Why do we sometimes go through periods of darkness and difficulities? This sermon explores 4 lessons to learn from times of darkness, and four things to do when going through times of darkness.

<p>Why do we sometimes go through periods of darkness and difficulities? This sermon explores 4 lessons to learn from times of darkness, and four things to do when going through times of darkness.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Uchee Pines SDA Church

Lowell Hargreaves

The Discipline of Darkness

Heavenly Father, we thank you that we can open your word together.

We pray for your spirit to teach us as we study, because we ask in Jesus' name, amen.

Blackout doesn't happen too often here in America, but in the countries we've traveled to, the many third world countries we've been in, blackout happens quite frequently.

You may have heard this past week, they had a nationwide blackout in Kenya caused by a monkey.

This was NPR news from Wednesday of this past week.

He jumped down onto a transformer at the main power station in Kenya and tripped the transformer.

And when that happened, other transformers, because they were overloaded, they also tripped.

So trip, trip, trip, pretty soon it was like a domino effect and the whole country was out of power.

It took more than 3 hours to fix the problem and amazingly the monkey survived.

Have you ever experienced a blackout in your personal life?

Have you ever been involved in darkness or discouragement?

Have you ever had the time when it seemed like the lights had all gone out?

We are told from prophets and kings, into the experience of all, How many is all?

Into the experience of all there come times of keen disappointment and utter discouragement.

I hope that's not today or this past week, but those times do come to all.

And it is hard to believe that God is still the kind benefactor of his earth-born children.

Days when troubles harass the soul till death seems preferable to life.

And when you rather die than live that's deep discouragement.

Take your Bible and turn to Isaiah 50 verses 10 and 11.

Today we're studying the discipline of darkness.

The Bible says, who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh where?

Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God.

Behold all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that you have kindled.

This shall ye have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow." I don't know if you've ever laid down in sorrow.

Seemed like everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

Why do good things happen or bad things happen to good people?

Some of you come to the Lifestyle Center to recover health, and you might wonder why God allowed certain things to happen.

As a pastor, oftentimes when I counsel with people, talk to people, they ask the why question.

I don't know if you have experienced darkness a financial problem financial darkness or perhaps a relationship problem with your spouse You find out your spouse doesn't love you anymore or is leaving.

Or a problem with your, perhaps your health.

Really the question we should be asking is not so much why, but how.

How are we going to react when bad things happen?

How we react really demonstrates our character.

Today we're going to look at the discipline of darkness.

And I'm going to share with you 4 facts or points to ponder relating to the discipline of darkness.

If you're taking notes and I invite you to do that, we're going to consider 4 points in this study on the discipline of darkness.

Number 1, if you're taking notes, those of greatest devotion may know the deepest darkness.

If you still have your Bible open there to Isaiah chapter 50 verse 10, notice that it says, who is among you that feareth the Lord?

The Bible says that, "'Obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh, " where?

"'Walketh in darkness.'" So even though this person fears the Lord, obeys the Lord, he experiences times of darkness.

Just because you become a Christian doesn't mean that everything is going to go well.

Sometimes we have this mistaken view that when you serve the Lord, He's going to bless your family, He's going to bless your marriage, He's going to bless your health, He'll bless your finances.

I hope you've experienced the blessings of the Lord.

But with the blessings also come trials and there are times of darkness even for those who are serving the Lord.

Many who sincerely consecrate their lives to God's service.

Many who sincerely consecrate their lives to God's service are surprised and disappointed to find themselves as never before, confronted by obstacles and beset by trials and perplexities.

So before we made the entire consecration of our lives to God, we didn't seem to have so many problems.

But now that we've made that entire consecration of our life to God, what do we face?

They pray for Christ's likeness of character.

Because if you read on it says they pray for our Christ likeness of character for a fitness for the Lord's work and God answers their prayer They are placed in Circumstances that seem to call forth all the evil of their nature.

Did that happen to you this past week or last month?

You prayed for Christ's likeness of character and look what's happening.

Faults are revealed of which they did not even suspect the existence." That ever happen to you?

You didn't even know you had this particular fault until God puts you in the crucible of affliction.

Faults are revealed of which they did not even suspect the existence, like Israel of old, they question, if God is leading us, why do all these things come upon us?

It is because God is leading them that these things come upon them.

Trials and obstacles are the Lord's chosen methods of discipline and his appointed conditions of success.

Would you read that together with me, the last sentence in red, all together.

The Discipline of Darkness

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