In this third and final broadcast of the series, Carl shares how we walk in the light of life, on a practical level. One of the key aspects of walking in God’s light has to do with fellow-shipping with our brethren. Some people love God but hate people. Hopefully you are not one those. God is merciful toward us, but He also desires fruit, as we walk in the light of His word. We can’t stay baby Christians forever. Along those lines, Carl also reveals what happens to babies and small children who die prematurely, before their time. Are they responsible for their sins? The Book of Romans has the answer. Lets join Carl now…
Here is a complete transcript of the broadcast (below)…
Friend, this is part three of From Darkness to Light. You know, darkness prevailed in the ten plagues of Egypt. The Israelite’s had light in their dwellings. For three days they remained in light. It took Jesus, friend, three days to transform us from darkness into light at the cross, his death and burial, and resurrection. In Exodus 10-23, it says, “They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings in Goshen, but the Egyptians could not see each other.” Friend, God has a plan, even in the travail, even in the temptation and trial. God can make a way of escape. He can bring deliverance, because we’re in the kingdom of light right now. In John 8:12, it says, “Then Jesus spoke unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Oh, friend, if you’re born again by God’s Spirit, you have the light of life living inside of you. And that light shines upon the darkness, the dark things in our soul that still need to be resolved, those crabby tendencies that are still etching away at you, that God’s convicting you of some habits, all right, that may be detrimental to you and your character that you need to put aside. And we need to have a transparent soul. Our soul needs to be able to shine the light through it.
It comes from our spirit man, right? It talks about the spirit man being the candle on the inside of us. And that candle is leading us, that spirit man, and it’s going to shine light into our soul, and our soul is our mind, will, and emotions, and we’re going to be led by that light. Amen? And then in Ephesians 5:8, it says, “For you were sometimes darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” That has to be a choice then. If Paul is instructing us to walk as children of light, there must be a choice to it. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 says, “You are all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” In other words, we should have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness.
There’s some things that we need to put away that we used to do, friend, all right? It’s the time for maturity now. We’re getting out of that childhood stage. We’re going through teenage years and coming into adulthood as Christians. And we need to put away childish things, as the apostle Paul instructed us, that’s hurting ourselves and other people. All right, God’s Spirit can do it. You need to cooperate with Him, and He will help you overcome these difficulties. Because Colossians 1:13, like I said in the King James, says, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” Who’s the He? God the Father has translated us out into the kingdom of His dear Son. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His dear Son. We’re no longer in darkness, friend. Some people are believing that they’re fighting the devil, and one day they’ll be free. The truth is, you’re already free. You just need to take your authority and command Him to leave in Jesus’ name. You are an occupying army. The battle’s already won by Jesus. You need to occupy your territory. That’s your soul, your spirit, and your body, okay? You are the occupier. You are in the kingdom of light now.
You have been seated far above these principalities, powers, might, and dominion. It says that in Ephesians 1:21. In the previous broadcast, I was telling you about all these principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness that resist man on this earth. And some of these leaders were subjugated to these powers, but we have been translated out of that kingdom, and we are far above those spirits. Therefore, we should not be influenced by them, amen? Now, a fascinating scripture here in Romans 13:12 says “the night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Oh, many people know about the armor of God in Ephesians 6, don’t they? But how many know about the armor of light, okay? Well, you have an armor of light, friend. It beams and shines forth, and it’s your responsibility to cast off the works of darkness that you used to walk in according to the pattern of this world. Remember, we talked about that scripture in Ephesians 2, right? In which you once walked according to the course of this world, but you’re no longer a son of disobedience. You’re a child of light, and you shouldn’t be doing those things. And remember, Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine so before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” So by doing good works, we’re letting our light shine before men.
And you may be the only light that some of your family members see and some of your colleagues see, because, you know, they are in the darkness, all right? And I’m not talking about shedding light on their shortcomings and saying, hey, man, you’ve got some problems here, let me sort them out for you. I’m not saying that. I’m saying you live by example. You live by example and follow the Spirit of God, all right? And God’s going to lead you and be an example to others, and they’re going to be drawn to your light because they see the Jesus in you. Now, in 1 John 1:7, it says, But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. And so there is an onus for us to walk in this light again.
So by appropriation, all of the promises are given by Christ on the cross, but we have to make them personal. We have to gather them for ourselves. We have to choose to walk in light instead of darkness. And it’s not an excuse anymore. Well, you know, the devil made me do it. I’m a victim. I can’t control myself. No, that’s a cop-out. You have a will, okay? And you choose what you do on this earth, and you’re accountable for your choices. We’re not victims. Now, we can be wounded in our formative years, and we may be acting out of those wounds, and that’s where Jesus comes in to heal us. But there comes a point when we enter into maturity that we have to walk in that light, all right? And we choose to do it. Otherwise, you know, the Apostle John wouldn’t say or instruct the congregation there to walk in the light. But notice we have fellowship with one another. That’s another aspect of walking in the light. Some people are lone rangers. They’re isolated. That’s not a positive thing, friend. You know, Christianity is not an individual sport. It’s a team game. We should be surrounded by believers so we can influence them, and they can influence us for the positive.
When we need a word of prophecy, when we need comfort, when we’re discouraged, when we need exhortation, there’s somebody there for us, all right? So breaking fellowship with the brethren is an example of not walking in the light. So walking in God’s love and walking in the light are synonymous. Revelation 21:24 says, “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor unto it.” So we should be walking in the light of the gospel because we’re saved, right? Remember the apostle Paul was called to be a light to the Gentile nations in Acts 14, verse 47. And Paul was used so mightily by God that he was going 180 degrees in the opposite direction. He was a vehement scoundrel, going around killing Christians, all right? And he was zealous, but God’s like, I’m going to use that zeal for me, all right? And when he was turned around, man, there was nothing stopping him.
And there’s some people out there who’ve led a life where, you know, you haven’t really regarded the Lord. You haven’t regarded him in any way, but you’ve gone your own way, and you’re thinking, well, God can’t use me now. Nonsense. You can make an about face, an 180-degree turn, and you can be zealous for God because your sins are in the sea of forgetfulness. Remember, as far as from the east is from the west. God isn’t remembering our sins, but the enemy uses them against us all the time. He plagues our conscience with accusations, but Jesus, the defense attorney, is going to counter those accusations. Amen? So you need to remind the devil that your sins are forgiven. You know, the only people who are going to remind you of your sins are the devil and man, including yourself. You know, you could be, well, God still hasn’t forgiven me for this and that, and it’s five years, and blah, blah, blah. You’re wasting time. Get off the mat.
Get back in the game. Seventy times seven, the Lord is willing to forgive us. That’s such an awesome scripture. Now, in 1 John chapter 1, verses 5 through 10, it says, In the new King James, this is the message which we have heard from him and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Whoa, stop there. We don’t serve a pantheistic God. We don’t believe in a yin-yang God. He’s not good and evil at the same time. This is something that Star Wars pushes in their movies. You know, there’s the good and the evil, and they’re all working together in this wonderful plan. Pfft! Nonsense! God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. All right? Jesus went about healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him.
Remember that? Acts 10:38. Again, the separation between good and evil, not the unison of good and evil working together in some mysterious plan, like God gave me cancer so I can be drawn closer to him, and, oh, he uses this tragedy for my better, and I’m going to invoke more tragedy in my life, because every time I do, I feel close to the God. Listen, this is religious claptrap. You need to know the word of God. I’m not saying that God can’t help you through that tragedy, friend. He can. He will be there to comfort you and console you. But he didn’t send it in the first place. We are subject to a fallen world, a cursed earth, and we are victims of the decisions of others sometimes, and even our own poor choices. And we have to understand that in the full context of Scripture. In verse 6 it says, “If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” If we’re walking in darkness, friend, we’re not honoring the light that’s within us.
But verse 7, “If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” Amen. And then in verse 8, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” And here’s one of the best, “If we confess our sins, he’s faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Now listen. If you’re walking on this earth, darkness tries to come into our soul. But you let that spirit man, who’s connected to the Holy Spirit, shine his light through your spirit into your soul. And you will become a transparent being, and you will let your light shine before men by your good works. Amen. Let your light shine, friend. Let it shine in your heart. Let the fruit of God work within you. Alright? Like I said before, if we’re instructed to walk in the light, it must be a choice. But you know, as Christians, if we’re separated from the body, we’re like little embers that start to lose their heat.
We start to lose that light. We need to be reinvigorated with the body of Christ, because we’re attached to the body. Don’t distance yourself from other people in Christ. Alright? Let your light shine. And also that goes for the mind. You know, the light must shine through our mind. We shouldn’t be entertaining dark thoughts. All sin begins with thought. That’s its genesis. It starts in the mind. We must safeguard our thought life in order to live a life pleasing to God. And that light must start with our mind as well. All despots and oligarchs in history had an evil encounter with darkness at some point in their lives, turning them toward evil. Satan cannot influence man, friend, unless he attains agreement. It says that in Matthew 18:19, “where two are in agreement is touching anything.” You can agree with the demonic spirit. Do you know that? You can agree with the dark side, and you need to sever that agreement. And Father, I pray that you are reaching my brother and sister right now for more light and revealing in their hearts the darkness that has tried to overcome them. So that wraps up this little mini-series of From Darkness to Light. It’s such a vast topic. Again, just scrape in the surface, friend.
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