Powers of Darkness

Campbell Chapel Free Will Baptist Church

Ironton, Ohio

Campbell Chapel FWBC of Ironton Ohio - Pastor Bob Bradley

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Free Will Baptist Church
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Ironton, Ohio 45638

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Powers of Darkness

March 16, 2008

Bob Bradley

_________________________

Matthew 27:45

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

I have studied all day since the time that I left here this morning until the time that we had to get ready to come back here tonight. There has been one thought on our minds and it’s been about the cross. It’s been about the cross that Jesus Christ went to about 2000 years ago. As we mentioned this morning about this particular day in the life of Jesus Christ was the day that we call Palm Sunday. It was the day that He entered into Jerusalem and with great pomp and great show. Multitudes of people were there crying “Save us. Save us, now.” They were taking their clothes and laying them in the street. They were breaking off Palm branches and laying them in the way. It was a great time. It was a wonderful time. Many things were going on then, but it wasn’t long before that changed.

As we have been studying, in our Easter Bible School; last week we talked about His death. The week before that we talked about His betrayal, His praying in the garden and all that happened there. They come and got Him in the garden about 12:00 or 1:00 in the morning with probably at least 600 soldiers with swords, staves, lanterns and torches. They come and go Him. As He had been praying, and He was there with His disciples; they took Him from there to Annas’ house. Then from there to Caiaphas house where the Sanhedrin was gathered together. From there they had their mock trial in the night. Sometime about daylight the next morning, they took Him to Pilate. After that they took Him to Herod and then back to Pilate.

Through all these things, He was mocked, ridiculed, beat, scourged, spit upon, hair pulled out of His face. He went through a very brutal several hours here. It was not easy. It was not pretty at all. Yet He was going through these things for you and me. We know that about 9:00 on Friday morning they put Him on a cross. We know they took Him there and nailed Him to a cross. There He is with two other thieves.

I want to ask you a question. In the six hours that Jesus spent on the cross, what fascinates you about that? What is it that really gets your attention, or reaches out and grabs you about Him spending these six hours on the cross?

1. That He would stay there for us [answer from the congregation]

He went in the garden, if you remember when Peter grabbed the sword and wanted to fight and Jesus said, “Don’t you know that I could call twelve legions of angels and they would come and rescue me.” He had all the help available that He needed. However, He stayed there for you and me.

What else about the cross and the lonely six hours that He spent?

As He is hanging here, there are kinds of people walking by and wagging their heads. He saved others but He can’t save Himself. No doubt, some in the crowd had eaten by the food that He had miraculously blessed. Some had saw Him do miracles, as well as, some of them in the crowd was people that He had healed and done some great things for. However, they walked by Him and ridiculed Him. They were drinking. They were gambling. They were doing all kinds of different things here as He is hanging on a cross.

What else?

2. With all the people there, He was completely alone [answer from the congregation]

3. It is amazing of the compassion that He had on those people while He was hanging there [answer from the congregation]

There is something that I want to talk about for just a few moments tonight.

Turn down to verse 45

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

4. He willingly went there [answer from the congregation]

He wasn’t made to go there. The soldiers did not take Him had He not willingly wanted to go; they could not have taken Him. Had He not willingly wanted to lay there and let them nail His hands to the cross, they would not have done that; they could not have done that. However, He is doing these things willingly. Wanting to do what His Heavenly Father had already ordained or His Heavenly Father’s will for His life, He wanted to do that. He did do that.

That’s what the word “meek” means is power and control. He was a meek person, but yet He had all kinds of power. However, He had that power under control. It is great to meek. We get meekness and being a coward mixed up sometimes but when we are meek then that means that we have things under control.

What else?

5. It was darkness over the land when He was on the cross [answer from the congregation]

6. Even unto the end, He was still forgiving [answer from the congregation]

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

There was darkness over the whole land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour. Jesus went to the cross at nine o’clock in the morning. At noon or the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole land. From noon until three o’clock everything was black/darkness.

I want you to think about something about darkness, blackness, and about sin. We may wonder, what about the darkness. Did it really happen? We know it happened. The Bible says that it happened.

You read some people and they want to say that it was an eclipse, the sun behind the moon or whatever and the sun quit shinning and it got dark. That is stupidity is what that is. The smart people, the people that study the stars and all these things; they want to come up with some kind of a phenomenon that happened here. That was not the case at all.

I want us to understand what is going to happen here and what went on here for three hours while He was hanging on a cross, while everything was dark, while everything was black; what really was going on. Do I understand it all? No. Does the Bible tell us here what happens, was anything said in this period of time? It doesn’t say a word. However, I think Jesus tells us some things here and the Bible tells us some things here that were going on even though in this particular writing here and this particular scripture does not tell us.

Jesus had talked about an hour that was coming, even early in His ministry. He had talked about that there was going to come an hour, there was going to come a time that when He was going to go away an hour was coming. When He began this public ministry that [hour] was out there in the future. He talked about this hour and we know what He was talking about as we look back on it. We know what He was talking about. But there are some things here that I want you to think about tonight.

When Jesus talked about this hour that was going to come, He explained some things to the disciples about that. Even in the garden when they come to get Him, when the soldiers come to get Him.

Luke 22:53

53 When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

As they were coming to get Him, as the soldiers were coming to get Him; this is what Jesus said, “…this is your hour, and this is the power of darkness.” As God is doing His best, man is doing their worst. As God is giving His only begotten Son to come, bleed and die with us then there was a force that was working out there that sometimes we don’t see. There was a force out there that was working to do everything that this force could to stop or to stamp out the light that Jesus Christ came to give.

Satan was trying to do everything he could to keep Jesus Christ from going to the cross. Way back early in His ministry, do you know what satan tried to get Him to do? He tried to get Him to jump off of the temple. “If you be the Son of God, just cast yourself off. God will give the angels charge concerning thee and they shall bear thee up should thou dash thy foot against a stone.” That is what satan was telling Jesus, trying to stop the cross. He took Jesus out and showed Him all the world, all the kingdoms of the world. Satan said to Jesus, “If you will just fall down and worship me, all the kingdoms, all this stuff I will give you and the glory of them; I’ll give you.” Satan was trying to stop Jesus from going to the cross and stop what was going to happen. Satan knew some things about what Jesus was going to do. What the Son was going to do and what the Son was going to purchase; He was going to purchase eternal redemption for us all. Satan knew some things about that. He was doing everything he could to stop Jesus from going to the cross.

He mentions the “power of darkness.” I want you to understand that there is power today living in the darkness. There is a force today that is living in the darkness out here. We may not understand it. We may not want to accept it. We may not want to look at it. We may not say that it is real, but there is a power, a force, a personality that is living in darkness tonight that is very strong. He is trying to stop and trying to stamp out and extinguish any light and all light that he can.

As we said in the beginning of His ministry, He mentioned an hour. An hour was going to come; an hour was going to be out here in the future. He mentions here about an hour that was going to come.

Jesus said in John 9:4

4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

He said we must work the works of Him that has sent me while it is day because night coming when no man is going to be able to work. Jesus says here that there was a time of darkness that was coming. He was relating night unto a time of darkness. He was relating night unto the hour that He has already spoke about before. He was letting us know and He was letting His disciples know that there was an hour coming here when no man was going to be able to work; a time of darkness, a time of blackness, a time of evil, a time of something that was very evil that was coming. I think that is what Jesus was talking about here in His hour that He is talking about. He is talking about this hour being filled with evil.

Here He is hanging on a cross. Things are black. Things are dark. However, there were forces that were there. Paul made this statement in Ephesians 2; he speaks of satan being the prince and the power of the air. He talks about the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience. If you go over to chapter six verse eleven or twelve; he talks about that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and against spiritual wickedness in high places and the rulers of darkness of this world. Not only did Jesus talk about the evil being darkness, but also Paul talked about the evil being darkness.

There is an evil out there and the darkness here that Jesus is talking about is evil. It is wickedness. It is there. He is still yet today trying to extinguish the light that Jesus Christ has placed within us, if we are saved today, there is an enemy out there trying to stamp that out, or extinguish that light. That is true in your life. That is true in my life. It is there. The Bible says in John 1:4-6

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

The word “comprehend,’ it means that the darkness could not extinguish the light, or could not stamp out the light. The light shinned in darkness. The light that was in Jesus Christ shinned out here in the darkness and the darkness could not extinguish the light that was in Jesus Christ. There is darkness that is trying to extinguish, there is evil out here, there are forces that are working in the darkness. Satan could not extinguish, comprehend the light that is and was in Jesus Christ.

Someone mentioned our Politians. I know that today a lot of things may not be going the way that it should be going and I understand all that. When some of our Politians get in a little bit of a tight spot, if they are in the south in a group that they know is fundamentally evangelical Christians, then they want to talk about Jesus Christ. They want to talk about going to church, they talk about God. However, you get them in a crowd of liberals then they want say that abortion is okay,

What I am trying to say is this; even though that we are living in a world today that there is all kinds of darkness out there. There are forces that are trying to take this freedom that we have away from us. The forces of all darkness will never be able to stamp out the light of Jesus Christ.

The church of Jesus Christ is going forward. People may be going backwards, church members may be going backwards, but the church that Jesus died for is still yet going forward and the light is still yet shinning. There may not be as many lights shinning today as there was a few years ago, but thank God the light of the glorious gospel is still yet shinning. It does not matter who it is, how powerful people may be out there that is trying to stop the church of Jesus Christ—it will never happen. It can’t be done. Darkness will never comprehend, stamp out, or extinguish Jesus Christ.

This world might get rid of us. They will be happy one day when we are gone for awhile. If we all would be gone tonight there wouldn’t be very many tears shed for all of us. As a Christians, as a whole, if we were all gone tonight, if the rapture should take place tonight, there won’t be very many tears shed for us because this world as a whole would like to see us gone anyway. We are a thorn in their side. They don’t like what we stand for. They don’t like when we preach against sin. They don’t like us telling them that what they are doing is crooked and wrong and God is going to judge them. They want us to move on and move out of the way. I’ve got news for them; I’m going to one day. Then they can have our old bed. They won’t want it then.

These three hours while Jesus is on the cross, the forces of all evil are coming against Jesus Christ. While He is here, all the forces of darkness, all the forces of hell, satan and all of his cohorts, all the power that satan has, there is no doubt in my mind, it is coming. This tremendous battle, the weight, the battle, the struggle that is going on in these three hours trying to stamp out the light, trying to extinguish the light, trying to change things. However, it was not going to happen.

Darkness is evil. Even Jesus made it very plain that darkness is evil.

Matthew 4:16

16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Jesus made this statement: “The people which sat in darkness saw a great light…” He was talking about the gentile people, talking about people that were living in sin. Jesus made that statement. The people that sit in darkness, the people that were living in sin, people that were living a very wicked and evil life; He says here that they have saw a great light.

Also in Matthew 6:23 He made this statement:

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

“If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness…” but He says, “…therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Jesus is comparing evil with darkness. Jesus is making a great comparison.

Matthew 8:12

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus made that statement.

Matthew 25:30

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Bible goes on to say, “the place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. The Bible was comparing darkness with evil. While He is hanging here on the cross, all kinds of things are going on. There were all kinds of battles and all kinds of struggles happening with Him with all the forces of evil.

I want you to get something here.

Four things that He said here after the darkness has passed

Jesus made this statement:

1--Matthew 27:46

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

“My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He is all alone as someone said here a minute ago. As He is hanging here in the blackness and the darkness with all the forces of evil that is coming against Him—He is all alone. His Father has turned His back on the Son that the Son here might die. He was fighting a horrible tremendous battle here with satan and with evil. He makes this statement after the darkness has passed. “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Do you think that He was all alone? He was. It was horrible. It would have been a horrible, horrible feeling. In our own lives we can see just a glimpse of this, in our own lives. When satan comes at us and satan is really beating on us, many times we feel all alone. Sometimes we feel that nobody cares and that is because that we feel sorry ourselves sometimes. We feel that way. We feel all alone. Even though we are being buffeted, hammered, sometimes we feel all alone.

2--John19:28

28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

Darkness had passed. The light was shinning. He says, “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me?” The next thing He is that “I thirst.” Knowing that it was all done, and knowing that the struggles had all about come to an end now, He says, “I thirst.”

3--John 19:30

30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

When He knew it was all done, when He knew that everything that had to be done was done; He made the statement, “tellesti” is what the Greek word is; meaning “it is finished.” There is a struggle going on that day. There is a battle going on that day.

4--Luke 23:46

46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

He says, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit…” Do you know what He was doing? He was dying. He was leaving here. He was going to leave here. He says, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit…” Do you know what He done? The Bible tells us that He bowed His head and He gave up the ghost.

I want you to think about the blackness and the darkness for those three hours on the cross when He was all alone, when He was facing the enemy, and all the forces of the darkness, all the forces of evil; I want you to think about what He was going through for you and all of us. The battle, the struggle was for us. That had to be. Had He not been able to overpower and overcome satan and all the evil that was there, then He would not have been God. However, He is God. He was God and He always will be God.

The struggle, the loneliness, the embarrassment, the humility, the curse and all the pain, the suffering, the sorrow, the loneliness; all that He went through on that cross those six hours—I hope that you understand that was for you.

He did not come here to make Himself a reputation. He did not come here to get people to praise Him just to be praising Him; but He came here to offer His life so that you and I would not have to die; so that we would not have to suffer all the blackness of darkness.

Solomon wrote to young people one time. Solomon made the statement one time while talking to some young people. He said, “Rejoice young man while in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee thy days of thy youth….Go ahead and do whatever looks good in your sight, go ahead and do, but remember this; for all these things that you do God is going to bring in judgment.” He goes on to say, “Remember the days of darkness for they shall be many.”

Hell is for a long time. The days of darkness, my friend, are for a long, long time. It is not just going to be for three hours and then gone; but if you leave this world unsaved, you are going to darkness. You are going to blackness. The Bible says that you are going to be cast into outer darkness. A darkness that is so thick that you could probably just reach out and touch it with your hand. Put your hand in front of you couldn’t see your fingers. People thinks, I am going there with my family, my friends, my mom and dad, my brothers, my co-workers, my school mates; we are all going to the same lake of fire.

You may be going there, but if your wife or your husband is right beside of you that is not going to be any consolation to you. If the best friend you ever had on planet earth is going to be right beside of you, you will not know it. You are going to be thinking about getting out of the suffering. The screaming and the hollering and the weeping and the wailing and the gnashing of teeth; remember the days of darkness because there are going to be many.

Jesus went through these hours of darkness here that you and I could escape the darkness for ever. For the evil, for the suffering, for the sin and for the separation for ever from God—Jesus went through this so that you and I would not have to go.

A serious question…

Do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that if your heart would quit beating in the next minute, or some tragedy should happen in the next minute and you should leave this world; do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you are going to heaven?

That is the question that I am asking you tonight. If you don’t know that, if there is some doubt in your mind, I would plead with you with every bit of kindness and compassion that I have tonight that you will come, this night while you have time, while God is speaking, while God is calling to make sure you are ready to meet Jesus Christ. The days of darkness, the lake of fire is forever, forever, and so on. If you go there, ten billion years from tonight you will still yet be burning in a lake of fire. You will still yet be screaming and hollering for someone to come and give you some water. You will still yet be thinking about all the times that you have had to make things right with God while you were here on planet earth. You will think about the times that God stirred your heart and all that you needed to do was to take that step and come and accept Him and you will know for eternity that you waited one day too long. That is going to be part of the suffering in hell, knowing how much that He cared about you, knowing how many times that He stirred your heart and called you and drawn you to a place of repentance and you left. Went on doing about what you wanted to do.

Remember the days of darkness because they shall be many.

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