Ep. 028 Darkness to Light

Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located

in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship

Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism,

discipleship, and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church

and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bickford and I will be

your host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages

are a blessing to you and bring you closer to God.

Hello and welcome back to the podcast. My name is David Bickford. I'm the pastor at

the Potter's House Salmon Arm Church. Today's message that I put together is called Darkness

to Light. Its subheading would be, You knitted me together in my mother's womb. The text

that we are going to be using this morning as a jumping off point is Acts 26 verses

12-8. If you are following along you can go ahead and pull out your Bible, pull out your

sword there and go ahead and turn to Acts 26 verses 12-18. So the time of recording

Acts 26:12–18

this I just came back from a little mini vacation with my wife Sarah. We were able to go to

Sun Peaks for a few days and so you know you'd think oh you're probably nice and well rested

and relaxed except for the fact that darn military stuff comes up and my neck is throbbing

with pain as I record. So we had a great time, did some snowshoeing at night and we did some

axe throwing but yeah my neck is all messed up and so I just hoped this nerve pain kind

of calms down. But with that it kind of goes hand in hand with the illustration I have

for this message because it goes back to my background again. So it's all about the Marine

Corps boot camp and the yellow footprints. And so when I was a kid I really wanted to

join the military. It was a huge focus of my life even from as young as 14 which I think

I've said before. But one of the key things that separates Marine Corps boot camp from

other armed services boot camps is how it's all kind of veiled in this almost haunting

apparition of what you're walking yourself into. The Marine Corps has its own lore, it

has its own story, its own driving force. And so 10 days after I turned 18 I was on

my way to the Marine Corps recruit depot in San Diego and I had been preparing for this

since I was 14 and now the only question that remained was if I was going to be good enough.

So my parents dropped me off at the MAPS station which stands for Military Entrance Processing

Station and that is where I had my final processing before getting sent to the airport and taking

a flight by myself to San Diego. I didn't have much in the way of belongings, the Marine

Corps makes it pretty clear what you're allowed to bring. So we're not allowed to bring much

of anything because you're closing the door on your old life and you're starting a new

life as a Marine or a Marine recruit. So there weren't any cell phones at this time, there

were cell phones, they were invented, I'm not that old, but they weren't cheap enough

that a kid would typically have these things. There weren't any tablets, you weren't going

to bring a laptop because that just wasn't something that you typically had. But you

were allowed to have a personal effect so you were allowed to bring a Bible or something

like that but for the most part you were going with just the clothes on your back. And so

when you're on that flight, I'm flying from Michigan over to San Diego, you've got all

this time, this idle time just to think, what are the next 24 hours going to look like?

What have I done in making this decision to join the Marine Corps? Who am I going to become?

So when I'm thinking about that and when I'm putting this message together, it got me to

thinking about how we all begin in the dark. Once I got off that plane in San Diego, I

met up with some other recruits who were also headed to MCRD. There were people there with

signs to direct us and they bring us on as a group onto this dark bus. Now the people,

the drivers of these buses, they're polite but they're very firm. They're not active

duty Marines. I'm sure some of them are veterans or whatnot. But for the most part, they're

just being polite, they're being courteous, but they're also being somewhat blunt with

their direction. There was clearly this eerie feeling that was in the air, like this palpable

tension that you could almost cut with a knife, it was so tense. There was a bit of a morbid

or sadistic humor to what was about to happen to us, but at this point, we didn't fully

realize what was coming our way. That drive on the bus felt like forever, but really it

wasn't that long at all. The driving time between the San Diego airport and MCRD up

in Miramar isn't really that long. But the bus was dark. It was already well after sunset,

which to us seems like it was part of the plan. There was a strategy at play. They didn't

want us to be able to see where we were going and what we had signed up for. So with this

allure of the Marine Corps, it was clearly set up this way that we were going to be in

darkness entering into our future. So as we get to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, the bus

finally comes to a stop. And then we have this deep silence that we're sitting in right

before the chaos ensued. Marines are born into chaos. And from the second that a drill

instructor steps onto the bus and chases us out onto those yellow footprints, we're standing

under these bright floodlights that are shining down on us as the chaos erupts all around

us. So in our text in Acts 26, 12 through 18, we're going to read a little bit about

Paul and his conversion. So in verse 12, it says, In this connection I journeyed to Damascus

with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O Kings, I saw on the

way a light from heaven brighter than any or brighter than the sun that shone around

me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all had fallen to the ground, I heard

a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It

is hard for you to kick against the goads. And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord

said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have

appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness for the things

in which you have seen me and those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from

your people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that

they may turn from the darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God, that they

may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in

me. So our lives are bound to the cycle of birth and death, darkness and light, sin and

repentance. And throughout the scripture, we can see a pattern. We can see humanity

is birthed from the dirt or pulled from the darkness and placed into the light only to

fall back into the darkness and needs God's light. Then we are sent into the world to

be the light until we are taken home to be or to heaven to be near the true light that

is God. Which brings me to my first point, which is born from the womb into the light.

In Ecclesiastes 11 5 it says, as you do not know the path of the wind or how the body

is formed in the mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the maker of all

things. An unborn baby spends around 38 to 40 weeks in the womb. And during this time,

there's a lot of work being done. The baby is undergoing some amazing changes and developments

by week four, a baby is the size of a grain of rice, but it is already developing a digestion

system by week five, the nervous system is starting to develop by week nine, the baby

is developing its eyes, mouth and tongue. That is what is meant when David cries out

and how we are fearfully and wonderfully made in Psalms 139 11 through 16. It says, if I

say surely the darkness shall cover me and the light about me be night, even the darkness

is not dark to you. The night is bright as the day for darkness is as light with you.

For you formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother's womb and I praise

you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it

very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately

woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance and in your book

were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me when as yet there was none

of them. From the very moment we are conceived and even before that God knew us, though we

were cloaked in darkness, our God knew us and knows us today. Not even the darkest of

the womb can separate us from the Father. He can reach into the dark places and care

for us. It is often in these dark places, these places of beginning that God does the

most work in our lives. So as I stood there as a young recruit on those yellow footprints,

I did not know what was going to happen next. Drill instructors were everywhere yelling

and barking as if they were the devil dogs that we had heard so much about. Marines were

called Teflhunden by the Germans in World War I, which translates to devil dogs. It

certainly felt to all of us recruits that these drill instructors were devil dogs. The

next several hours were a blur of running, standing, running, screaming, sir, yes, sir.

The purpose of this exercise is to show that Marines are expected to endure chaos because

we're born into that chaos. A baby is also born into chaos. It doesn't take a rocket

scientist to understand that when a woman goes into labor, it is a chaotic mess for

everyone involved. It can be loud and it certainly is painful and the imagery or the sensory

overload of that baby is hard for all of us to imagine. And I think that's part of the

blessing of why we're not born with that memory intact. How traumatic would that be if you

were taken from the womb into the world? So you're taken out of all you ever knew, the

darkness, the warmth, the comfort. You're not even breathing on your own. You're stripped

from that world. Now you're in an entirely different environment where you're forced

to breathe air for the first time. You're forced to have your eyes open to a little

bright, harsh lights for the first time. You think of that, how traumatic that would be.

And I think it's a blessing that we don't remember that to be taken from the darkness

of the womb into the light of the world. This is a powerful thought because it is the story

of our entire existence told over and over again. We have all been born from the womb,

taken from the darkness and the light. And hopefully we have all taken that next step.

Our world has fallen and sin permeates every aspect of the world. The hurt, the pain, the

violence, the despair, even death itself comes to us from that first sin of Adam and Eve

passed down to us through the ages. The thing with us being a Christian though is that we

know that there is hope. We know that there is something more. Thank goodness for those

brave enough to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with us. Thank God for sending his

son who died for us on Calvary. And that brings me to my second point, which is the hope for

humanity is the next point. The reason we are here, the reason for which we glorify

God and give him praise. So the title, like the heading of the next point is born again

into Christ and John three, one through seven, it says, you must be born again. And verse

seven, now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This

man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come

from God for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered

him truly, truly. I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of

God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second

time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, truly, truly. I say to you, unless

one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born

of flesh is flesh and that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said

to you, you must be born again. God sent his son, Jesus, Jesus Christ, to bring us out

of the darkness again. This is the picture of our second birth or what we call being

born again. This is the greatest of miracles, the ability to come into direct relationship

with the father again through his son, Jesus Christ, being born again, bridges the gap

that the first sin created. So in our text, we see this spelled out for us when Jesus

spoke to the apostle Paul in verse 16. It said, but rise and stand upon your feet for

I have appeared to you for this purpose to appoint you as a servant and a witness to

the things in which you have seen me and those in which I will appear to you. Delivering

you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I'm sending you to, open their eyes

so that they may turn from the darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God,

that they may receive forgiveness of sins in a place among those who are sanctified

by faith in me. So when Saul was converted, he died to his

own life and he was reborn as Paul the apostle to the Gentiles. This calling led him to cast

off his old life as a persecutor of the church and become one of the most strident builders

of the church. How dramatic is this change in his life, this death to himself and this

rebirth as a new creation in Christ Jesus? How can such a change occur in a man or a

woman's life? Has anything so grandiose happened in your own life? Everything changed

for Paul on that road to Damascus, but this is not a one-off experience. We have example

after example of this throughout the New Testament. When Matthew was called, he left behind his

entire world to follow Christ. This change was so thorough that all the apostles, excluding

Judas, were persecuted for their belief in Christ and their salvation. All except John

would die while being martyred. So while back at Marine Corps Boot Camp, I had no idea the

changes that were going to be required of me. Eventually, the yelling of the drill instructors

changed into constructive coaching, but one seemed like torture now made sense. As you

get closer to the end of basic training, it is like the scales begin to fall off your

eyes. The drills, the yelling, the running, push-ups, pull-ups, they all begin to click.

The very last event of the Marine Corps Boot Camp is an exercise that's called the crucible.

This event is a multi-day event in which you get very little sleep and you're under extreme

pressure with very limited food. You spend a lot of time in the darkness again. It is

an extremely difficult tradition, but the end is magnificent and difficult to really

describe. The emotion of it is difficult to describe. But on the very last morning of

the crucible, you get up before sunrise and you begin another forced hike. If you're in

San Diego for boot camp, you're starting this hike as a very steep uphill gravel hillside.

You're already tired. You're already sore. You're hungry from not having much food over

the last few days, but you drudge on. As the sun begins to rise and the night begins to

recede, you drudge on. Eventually, you see the top of the hillside within reach. As you

crest the summit, you can see the sunrise and you know that it is the end. The final

challenge has been met. For me, becoming a Marine was one of the most pivotal moments

in my life. I was not saved at this point in my life, but looking back, I can tell you

that the emotion that I felt on that day was overwhelming. Still, it pales in comparison

to salvation. I was born in the desert both as a Marine and as a son of God. Only one

year and three months separated the time that I became a Marine and the time that I was

born again. Just like Paul, the grace of the Father is more than anyone deserves and it

is there for each of us. The darkness of our lives and our choices are relevant to the

power of God's grace. In Job 1222, it says, he uncovers the deeps out of the darkness

and brings the deep darkness to light. And in John 1.5, it says, the light shines in

the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. As sons and daughters of the Lord, we

are now to walk in that light. Which brings me to my final point, which is heavenly citizenship.

In Philippians 3, 20-21, it says, but our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await

a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious

body by the power that enables him, even to subject all things to himself. I can't wait

for my heavenly body. I'm only in my early 40s, but as I'm riddled with arthritis and

all sorts of stuff, I can't wait for that heavenly body. In Ephesians 5, verse 8, it

Ephesians 5:8

says, for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the world. Walk as children

of light. So on top of that hill, at the end of boot camp, there's a ceremony. The ceremony

is the Eagle Globe and Anchor Ceremony. This is the first time our drill instructors call

us Marines. Almost three months have gone by and they hand each of us an EGA, an Eagle

Globe and Anchor, and shake our hands. The Eagle Globe and Anchor is the insignia of

the United States Marine Corps. Young men stand there with tears in their eyes. The

challenge, the hardship, the pain, and the trials have all been for this moment. I find

it interesting as I remember back to this, and I contrast this to society today. So much

of society doesn't believe that hardship should ever happen in your life, that rather everything

should be given to you as an entitlement. But nothing worth doing is worth doing without

hardship. Similarly, as we become Christians, we think that hardship is going to end and

never touch us again. But the reality is that hardship creates growth. Being pulled from

the darkness into the light produces character. So even in this moment as we're standing there

on the hillside, there is an understanding. There's an understanding that there is a deeper

responsibility to bear when you're given the title of Marine, just like there is a deeper

responsibility to us as Christians and followers of Christ. Some expectations have to be met.

As we engage in our celebratory Warrior's Breakfast on that hillside, it's understood

that this is only the beginning. There will be new challenges, new hardships, new triumphs.

Today is only the beginning of the story. The book is still to be written. I got saved

in a different desert, as I mentioned, a year and three months later. I've spent a lot of

my time in deserts all around the world. I've spent time in the Iraqi desert, the Kuwait

desert, in the ruins of Babylon. Deserts in the United States grew up in a lot of deserts.

The power of salvation, though, is indescribable. But even that indescribable power of salvation,

it only marks the beginning of the journey. We're still living in a very darkened world,

a desolate world, just like those deserts. But as a Christian, when you finally give

your life to Christ and you've received the Holy Spirit and the joy and the peace and

everything that only comes from the Lord, there is an understanding that we are called

to be the light unto this lost world. It is the light of Jesus that shines in us, that

is meant to lead others to the cross and then to their own salvation, their own relationship

with Jesus Christ. It becomes our responsibility to train up disciples and mature followers

of Christ until the day that Christ does come. But wait, there's still more. Even though

we're conceived in darkness, we're born into light. We live in darkness, but we are redeemed

and born again into the light of our Lord Jesus. We serve our Lord as the light to a

dark world, but we will enter into a kingdom of eternal light. At the end of the race,

we will have communion with our Lord in heaven. We will never again be separated from the

light of the Lord. In John 14, 1 through 3, it says, let not your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house, there are many rooms. If it

were not so, I would have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go

and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself that where I am,

you may also be. And you know the way to where I am going. We have confidence in these words

from Jesus our Lord. In Revelation 21, 3 through 4, it says, and I heard a loud voice from

the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them

and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe

away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning

nor crying nor pain anymore for the former things have passed away. The last of this

world's darkness will come to an end and we will be born into light, the light of the

Lord. Through our salvation in Christ Jesus, we will again be transformed. Just like was

stated in the above verse. In Philippians 3, 21, it says, who will transform our lowly

bodies to be like glorious bodies by the power that enables him even to subject all things

to himself. Our new heavenly bodies, again, we find ourselves taken from the darkness

of this world into the light of our Lord. And with that, if I could have every head

bowed, every eye closed, obviously, if you're driving, be safe. We all come to a decision

in our life of who we want to be. As a young man, I had to make a decision if I was going

to follow through with my choice to join the Marine Corps. And I thank God I did. I believe

that it was part of his plan for my life because he put me in contact with a friend, John Morris,

who led me to the Lord in a different desert that year and three months after boot camp.

And he got me, you know, like I came to Jesus Christ, but I became part of this wonderful

fellowship that we're a part of today with so many churches globally, so many believers

globally, all preaching just an undiluted gospel Bible. Just the simple fact that Jesus

Christ died for your sins and that if you repent and accept him, he can be your Lord

too. And with that, if this message has convicted you, I pray and I pray that it has. I pray

that you lift your hand, whether you're, you know, whatever you're doing, just lift your

hand. I can't see it, but God can. Don't let this moment go by. This is an invitation

to you to accept Jesus as your savior. So if you lifted your hand, you meant it. I just

want to simply lead you in a quick prayer. Do what I know that you died for my sins.

I repent of my sins and I accept you, Lord Jesus, as my savior. And I thank you for your

grace in Jesus name. Amen. Super simple, super quick prayer. You repent of your sin and you

accept him as your Lord. Your life has changed. Now I pray that you did. If you prayed that,

that you'll take the next step, which is simply just to download a Bible, read a Bible. You

can do like you version or any number of Bibles. There's tons of good translations out there

and start reading the words of God for yourself. You can start a new Testament or whatever.

You can reach out to me. We can, we can have a chat and then start praying. Just cry out

to God with the troubles of your life. And finally, find a Bible believing church to

lock into that you can serve because part of coming into the light is making yourself

available to help others. Just like, you know, others have helped you in your life. You want

to be able to help those less fortunate than yourself. If you need help finding a church,

like I mentioned, we have over 3,500 churches globally. If you're in Sam and are please

come and visit us for church. I'd be ecstatic to have you come to service. But if you're

not reach out the email contact information is all in the show notes. And I'd be more

than happy to put you in contact with one of our number of churches. We're just simple

Bible believing churches preaching a simple gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, we have a Pentecostal

background and we're very proud of that. And I just want to thank everybody who is taking

the time to listen to these messages. I want to thank you those who've shared the podcast

who are, you know, because it does help us grow and help us get the word out. And we

have seen some good growth lately. And so I just want to pray that you guys would continue

to like, you know, like, share and subscribe so that we can get this out to as many people

as possible. I want to thank you for listening to get today. And I pray that you have a blessed

day. In Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for listening to the P.H.S.A. Potter's House Salmon Arm

podcast. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore salmon arm to keep

up to date on what we're doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ

can revolutionize your life.