Cast Off The Works Of Darkness
Many people celebrated Halloween on Monday night. Even many professing Christians celebrated Halloween; even though Halloween’s origins are satanic. Not only should we NOT celebrate anything satanic, but we are to cast off the works of darkness.
Romans 13:11-14 says: And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 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 armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Have You Cast Off The Works Of Darkness?
Are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Have you repented and put your trust in Him? Have you cast off the works of darkness or are you still bound to the devil and darkness? Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23: The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 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!
In Ephesians 5:8-12 the apostle Paul is talking to believers; he’s talking to born again followers of Christ and he says: For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Jesus Is The Light
When you are a born again follower of Jesus, you follow HIM! He is the Light. He is the great light that has come into the world. We are also light, that is light in Jesus. We are to walk as children of light. In other words, we are to be Christ-like because we have been saved. Are you truly a follower of Jesus? Have you turned from your sins and turned to Jesus? Are you a child of God’s? Are you walking in the spirit or are you still walking in the flesh?
We are to cast off the works of darkness. We are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. We are to abstain from all evil. Oh, professing Christian, is this you? Can you say that you abstain from all evil? Are you living for Jesus or living for yourself? Does Satan have you deceived over your pet sins? Or has Jesus Christ freed you completely?
Do You Walk In Darkness?
1 John 1:5-6 states: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. Oh professing Christian, examine yourself tonight and see if you are really in the faith. If you say that you are saved, that Jesus is your Savior and yet you walk in darkness and not in the light, then you are a liar. The truth is not in you.
This is a scary verse. The apostle John is saying that if you are a hypocrite, if say you are saved, yet you still live for the devil, you are still in darkness and the truth is not in you. You are a liar. You are still lost and on the broad road to destruction. You are fooling yourself if you claim Christ and still live for the devil. You cannot serve two masters. You will love the one and hate the other. Oh, who or what are you serving tonight?
Neck Deep In The Works Of Darkness
Are you still neck deep in the works of darkness? Does Satan have you bound to your sins but you convince yourself that you are alright with God because you’ve said a little one-time prayer? Do you foolishly think that you are saved because you asked Jesus into your heart when you had one-time religious experience? Coming to Jesus is not a one and done type of action. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him. If you don’t pick up our cross, you are disobeying Christ. If you are not following Him, then you are disobeying Jesus.
He is the Light. There is no other. Cast off the works of darkness and come to the Light. Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day (John 12:44-48).
Come Out Of The Darkness
Come to Jesus tonight and come out of the darkness. Linger no more in the shadows of sin. Confess and forsake your sins. God knows your heart is wicked and black. Do you? The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it (Jeremiah 17:9). Will you admit it? Will you cry out for Jesus to have mercy upon your very soul? Jesus is the light of the world. Abide in darkness no more. Come out of the darkness and into the light. Come to Jesus Christ and be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus and be saved.
Jesus is the Light; He is the great Light. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 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. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:13-17).
Come To The Light
Cast off the works of darkness and come to the light. Why won’t you come to the light? Jesus told us the answer to this question. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (John 3:17-20).
Do You Love Your Sins?
You won’t cast off the works of darkness tonight because you love your sins. You love the darkness rather than the light because your deeds are evil. You refuse to come to the light because you hate the light and you don’t want your deeds to be reproved. You do not want God pointing out your sins. So instead of coming to Jesus you stay in the shadows of darkness.
Satan continues to bind you up. Your sins continue to keep you bound. You are a tool of the devil tonight and you don’t even recognize it. You think that you are in control, but you are not. Satan has deceived you and he will continue deceiving you as long as you dwell in the darkness; as long as your heart is black.
Flee From The Devil
But you can come to the light. You can flee from the devil. You can flee from sin. You can be saved tonight. Cast off the works of darkness. Confess and forsake your sins. Put your trust in Jesus. Come to Jesus. Turn from your sins and turn to the risen Savior. Put your faith in Christ and in Him alone. Oh, come to Jesus Christ and be saved. Be ye saved tonight. You must be born again. Jesus can shine a light on your darkened heart. He can reveal your sinfulness and His Holiness. If you submit to His Lordship.
Won’t you do this tonight? Won’t you cast off the works of darkness and run to the light? Repent and put your faith in Jesus. Surrender your life fully and unconditionally to Him. He is looking for a complete and unconditional surrender. Will you do this? Will you call upon the name of the Lord and be saved?
In Him Was Life
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:4-14).
He Gives Power To Become The Sons Of God
Jesus is the Light and to those who receive Him, he gives us power to become the sons of God. If we believe on his name. Believe on the Lord Jesus tonight and be saved. Cast off the works of darkness through repentance and faith in Jesus and be saved. Believe on His name. Believe in His finished work on the cross. Cry out to Jesus to forgive you for your sins. Confess and forsake your sins. Surrender your life to the Son of the living God.
Call upon Jesus Christ to have mercy upon your soul. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I ask you to do this tonight because the Lord is my light and my salvation (Psalm 27:1). I want you to receive this same light and salvation. I want you to receive everlasting life. Repent and believe the Gospel. Do this tonight and be saved.
If you truly repent and surrender your life to Jesus, then the following can be said of you too, along with all the other saints: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).
(This message was lifted up on the square in downtown Springfield, MO on November 4, 2016)