God's World Created: Light and Darkness

Preached by Kalban Singh on 3/24/24

Transcript

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Hello, and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. Thank you so much for listening. We're startup church. We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. Good morning church. You know, it was an interesting lineup, but you don't have this young, young couple come up and they gradually went to Blaine and Asher. And now you're stuck with the old men. You know, I'm honored to be able to share the message with you today. In the past few weeks, we've been reading Genesis and we're going to be in Genesis today too. And we're going to be talking about a topic that most of us are probably familiar with called light and darkness. But before I do that, Geron didn't share this, but did you guys, did you hear about Spencer wanting to make his own honey? So in order to make honey, you've got to get bees. So Spencer said he'll start small. So he'll get a dozen bees. Now bees are not something you can go to the store and buy, so you ought to order it. So he ordered it, went to pick it up yesterday, and it was in a mason jar, and he counted because he wanted a dozen, he counted, and there were 13 in there. You know how Spencer is, he's really honest with things. So he didn't want, he wanted to make sure that he buys what he paid for. So he went back to the guy, but he counted again and then went back and said, hey, there are 13 in here, I only paid for 12. The guy said, oh, that's a freebie. Well, now that I got your attention. So continue with the attention for another 30 minutes, 30, 30, 40 minutes. So light and darkness. You know, the Bible is rich with symbols, symbolism, and one of the most important symbols is associated with light and darkness. The use of light represent goodness, truth, and God's presence. This symbol is introduced right from the start in the book of Genesis, where God created life on the first day of creation, separating it from darkness. This act actually symbolizes the beginning of order, life, divine, divine power over chaos and evil. Now, to set the stage, we're going to be looking at Genesis chapter one, verses one through six. It says in the beginning, God created the heaven and earth. Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, let there be light. And there was light. God saw that the light was good and he separated the light from darkness. God called the light day and the darkness he called night. And there was evening and there was morning the first day. And God said, let there be a vault between waters to separate water from water. Now in verse five, say God called the light day and the darkness he called night. We're going to look a little bit more into it because that's the title of our message here today. Let's move on to was it 14 through 19. And God said, let there be light in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night and let the serve and let them serve as sign to mark sacred times and days and years and let them be light in the vault of the sky to give light to the earth. And it was so God made two great lights, the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. Now you have do we have the greater light, the sun, the other light, the moon and then the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give them light on the earth to govern the day and the night and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning the fourth day. Now, God created light and darkness, there's a reason for this expression was 18 to govern the day and the night and to separate light from darkness as a separation from light and darkness. Now, God would not have done it if this was not good. So this morning, we're going to deep dive into this two concept light and darkness. We will explore light first, talk about light and then darkness. You know, sometimes it is not black and white. And you'll find that out in a few minutes here. So let's talk about light here, light, you know, light has a central theme, especially if you look into the Bible, the apostle Paul, the apostle John talks a lot about light. Now, I'm going to go ahead here, I'll show you something else to light can take different form, there are different forms of light. You know, we have the sun, we have the moon, and we have the stars, just like in Genesis we're talking about. But I want to move on to John chapter one, because the apostle John talks a lot about light. It says here, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has not, that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And then, I'm going to continue reading another verse here, this is back to back scripture, I'm going to have another one too, it says, This is the verdict, light has come into the world, but people love 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 of their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly, and what they have done has been done in the sight of God. Okay, I'm going to go to one more scripture here. In first John, this is the message we have heard from him, and declare to you, God is light, in him there is no darkness. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie, pretty strong phrase here, and do not live out truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from our sin. Now Jesus, when Jesus came, Jesus coming into the light, exposing the darkness of sin, is actually a form of his grace for us, getting us to see our sin. Jesus is the light that draws like sun or star. Now let's talk a little bit more about light. There is something great about light. I'm sure you can probably attest to this. You know in the summer month, in Michigan here, it don't get dark till about 9.30. Right? And during that time, it really is 9.30, I'm not tired. And in the winter month, it gets dark at about 5.30, and about 9.30, I'm tired. But it's still 9.30, but the summer months are different than the winter months. Now there is something about light. Our bodies know that as darkness sets in, it's time to rest. Our bodies adapt to the amount of light available. Now light is important. Where there is light, there is life. There is vegetation, plants, flowers bloom and bring a sense of beauty when there is light. Now Jesus did not come here as a spotlight to point out our sins, but actually as a sunrise so that things could be illuminated around so we can be exposed. Now in the realm of spirituality, we are the embodiment of light. Like the sun, we can let our inner radiance shine forth and illuminate the path towards enlightenment for others. Through our connection with Jesus, we can spread his teaching and bring about positive transformation in the life of those around us. Now this is for all of us here. We can spread love, hope, and joy through our words and action and help others realize their true potential as spiritual beings. Now as I mentioned earlier, I want to bring this slide back here. We can shine in many different ways. Just like the light from the sun is different from the light from the moon. Now which is better, the moon or the sun? Equally important, right? So sometimes we tend to compare ourselves that I'm not as bright as this person and so forth. That's not the issue, but we all should shine. The bottom line is we should all shine. We all are different. We illuminate God's light in different ways. Now this can only happen when we make a conscious effort to obey God, God's word and follow his teaching. Only through that we can tap into the source of God's inner strength and the guidance that can help us shine from within. The shining has to come from within. Sometimes it can be fake and manufactured. That will not last long. Now this can be a positive impact not only on our own life, but also for those around us. Sometimes we feel like, well, I want to shine so that I can help someone else and so forth. Not necessarily true in all cases because you are actually helping yourself. Now this can be a positive impact, as I mentioned, not only on our own life, but also for those around us as we become a beacon of hope and inspiration to others. On the other hand, it is hard to shine if we are not obedient to God's word. It is very easy sometimes not to obey God's word because of our selfishness, our own desires and so forth. A scripture that comes to my mind, I am not sure if I have it here, but a scripture that comes to my mind is in Philippians 2, verse 14. I will go ahead and read this. It says, do everything without grumbling or arguing. You know, in my opinion, I am not a psychologist or anything, but in my opinion, you can take any situation, work, your family, anywhere, relationship. It starts from this phrase here, do everything without grumbling or arguing. Grumbling and arguing start from within. That destroys a lot of different things around us. That destroys our relationship with God. Sometimes we can feel like we deserve certain things from God. That is not always the case. Grumbling and arguing are very subtle. I am not saying arguing is bad or complaining is bad. I am not talking about that. It is the motive behind it. What is the motive behind it? We always have to be cognizant of that. In other words, do everything without complaining. Shine like stars in the universe. Negative behavior, such as arguing and complaining, can negatively affect our spiritual well-being and emotional well-being. It can dim our light. We are not going to shine as bright, making it hard for us to radiate positive energy and kindness in our interaction with one another. So far I have talked about everything great about light. Everybody is excited about it. Now let's talk a little bit about darkness. We don't like to hear a lot about darkness. But darkness is essential for us. We need to have darkness. Imagine if the whole day was bright. It would be hard to sleep. And when we don't sleep or rest, that is where our body actually rejuvenates and rebuilds. However, when we address darkness, I feel that when I want to talk about darkness, it is my opinion that we should talk about two different perspectives here. Dark times and living in darkness. It is different and I will go through that in a few minutes. Dark times are beyond our control, sometimes. And we get into the dark time, our action might have contributed us to get there. But not all the time. We may have some control at a micro level, but not at a macro level. For instance, losing a loved one. You really got no control over that. Health issues. For instance, some of us experience dark time in our life when we are grieving. Loss of a loved one or dealing with different family situations. Kids, some of you probably have been in a situation where your parents were struggling and ending up in divorce. Or parents, there is a struggle seeing your kids being obedient to you or looking over when your kids are disobedient or when your kids are struggling. Those are just a few situations that can lead us to dark time. Now, living in darkness can be different altogether. Now, finding life or joy in our life can feel like a constant struggle. Well, somewhat sometimes when we are in dark time, it could be a challenging situation. It is essential for us to remember that even in the darkness time, there is always hope. We find a way through the darkness with proper support and mindset, we can actually come out of that. Now, the big thing here is, the important thing here is how we handle difficult situations can shape who we are as individuals. Often it is during this challenging and dark time that we experience the most personal growth. Kind of weird, but that is what it is. We realize that we cannot control everything that surrounds us and that can lead us to humility and vulnerability. Now, I am going to share a story, my personal story during the dark time. You know, I finished college and undergraduate and then I went to grad school. I had the opportunity because it was all paid for, so I finished my MBA and I was pretty certain of going to this prestigious university to work there. Because I have already gone through my interview process and everything was set. It was just a matter of time getting a phone call to tell me when I was going to start. God had a different plan. However, things did not go as planned. And I found myself in Milwaukee with no job. And I ended up as a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant, feeling lost. And doing dishes is not my cup of tea. Angela will attest to that. Even now, I am not good at that. And with an MBA, I am doing dishes and I am getting yelled at because I am not fast enough. I am like, you know, I was walking. Well, I did not have any transportation, so I had to walk to work anyway. And this was in the winter months in Milwaukee. You know, I ended up asking myself, what is going on here? You know, it does not make sense. So much so I was afraid to call my family to tell them, yeah, I graduated and I am working as a dishwasher. You know, it was during this time that I had to turn to God for guidance. God put me in that situation. If I had landed this job at this university, I would have been consumed with greed and selfish ambition. And my focus and priority would have shifted towards climbing corporate or academic ladder. I am not saying that climbing corporate or academic ladder is bad or terrible. In my case, it would have distracted me from seeking God's guidance and living a more meaningful life. I probably would not be here. I know God can do miracles, but, you know, just based on that, I do not think I would be here today. God had to humble me, to scoop me up, so that I can seek God. That was a transformation time for me. You know, just like the scripture in James talks about, humble yourself before the God and he will lift you up. I felt like I was lifted up by that. Now, as I mentioned earlier, God works through the inevitable darkness in our lives. Some of you might have experienced that too. Sometimes our greatest time of growth are in what we call darkness, trouble, uncertainty, wilderness. Times like this forces us to be God-reliant. You know, in Romans chapter 5, not only so, but we also glorify in our suffering. Because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. So, if you are in situations like that, there is always something God is working in the background. That you and I will not know at that time. But that is where our faith comes in. Another example is in the book of Acts. You do not have to turn it there, but the apostle Paul, in Acts chapter 9, there is a story about Paul. Most of us probably already know this, but I will go ahead and mention here. See, according to the Bible, Paul, known as Saul of Tarsus, was on his way to Darmacus. When a bright light from heaven suddenly struck him, the light was so intense that it led him blind. Three days later, his vision was miraculously restored. What do you think Paul was doing for those three days? Top that goes to your mind, you know, I hear praying and stuff. I feel like, you know, those are exactly what he probably was doing. It would be nice to ask him someday. And I conclude that he was being humble and was seeking God. Now, if you know Paul's story, he was actually a very prominent religious leader. In Acts chapter 7, we see him giving the approval for stoning Stephen. Now this event with Paul is considered a significant event in the history of Christianity. As it marked a crucial turning point in Paul's life. Before this incident, Paul was a fierce opponent of Christianity and was actively involved in persecuting his followers. However, after his encounter with the divine, he became one of the most prominent figures in the early Christian churches. He has wrote so many books in the Bible. Now the story of Saul's blindness and miraculous recovery is significant, not because it marks a turning point in his life, but also it reveals the power and the transformation nature of God. How God can transform us. It is a powerful reminder that hope and healing are possible, even in the darkest moment. You know, there's a total transformation for Paul. Now God worked miraculously during our dark time. As I mentioned, Paul is an example here. During challenging time, it is important to acknowledge the disappointment and shortcomings we encounter. Sometimes it's hard for us to acknowledge that. However, many of us tend to avoid confronting those issues honestly, which can lead us to getting stuck in dark places. Remember, dark times and dark places are two different things, and I'll be addressing that in a few minutes here. Living in darkness, it is essential to face these challenges head on and take steps to overcome them rather than trying to avoid or ignore them. Sometimes we can avoid it, ignore it, and we run away from it. But God, on the other hand, might be doing something to transform us. By acknowledging what's not working and working to improve it, we can move towards a brighter future with greater resilience and strength. Now sometimes you probably ask, well, if I'm in a situation, what can I do? What are some of the practicals that we could do when you are in dark times? Definitely relying on God, but sometimes it's not easy to do it on your own. That's why we need help from others around us. We have many people in this room here that can help us, but it is we who have to take the first step. We have to initiate that. Now let's talk about living in darkness. You probably want to know what the difference is. Living in darkness is when we sway away from God's plan. It's not dark time. Dark times happen. It's going to happen in our life. We're all going to go through some struggles and stuff like that. But living in darkness is when we sway away from God's plan. We live our life based on our desires and selfish ambitions. What I'm telling you right now is not that I have not experienced it. I've been there. I've lived in both situations. Living in darkness is directly linked with our own actions, our own desires, and our own decisions. In fact, then darkness sprung around us. Now if your life is not in tune with God's plan, you will get off course. You will deviate from that. This is God's plan, and if you are right in here, it's fine. Sometimes what can happen is we can go a little bit close, and we try to deviate a little bit. Oh, you know, no big deal. And it is very easy to do that, and eventually it gets separated further away, and it's hard to make a U-turn. I have personally seen people in that situation. So I'm not just telling you something that I have not seen. And it's hard to turn back because that's where our pride, our arrogance, and we kind of get angry with God sometimes. We get upset with situations. But some of the root action starts from us, is within us. And when your plan is not in line with God's plan, it is important for us to seek help with that so we can get with God's plan. In James 1.13-15, it says, When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own desires and entice. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it's fully grown, gives birth to death. Now we need to ask ourselves, Who is the Lord of my life, God or me? That will answer the question whether you're living in darkness or not. You know, a few weeks ago, Jaron mentioned in his sermon, he asked a very convicting question. I was convicted by that. The question was, by kind of paraphrasing it here, What fills up your day? You know, what fills up your day? I know we work and stuff, so that could be a big chunk, but what happens after that? What else is important in your day? And it could be our own stuff that we want to do, which is great, but is it bringing God into the picture? Okay. Moving a little bit ahead of myself here. So now God created the light and darkness. We need both light and darkness. Both are good for us. That's why God created light and darkness. God is light, and in him there is no darkness. Just like the scriptures we read earlier, you know, I went through real fast, but I'm going to go back in here. In John chapter 1, 1 through 5, in verse 4, In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. Let's look at another one here so we can summarize. In 1 John chapter 1, this is the message we have heard from him and declared to you. God is light, in him there is no darkness. So there is a clear distinction here. If we're not in the light, it's darkness. If we're not with God, then we are in the darkness. Now, I know this can be a little bit depressing, right? Don't worry, there's good news. God always provides us good news. The good news is, for us, to find ways how we can get into the light. And how we can shine. I'm going to bring us to another scripture here. In Matthew chapter 5, verse 16, it says, In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Now, if we are not in light, how are we going to shine our light? There is no light, nothing to shine really. So in order to get to this, we have to get into the light. So, wherever you are, you know where you are, and it will be important to ask yourself the question, how can I be a radiant to others around me? How can I shine my light? Because it says, let your light shine before others. First, we need to get light, we need to have the light within ourselves, before we can bring it out to others. Now, if you are already having the light, this will be an interesting time now, are you shining your light? Now, let us make sure that our lives are powered with the right kind of energy too. You know, the divine blessing of God, that's where you get your energy. Understanding the significance of staying fresh in our walk with God is crucial. You are not going to be able to shine if you are not staying fresh with God. You are going to fool yourself. I hate to say this, but he has given me the stage so I can talk to you about it. That was all God's plan too. All glory to God. So it's important for us to stay fresh in our walk with God. It is very crucial. It's like solar panels. You guys probably know, I work for a utility company. It's like a solar panel, we need some light stored in to shine. A solar panel will be of no good if we cannot radiate the light. And it can never be fake or manufactured. We live in a society, in a culture, where everything is fine. You know, we don't want to be vulnerable, we don't want to seek help, we don't want to seek guidance. We feel like we can do better on our own. Coming back to the story that I was telling you when I was in Milwaukee, one of the ministers was studying the Bible with me, and he actually made this comment. He said, Calvin, I think you feel like you can do better on your own than with God. That was a very humbling situation. I feel like God used that situation so that I can be humble. And sometimes God uses that with all of us. In different situations, we all are at a different level, different places in our lives. So, we cannot be fake or manufactured. We must always keep our light, but always remember in Genesis that there were two different types of light. We all shine in our own unique way. Don't let someone convince you that you're not shining if you're trying your best to shine. Like I say, we shine differently. Not everybody will be like the sun or the moon or the star. But we have to shine. The bottom line is we have to shine. We may feel like we can shine because we express God's glory differently than others. Sometimes we can feel that, and sometimes it could be Satan trying to deceive us into believing that. But on the contrary, we cannot hide our lamp under a bowl. You don't want to do that because that's not going to help you either. Or put your light under the bed. Try putting a lamp or a candle under the bed. That's fire hazard. That's the reason why these particular incidents are in the Bible because sometimes we can do that without even realizing it. It can be a fire hazard to us. Spiritual fire hazard. Instead, we should shine in how God created us in our own unique way just as he made different kinds of light. As I mentioned earlier when I started, which is more important, they all have their importance, but they are just different. Therefore, the theme of light and darkness reminds us of the importance of faith, morality, and the struggle against evil or against dark time. It encourages us to seek the light of God in our daily lives, to embrace truth and walk in the path of righteousness. It also reminds us that we will face challenges and adversities in this world, but we can overcome them by walking in the light with God. Just to summarize what I have talked so far, I talk about light and then I talk about darkness. When I was in darkness, we were talking about the dark times where sometimes we are in dark times, when we have struggles, we have challenges, those are dark times. How we respond to that will dictate how far we will go with our walk with God. The other one was living in darkness. Living in darkness is probably not an ideal place to be at unless we figure out a way to get into the light. So, I appreciate your time. I'm glad that we got a chance to talk about light and darkness. So, shine your light. Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.