One small guiding light in a vast darkness.  That’s the kind of man he was.”
              –R.J. Hendricks II (The Beale Treasure)

    “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’”
              –John 8:12 (NKJV)
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A person who is blind lives in darkness.  Their blindness may have been caused by many reasons, and that includes spiritual blindness.  They lived in a darkened world, and they must depend upon and follow others to get around.  However, Jesus warned about “blind leaders.”  Leaders who should see the light, but for one reason or another continue in their blindness.

    “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
                   –Matthew 15:14(NKJV)

Several places Jesus combines blindness with fools and He speaks of “blind guides.”  He speaks of a power, actually a person, that has, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” (John 12:40, NKJV)
    Some people choose to live in darkness, others are blinded.  Look at what Paul writes in regard to blindness, then think of what is happening in our country.

         “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
                   –2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV)

         “having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”
                   –Ephesians 4:18(NKJV)

People who live in darkness stumble, they cannot see, and they seem to enjoy their plight.  As we have been looking at John, he writes,

         “But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
                   –1 John 2:11 (NKJV)

Perhaps you have visited some of the caves in America and the guide at some point will turn off the lights to leave you in total darkness.  The experts say that if a person is in total darkness for three days they will go blind.  I would imagine that there is a correlation with spiritual blindness.  Some people reject the light of Jesus Christ.

    A recent article in the Los Angeles Times reads, “The secularization of U.S. society–the waning of religious faith, practice and affiliation–is continuing at a dramatic and historically unprecedented pace. While many may consider such a development as a cause for concern, such a worry is not warranted. This increasing godlessness in America is actually a good thing, to be welcomed and embraced.”
    The article continued, It reads, “The organic secularization we are experiencing in the United States is a progressive force for good, one that is associated with improved human rights, more protections for planet Earth, and an increased socio-cultural propensity to make this life as fair and just as we can–in the here and now–rather than in a heavenly reward that fewer and fewer of us believe in.
    Does this not foreshadow the words of Luke 18:8: When Christ returns, will He find any of faith??” (Prophecy News Watch)
We must be getting close to the coming of the Lord.  When these things, the things we are seeing and hearing all around us begin to happen, then get ready for the Lord is coming–our redemption is growing near.
    It happens quickly, the darkness arises and then, as Congressman Jerry Nadler stated, God’s will was of no concern to this Congress.  Stay in the light, warn those in the darkness, do not become a mocker like Nadler, do not be foolish and not have your lamp trimmed and ready.
    There is a darkness beginning to sweep over the land.  Do not fear; it cannot extinguish the Light.  Because of this darkness that with it brings fear–fear of terror, fear of a pandemic, and then turning to the government for the solutions and making it their security–their god.
    Rest in the security of the Lord:  “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2, NKJV)
                            
              

One did not submit to violence to oneself or to one’s home.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Brionne)

    “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
              –1 Peter 2:9 (NASB)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NASB)

    Get rid of the police!  “It wasn’t an accident.  Policing in our country is inherently and intentionally racist…  No more policing, incarceration, and militarization.  It can’t be reformed,” so spoke Rashida Tlaib.  Call forth the “man of lawlessness.”  We are at the point of chaos and anarchy, from which Nietzsche said the superman will arise.  How will you live in this country, if this should happen?
    I wrote of the darkness yesterday.  Most riots, the damage, takes place at night in darkness.  Christ came to reveal the hidden things of darkness.  If you are a true believer then your presence is a threat, for the Spirit living within you will also reveal the hidden things of darkness.

         If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
                   –1 John 1:6-7 (NASB)

    It is necessary that we walk in the light.  Barclay sheds some light on these verses.

         1)  “John insists that to have fellowship with the God who is light a man must walk in the light and that, if he is still walking in the moral and ethical darkness of the Christless life, he can not have that fellowship.”  He will understand the fact that he is to be holy for he serves a holy God.  C.H. Dodd stated, “The Church is a society of people who, believing in a God of pure goodness, accept the obligation to be good like Him.”  We will be aware of our obligations to God.  “It will mean that he will never think that sin does not matter; it will mean that the nearer he comes to God, the more terrible sin will be to him.” (Barclay)
         2)  “John insists that these mistaken thinkers have the wrong idea of truth.”  For the Christian “truth is never only intellectual; it is always moral.

    We are children of the light and if we want to have fellowship with God we must remove ourselves from darkness, the deeds, and evil of darkness, and choose to walk in the light.  Stumbling, failure, does not mean we are no longer walking in the light, and we use that light to get back up, repent (1 John 1:9) and continue on.  Know that John is not dealing with the sinful nature, but sin that breaks fellowship.  Walking in the light is part of sanctification–confession and recognizing sins.
    The Christian is not a person who spends his life walking in and out of the kingdom of God.  He doesn’t jump from light to darkness then back to light.  He does not return to Calvary for he knows that Calvary accompanies him.  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, “The Christian is not a man or woman who ought to be walking in the light but who so often is walking in darkness.  The Christian is one who, by definition here, is always walking in the light even though he falls into sin.  By falling into sin you do not return to walking in darkness.  The Christian is not a Christian at all unless he is walking in the light.”  He continues, “You do not go back in your Christian life; if you all into sin, you confess it and go on.”
    First John 1:9, is a verse that is for the Christian, not the unbeliever, as it is so often used.  It a verse to give up to the Christian that if he falls, he can go to the Father asking for forgiveness and the Father will forgive and cleanse him.  The believer does not leave the light for he can see His way to the Father.  

         “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  
                   –1 John 1:9 (NASB)

Stay away from the deeds of darkness.  Seek to be holy as your heavenly Father has commanded.  Obey Him and His commandments, however, if a slip is made, go immediately to the Father and confess.

But nobody likes strangers coming out of the dark uninvited.  Usually folks travel at night have a reason for it, and generally it ain’t a good one.”
              –Lou Bradshaw  (Big Man’s Keeper)

    “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”
              –Colossians 1:13(NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NKJV)

         “The results are in: America’s stage four cancer has metastasized to the family and the church as well as to the government and the schools. We are more depraved than ever before.  Animals are guarded but innocent children are slaughtered. Porn is protected and sex-trafficking is on the rise. Cardi B’s lyrics get a pass but Scriptures are banned on social media.
Words cannot express this outright lunacy. Like the bungee jumper who plunged to her death because she thought she heard “now jump,” when, in reality, her instructor said, “No jump!” America thinks that she is hearing from God, but she is not. We are drowning in a cesspool of moral filth: “The wicked freely parade and prance about while evil is praised throughout the land” (Psalm 12:8). Recently, a father was arrested for referring to his biological 14-year-old daughter as “she” after she transitioned to a male gender. “But that’s in Canada,” you say. Trust me, we are not far behind.  Most on the liberal left would have no problem imprisoning anyone who disagreed with them, and that’s exactly where the Equality Act is going — unless you accept, rejoice in, and validate sin they are coming after you. Revival is our only hope.”  (taken from article in Prophecy News Watch, author unknown)

    Such a place we find ourselves in, how do we survive?  First, we are to recognize the truth of God’s Word.  We are no longer living in darkness such as we see in the article above.  

         “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  –1 John 1:7 (NASB)

Are you walking in darkness or walking in the Light?  We discussed earlier that God is Light (1 John 1:5).  Therefore, we are to walk in that Light.  People walk in darkness because they are part of the world.  Now, here is something to understand–it is vital to understand kingdoms, not sin.  By repenting and accepting Jesus Christ, we now are part of the kingdom of Light.  The proof of repentance is the life we live.  There is the turning from the life of sin to a life of holiness.

         “Men and women who walk in the light are people who are seeking God.  They desire to know God better; they are concerned about the glory and honor of God; they are anxious to please God.  They realize that for very many years they have been living in a realm which is antagonistic to God, and their whole idea is to be as different as they can.  That is walking in the light, living to the glory and honor of God.  God is their Master; they seek righteousness and are concerned about being holy.”
                   –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

    Darkness stands for the very opposite of God.  William Barclay writes about darkness:

         1)  Darkness stands for the Christless life.  (1 John 2:8; Colossians 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5; John 8:12; 1 Peter 2:9)
         2)  The dark is hostile to the light.  Darkness may try to overcome light but it cannot.  The dark and the light are natural enemies.
         3)  The darkness stands for the ignorance of life apart from Christ.  If you walk in darkness you do not know where you are going.  The dark stands for the essential lostness of life without Christ.
         4)  The darkness stands for the chaos of life without God.  Without God the world is in chaos, there is neither real life, order, or sense.
         5)  The darkness stands for the immorality of the Christless life.  This is one reason why there is such an attack against Jesus and His Word–the light shines upon the evil of man.
         6)  The darkness is characteristically unfruitful.  The Spirit will not grow in the heart of darkness.
         7)  The darkness is connected with lovelessness and hate.  Hatred lives and is from the dark.
         8)  The dark is the abode of the enemies of Christ and the final goal of those who will not accept him.  There is a constant struggle against those in the darkness and in the end those not in the light will find themselves in eternal darkness (2 Peter 2:9; Jude 13).

    The job of the Holy Spirit is to bring sins to light, convict, and lead to forsake them.  Man must face his sin–he must not dislike the light.  I’ll close with one of the most often quoted Scriptures, and perhaps one of the least understood Scriptures.  The Holy Spirit had John write this and REALIZE that this is for Christians, those who walk in the light.

         “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
                   –1 John 1:9 (NASB)

There are those who would use darkness to hide evil.”
              –Lou Bradshaw  (Hickory Jack)

    “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”  
              –John 1:5 (NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NKJV)


Before continuing, we need to take a brief look at this doctrine of sin.  To walk in fellowship with Christ there must be some knowledge of what it meant to walk in darkness.  From the time of Adam’s fall in the Garden unto the present man has chosen to walk in darkness, under the power and dominion of sin.  There was no way to walk in real fellowship with God until Jesus provided the way to reconciliation on the cross.
    As Christians, we no longer walk in darkness!  It is important that we understand that.  We cannot walk in darkness and have fellowship with Christ.  There are two kingdoms and the believer cannot/does not walk in the realm of sin.  We live in one or the other.  We are no longer blinded by the God of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4).  Paul wrote in Ephesians,

         “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (2:2)

Once we walked in darkness, following the whims and commands of the devil, but that has now been put aside.  To walk in darkness is to oppose God–there is no fellowship.  People who dwell in the darkness are oblivious to the light of God (John 1:1-9).
    An old heresy is raising its ugly head again.  It is popping up in churches and in the minds of, I will say pseudo-believers.  It is the heresy of antinomianism:  as long as you are a Christian and claim you know God in Christ, it is immaterial what you do, because you do not sin, it is the flesh or body that sins.  Oh, such a dangerous thought.  Man begins to rationalize sin and categorize it.  If sin is pointed out there comes the cry of “do not judge” or “legalism.”
    Do not try and rationalize it away.  We are sinful and need forgiveness.  Lloyd-Jones states, “If we say I have no sin, I am denying the incarnation, the death and the resurrection–I am making God a liar.”  By doing this, not only are we calling God a liar, we are proving that the Word is not in us and that the world is.  “Not to be right about sin means we are still walking in darkness, that our whole attitude is a lie.” (Lloyd-Jones)
    We are sinners, pure and simple, and even after salvation we still, hopefully not often, sin.  I have been using 1 John for much of this discussion; remember, that the epistles were written to the Church, to believers.  Do not live the lie, do not succumb to the idea that “I am saved, therefore…”  No, that is laughing in the face of eternal love.  “A lie cannot live in the presence of God; it is an utter contradiction of everything God is, and it just means that I am not a Christian at all.” (Lloyd-Jones)
    Paul tells us in the Book of Romans we do not sin that we can have more grace.  No, grace is given because we do sin.  I can understand Paul’s frustration.  What do we do when we sin?  What steps should be taken when the sin nature rises up and we fall prey to it again?  Remember, we are no longer children of darkness.