The Discipline of Darkness | Part 2

You avoid darkness when you become a Christian. Listen to Adrian Rogers. There is a distorted idea that if you become a Christian. It will be all joy, all the light of all sweetness and just bruises all through life be nice if it happens that way with folks, it generally does not thousands of sayings that fear God and obey God who are walking in diagnosis do you do when the lights go out. Is the discipline of darkness welcome to lovely findings featuring the powerful dynamic message pastor and author Adrian Rogers in part one of today's message. We learned that those of greatest devotion may know the deepest dark's fate that is born in the light is often developed in the dark that there are some things seen in the dark.

That cannot be seen in the light may also be tempted to make our own light. There are many examples in Scripture that warned us not to. If you have your Bible find Isaiah chapter 50 begin in verse 10 as we learn more about the discipline of darkness. Once again, here's Adrian Rogers.

I suppose the question that pastors rational than any other question is this why pastor tell me why should such a precious little girl die at such an early age pastor tell me why I cannot carry this baby to term pastor tell me why my wife has treated me this way way for me perfectly wonderful marriage and her children pastor why why why why depression for long time. I found out that why is not our question God has an answer to that.

How is the important thing to us how we going to react. What do we do when the lights go out when nothing seems to me says well you know we feel like we couldn't bear under almost anything if we just knew what.

But when were suffering and it doesn't make sense. Well, our Scripture today is a wonderful, wonderful Scripture and I pray God here right upon your heart. Isaiah chapter 50 beginning in verse 10, who is among you that fear the Lord that obey the voice of his servant that if in darkness and have no light.

Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God. We will all ye that kindle fire that can pass yourselves about with sparks walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This sure you have of mine hand you shall lie down in sorrow. Now there's a question. What do you do when the lights go out. What is the discipline of darkness.

Well I will give some propositions number one those of greatest devotion may know the deepest darkness.

There is a distorted idea that if you become a Christian. It will be all joy, all life and all sweetness and just bruises all through life be nice if it happens that way. But folks are generally does not, it generally does not. There's no need to deny their thousands of sayings that fear God and obey God who are walking in this matter.

As we study the Bible you find out that was true of the Bible sayings I read in the Bible about John the Baptist was John the Baptist great man.

Jesus said there was not a greater born of woman than John the Baptist and John the Baptist got down in the dungeon and ease in darkness and he can understand he got so perplexed even sent messengers ask of Jesus, are you really the Messiah people really question we look for somebody that's not a bad man was saying that that was a good man, a man who was deeply perplexed and I would talk about man fears the Lord obeys God if you're in darkness right now if you plunged into darkness if things don't make sense to you, that does not mean that you have sin are your out of the will of God. Remember our proposition that those of greatest devotion may know the deepest darkness, meeting our proposition number two the faith that is born in the light is often developed in the dark mass? When have you grown most spiritually was all sunlight and roses are when there was darkness and difficulty and despair and heartache and tears are not those the times in the darkness that you grown the most. A wise man said, never doubt in the dark. What you've learned in the light. Your faith born in the light grows in the dark. Now you say Adrian, I'm not in darkness will just hold on just wait a while. This is some good medicine to keep on the shelf that will come a time when you will find out that not only is God necessary you find out that God is enough.

God is enough, there's 1/3 proposition.

Some things are seen in the dark.

That cannot be seen in the light. Understand some things in the darkness that you would never have understood in the life example of e-learning by say the stars are out tonight bring that out in the daytime. The stars do not go away in the daytime. You just don't see them in the data.

The stars are there and you could not see the star were not for the darkness. Now, in the light we see that which is near. But in the dark. We see that which is far away in the light, we may see more clearly. But in the night we see further than just certain things that you see in the dark that you will never see the light from getting out of proposition that if these things are true, then it is better for you to be leaning on God in the darkness been standing alone in your man made. Why not look in verse 11 behold, all ye that kindle a fire that can pass yourselves about with sparks walk in the light of your fire the school. This of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand you shall lie down in sorrow. One of the great dangers of darkness is that you may be tempted to lie to him fire. Now remember that if this darkness comes to you and you are fearing God and obeying God and the darkness comes. That means that darkness has been ordained of God. Remember what verse three says of this chapter, God says I flew the heavens with blackness. That is, the darkness is ordained of God. Now, the sad thing about the man-made fire is it is deceptive. If you walk in the light of the fire.

The sparks that you can unite and have assured guidance.

It's kinda like taking a flashlight going out at midnight looking in the sundial see what time it is. You see, God says if you do this if you do this when you're in darkness. If you lie your own fire. This way you have of mine hand. God says you going to lie down in sorrow. You asked for. You have great difficulty when you in a time of God ordained darkness, light your own file. I will give three examples of first example was Abraham. God said to Abraham in a time of light.

I'm here to give you a son, and his son is going to bless the world and easier to be a SunAmerica answer this. Some all of the promises Abraham that I've given you will be fulfilled. Descendents like the same seashore star's year after year after year passed and no son.

Finally, Abraham and Sarah got together and said we better help got out now.

Sarah had an Egyptian maiden whose name was Hagar and Sarah said Abraham. Why don't you have sexual relations with Hagar. Maybe she can conceive and then you can have your son knew what he was doing when he agreed to that new lighting is on file. He's trying to help got out because it was darkness and he can understand Axel what he did was to light his own fire and Ishmael was born in for centuries and millenniums past that time, the offspring of Abraham have been made to lie down and saw was he was a man who cannot trust God. But he took matters into his own hand.

With no direct single command from God lit his own fire and then he and his offspring are lying down and so let me give you another example, Moses, God told Moses and God said Moses I want you to leave the children of Israel out of bondage but Moses is looking around and it is seemed understand how God is going to do it is is in a time of darkness and then Moses goes out and takes matters into his own hand. He saw some people an argument.

Moses steps in and kills one of those slaves in Egyptian berries and in the desert sand. There God when uncovered Moses mistake Moses set out to be a missionary ended up a murderer and as a result of that Moses spent 14 days on the backside of the desert lying down and saw he lighted his own fire. I think of Simon Peter, Jesus had told Simon Peter, Simon, I'm going to the cross. Simon says hello. This will never be Jesus at Simon, Satan has desired you to safety was weak, but I prefer that your faith fail not home or go with you to prison and to death. Then that night of dark Gethsemane was dark, things didn't make sense.

It was Jesus Christ, the Messiah, taking him a present. Nothing is making sense handle them believing what God had shown them in the light. This Simon Peter draws this audit does become clear, the high priest's servant man named Malthus Meza results to see Simon Peter. All food doing what we wear hi dry light is owned by Eli Manning darkness lying down in sorrow. Because of that weeping bitterly but here is proposition eight is better for you to be leaning on God in the darkness been standing alone and man-made values.

The next proposition I will give you this is the final number five. It is friend if your son has said it will rise again.

If you are in darkness as I gain notice Isaiah chapter 50 verse 4D Waco morning by morning job will waken you in the morning. The Lord God had given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary friend when you go through darkness and come out, you know some things that other people won't know he wake up the morning by morning, he wake of my near to hear as the learned. In the morning when the morning comes when you go through that dark night of the soul. When your mental anguish I'm telling you, friend, is a better day coming here in darkness right now. Trust God fear darkness right now laying on God is your darkness right now like to fly. Trust God by telling you he will turn every tear to a problem filter never hurt to hallelujah filter never Calvary to Easter your morning will come. Some 112. In verse four to the upright.

There are rise of light in the darkness. He is gracious and full of compassion and righteous. Psalm 30 in verse five for his anger and birth but for a moment in his favor. His life weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.

Don't you love it weekly manager for nine email. I went to her pillow with tears, but I'm telling a friend there's a better time coming. One of these days God is going to pull back the shades of night and pin them with a star and open the door the morning and flood your world with the sunshine of his love is light and you're going to see things that you never seen before more clearly than you've ever seen them before. When he wakes you in the morning you will waken with the tongue of the learned. I was an artist who painted a great painting he wanted his friend to come see his painting so he invited his friend a comment and see the painting and so is friend came down the busy street. When the artists that come in here.

I want you to sit in this room I'm in front of all the lights and I want you to sit in the darkness for 15 minutes before show you my painting demanded that he was taken out of the darkness brought into the gallery to look at the painting. He said it is beautiful is magnificent. So why did you want me to just come in this room and and sit in the darkness and the artist said is because you had the glare of the street in your eyes. I wanted you to be able to appreciate the richness of my colors. Said you would not of been able to do it until the glare was gone and I think sometimes that you and I just so dazzled by this world. I think sometimes that is so much jingling jangling so much glare that God in his love, just lets us know something of the treasures of the darkness I've been preaching long enough to know that some people in this room right now you got some DD purpose and you have some may be questions and you're trying his best to know how to love God you fear God, and God and nothing seems to make sense, trusting trust lean on him standing up on your guy father little girl came from the funeral home. They had just put away into the cold ground, the mother and wife and now this day in this little girl had to come home without that mother little girl said daddy can I sleep with you tonight, he was glad she said that because he did not want to be in that lonely bed by himself. She came to live down by her daddy he turned out the light and she said daddy it's that it is so dark that it proceeded to start before that he gets so dark I can't even see you daddy, daddy is your face toward me. He said yes sweetheart. My face is toward you. She's I'm glad to know it. Betty good night daddy. I'll see you in the morning and she went off to sleep that big man crawled out of bed, got on his knees and spoke to his heavenly father said father, it is dark so all I've ever seen at the start before father is your face toward me and from heaven. He said yes my son, my face is toward you.

They said then good night father. I'm going to sleep, to tell you friend in your deepest darkest sorrow, the eyes of your heavenly father are upon you. Trust and learn the treasures of the darkness. Let me say one last word and we don't have prayer if you're not a child of God, trusting God if you stay on God is another kind of darkness is called everlasting darkness for those who do not know Jesus Christ. They go from this life into a paternal everlasting darkness without Jesus, the son will never rise for you so I want you to know Jesus. I want you to trust in Jesus. If you're not certain that your saved, or if you're certain that you are not saved by wonderful means you can be saved for sure, and forever by receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and I want to encourage you to pray this prayer if you can pray sincerely out of your heart dear God, I know that you love me and I know that you want to save me Jesus died to save me and you promise to save me if I would trust you.

I do trust. I believe the son of God.

I believe you paid for my sin with your blood on the cross. I believe that God raised you from the dead, and I now receive you as my personal Lord and Savior. I receive you by faith. I trust you once and for all to save me. You know, my Lord, my Savior, my God and my friend begin now to make me the person you want me to be.

I will fall you the rest of my life not in order to be saved, but because I have been saved by a sheer gift of grace. I will follow you, by your grace and for your glory.

I will not be ashamed of you because you died for me, I will live for you. Thank you for saving me your precious name I pray, amen. If you prayed to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord just now. We want to celebrate with you and offer an insightful resource go to our website LWF.org/radio and click discovered Jesus at the top of the page. You'll find answers, you may need about your faith. There's a response section where you can share how this message or others have impacted you again go to LWF.org/radio and click discovered Jesus.

We can't wait to hear from you today if you like to order a copy of today's message request one by the title, the discipline of darkness when you call 1877 love God. This message is also part of a powerful series standing for light and truth for the complete audio collection. All 11 insightful messages: 1877 love God or go to LWF.org/radio or you can order by writing us at love worth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, TN 38183 thanks for studying in God's word with us today. Maybe you're in a time of darkness right now. Remember these comforting and encouraging words from Adrian Rogers, God will turn every tear her every hurt to a hallelujah every Calvary to an Easter your morning will come.

Be sure to join us next time.

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