From Darkness to Light: A Journey of Transformation

"At one time you were darkness but now you are light in the lord uh paul is unequivocal he's already used these categorical terms you'll recall back in chapter two at the beginning of chapter 2 he says and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked see the walking again you were dead but now you are alive." [00:00:57]

"Not as a result of paul taking to the streets of ephesus to condemn the darkness, not as a result of him taking on the culture and pointing out everything that was wrong, but as a result of him preaching the gospel telling this wonderful story that god was in christ reconciling the world to himself that he was making a whole new one out of the two of before that people from a jewish background and a gentile background had been brought to the very same place in an understanding of who and all that christ is." [00:02:56]

"You cannot change the human condition by simply educating or legislating or manipulating the issues from the outside that's why we have the gospel that's why the story of the bible is focused entirely upon jesus at the end of the 19th century william booth was at the heart of engaging with the poor in london and on one occasion they asked him you know what what is it you're actually doing and what does it really mean for somebody to be converted or in in the terminology of the time what does it mean for them to be saved." [00:04:51]

"Who can change the insight well i've changed it myself no you want you've tried it's not working is it how many years have you lived how many new year's resolutions have you had how many new leaves have you turned over at your attempt is self-renovation it doesn't work we say well i'm a little and i'm a little dim if i could just learn a little more i mean if somebody could really explain to me what happens in in the nature of lung cancer then i never smoke another cigarette goodness gracious they put on the packet you're a dead man if you do this and you still do it so how's the education program working no you're gonna have to be changed from the inside." [00:06:03]

"It's not simply that we live in a dark world but that the darkness is within us that the darkness is internal and the darkness is inescapable it is impossible to exist except that we are by nature dark that's what the bible says now think about this you may pride yourself on your intellect and you listen to this kind of thing and you go away and say i can't believe beg comes up with that stuff and the rest of them they're all the same tired with the same brush i mean i don't mind the services some of the songs are pretty good but i can't believe that they would say these kind of things and you've convinced yourself that the reason you do not believe is because you have a size 14 brain." [00:07:14]

"The reason you don't believe is not because of your intellect the reason you don't believe is because you are dark you are dark you are blind you are blind and you can't make yourself see wow think that one out for just a moment listen to how paul put says he writes to the corinthian believers the natural person does not accept the things of the spirit of god for they are folly to him and he's not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." [00:08:04]

"The difference is the illumination of the spirit of god in the darkness of a human heart now think about it just in relationship to the unfolding story of life you take again the human condition and what the bible says about the fact that we have spurned god's law that we have rejected his love that we have decided that we'll go on our own and the bible actually calls that sin that we have aired and strayed from his ways like lost sheep that we have missed the mark that we are uh involved in iniquity that our lives are like uh a bowling ball in crown bowls which is played mainly in england i think if you've ever used one of those things it is impossible for it to run straight to run true because it is biased therefore you have to deal with the bias luther says that's the problem that we are turned in upon ourselves that's what the bible says." [00:08:59]

"Now the story of the bible is that from the garden of eden sin if you like has put out the light in man put out the light and only the spirit of god turns the light back on can i ask you as the spirit of god turned a light on in you he said how would i know well there's a number of ways you would know you wouldn't be saying things like well i believe the creeds and i'm good on the ethics and i'm trying my best no you'd be saying things like this amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a bum like me i once was lost but now i'm found i was blind but now i see." [00:12:21]

"I am amazed at the grace of god i am amazed that while i am still a sinner christ died for me i am amazed that he puts his treasure in old clay parts i am amazed that he has promised to bring to completion the good work that he has begun in me in other words we are amazed by the fact that the light was turned on we've used the analogy before when your mom used to wake you up in the morning if you're in a good sleep all you can hear at first is a noise and then you can hear a voice and then you can hear your name and then you're awake that's a bit like what happens when the light turns on." [00:14:12]

"Even if our gospel is veiled which it is the gospel is veiled he says elsewhere you know when the law is read when he's thinking about all his jewish friends and we have lots of jewish friends i was with some of them the other night why do they not believe look at the whole old testament and we've read it and it seems that all the sacrificial system is pointing to the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world why in the world do they not because their gospel is veiled to them and only in jesus is the veil taken away loved ones you see how important it is that we pray some of us think if we could talk for a month or sundays we would fix everything if we would get on our knees and talk to god for a quarter of the time who knows how many of our friends and loved ones and family would be radically converted and changed." [00:16:04]

"Luther nobody who is not the spirit of god nobody who is not the spirit of god sees a jot of what is in the scriptures all men have their hearts darkened so that even when they can discuss and quote all that is in the scriptures they do not understand or really know any of it they do not believe in god nor do they believe that they are god's creatures not anything else for the fool has said in his heart there is no god the spirit is needed for the understanding of all scripture and every part of scripture the antithesis is clear." [00:18:18]

"In this way that god says paul again who first ordered light to shine in the darkness in creation has flooded our hearts with his light so that now we both understand the gospel and believe it and by the enabling of the spirit seek to walk in love to walk in wisdom and to walk in light." [00:19:25]