Darkness on SermonAudio

"O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah." Psalm 88:1-7

This sermon explores the identity of Jesus as the true light entering the world, as presented in the prologue of the Gospel of John. It examines the role of John the Baptist as a witness who directs attention to Christ rather than himself, establishing a model for believers to testify to the gospel. The message addresses the rejection of this light by a world that loves darkness, emphasizing that spiritual sight is a gift from God rather than a human achievement. Finally, it highlights the privilege of adoption into God's family through the new birth, which is entirely the work of divine grace and not of human will or effort.

This sermon examines the final instructions of Jesus to His disciples in John 14, focusing on the resolve to face impending trials with divine equipment. The central message highlights the ministry of the Holy Spirit as the primary tool for believers, detailing His roles in teaching, reminding, and providing peace that surpasses worldly understanding. Listen along as Pastor Gable emphasizes that receiving this ministry requires a foundational relationship with God the Father and faith in Jesus Christ, while also illustrating the necessity of personal responsibility to allow God's peace to rule over anxiety and fear. By analyzing Jesus' perspective, purpose, and path, the text presents Christ as the ultimate example of obedience and love for the Father, even when confronting darkness. The sermon concludes with a call to action, encouraging believers to rely on the Spirit's guidance and Christ's example to confidently step into the challenges God has placed in their lives.

Luke ordered his account carefully to ensure our certainty in the things we have been taught concerning Christ. His last scene in Luke 24:50–53 brings his work to a close in the same place where our story began, worshiping in the Lord's temple, yet with an entirely new situation. Darkness is replaced by light, the proud have been brought low, the lowly have been exalted, and the good news of great joy that dawned at the incarnation is ready to go out at the empowerment the Spirit sent by the ascended Christ.

This sermon explores the theological foundations of the Protestant Reformation, specifically the five solas, to clarify the nature of Christian salvation and authority. It begins by tracing the historical struggle for vernacular Bible access from John Wycliffe to Martin Luther, framing the Reformation as a movement from darkness into light. The central message emphasizes that Scripture alone is the infallible authority, superseding tradition or human interpretation, while salvation is rooted entirely in God's unmerited grace rather than human merit. Faith is presented not as a work to achieve righteousness, but as the means by which believers receive Christ's finished work and live in ongoing trust. The sermon concludes by encouraging believers to recognize their identity as God's workmanship, empowered to walk in the good works prepared for them by His grace.

John Wycliffe was, I think, really the man who publicly had the position, the learning, and the moral courage to begin to question the doctrine and practices of the Church of Rome way back in the late 1340s. He spoke the Bible's truth to show the Pope, the Cardinals, the Bishops, and the Monks, that very much of their theological system was wrong. And much of their worship and practice was God-dishonoring and even blasphemous. How did John Wycliffe proceed in his confrontation of Rome? He proceeded by faith in Christ, and by holding fast and holding forth the truth of the Bible. He showed us what a living faith in Jesus Christ is like. He recovered these things related to a living faith by studying the Bible carefully. And he compared it with what the Church of Rome was believing and doing. And when he did this, the Lord worked together with him. And the results were very great. When he preached and taught, the Light of truth came to people's minds with power. And the darkness of ignorance and false doctrine, which had prevailed for so long, began to be dispelled. And many were awakened to the truth and they believed what he was teaching. And having been instructed by this godly man, they began to walk as disciples of Christ with him. The truth of God's Word began, once again, to be seen and understood and proclaimed by many.

In this sermon from Job 42:1-6, Pastor Green brings the book of Job to its climax, where Job finally answers the Lord and repents in dust and ashes. His central burden is that this book is not chiefly about theodicy or the justification of suffering, but about God Himself—a sovereign Lord who is also immanent, present with His servant in the very depths of the storm. Pastor Green reminds the congregation that God initiated Job's trials from the heavenly courtroom, and that even Satan is restrained, a creature on a string serving God's purposes. Working through Job's confession, Pastor Green unfolds three movements: revelation, reflection, and repentance. Job had heard of God by the hearing of the ear, but now his eye sees Him. True repentance, the sermon insists, is always grounded in God's self-revelation and flows into faith. Job cannot atone for himself or be his own redeemer; he points forward to Christ, the spotless Lamb and suffering Servant who alone could be crushed for His people. Pastor Green presses the application toward pastoral care and personal holiness. Believers are called to counsel sufferers by beginning with revelation rather than scolding, and to grab hold of repentance boldly and joyfully, leaping at it as a sign of resurrection life. Repentance divorced from joy is not biblical repentance. The sermon closes by urging hearers to let Christ be the bait that draws them, to live for an audience of One, and to trust the living Redeemer in the dark, sharing this hope with gentleness toward a watching world.