In other words, Jesus tells the believer: you should not hide who you are in Christ, and you should be very careful what you allow in your heart. Let the light of Christ shine bright for all to see and be careful what you allow in your heart.
So let me ask: What are you allowing in your heart? What are you allowing in your mind through the windows of your eyes and ears? Know for certain, what you allow in your life will influence you, even if you think differently. So be sure to guard what you focus on and listen to every moment of the day. Guarding what you see or hear is difficult at times. Conversations can take a turn. The jokes being told, the words used, and stories can head down a dimly lit storyline that you know you should not continue down. I’ve walked away from someone close to me because of how they were talking. I warned them several times that I did not want to listen to the words they were using, and I excused myself and walked away. It was a choice I needed to make. We all have choices to make regarding what we listen to or focus on in life. You will be influenced by what you allow in your heart and soul. Allow no access for darkness to enter your heart or soul.
Time and again the Israelites allowed the influence of ungodly nations and the worship of idols to influence them to worship other gods. The Israelites allowed the ungodly influence of other nations to fill their hearts and minds with spiritual darkness and sin. Time and again God allowed the Israelites to reap the reward of their embracement of evil and disobedience resulting in physical and spiritual bondage. The Israelites opened themselves up to spiritual bondage when they chose to embrace the ungodly influence of the world and reject the light of God’s word.
Church, to embrace darkness means rejecting the light. The same is true when you embrace the light of God’s word, you are rejecting darkness. Both cannot occupy the same place at the same time.
God allowed the physical bondage of Israel to reflect what was happening to them spiritually. It is only when the people cried out to God and turned back to God that God delivered them from the physical bondage and slavery of ungodly nations.
When a person allows the spiritual darkness of the world into their heart and they begin to embrace the light of the darkness, they will find themselves on a path that leads away from God Almighty. It will often be a subtle path, lifestyle, and heart change. A subtle change of spiritual priorities that will occur over time and the light and truth of the gospel will slowly be replaced with the light and sin of spiritual darkness. The once burning desire to worship the Lord is replaced with a worldly desire that can never be satisfied. Sin leads to more sin. Darkness leads to more darkness. An immoral or worldly desire is never satisfied. The craving will increase, the thirst for more will intensify until all the light of God is shut out.
Church, every day we have a choice about how we will live. What will you allow into your heart? What will you feed your spiritual soul with? Light or darkness? God’s word or the lies of the enemy of your soul?
Luke tells us that your eye is the lamp of your body. What you focus upon is what you allow in your heart and soul.
As parents it is our responsibility to be careful what we allow our children to see and hear. As parents we try to keep our children from harm. We guard them from hearing, seeing and knowing things that are not appropriate for their age.
As believers we need to be careful what we allow in our lives so not to be negatively influenced by evil and the light of spiritual darkness.
Luke 11 makes it clear that we are to shine bright for all to see. The eye is the lamp of your body. If you shine bright your spiritual eyes are open and feeding your heart and soul with the truth of God’s word and light of Christ. However, if your spiritual eyes are focused on other things, if you are allowing the light of sin and spiritual darkness to fill your heart and mind, the light that you will reflect is that of darkness.
If we are to leave no room for darkness in our soul, we must consider what we are allowing in our mind and soul that will influence us each day. We need to study daily the word of God and allow the truth of God’s word to pierce the darkness. Daily we must choose to reject darkness and embrace the light.
Jesus, the light of the world, came to deliver people from sin, spiritual darkness, the curse of sin and spiritual bondage. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus removed the spiritual gray area in the world as he taught his disciples and as he physically healed and delivered people from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus said to many, “now go and sin no more.” In other words, we are to no longer live in spiritual darkness, rather we are to live in the light of God’s word.
Allow me to ask again: What are you allowing to enter your heart and soul through your eyes and ears? Are you allowing God’s word into your heart, or something else?
Jesus, in the sermon on the mount, taught us how we are to live. What Jesus taught, often did not make any sense to the natural mind.
For example:
“Blessed [or happy] are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
Really, be happy? Happy and rejoice when a person insults or speaks evil against you? The world will not understand this teaching. However, the key to understanding the beatitudes is that Jesus is in the believer’s life. The evil being spoken against you is because the world sees Jesus in your life. So be happy you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Do not worry about the evil being said about you, your reward is in heaven. The truth of God's word offends the sinner and wants to hide in darkness, but the truth of God’s word is light and brings joy and peace to the person of faith.
The word of God is a double-edged sword.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13).
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. The person who allows the truth of God's word to penetrate their heart and soul welcomes the teaching of God’s word and the truth of God’s word becomes clear.
Understand:
The way hearts and lives are changed is by having an encounter with Jesus. By hearing and seeing the truth of God’s word for themselves, a person’s heart will be changed as the light of God's word removes the darkness.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).
As a teenager I attended church, but it was not until I visited a friend’s church and saw Jesus being displayed in the lives of other teenagers, it was not until I heard the truth of God’s word in sermons and experienced the power of God's word in my heart that I placed my faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. The truth and power of God's word attracted me to Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit and the light of God’s word shining bright in my heart is what drew me to turn from a life of spiritual darkness and to seek Jesus, the light of the world.
So how can we encourage others to see and hear the truth of God’s word?
By telling them the truth of God’s word and the works of God in creation.
By letting the light of God shine in all we do and speak.
People everywhere need Jesus, the light of the world, but many people are still spiritually blind to the truth of God's word. Many refuse to listen or turn away at any mention of God. Some have been spiritually wounded and turned off by religion. Others have never heard or know about Jesus or the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of the gospel. Still others have only been taught the law, along with the do’s and don’ts that come from an extremely legalistic view of scripture. The message of God’s love, forgiveness, hope, and peace of God was never mentioned or displayed to them.
Leaving no room for darkness also means the world needs a spiritual revival. Just as God said in Genesis 1:3, “let there be light” and the light separated the chaos and physical darkness physically, Jesus—the light of the world—separates and divides the spiritual darkness for the true spiritual light of God’s word.
People need their spiritual eyes opened and come to know Jesus, the light of the world, as their personal savior. The spiritual darkness over people's lives needs to be pierced by the light of God's word. Spiritual revival and the removal of spiritual darkness in a person’s heart, in a city, in a nation, and around the world begins with crying out to God in prayer.
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:18-21).
We must pray for the spiritual eyes of people to be opened to the light of God’s word. Once the truth of God’s word—the light of the gospel—enters a person's heart, the light of spiritual darkness is revealed for what it is, a lie from the pit of hell. Only then will a person seek the truth and the light of God’s word and repent.
The light of spiritual darkness blinds a person from seeing or hearing the gospel message. It blocks and holds a person in spiritual bondage and sin. The exit path from a life of sin and death is hidden in spiritual darkness, that is until Jesus, the light of the world, makes known to the person the light of God’s word.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:17-18).
As people of faith, we must daily choose to live in the light of God’s word. We must daily rest in the light of the gospel and allow the truth of God's word to give us spiritual strength.
Temptation and spiritual darkness will and can advance when we are physically tired and spiritually weak. This is why we need to be strong in the word of God daily, pray without ceasing, and put on the armor of God. We need to daily choose to have the light of God's word shine bright in our hearts. We should invite the Holy Spirit to search our hearts daily. We need to confess our sin and leave no room for darkness.
As we do this, we will fulfill God's will in our lives and we will be someone who, along with other believers, will be used by God to fulfill the great commission.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
I’ve given you a lot of scripture this morning but allow me to share one more.
In Revelation 3:15-16 we can read of a warning that is given to the church of Laodicea: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
The Church of Laodicea was given a spiritual wakeup call. The person who is spiritually lukewarm may think they are okay, but they aren’t. Let it be a wakeup call for us. A wake-up call for the person who is walking in the light of darkness. It’s not spiritually okay to live with spiritual darkness in your heart and life.
Will you decide today:
To live on fire for Jesus?
To leave no room for darkness.?
To live in the light of God’s word each day?
If you feel you have allowed some area of darkness lurking in your heart, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it. Confess it and turn from it and turn to Jesus. Leave no room for darkness and let Jesus shine bright in you for all to see.
The world needs Jesus. Your family needs Jesus. Choose to leave no room for darkness.
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