Pentecost Pictures God's Power of Light Defeating Satan's Power of Darkness

He did, and now we'll have the main sermon brought to us by our pastor, Mr. Randy Delisandro. Certainly appreciate very much the special and the offeratory music today. It was lovely. All of it. Brendan, I'd like to have you turn to Acts 2 as we're looking at the subject for today, Pentecost, one of God's Holy Days. Here in Acts 2, we see something that is breathtaking, something truly amazing, something that gives us a tremendous amount of hope in a very dark world.

As you're turning there, I just want to make the comment that I did use the Life Application Bible commentary for the sermon today. But here in Acts 2, I just want to take a look at these first four verses. Verse 1, When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly they came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind, and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

So already we see where God is telegraphing, He's wanting to make a point. The power is coming from heaven. It is coming the way of God's people. Verse 3, And they appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Brethren, what we see here is a demonstration of God's supernatural power. And what we see here is something that we see throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. And that is a discussion about light. Light versus darkness. God uses fire very prominently in the Scriptures. Here we see the beginning of the New Testament church, God giving His Holy Spirit, and we see fire. Fire is a power. Fire gives light. But this is not the only place we've seen God using fire in a very spectacular way. When God began to call Moses, what did He use?

He used a burning bush. A burning bush. When God led the people of Israel out of Egypt, what did He use? He used a pillar of fire. And at the end of the age, when all is said and done, God is going to purify this world, the earth, with a lake of fire. So we see how God calls people, He leads people, He purifies the world with fire, with His light. Pentecost represents God using His church.

Those of us in this room, those of us who are called and converted, those of us who are revitalized, those of us who are transformed, God is using His church to do His work in an age of darkness, an age of tremendous darkness. Go back over just one chapter, Acts 1. Acts 1. In verse 8, Acts 1.8, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth, God's power of light in a world filled with darkness.

God's power, God's Holy Spirit, coming to the lives of the New Testament Christians, and including us, helping us to have miraculous changes in our lives so we can do the very work of God. Turn, if you would, to Jeremiah 31.

Jeremiah 31. It is my hope today that as we look at the subject I have for you that we would be tremendously encouraged in doing the work that God has called us to do, with the power He has given to each and every one of us to do. Even those of us in the room who are not yet baptized, we have God's Holy Spirit. We've got that power of light working with us and inspiring us.

We are still believers, even if we are not baptized at this stage of our life. Here in Jeremiah 31, verse 31, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. And brethren, you already are a part of that. You have been included in that. Verse 32, Not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand, to lead them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.

But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. You have got that power of light right now residing in your hearts, in your minds. God is miraculously changing you. He's revitalizing you. He's transforming you to be the people He wants you and I to be. Go over to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 36. A little bit more on the same idea here.

Ezekiel 36. And verse 26. Ezekiel 36.26. And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you. I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. A different outlook, a different perspective, where you and I have the outlook and the perspective of God Himself, because we've got God Himself in us. I will put my spirit within you, verse 27, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you'll keep my judgments and do them.

You and I have been the recipient of God's greatest gift, the gift of God Himself into our hearts and into our minds. This happened to the New Covenant, the New Testament Church there in Acts, chapter 2, which you already looked at.

But notice what happened to those people. Go back to the book of Acts, it's time Acts, chapter 17. Notice what happened to those people once they had that spirit in their hearts and in their minds. We want to just cut to the bottom line here, this is Acts, chapter 17, verse 6. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of them to the rulers of the city crying out, these who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

These who have turned the world upside down. That's how people in Bible times and New Testament times viewed Christians.

Brethren, we're going to do even a greater work than they did back in those days. We've got so much power at our disposal. They were able to reach tens and, you know, twenties and hundreds, maybe a thousand here and there. We are reaching millions of people. We are covering the globe with the truth of God.

But beyond that, brethren, I want you to think about who you are and what you are and what God has done in your life. You are living, I am living, all of us are living in a world of darkness, and yet we are people of light. My point today is very simple. My point is this. Pentecost pictures God's power of light, overcoming Satan's power of darkness.

Pentecost pictures God's power of light, overcoming Satan's power of darkness.

You know, it doesn't matter that we are small in numbers.

You might someday go back and refresh your mind about what happened in the time of Gideon and Gideon's army. What did he have? 32, 33,000 troops? God said too many. And he narrowed the field down to only 300. And Gideon took that army and did tremendous things with it. In the one instance, he gave each man a trumpet, gave each man a picture that was empty, and a torch. Again, fire. Put the fiery torch inside the picture. At a certain time, they were to blow the trumpet, break the pot, and grab that torch. And they went forward in victory. We're doing the same thing. We are sounding a very certain sound with our telecast, with what we have on the Internet. But certainly, brethren, and never diminish this in your life, wherever you go in this world of darkness, you are a point of light. You are that torch. And people have light around them because of you and your life's example and who you are.

Yesterday in Detroit, I rehearsed the story of Elijah. Interesting story. I'll be giving that sermon sometime in the future in Ann Arbor as well. But in Detroit, I gave that yesterday. And it was so interesting when you go through and see the work of Elijah, the work we are to do today. How that Elijah went to one of the most unrighteous kings Israel ever had, King Ahab, his wife Jezebel, who was making Baal worship the state religion of Israel.

And Elijah basically said, look, bring all the nation together. Everyone wants to come. Bring them to Mount Carmel and bring all of your prophets, the false prophets. They numbered 850. Here is Elijah, one guy. Here is 850 of the prophets of Baal coming together on Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel was supposed to be the place that Baal lived. So Elijah says, I will give you home court advantage.

Of course, you know the story where they cut up the two bulls. They put them on the wood for the offering. The prophets of Baal asked for Baal to bring fire down from heaven and to burn up the offering. Nothing happened. Of course, Elijah, a little bit of humor, says, maybe your God is daydreaming. Maybe your God is relieving himself. He actually said that. That's in the original. Maybe he is relieving himself. Maybe he is busy. What's happening with your God? Nothing is happening. And so what did Elijah do? There he is. He is given away home court advantage. 850 versus 1. They are dancing all around the false prophets. Nothing is happening. Then Elijah says, well, you know, let's make this a little more fair. He says, let's put douse water all over my offering. He did it three times. Then he prayed the prayer and says, God, show them who the real God is. Fire comes down from heaven. It takes everything away.

Again, fire, light, power. This is something that God has done for his people. He is doing it in your life. And the question for all of us is, are we going to allow that tremendous light and power that God has given us to shine to all those around us? Brother, let's do it. This world needs what you have. It needs the Spirit of God. You may not think you know the Bible that well, but you know, when you take surveys as to what people know about the Bible, it is so sad. Don't know the first four books of the New Testament. Just so very sad. You are a scholar compared to the rest in the world. Let's now go to Acts chapter 26. Acts 26. Here we've got a discussion about Paul. He's talking about how God converted him on the road to Damascus. Acts chapter 26 verse 15. And so I said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But arise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and the things which I have yet to reveal to you.

Pause for a moment. Brother, that's not just a ministry for the Apostle Paul. That's a ministry for God's church today. That's a way to serve for you and I as individuals.

Verse 17, I will deliver you from the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles to whom I am now sending you. Now notice verse 18, to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light.

From darkness to light. From the power of Satan to God, to the power of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me. Yes, that was the charge that was given to the Apostle Paul, but that's also the charge God has given to his church.

To be people of light, to help people's minds to be opened, as God does open them, and for us to give them relevant knowledge that they need. To bring them from darkness to light.

Brother, in my sermon today, there's three different areas I want us to concentrate on along these lines. Number one is that the power of light gives hope. The power of light gives hope.

Satan is a nurturer of despair. Satan nurtures discouragement. Satan nurtures depression. He nurtures all those negative things. Desperation.

On the other hand, God, with his power of light, nurtures hope. And you, because of what you have inside of you, because of the knowledge and the spirit that was given on this day of Pentecost, you can be a nurturer of hope to those you come in contact with. In a world full of despair, you can be a nurturer of hope. Let's take a look at John 10.

John 10.

Take a look here at the works of darkness. The thief, talking about Satan, does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Definitely the works of darkness. But now look at the end of that verse, which is the work of light. I have come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The abundant life, the good life, the spiritual life, the life that produces good things. That's what we go into the world. That's what we offer. We don't offer false promises. We don't offer a chicken in every pot. We're not politicians. We offer the things of God. Go to Luke 13, please. Luke 13. Notice an example here of light versus darkness.

Luke 13, verse 10. Now he was teaching on the synagogues on the Sabbath, Luke 13, 10. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. Do some of you have some difficulties, health-wise, that have been very long-standing? Here's a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years and was bent over and could no wise rise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, he called to him and said to her, Woman, you are loose from your infirmity. He laid his hands on her and immediately she was made straight and glorified God.

But the ruler of the synagogue, and here we're going to see more, you know, we've seen the spirit of infirmity. Who put that on that woman? Who allowed that to be there? Who worked with that?

Verse 14, but the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. Talk about darkness. Talk about not really getting the point. It healed on the Sabbath, and he said to the crowd, There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore, come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day. And the Lord then answered him and said, Hippogrut, does not each one of you on the Sabbath lose his ox or his donkey from its stall and lead away to water? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, Whom Satan has bound? These are the words of Jesus Christ.

There are times in our life that Satan wants to bind us physically. God does allow that. But Satan is the one who's doing that. The power of darkness. Verse 16, So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, Think of it! For eighteen years be loosed from the bond on the Sabbath.

So there you've got the powers of darkness, chiding Christ for helping a woman who had been bound for eighteen years. You've got Satan binding the woman, the individual here chiding Christ, and on the other hand, the power of light, the power of hope, is Christ healing. Healing the woman. If I were to ask in this crowd, how many of you have been healed by God sometime in your life, most people would be raising their hands.

I've been healed on so many occasions. The fact that I've got two children, I believe, shows that God had healed us. Because there was a time where I never thought I would have kids. Now I've got a couple of them. I feel very much that God was there to heal a situation that was extant at that time. Mark 5. Mark 5. Doesn't being healed give us hope? I think it does. I think every time you have had God heal you, you have been tremendously excited. Mark 5. Verse 1. Mark 5. 1. Then it came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes, and when he had come out of the boat, this is Mark 5. 2, immediately there met him out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs, and no one could bind him, not even with chains. Oh, they tried. Here's somebody who was demon-possessed, and human beings were putting chains on him, because he had often been bound with shackles, often been bound with shackles and chains, and a chain had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces. Neither could anybody tame him. A little bit of a digression. If you ever feel that you are in the presence of a demon, don't you ever feel, I don't care how big you are, I don't care if you've got ten people like yourself, for you fellas who are big, you never try to outmuscle a demon. It will never work. Here we've got one man tearing apart chains, shackles, bare hands, super human strength, because it comes from the demon. You don't handle a demon physically, you handle a demon spiritually.

This person obviously was in a great deal of difficulty. Verse 5, And always night and day he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones, self-destructive behavior. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him and cried out with a loud voice and said, What do I do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High? God, I implore you, you by God, that you do not torment me. That was a demon inside of him speaking. So here you see the power of Satan, again, binding somebody, having the person bound by chains. Their mind was being bound.

Verse 8, Christ said, Come out of the man, unclean spirit.

Dropping down to verse 15, Then they came to Jesus and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed in his right mind, and they were afraid.

The power of darkness bound that man. So the people, human beings were so afraid, they had to bind him with chains and shackles. But the power of light, the power of God's Holy Spirit, chased that demon away and gave that man a right mind.

You know, brethren, there is so much happening in the world today that we say, you know, people have gone berserk. The demons have not left. You know, we see a number of instances in the Old and New Testament about demons. They've not retired, you know, they're not down in, you know, Cancun. You know, they're out in retirement someplace. They are alive and well. And so many of the things, you know, some of these mass murders and some of these gruesome things that we see as a result of demon possession, demon influence. And yet, we see the power of God, the power of light, the power of hope. This man had no hope until Jesus Christ came into his life. You and I didn't have hope until God came into our life. John 11 The story about Lazarus, one of the friends of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ loved this man a tremendous amount. John 11 Verse 14 I want to take this a little out of sequence to show something. Let's go back to verse 5. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, so we had heard that he was sick, that Lazarus was sick. He stayed two more days in a place where he was. Why did Jesus Christ do that? Lazarus was sick to the point of dying. Christ didn't just say, let's hurry at all speed and get to him and make sure we pray over him so he doesn't die. Didn't do that. Jesus Christ actually said, let's wait.

Now, this is Jesus Christ's friend. He allowed his friend to die, to make a bigger point. To make a bigger point. We drop down to verse 32. Then when Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

How many times have we thought that? God, you could have changed something. There could have been something happened differently. If you would have done something differently, my mother, my father, my brother, my sister, my child, whoever, would not have died.

Verse 33, therefore when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled. Why? Jesus Christ realized that in the next moment he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. He wasn't groaning because there was death in his presence. Jesus Christ was groaning because of the darkness that was covering the people. The darkness of feeling hopeless. The darkness of feeling helpless. And Christ wanted them to realize with he and the Father and the Spirit, God's Holy Spirit, that is a tremendous opportunity for having hope. Verse 34, then he said, Where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Again, not because Lazarus had died, but he wept because he saw how they were taking the news, how the darkness of the thought that, you know, death conquers everything.

We take a look now. We go back here in chapter 11 to verse 4.

When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness, talking about Lazarus, he had heard about him being sick, this sickness is not unto death before the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified through it.

God doesn't deal in darkness. God deals in hope. God's Spirit deals in hope.

You drop down out of verse 43. After they showed him where Lazarus was, verse 43, Now when he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. And Jesus said to them, Loose him and let him go. Loose him. Unbind him. He had been bound by death. He had been bound by the powers of the dark side.

But Christ, God the Father, are beings of light. So point number one, the power of light gives hope. The power of light heals. The power of light rids us of demon influence. And even death itself will be conquered, will be overcome by God's power of light. Point number two, as we're looking at this concept, Pentecost picturing God's power of light overcoming Satan's power of darkness. Point number two, the power of light builds a solid foundation.

When you were first called, you had hope. You realized that there was going to be a world tomorrow. You realized that God's Spirit was going to do mighty things in your life. That you were going to be converted. You were going to be revitalized. You were going to be changed. You had hope. Well, after you come into the church, then there's things for us to do. We need to make sure we lay that solid foundation. And God's power of light helps us to do just that. But let's again take a look at a contrast. Go to Revelation 12. Revelation 12.

Revelation 12. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Satan's final revolt before the end of the age. He's going to try to go back up to heaven another time, a second time he'll be thrown down again finally. But right now he's still in revolt. He's still rebelling. Right now he wants to deceive people. He wants to be a nurturer of darkness.

We see this very clearly in 2 Corinthians 4. As you're turning to 2 Corinthians 4, think about the people you know and love, whose minds have not been opened to this point. The things they believe, the things they do, the kinds of lives they live. How in some cases those lives are so tortured.

In some cases those lives are so put upon by so many negative things, and life just isn't what it should be for them. It's not full and robust. It's not forward-looking. Here we see in 2 Corinthians 4, in verse 4, whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe. Now notice. Lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is in the image of God, should shine on them. Satan wants to deceive. He wants to misdirect. He wants to twist, so that the light of the gospel does not shine in our lives.

Let's continue on on the dark side here for a moment. We go to Acts chapter 8. Let's take a case example. Acts chapter 8.

Now here's somebody who meant to do God's work. He meant to do God's service. He was a religious man. He lived according to the religion of his day, and was very successful at what he was doing. His name was Saul of Tarsus. A very educated man, one of the most educated men of his day. A man of letters. A man of zeal. Acts chapter 8, verse 1. Now Saul was consenting to his death, talking about Stephen's death. And at that time a great persecution arose against the church, which was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And development carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. And as for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

As I've stated so many times in the past, that marvelous ability that Paul had to be all things to all people. He didn't learn that just after he was converted. Paul had that home to a fine science before his conversion. He was able to come into a group like this. Get to know everybody. Get to be liked by everybody, taking people's names down. And then turning in, if he were alive today, turning in your name, or the person next to you. And having the various ones in this room dragged off men and women to prison.

Let's follow the life of Saul a little bit here, Acts 22.

Acts 22.

Verse 19, And so I said, Lord, they know that in every synagogue I am imprisoned and beat those who believe on you.

Had people beaten, and when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death. What kind of a man was this? consenting to his death and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.

Think on that for a moment. Here's a man who thought the clothes of those who were killing Stephen was more important than the life of Stephen. I'll guard the clothes, kill that guy, take his life, stone him. Talk about the work of the power of darkness. Acts 26.

Acts 26.

Verse 10.

Again, this is Saul of Tarsus prior to his conversion. Acts 26 verse 10. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme. Brethren, what would it take to have you being compelled to blaspheme? How much torture do you go through before you give it up?

I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme. Being an exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities, driving people who had lived in certain communities, in certain homes, maybe for generations, driving them out of their homes, driving them out of their communities. These people lost everything, and many of them lost friends, they lost neighbors, they lost husbands or wives or children into prison. Now that is the power of darkness. The power that deceives, the power that twists, the power of anger, a destructive power. It's the power of the dark side. It's the power of Satan, the deceiver. But now let's look at the power that overcomes that, the power that's in your life right now. Revelation 1.

Revelation 1. Revelation 1.1.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show his servants things which must shortly take place. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show his servants things which must shortly take place. Satan is a deceiver. God is a revealer. Where Satan wants things to be cloaked in darkness and hideousness and ugliness, God is a God of light and beauty and reveals the truth. Ephesians 1.

Ephesians 1.

Ephesians 1.15 Ephesians 1.15 Therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. Here is a church that's a zealous church, a wonderful church, a growing church. Verse 17, That's not something Satan does. God gives us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

Our God of light gives wisdom and revelation. Doesn't hide things, doesn't twist things, doesn't bury things, doesn't give you half-truths, doesn't lead you someplace that's going to hurt you. No. The spirit of light gives you wisdom and revelation. Verse 18, That phrase, light, your eyes, your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling.

What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints? We talked about how our God is a God of hope. Here we're seeing how God's power is a power of eternal truth. It's not a deceiver. It's a revealer, revealing hope, revealing the riches of the glory we will have as sons and daughters in the family of God. We took a look at the Apostle Paul and all they did prior to his conversion. Let's take a look now at 2 Corinthians 11.

Let's see what God's Spirit did for him in helping him move from a person of darkness to a person of light. 2 Corinthians 11.

2 Corinthians 11.23. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more. In labors, more abundant. He's talking about laboring for the people of God here. In stripes above measure. All in God's service. In prisons, more frequently. How many times have you been put in jail for what you believe? In deaths, often. From the Jews, five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I mean, three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day of spending a deep. You know, the same fellow who had wormed his way into Christian society to have God's people be imprisoned. Here's a man who's going through all this now for God's people. The irony of it. Saul, who imprisoned the people of God now himself, becomes a prisoner of the state.

He gets to see what it's like being on the other side of the bars. I'm sure he thought about that on many occasions. But now what he's doing is because of his service for God and the church. At night and a day I've been in a deep. Verse 26, In journeys often, in perils of waters, of perils of robbers, perils of my own countrymen, perils of the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brethren.

A lot of danger there, but the power of light was there with him at every turn. In weariness and toil.

You know, you work a long week, all of you in this room, and in the long week you're tired. You understand what Paul's talking about here.

And yet, even though we work long, hard hours, that does not include for most of us having rocks thrown at us and being imprisoned. In weariness and toil and sleeplessness often, and hunger and in thirst and fastings often, and cold and nakedness. Besides these other things, what comes upon me daily, my deep concern for all the churches.

When the power of darkness was ruling his life, he was taking those churches and ripping them apart. Now, as a converted man, he goes among the people of God to help them, to encourage them as a bringer of light.

So far we've seen how God's power of light brings hope, helps us to build a solid foundation. Lastly, number three, that God's power of light helps us to grow and to mature. God's power of light helps us to grow and to mature.

We're calm, we come into the church, we begin to build that foundation, we've built the foundation. Now we're building something on top of that foundation. We're growing, we're maturing. Let's take a look at a church that wasn't doing too well with that. Book of Hebrews, Chapter 5. We went through this not that long ago.

Hebrews, Chapter 5.

A church that had been in a church for many decades, people have been in the church many years, and now they are so weak, they are even thinking about walking away from Christians and Christianity altogether. Maybe going back into Judaism.

Why? The power of darkness, the power of deception, the power of Satan to insulate people, to misdirect people, to stunt people's growth. And here we're not talking about people in the world, we're talking about people in the church. Hebrews, Chapter 5, Verse 12. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God. You're losing such basic knowledge because the darkness is encroaching in your life. You've come to need milk and not solid food for everyone who partakes only of Milga's unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. That's where the power of darkness would want us to reside.

Well, if you're going to come to church, come to church, but don't do very much with it. Yeah, come to church, go to the feast, kind of make your appearances. Don't study the Bible. Don't grow close to God. Don't mature in the way that you should be maturing, but you know, you're kind of there. If that speaks to anybody in this room, that speaks to the power of darkness having more influence in us than we should allow that power to have. But notice now the power of light here in verse 14. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age. That is, by a reason of use. People hear things on the Sabbath or in their personal study, and they put it to use. They make it a part of their lives. It's not just some sort of an academic exercise. Who by reason of use have their senses exercised. They're being built up. They're building spiritual muscle.

And they discern both good and evil.

So on the one hand, you've got these people here in the book of Hebrews who are stunted Christians because darkness is covering their life to too much of a degree. They're Christians. They've got God's power of light, but they're not using it the way they should. Their growth is being stunted. Now, let's look at the other side of the coin and what can happen, where you and I can be, where we want to be. We go back to the book of Philippians, chapter 2.

Philippians, chapter 2. Let's take a look at a couple of people on what the power of light did in their lives. Philippians, chapter 2 here, starting in verse 19. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I may also be encouraged when I know your state. Verse 20, for I have no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state. This is the same chapter in verse 5. It says we need to have the mind of Jesus Christ. And so when he's saying he's got no one like-minded, as like-minded, we've got, you know, we've got Timothy here, who is the mind of Jesus Christ, who will sincerely care for people. That's the power of light.

For all seek their own, not the things which are Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father, he served with me in the Gospel.

He's growing. He's maturing. At one time he was timid, and he was shy, and he was maybe a little backward. But now through the power of light, those things are in the background. And the power of light is helping him to produce, be productive. Verse 23, The second individual here in verse 25.

You know, Paul here is in jail. He is in Rome. He is in jail.

He wishes he could be with the brethren. But the brethren send Timothy to Paul. The brethren send Epaphroditus to Paul to encourage him.

And Paul, being the man, the same guy who was torturing people, causing them to blaspheme, throwing them in jail. The same Paul said, you know, as much as I want Timothy to keep me company, as much as I want Epaphroditus to come visit me in jail, it's better that Timothy and Epaphroditus go back to the brethren and serve them. Their needs come first.

Brethren, that's the power of light, where we put ourselves in a secondary position to help others. That's the power of light.

Verse 26, Since he, Epaphroditus, was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard he was sick, you know, here wasn't a guy who brought a lot of attention to himself. He was sick almost to the point of dying, and yet he didn't want people to be concerned about that. He felt life had enough challenges as it was.

Verse 27, For indeed he was sick almost unto death, but God had mercy on him, didn't allow him to die, and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Paul says, you know, I'm so glad God didn't allow him to die, because here I am in jail. How badly would I have felt if this man who came to encourage me, if God had allowed him to die? I would have sorrow upon sorrow.

Verse 28, Therefore I send him more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord of all gladness, and hold such men in esteem. Because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me. Not everyone could journey to Rome to encourage Paul. So they asked Epaphroditus to do that.

The power of encouragement, the power of maturity, the power of light.

Let's look at a couple more examples before we conclude today. Let's go over to Matthew 25.

Matthew 25, Matthew 25, The famous parable of the talents. We just want to read a portion of this. Matthew 25, verses 24 and 25.

Then he would receive the one talent, came and said, Lord, I knew that you'd be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what it is. It's yours.

He was afraid. That's the power of darkness. Fear is the power of...living with fear is being in the province of darkness. You and I don't want to be people living in fear.

Quite the contrary. Let's go back to that same book, Hebrews. Paul's trying to help them to see something better. Hebrews 13.

Trying to educate them.

Hebrews 13.

End of verse 5. Hebrews 13, end of verse 5. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Verse 6, so we may boldly say, not in fear say, but we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?

The power of light is a power of living with confidence. Not boastfully, not arrogantly, but simply realizing that the God of light is there behind us. He is there to back us up. He is there to encourage us. Yes, there are going to be times in life when we go through trials, some very nasty trials. But that's where our betterment, doesn't mean the God has forsaken us, means He is taking us to a higher plateau.

It's a compliment that God is taking us to that higher plateau. One last example, found over here in Mark chapter 14.

Mark chapter 14.

Mark chapter 14.

A famous example of the darkness covering somebody by motivating them by their feelings alone. Feelings are a wonderful thing. We need to use our feelings. We need to have those feelings be properly used and harnessed. But when we are motivated by feeling alone, by emotion alone, that can be dangerous. Mark chapter 14, verse 29.

Pretty emotional there. That was more of the heart than it was of the head. Verse 66.

And a little later, those who stood by said to Peter again, Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it. Then he began to curse and to swear, I do not know this man of whom you speak. The second time, the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word Jesus had said to him, Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. And when he thought about it, he wept.

Satan will use the power of emotions, power of feeling. He can be used in a powerful way positively. But Satan can also use it in a very negative way.

We look at Hebrews, just two more scriptures before we conclude. Hebrews chapter 4.

I'm certainly not against the use of emotion. But it has to be emotion that is guided by the God of light, not by the God of darkness. If we are going to be people who are growing and maturing, here's something we need to keep in mind. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12. Here is our basis.

God's Word will help us be guided as to what our emotions are doing to us or for us. And that needs to be what leads us, what guides us, what directs us. Lastly, over here in Acts chapter 5. Last scripture for today.

Acts chapter 5.

We saw how Peter was allowing his emotions to get the best of him. The power of darkness, ruling him at that point.

Here in chapter 5 of Acts, we see the apostles being thrown in jail, being let loose from jail. Notice what Peter says here. When they had been threatened. Acts chapter 5 verse 29.

We ought to obey God rather than men. We've seen in the life of the apostle Paul, we've seen in the life of the apostle Peter, a difference when they were in the world, being motivated by the God of darkness, and after their conversion, being motivated by the God of light. The difference it makes. Today, brethren, we appreciate the Feast of Pentecost. We appreciate the deep meaning that God shows us this day. That Pentecost pictures God's power of light, overcoming Satan's power of darkness. It's a power that gives hope. It's a power that lays a solid foundation. It's a power that helps us to grow and mature.

Let's make it a point that we use that power. As Jesus Christ said, let's be about our Father's business.