Bible Studies

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Cut on the lights, all the lights, for I fear the darkness

Open the shades and let the safe sunlight in, I tremble at shadows

No, I don’t fear the legendary spooks or the nighttime fantasies

I fear the absolute, the total, and the unbearable loneliness.

Cut on the lights, all the lights! I fear the darkness!

The spring of 1971 was a bad year for me when I wrote that. I had just left the police department and taken a job as General Manager of a restaurant. I had more freedom then, than any other time of my life. Freedom to make all the bad decisions that caused me to feel alone in a room full of people.

That was a dark time in my life. I was reaping the whirlwind and my life was spinning out of control.

Maybe some of you can relate to what I just said! Somebody cut off the lights and I was surrounded by darkness.

Well, folks, that was only a foretaste of the darkness that is on the eastern horizon.

As believers we would like to think that we are always walking in the light but sometimes we find ourselves suddenly overcome with the darkness.

What is darkness and how do we get out of it?
(Ecc 2:14)"The wise man has eyes in his head; while the fool walks in darkness..."

In this passage, Solomon is observing that each person has it in him to realize that he is walking in darkness and to get out of it. It is the fool who ignores the darkness and keeps on going.

So what, exactly, is the darkness that we are to be aware of?

Let's start with what it is NOT.

(1 John 1:5-7) "This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not have the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."

Darkness is definitely not from God, so where does it come from?

(Acts 26:18) "To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and a place among them who are sanctified by faith in me."

See what the scriptures are saying, to be in darkness is to be Satan's slave. This is why the gospel message is so important; it shows people how to be freed from Satan's control by turning to the freedom in Jesus Christ!

Why Do We Love Dark Places?

(John 3:19-21) " this is the verdict, light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light, because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light, for fear his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly, that what has been done has been done through God."

So why doesn't everyone shake free the bondage of Satan and turn to Jesus? Sadly, they enjoy their sin too much and don't want to leave it.

We would think that this applies to only the unsaved, but it is also true of the believer. Sometimes we can get caught up in our own particular sins that we just don't want to abandon. Every time we are near someone who is shining with Jesus, it sickens us and repulses us. It certainly shouldn't, but this is the natural and scriptural result of walking in darkness.

If you are finding yourself in this position, it might be a good time to humble yourself and openly acknowledge that sin and repent of it!

(1 John 1:8-9) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

This passage has always perplexed me. It is obvious that we continue sinning after being saved. So why would someone say they don't sin?

In doing this study it dawned on me. There are Christians who don't believe it is possible to walk in the darkness. They think that they are saved and that their walk doesn't really matter. This has to be what this passage is talking about!

Believe me, as a believer, you WILL stumble into darkness. Do not underestimate yourself. If you say that you are incapable of such a fall you are deceiving yourself.

I mean this is why so many of us have really superficial walks, isn't it? We are miserable because we cannot serve both our sin and Jesus Christ. Jesus wants you to admit your sin and turn the other way but you don't want to. Your flesh wants you to keep sinning, but your conscience condemns you.

Vs. 9 above shows you that the only way out of this self- imposed misery is to admit that you are wrong. When you do, Jesus instantly cleanses you. It's really that simple.

So, how is it that we can cause ourselves to stumble into the darkness that it speaks of in
1 John 1:8?

(Luke 11:34-36) “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, 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 completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you”

(Matt 6:23) "But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

These two passages are saying that if you allow sinful things into your life you are going to become entangled by them.

Replace those things, which cause you to stumble with those things, which cause you to grow in the grace and the knowledge of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

Another Source Of Darkness Is: Hatred

(1 John 2:8-11) "Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes."

Hate will take us into the depths of darkness and make our walk with Christ a painful one.

Get Rid Of The Darkness

(Rom 13:12) "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."

(Eph 5:11) "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them]."

(2 Cor 6:14) "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?"

Realizing our stumbling blocks and removing them will shed light on sin and show the world that we as Christians, though we are not perfect, understand the need for repentance and the grace that brings forgiveness.

When there is no difference between you and someone heading for hell, something is very wrong.

Jesus Is THE Light (Isa 60:1-3) "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."

Satan's darkness is covering the earth, and gross darkness the people. Turn on the light of Christ and darkness has to flee.

(Col 1:13) "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of His dear Son..."

When Jesus is welcomed into your heart, the darkness must flee. It is when you try and turn down the dimmer switch on your relationship with Jesus that the darkness comes back.

Too many of you have a rheostat relationship with Christ.

If It's Dark, You Need The Light!

(Luke 1:79) "To give light to them that sit in darkness and [in] the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

(Ps. 112:4) "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: [He is] gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous."

Once you realize that you are in darkness and admit it, God will gladly turn the lights way up in your heart. Only Jesus Christ can fill your life with light.

If you have never experienced this light and want to turn from darkness, ask Him in. He'll gladly come into your heart.

If you are saved but have been trying to live in both worlds, admit your sins and turn back to your first love.

There is nothing worse than a Christian walking in darkness!The only solution is to return to the Light.

Christians, don’t sit there in your misery! Admit your hypocrisy! You’re not alone!

Let me tell you something…If someone hollows FIRE in a Go-Go bar and you just happen to be there, you’re not going to cower there in the darkness, you’re going to swallow your hypocrisy and run outside into the light to safety.

FIRE…FIRE…FIRE!

It’s time to RUN from the darkness. Run to the cross. Jesus, the light of this world, will cut on the lights for you and you will never be alone, again.

If you’ve never confessed Jesus as your personal Savior…you are living in the darkness.

Jesus is the light and He offers you life. Come into the light!

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