Sermons tagged #Darkness

Since we are now moving into the Christmas season I wanted to preach to you today about the essential glory of our Savior in relation to His Incarnation. In reading to you these first five verses, John would have us to know that our Lord Jesus Christ was, and He is, infinitely glorious in His Being as the 2nd Person of the Divine Trinity. I would like us to dwell at this time on the meaning and the implications of the 3 descriptive titles which are given to us here. 1st of all – That Christ is the Eternal Word of God. 2nd – That Christ is the Creator of all things. And 3rd – That Christ is the Light of this fallen World. How blessed a thing it is for any of us, when we can by faith behold the glory of our Pre-Incarnate Savior and Lord, and also our now Incarnate Savior and Lord.

What is the true meaning of Christmas?

During the Advent Season we once again pause to reflect upon the Greatest Gift mankind has ever received; the Hope of liberation from sin, death, and the tyranny of man. This sermon is the first of a four-part series.

The Light of Men - Message 1 - The Light Shines in the Darkness - John 1:1-5. Jesus, introduced as the Logos by the Apostle John, is presented as God and with God from the beginning. His relationship to creation and His role as both Life and Light point to the truth about Who John says Jesus is. He is the Christ! As the Light shines in this dark world, those in the darkness cannot comprehend or conquer that Light.

In Isaiah, God promised a Son, named Immanuel, God with Us. What does it mean that Jesus is God, and why is it important? Christ is the fulfillment of the promise of Immanuel, God with us, for He is the fullness of God: holy, eternal, and omnipotent.

Work It Out Working Out — What God Is Working In Us. Paul emphasizes the importance of faithfully working out one's salvation with fear and trembling, as God works in and through His sheep for His good pleasure. God works IN us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure, and when we work WITH Him BY faith, He glorifies Himself THROUGH our lives. Summary bullet points from the transcription of this message. • Philippians 2:15-16 and obedience in God's absence. ◦ Pastor Nick Holden and Shannon Ryals discuss the importance of being blameless and shining light in the world as believers who trust and follow Jesus. ◦ Paul emphasizes that God is the one working in believers, not him, and that believers can continue to walk in obedience even when he's not present (Philippines2:12-14). ◦ Paul disassociates himself from any credit for believers' obedience when he's not present, instead emphasizing God's work in them. • God's Who Completes Us and Works In Us to Fulfill His Purpose In Our Lives. ◦ Pastor Nick emphasizes the importance of God completing us in every good work and working in us what is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:20-21). ◦ God works in us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure, and when we work with Him through faith, He glorifies Himself through our lives. ◦ Paul emphasizes the importance of God's work in us and our working with Him to shine as lights in the world. • Faith and influence in a dark world. ◦ Pastor Nick emphasizes the importance of being a light in the world, leading to an everlasting impact on future generations. ◦ Pastor Nick encourages believers to stay true, harmless, and faith

We look at being a stumbling block, or one who causes others to stumble (Walk in darkness). The removal of all such obstacles by God, which a great majority of them are in the Church. Looking at this from a point of view of a clearing of the highway to God, allowing for smoother , safer passage to His Kingdom and promises, in which we are to inherit along with His Blessings.

The healing of the blind man by Jesus sparked an electric trial instigated by the Pharisees. They have hardened their hearts against Jesus and do not see Him as the Messiah, but as a convoluted sinner. Consequently, they do everything within their might to dismiss the blind man's story and the miracle of Jesus. However, their attempts backfire and they are the ones who end up looking foolish and desperate.

We live in a world where many people are anxious, stressed, exhausted, and hopeless. And it's easy to see why, given the amount of conflict and brokenness we experience in everyday life. But the Advent season reminds us that hope is a person – a Savior who came and will one day come again.

Five Events There was darkness (v. 33). Jesus cried out (v. 34). Jesus cried out a second time (v. 37). The veil of the temple was torn (v. 38). The centurion spoke (v. 39). Key Phrase The Son of God Main Points God the Father poured out His wrath on Jesus (vv. 33-34). Jesus laid down His life for us (v. 37; John 10:17-18). Jesus is the Son of God (v. 39).

The Seventh Trumpet of Revelation 11:15 picks up on a theme from the book of Joel. Joel 2:1 calls for blowing the trumpet and sounding the alarm because it is the Day of the LORD. A mighty army is coming to destroy Jerusalem. Joel 2:10-11 describes this Day as accompanied by shaking in heaven and on earth, and the lights of the heavens no longer shining. This army is the LORD's own army, and it is an army of locusts (Joel 2:4-7). God sends his army so that Judah would repent, rending their hearts and not content merely with going through outward actions (Joel 2:12-14). If the people of Judah will repent, God will drive his mighty army of locusts into the seas (Joel 2:20) and restore what the locusts had devoured (Joel 2:25). These prophecies were fulfilled before the birth of Christ, but Joel 2:28-32 was fulfilled in AD 30 when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church (Acts 2:14-21). Revelation 11:16-17 begins to be fulfilled following the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, as he himself stated in Matthew 28:18-19. It is when God begins his conquest of the nations (Revelation 11:15). Revelation 11:18 declares unequivocally that there is only one return of Christ. It is when believers are rewarded and the wicked are judged. If your doctrine of last things makes you believe that the Lord Jesus could not return for his own today, your eschatology is wrong. There are mysteries in how things happen because the Bible teaches that large numbers of Jews and Gentiles will embrace the Lord before he returns (Romans 11:25-36), along with a great falling away and persecution (2 Thessalonians 2). Do you know the Lord?

Luke 23:26-56 – The Crucifixion of Christ – Sermon Outline Intro: Christ's ministry leads Him to the cross to die and pay for sin, and even in carrying and hanging from the cross, Christ continues to love and serve His Father and minister to His people. Need: Christ's words and work of dying should move our hearts to take up our cross after Christ, to follow Him into life eternal and victory over evil, in loving devotion, admiration and praise of our Lord and Savior. Theme: Christ warns and comforts while bearing the cross as the world watches & responds. Christ with Simon the Cyrenian carries His cross & warns of coming judgment on Jerusalem. (26-31) Christ on the cross asks the Father to forgive His crucifiers and comforts the repentant criminal. (32-43) Christ dies on the cross after the crowd sees cosmic & cultic signs, and the faithful bury His body.

Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus Mark 15:43 KJV

The Darkness of Darkness Ponder the following... "Too often people embrace their reality, as truth, but never receive the truth about their reality." Pharaoh was in the dark. I encourage you to reread that statement and think about the following. Just because someone experienced a little something, doesn't mean the little something they experienced is true. I do recognize that's somewhat hard for us to grasp. That something can be real, even an undeniable fact, but at the same time, it can be a lie. And, with that being said, for way too many...their whole life experience, which is a collection of little things, will sadly be in the end, one big lie. Why? THEY EMBRACED THEIR REALITY, AS TRUTH, BUT NOT WHAT WAS TRUE ABOUT THEIR REALITY! Why? Because they never received a love for the truth... and they now live a life of unfiltered deception and lies. There are, THEY EMBRACED THEIR REALITY, AS TRUTH, BUT NOT WHAT WAS TRUE ABOUT THEIR REALITY! There's a difference. As Paul would say, "Let God be true and every man a liar." It's not that we or they have to get everything right. What is it then? The testimony of Jesus unquestionably reveals we can't ever get it right and He never gets it wrong… therefore, through this revelation we cast our trust upon Him, believing that not only did He get it right for us, but through His grace, but by His grace He alone will lead and shepherd us rightly. Having this light and wonder can't be stifled, stopped, or stripped away. As much as in us will be what gets out of us. Light in light out. No light of the gospel within means no light of the gospel shining from a person. Fighting For Their Rights But not what is right or seekin

Does your life shine like a light in the darkness of this evil world? Listen to this message to learn that as Christians we are to be the light of the world. Learn what Scripture teaches about light and darkness. See that God is light and light is a metaphor for His character and His revelation of truth. Find out that Satan, on the other hand, is evil and exemplifies all that is dark in the world. When we trust in Christ we are born into God's light and can grow in that by studying His Word and applying it to all we do.

What a wonderful adventure it has been to travel with Israel from Egypt's land to Sinai, and along the way to meet with God. We have been touring this book of the knowledge of God for nearly three years now; I preached the first sermon on Exodus on Sunday, November 22, 2020. We have seen how God brought His people from slavery to worship, how He revealed Himself first at the burning bush, then in the ten plagues, in the passover, in the Exodus, and in His words establishing a covenant with Israel at Sinai. Now we approach the final climax of the book as God's glory moves into the tabernacle to dwell among His people — the very thing for which He brought them out of Egypt. "And they shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God" (Exodus 29:46). He wanted to dwell with His people — and He is. That, my friends, is where the book closes. But though it's a great stopping place from a literary point of view, it is not the end of the story the Bible tells. God's residence with Israel in a tent was temporary — but His residence among us in Christ is permanent. Meanwhile, the book ends with the word "journey," pointing forward to Numbers and the route to the Promised Land, and reminding us that we are called to journey with Christ, our true tabernacle, toward the Father, deeper into the knowledge of God.