{"id":3955,"date":"2025-08-28T17:26:47","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T00:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/?p=3955"},"modified":"2025-12-23T13:01:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T20:01:55","slug":"light-in-the-darkness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/2025\/08\/28\/light-in-the-darkness\/","title":{"rendered":"Light in the Darkness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a few days, on Sunday morning, I’ll be preaching in our home church, Littlerock Community Fellowship in Olympia, WA. We are going through a long series, section by section, in the Gospel of Luke. We are up to chapter 11, and I will be preaching this week on verses 28-36, and next week on verses 37-54. It is an intense time in Jesus’ ministry where he is judging and condemning the superficiality and spiritual arrogance of the crowds and religious leaders who are simply looking for a good show, trying to catch Jesus in His words so they can silence Him. I will post the message once it is available, but there were some illustrations that I needed to cut so the sermon didn’t get too long, and I thought I’d include them here since they may be of interest to someone. <\/p>\n\n\n

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I recently got a couple of outdoor flood lights from Ben, a member in our church who is an electrician. I wanted to mount these for security for Holly when I\u2019m gone on trips. Man those things are bright! They pierce through the darkness and light up a large area so there are no secrets, no unexpected prowlers, even animals (recently I’ve seen deer, possums, and a family of racoons) avoid the glare. In fact, another friend, Don, had to help me mount them so they wouldn\u2019t blind our neighbors. Those lights illustrate the radiant brilliance of God’s Word (Psalm 119:105) and God’s Son (John 8:12), both of which light up the darkness. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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In one place, though, I couldn\u2019t run power, so I bought a solar powered light and mounted it in a dark area. The sun charges it during the day, and it stores up power so it can shine when needed in the darkness through a motion sensor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is one application: Whether we are “plugged in” to the “electricity” of the Spirit and have His power filling us so we shine brilliantly like flood lights, or if we are filled up with “solar power” from God\u2019s Son (sun) so we can shine in the darkest places when needed, the point is to be filled with His light.  Paul writes in Philippians 2:15-16 – \u201c\u2026be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.\u201d<\/em> May we shine brilliantly in the dark corners of this world, and may God’s Word and Son light up any dark corners of sin in us, that we may repent and be forgiven. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second illustration that got cut was from Star Wars. I really enjoy the Star Wars movies. The first one to be released, (Episode IV in 1977) was the first movie I ever saw in a theater, when I was nine years old, and I was so excited I could hardly hold my insides together. I do not seek spiritual enlightenment from the movies, they are just fun. So don\u2019t go down the yin\/yang Tao Eastern mysticism path. But I want to share a few quotes from a couple jedis that tie in with the subject of light and darkness from our passage, and communicate a point first made by Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n

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From Jedi Master Yoda: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n