After Darkness, Light - After Darkness, Light

Hey, I'm Pastor Steve Hole.

I want to empower you today to walk in your true identity as a worshiper and warrior.

Today, embrace the power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit.

Welcome to the Born for War podcast.

So if you go to Geneva, Switzerland, there's a Reformation Park.

And when you go to the Reformation Park, there's a huge white wall, and embedded within that wall are these powerful, huge statues of the great Reformation leaders of the 16th century.

And then etched across this Reformation wall is the Latin phrase post tenopros.

Post tenopros Luke's, which means light after the darkness.

After darkness, light.

And that's what happened with the Reformation when Luther rediscovered the gospel in Romans 1, 17, that the just shall live by faith.

We talked about that all last week.

Light began to shine, and the light began to shine over medieval Europe.

And medieval Europe had been overtaken by darkness.

Darkness in education, darkness religiously, darkness especially from the Roman Catholic Church at that time.

And so the gospel had somehow been hidden for a thousand years.

Some would say, and I would agree, that the greatest apostolic revival of all time was the Latin work of the church being reformed from within by an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther.

This revival, this kingdom of God revolution flowed through Europe, starting in Germany.

Then it went to Geneva with a man named John Calvin, a man named Zwingli and Zurich.

And it flowed across to the British Isles.

And then from the British Isles through the pilgrims and the Puritans, it flowed over into the New World, America.

And now here, 400 years later, the gospel has gone out to much of the world.

And as a result, light has shone in darkness.

And we can say today that somewhere around two billion people count Jesus as Lord of their life.

Well, let's look at Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

Would you look at that with me?

And I want to give the fuller context to Romans 1 than just verse 17.

To understand this Latin phrase, post-Tenopros Luke's that darkness, it has its time, and then the light comes.

Verse 16, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

For in it, verse 17, it being the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth, you should underline that, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

Underline that.

And metaphorically, he talked about God being eclipsed like a solar eclipse.

The shadow passing across the sun, darkness across the land.

Then the shadow passes over the sun, and the sun shines once again.

The sun is not extinguished.

The sun is still there.

The sun is not destroyed.

It still has all of its radiance and intensity.

It's only that the tenebras, the darkness, shines over the sun.

And in the Middle Ages, the church at that time had obscured the gospel.

But the Bible was still there.

The truth of the gospel was still there.

But the church had developed a complex system by which justification for our sins was mediated through sacerdotalism.

And I won't go into that again.

If you want to know what that is, listen to last week's message.

But in the 20th and 21st century, modern and postmodern thought has cast a shadow that hides God, God's removed from history, God is removed from education, God is removed from science, God is removed from politics.

And in some cases, the true God is removed from religion, even in some quote-unquote Christian churches.

So in Romans 1.18, we see this tendency in all of us.

It is the work of the enemy in all generations.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

You see, we love the darkness more than the light.

So we suppress truth in unrighteousness.

And God allows that.

That means those creating the image of God to make your choice.

And all of us in this room have suppressed the truth and unrighteousness.

Some of you here today are suppressing the truth and unrighteousness more than you should.

And this message is for you.

Because you're caught up in the darkness, you're captured by the darkness.

The darkness overwhelms you.

Doesn't mean that the Bible has lost its power.

It doesn't mean that the gospel has lost its power.

It doesn't mean that God's not shining his light on you.

It's that you have suppressed truth and unrighteousness and you allow the darkness to eclipse the sun.

And your challenge in your life today is come to the light.

That's where righteousness, peace, and joy is found.

It's found through the kingdom of God.

And it's letting the light shine because it's already there.

Church, it's already there.

And we obscure it, don't we?

I do in my life too.

That's why we pray, deliver us from evil.

Deliver us from the evil one.

Because it's a daily arduous discipleship journey to let the light shine in.

To allow the master, the king, to rule over those dark areas of our life.

So all people suppress the truth.

Then he goes into more detail.

Look at verse 19.

Because, because what may be known of God is manifest in us or in them, for God has shown it to us.

He's shown it to them.

For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

So God is revealing himself through creation.

It's called creation revelation.

That's the theological term.

Creation revelation.

We saw it as we drove in today, and the sun is hitting the snow-capped mountains.

The sun is hitting that snow-capped Pike's peak.

If you went out last night where there were few lights, you could see the story host of the creation of God.

And that's why the psalmist would say, the heavens declare the glory of God.

The heavens declare the glory of God.

And so God has revealed his invisible attributes through the visible creation.

Some of you are old enough to remember the invisible man.

That TV show.

So I'm old enough to remember the invisible man.

And you couldn't see him.

I guess he was nude.

And then he would put on clothes, remember?

And then you saw him.

There's a suit of clothes, and it looked like there's nobody in there.

You look like a hollow set of clothes.

And if you put powder on his face, you could see the outline of his face, right?

So you saw the invisible man by the visible.

We see the invisible attributes of God through the visible.

You're going to walk out of here, and you're going to be driving down the road, you're still going to see some trees where there's color on the leaves.

And the aspen and the elk and the deer and a brown trout and a rainbow trout and a stream and the wind.

And the beauty of creation is shouting the attributes of God, how much he loves you, how much he creatively made you much more so than any aspen tree or any beautiful flower that you enjoy.

You're so much more valuable to him than that.

And so God speaks to us of the attributes, the invisible attributes through the visible signs of his kingdom.

So people have asked me so many years on the mission field, so many years talking to people who had very little understanding of the gospel, and you'd hear this again and again and again.

Well, what about the innocent heathen on the island unreached?

Are they going to hell?

And I would say, the innocent heathen on any island who hasn't heard the gospel is not going to hell.

Oh.

They would say, I'm so glad you said that.

That relieves me.

Like they were really worried about that, right?

And I said, if they're innocent.

Because if they're not innocent, the scriptures are clear.

So men and women, none of us are innocent.

If you're here today and you see the beauty of creation, some of you are in Colorado because you love creation.

This is the best state to live in.

It's the best state to live in.

I love the outdoors, and so do many of you.

Because something happens within us.

And it's really interesting, isn't it, how even science is showing us that you're the healthiest by being outside.

That you're the healthiest by being in the sun at least 30 minutes every day.

Because God has so aligned it that physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, we were made for creation, and creation was made for us.

It completes us in some mysterious way.

But then he says here, very interesting, the two manifestations of sin.

He says here that we suppress the truth.

God has shown it to us, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, even his eternal power and Godhead.

Now look with me at verse 21.

Very interesting verse.

Underline it, circle it, highlight it, whatever you do.

Because they, although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

And so what happens in our lives, men and women, is we don't give glory to God.

We're not thankful.

It's the two great attributes of being unwilling to allow God to have his way in our lives because what we do is we take ownership.

We decide what we're gonna do because we're free.

We're not free.

Bob Dylan in his classic work said, you gotta serve somebody.

So there is this captured heart that only the gospel of Christ can set us free from.

I'm as ingracious, I'm as boastful and prideful as anyone in this room, if I don't have Christ.

But with Christ, that's the power of the gospel to change us from within.

So look back at verse 16.

So we've covered 17 a lot last week when we talked about Martin Luther.

But let's look at the context of verse 17 by looking at verse 16.

Post-tenaproselux.

For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

For it is the dunamis power, the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.

What's the problem?

What's the problem in America?

What's the problem in our churches?

Why do we not see the power of God flowing like the scriptures say?

And I want to challenge us that we in America have a gospel of salvation and not a gospel of the kingdom.

So Jesus said, Matthew 4, Matthew speaking of Jesus, Jesus' first words in his public ministry, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Matthew 24, in the discussion about the coming, the second coming of Christ, he says, when the gospel of the kingdom has been preached to all nations, then the end will come.

There's a gospel of salvation in America, and there is a gospel of the kingdom in the Bible.

So I put together a graph.

So I want you to see my graph.

To make myself clear, I decided to put down a few thoughts on this.

So the gospel of salvation, by the way, everything you see on your left side there, the gospel of salvation is true and good and awesome and wonderful.

So I'm not saying either or, I'm saying both and.

So we need a gospel of the kingdom.

Gospel of salvation about us being reconciled to God.

Gospel of the kingdom about us ruling with God.

Partnership.

Gospel of salvation, emphasis on conversion.

Gospel of the kingdom, emphasis on becoming a disciple.

Jesus said, Go therefore and make disciples.

He didn't say go and make converts.

He said, Go and make disciples of all nations.

Gospel of salvation, Jesus saves, he's Savior.

Gospel of the kingdom, Jesus reigns.

He's king.

Gospel of salvation, the goal is saved and forgiven.

Gospel of the kingdom, goal, delivered and transformed.

Gospel of salvation, going to heaven someday.

Gospel of the kingdom, made kings and priests today.

Gospel of salvation, our identity is saved.

Gospel of the kingdom, our identity is saved and taking dominion.

Gospel of salvation, Christ as Lamb of God.

Gospel of the kingdom, Christ as Lamb of God and Lion of Judah.

Gospel of salvation crucified with Christ.

Gospel of the kingdom, crucified and risen with Christ.

Gospel of salvation getting us into the kingdom.

Gospel of the kingdom, getting the kingdom into us.

The gospel of the kingdom was the emphasis of Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the early church.

This is why we saw power encounters happening on a regular basis.

So when Jesus said, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, or the kingdom of God is at hand, interchangeable.

Different gospel writers use kingdom of heaven, those use kingdom of God, meaning about the same thing, the reign and the rule of Christ.

He then went and he proclaimed the kingdom.

But he didn't stop there.

He demonstrated the kingdom.

So it was a proclamation and a demonstration of the gospel, of the power of God, which was he preached the kingdom, he healed the sick, and he cast out their demons, and he made them disciples.

So exercising power is what Paul is writing about in Colossians 1.

In Colossians 1, don't turn there, it'll come up on the screen.

He has delivered us from the power, that's Greek exusia, the authority of darkness, and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.

So to the early church, early Christians, and to me and to you here at the road, it is a deliverance session when we come to Christ.

It is yanking us out of the domain of darkness or the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

The good news becomes the great news because we exchange who's in charge.

God delivers out of darkness.

God delivers out of dark domain.

That says more than most of us will ever truly comprehend.

It also says more about the domain of darkness than most of us want to acknowledge.

God chooses to deliver, it is his character to rescue.

Deliverance from darkness is not possible on the human side of the equation.

It takes light to dispel the dark, and only God is the creator of the light.

And without the light, there's only darkness.

It is a transference from the kingdom of darkness into the new kingdom, the kingdom of love.

He delivers us.

Paul chooses the verb Romai, a word that means to snatch from danger, with the overtone of dragging a person in danger to oneself as a means of rescue.

So it is not just praying a prayer, it's a rescue operation.

Proclaiming the gospel and believing that the gospel can rescue.

Me in Newport Beach, 1978, surfing the wedge.

Stupid move.

And I'm out there on the wedge, it's a red flag warning.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

And I get hammered.

I go over the falls, I get hammered three or four times, and I'm drowning.

And I'm just and I'm just getting churned up in the surf, and every time I come up, I get hammered again and again and again.

And then there was this lull for about five seconds.

Couldn't have been any longer than that.

Seemed like an eternity to me because every time I came up, I got hammered again.

And I could see a guy over on the shore.

We locked eye, eye to eye.

He's about 50 yards away.

He picks up his surfboard and he throws it to me.

And it skips across the surf in this one area that was sort of quiet for a moment.

And I grabbed it and I rode in and he came up to me.

He says, You okay?

And I said, I think so.

He said, and he got his throat and he walked away.

I don't know if he was an angel or not.

I was snatched out of the waves.

That's the gospel.

You see, men and women, that's the gospel of power.

I said he comes and he throws, he throws the book at us.

It's Augustine in the garden when he hears the words, take up and read.

Take up and read.

And he reads the gospel and he gets radically saved.

And he's still considered one of the great Christian philosophers of all time in the fourth century.

Take up and read.

The Lord throws the word at us and he says, Take up and read, and I'll reveal myself in your darkness there shall be light.

Post tenopros Luke's.

And that's what happened in the 16th century with Luther.

That's what happens again and again and again today.

And that's why Paul would write in 1 Corinthians 2, for I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom.

That's what we hear today is persuasive words of human wisdom.

No, he says that your faith should not be in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God.

The power of the kingdom.

The proclamation and the demonstration of the kingdom, a changed life.

Demons are no more powerful today than they were 2,000 years ago.

Jesus never met a demon that he liked.

And I've never met one either.

If anything, the power of the gospel of Christ is more powerful today than it was then because we have the word.

We have the written and the spoken word.

Isn't that exciting?

That's what God wants to do in America.

That's what God wants to do in El Paso County.

That's what God wants to do in Colorado Springs.

He wants a kingdom of God revolution through ordinary people like us who aren't very smart, and I know a lot of you you're not very smart.

You're not that good looking.

You're short like me.

Some of you have been blessed with a little bit more vertical blessing than others, but that's who he uses, though.

He uses regular folks like you and me who believe in the power of the light of the gospel for today.

That God can break depression, that God can heal, that God can set us free, that God can take those demons that people have been packing for their whole life and set them free.

Set them free.

That's why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4, but even if our gospel is veiled, it's veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age.

There is a 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.

The reason they want to take our Bibles away, the reason they don't, the reason the eclipse of God has occurred, is because lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ would shine into his people.

But Christ, the Lord, and ourselves is your bondservants of Jesus' sake, he says, for it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in the hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.

Isn't that just the opposite of Romans 1?

The sign of the darkness is that we don't give glory to God.

That we are in gracious, we have ingratitude in our hearts.

And he says here that that's what Satan hates is that people begin to have a knowledge of the glory of God.

And they start to become gracious, they start to be compassionate, they start to become kind.

And I know some of you need to work on that.

I need to work on that.

None of us are perfect in that.

That's what discipleship's about.

It's growth in those things.

But that's what God desires to do at the deepest level is that we start giving him all the glory.

And so that's why in Romans 10, Paul explaining the preacher, I think he's that this is such a beautiful manifestation of a definition of the kingdom, gospel.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace and bring glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, but it doesn't end there.

Who proclaims in Zion our God reigns.

That's the gospel of the kingdom.

God wants to reign across this fruited plain from shore to shining shore.

A proclamation of good news, a proclamation of peace, a proclamation of salvation, and a proclamation that God reigns.

That's why Paul preached to the Thessalonians: there is another king, and his name is Jesus.

God is reigning over the earth, and he delivers us from evil.

It's our daily plea.

Raise your hand if you were a lifeguard one time.

Okay, a lot of lifeguards, good.

One of the things they train you in in being a lifeguard is when you go out and you rescue that person who's flailing in the water, is the first thing you say is, relax.

Relax.

Because the tendency is for that person who's so fearful, so full of fear because of the darkness of dying that they grab and then they pull the lifeguard under.

So the lifeguard says, relax, I've got you, relax, I've got you.

And then he or she pulls them to safety.

That's the gospel of the kingdom.

Relax.

Come to Christ.

Relax and let God rescue you.

He is a rescuing God.

That's the gospel of the kingdom.

Let God rescue us out of the domain of darkness.

The gospel of the kingdom is the true power of God, and it's making Jesus King over your life.

So come to Christ.

Experience Him.

Men and women, there's darkness all around us.

There's darkness in your family.

There's darkness in your marriage.

There may be darkness in your job.

I don't know.

But we we we relax and then we get aggressive in prayer.

Because it's in prayer that God binds the enemy.

It's in prayer that God comes and he rescues people and he rescues you.

And we all need rescuing.

That's why we say deliver us from the evil one.

Because it's a daily discipleship with him.

That's the gospel of the king.

Post tenopros Luke's.

After darkness light.

The light hasn't gone anywhere.

It's still here.

The Bible's still here.

The truth is still here.

Set the captives free.

That's what Jesus does.

And you may have an area of your life where you feel captured and you feel enslaved.

Welcome to the team.

We all do.

After darkness light, though.

Remember that.

Hold on.

Hold on.

Let him rescue you.

Let him pull you out of the waves.

Let him pull you out of the burning house.

Watch what he'll do.

Thank you for listening to the Born for War podcast.

We hope today's message has empowered you to make a difference in your world.

To connect with Pastor Steve's sermons, books, and blog, visit Steveholtonline.org.

God bless.