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Out of Darkness
Children are frequently afraid of the dark. The dark hides all kinds of things. To a child they are mysterious, terrible, and frightening.
Most adults are not afraid of the dark. Maybe we should be.
On the first day of Creation, God called light into existence. In Genesis 1:3-4, God called the light He created “good,” but He made no such pronouncement upon the darkness. Instead, He separated the light that He made from the darkness.
From that point on, Scripture associates darkness not only with the absence of light but also the absence of God’s presence and work.
Not frightened yet?
1 Samuel 2:9 says “He will guard the feet of His faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness.” Psalm 107:10-11 says, “Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.” Isaiah 8:22 says of those who don’t trust God, “And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.”
Feel any twinges?
In Matthew 8:10-12, Jesus said that those who reject Him “will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In His parable about the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 22:2-14, Jesus spoke about the interloper who was not clothed properly for the Heavenly Wedding. Describing that man’s fate, He said, “Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”
That place of “outer darkness” is a frightening prospect. It should be. It is the place where every soul who rebels against the God of light deserves to reside.
But, for those who trust in Christ, the Father has done something marvelous, as Colossians 1:13-14 tells us:
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We once belonged to the domain of darkness. The place that Jesus described as “outer darkness” was once our place. We were in the realm in which we would be weeping and gnashing our teeth.
But the Father has delivered us from that domain.
We are rescued.
He has drawn us out from that terrible and frightening region. As a man might pluck a bound and helpless child from the squalid dark hiding place of his kidnappers, He has pulled us out of the mirky darkness of our wrath.
He has transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son.
We are now safe.
He has placed us into the trusted arms of the Heir of Creation, and made us His subjects, His very own precious possession. We are secure, in a home that will stand forever, in the Kingdom that shall never end, in the arms of the King who will always reign.
In Him, Christ, we have redemption.
Our rescue is compete.
Not only are we no longer in the darkness, but because His Son has paid the ransom, the bond, the obligation holding us in darkness, the darkness has no further claims upon us or strength to retake us.
In Him, Christ, we have forgiveness of sins.
Our future is secure.
The sins of the past that made darkness our home are all forgiven, and thus darkness is no longer our lodging. The sins of the future, which we might fear will send us back to darkness, are all forever forgiven as well.
We need no longer fear the darkness, because in Christ we have complete forgiveness, forever.
If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ, the Son God sent into the world to die for the rescue of those who are in darkness, think. You may be rescued. As 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 says, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (ESV)
For all who are in Christ, Peter describes our new position, and what we are to do, now that the fear of darkness is forever dispelled.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. – I Peter 2:9 (ESV)
Let us remember where we once belonged, and rejoice in the condition we now enjoy, praising forever the One who has done it all!
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By Pastor Ray BromleyChildren are frequently afraid of the dark. The dark hides all kinds of things. To a child they are mysterious, terrible, and frightening.
Most adults are not afraid of the dark. Maybe we should be.
On the first day of Creation, God called light into existence. In Genesis 1:3-4, God called the light He created “good,” but He made no such pronouncement upon the darkness. Instead, He separated the light that He made from the darkness.
From that point on, Scripture associates darkness not only with the absence of light but also the absence of God’s presence and work.
Not frightened yet?
1 Samuel 2:9 says “He will guard the feet of His faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness.” Psalm 107:10-11 says, “Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.” Isaiah 8:22 says of those who don’t trust God, “And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.”
Feel any twinges?
In Matthew 8:10-12, Jesus said that those who reject Him “will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In His parable about the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 22:2-14, Jesus spoke about the interloper who was not clothed properly for the Heavenly Wedding. Describing that man’s fate, He said, “Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”
That place of “outer darkness” is a frightening prospect. It should be. It is the place where every soul who rebels against the God of light deserves to reside.
But, for those who trust in Christ, the Father has done something marvelous, as Colossians 1:13-14 tells us:
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We once belonged to the domain of darkness. The place that Jesus described as “outer darkness” was once our place. We were in the realm in which we would be weeping and gnashing our teeth.
But the Father has delivered us from that domain.
We are rescued.
He has drawn us out from that terrible and frightening region. As a man might pluck a bound and helpless child from the squalid dark hiding place of his kidnappers, He has pulled us out of the mirky darkness of our wrath.
He has transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son.
We are now safe.
He has placed us into the trusted arms of the Heir of Creation, and made us His subjects, His very own precious possession. We are secure, in a home that will stand forever, in the Kingdom that shall never end, in the arms of the King who will always reign.
In Him, Christ, we have redemption.
Our rescue is compete.
Not only are we no longer in the darkness, but because His Son has paid the ransom, the bond, the obligation holding us in darkness, the darkness has no further claims upon us or strength to retake us.
In Him, Christ, we have forgiveness of sins.
Our future is secure.
The sins of the past that made darkness our home are all forgiven, and thus darkness is no longer our lodging. The sins of the future, which we might fear will send us back to darkness, are all forever forgiven as well.
We need no longer fear the darkness, because in Christ we have complete forgiveness, forever.
If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ, the Son God sent into the world to die for the rescue of those who are in darkness, think. You may be rescued. As 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 says, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (ESV)
For all who are in Christ, Peter describes our new position, and what we are to do, now that the fear of darkness is forever dispelled.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. – I Peter 2:9 (ESV)
Let us remember where we once belonged, and rejoice in the condition we now enjoy, praising forever the One who has done it all!