[0:00] Please take your Bibles and turn to the book of Isaiah, chapter 50, 5-0, Isaiah chapter 50.
[0:14] Let's hear the word of God. This is what the Lord says. Where is your mother's certificate of divorce with which I sent her away?
[0:26] Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Because of your sins you were sold. Because of your transgressions your mother was sent away. When I came, why was there no one?
[0:38] When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea.
[0:50] I turn rivers into a desert. Their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst. I clothe the sky with darkness and make sackcloth its covering.
[1:01] The sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning. Wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
[1:15] The sovereign Lord has opened my ears and I have not been rebellious. I have not drawn back. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.
[1:29] I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like a flint and I know I will not be put to shame.
[1:42] He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other. Who is my accuser?
[1:52] Let him confront me. It is the sovereign Lord who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment. The moths will eat them up.
[2:05] Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
[2:16] But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze.
[2:28] This is what you shall receive from my hand. You will lie down in torment. Well, our big text for this morning is Isaiah chapter 50 and verse 10.
[2:41] And if you're not there, I invite you to open your Bibles. Isaiah chapter 50 and verse 10. And here we find what at first sight might seem strange to you.
[2:55] But I trust it will become clearer as we dig in. Because in this text, we find children of light walking in the darkness. Children of light walking in darkness.
[3:09] Now, that might seem strange to you. Don't children of light walk in the light as he is in the light? Well, yes, they do.
[3:20] That's just what John tells us in 1 John 1. And doesn't the Lord Jesus say in John chapter 8 and verse 12, that I am the light of the world.
[3:31] And whoever follows me will never walk in darkness. But will have the light of life. Yes, he does say that. So, clearly, when Isaiah speaks of walking in the darkness in this text, he's referring to a different kind of darkness.
[3:50] Not the darkness of sin and evil and ignorance of God in the gospel, such as is true of those outside of Jesus Christ, who are still in the night of their sin and evil and absence of God.
[4:06] No, this is a different kind of darkness. So, let's dig in to our text, Isaiah 50 and verse 10. Which says to us, Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant?
[4:20] Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. The verse easily divides into three main points.
[4:32] First of all, who is it that is here described as walking in the dark? Secondly, what is this experience? The experience itself is explained. And then thirdly, the counsel that we receive on how we are to walk in the dark.
[4:50] So, the first thing we need to be clear on is, Who is this that is here described in verse 10 as walking in the dark with no light? Well, the answer is that, as the first line tells us, It's those within Israel who fear the Lord and obey the word of his servant.
[5:11] Now, Israel as a whole had turned their backs on God. They had forsaken him to follow after other gods. The idols of Canaan and elsewhere.
[5:24] They had ignored God. They had ignored his word. The word he had given through his servants, the prophets. And for that, God had sent them away. Just like a man who divorces his wife.
[5:37] God had sent them away. And he had sold them into the hands of their enemies, the Babylonians. Notice God's word to the nation. Verse 1. It's because of your sins you were sold.
[5:49] Because of your transgressions, your mother was sent away. Verse 2. For when I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer me?
[6:02] And he says to them, The problem wasn't that I was too weak to rescue you from your enemies. Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?
[6:14] No, that's not the reason at all that you were captured by your enemies. It was rather because of your sins that I turned you over to them and gave you up to them.
[6:27] So Israel had gone astray from God and his word. But in the midst of this unfaithful nation, there was a faithful remnant. Notice how verse 10 refers to them.
[6:41] Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Now that's the very thing that most of the nation was not doing. But God always has a faithful remnant chosen by grace.
[6:54] Romans 11.5. He always has an Israel within Israel. True believers within the larger professing community of the church of God.
[7:08] And notice where these people are. They're among you. Among this unfaithful nation. Faithful ones. Right in the midst of the unfaithful nation.
[7:21] Suffering right along with them. In other words, there's a few good apples in a barrel of rotten ones. There's true wheat among all the chaff.
[7:33] There's a remnant chosen and kept by grace. While the nation itself is going to hell around them.
[7:44] And that's what the grace of God does in every generation. Notice they're marked by two things here. First, they fear the Lord. And then they obey the word of his servant.
[7:56] These two things are related as root and fruit. So think of a tree. There's two parts to the tree.
[8:08] One part is unseen. The whole root system. The other part is the part that is seen. The fruit. That which grows above ground. So let's go underground first.
[8:22] As the passage does. To the root. They fear the Lord. They fear the Lord. This is the unseen inward attitude of the heart. The fear of the Lord.
[8:34] It's the heart's attitude toward God. And it's the most important thing about you. What is your attitude toward God? Well, to fear the Lord is to regard him.
[8:45] To be as he's revealed. To be in the scripture. This great and awesome God. Most high. Majestic in holiness. Awesome in glory. Working wonders.
[8:56] To fear the Lord is reverence and awe. That holds him in the highest regard above everything else. As the most high in the universe.
[9:07] And yes, the most high in the universe of my soul. None more important. None more loved. None more esteemed.
[9:17] Than the Lord. And so we fear the Lord. We fear him for his justice. We fear him for his holiness. His otherness. His determination to punish sin.
[9:28] But we also fear him for his amazing grace. And love. And mercy to us in Jesus Christ. Listen how David puts it in Psalm 130 verses 3 and 4.
[9:41] If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins. O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness. Therefore you are feared.
[9:52] We fear him because his forgiveness is awesome. Sometimes it causes me to tremble. To think what it cost him to forgive my sins.
[10:06] We fear the Lord. Al Martin defined the fear of the Lord in this way. The pressing realization.
[10:19] That I'm always under the eye of God. And that I'm heading toward the judgment of God. And therefore nothing matters more than to please God.
[10:32] To fear him. Is to have his smile. As my greatest joy in life. And to have his frown. As my greatest dread.
[10:44] The fear of the Lord. And it's not just an Old Testament thing. 2 Corinthians 7.1 tells us that we are to be perfecting holiness. In the fear of the Lord.
[10:56] And Hebrews 12.28 tells us. That we're to be worshiping God acceptably. With reverence and godly fear. Why? Because our God is a consuming fire.
[11:07] Not he was in the Old Testament. No. He is. Right now. A consuming fire. So we have this. Fear of him. This respect of him. This awe of him. Does that describe you?
[11:20] Is that a faithful description of you? You're a God-fearing man. You're a God-fearing woman. There's none higher in your estimation. Than this God of the Bible.
[11:32] But there's a second thing that marks out this faithful remnant. They obey the word of his servant. Now this is the outward fruit of those who fear the Lord. This is what the root produces.
[11:43] Wherever you have the root of fearing God in the heart. The outward fruit will be obeying the word of his servants. They're always found together.
[11:55] No one can claim to have the fear of God in their hearts. That are not obeying the word of his servants. Why is it? That most people do not fear the Lord.
[12:07] I'm sorry. Why do most people not obey God's word? You know the answer to that is given all over the Bible. It's that there's no fear of God before their eyes.
[12:20] So because they don't fear God. They don't obey his word. The two are always found together. And that's why when God spoke to the nation of Israel.
[12:32] No one answered. No one paid attention to his word. No one took it to heart and obeyed it. They had no fear of God in their hearts.
[12:43] And so no regard for his law in their lives. It's as if God were speaking into the air and no one was listening. But not so with these who feared the Lord.
[12:55] The faithful remnant. When God spoke they obeyed. Indeed later in chapter 66 of Isaiah verse 2. We read that they tremble at his word. They tremble at his word.
[13:08] It's not something they take lightly. They take it seriously. Because it comes to them from this awesome God. That they warmly fear in their hearts. And want to please.
[13:22] They love and obey his word. Because they love and fear him. Is that describing you? That's the description of the remnant.
[13:32] The faithful remnant in any age. And it was the description of those in Judah. Though the nation as a whole did not fear God or obey him.
[13:43] Here was a people who did. So then. What do we learn from that? Well we learn right away. That whatever our text means about walking in the dark. With no light. It cannot mean walking without God.
[13:57] Walking in ignorance of him. Or in ignorance of his word. Ignorance of his gospel. His ways. His name.
[14:07] No. Because these do know God. They do fear God. And they do obey his word. They have that much light. So then what is this darkness?
[14:20] If not that. Then what is it? And that leads us to our second major point. The experience itself then explained. What does it mean that these people were walking in the dark.
[14:31] With no light. Well. To walk in the dark with no light. Is to go through trials. Valleys. Where you can't see.
[14:42] Where you're going. Where it's all leading. You can't understand why this or that is happening. Or what God is doing. Or is saying to you in this trial.
[14:53] And as for these things. You are walking in the dark. And up to this point. Have no light at all. As to what God is up to. Walking in the dark.
[15:03] Is never a pleasant thing. And we'd rather avoid it. Because it often includes. An inward midnight of the soul. Not just the outward trial.
[15:15] But the frustration. And the perplexity. Of walking in the dark. Brings darkness to our souls. But it's a very real experience.
[15:26] Of the faithful. Who fear God. And who. Walk in his ways. Indeed. The very remnant in Israel. Were just about to experience.
[15:36] This very thing. At the hands of the Babylonians. When they would come in. And destroy their. Their cities. And their land. And take the. The best of the young people. Into exile.
[15:50] Do we see it anywhere else? This walking in the dark. Let me give you some other biblical examples. Of people walking in the dark. Take Job. You and I. The reader of that book.
[16:00] Know why all these things. Are happening to Job. But he certainly doesn't know. This was something. That was done in heaven. Between God and Satan.
[16:12] Job doesn't know. And his three friends. Clearly don't have a clue. Though they think they know. Why they're happening to Job. And thereby. They only added to Job's darkness.
[16:24] Didn't they? But Job says of himself. Says of God. In Job chapter 19. 8. He has shrouded. My path. In darkness. Here I am. Going through life.
[16:35] And suddenly. This sheet. Covers my path. And I can't see any further. To take the next step. Or he says again. In 23. 17.
[16:46] Thick darkness. Covers my face. You ever been in the cave. Where there. There's no light at all. And you can't see the hand. In front of you. Thick darkness. Has covered my face.
[16:57] I can't see. And then 30. 26. When I hope for good. Evil came. When I looked for light. Then came. Darkness.
[17:10] Yes. This is Job. Walking in the dark. He says in chapter 23. If only I knew where to find him. He wanted some answers.
[17:21] He wanted some light. Shed on his life. And he says. But if I go to the east. He's not there. If I go to the west. I do not find him. And when he's at work in the north. I do not see him.
[17:31] And when he turns to the south. I catch no glimpse of him. I don't understand what's going on. And I can't find him. To get the answers I want. He's hiding his face from me.
[17:43] Job was experiencing what Isaiah. Writes about in chapter 45. In verse. 15. Truly. You are a God who hides yourself.
[17:56] A God. Oh God and Savior of Israel. Psalm 77. 19. Talks about. He has his footsteps in the sea.
[18:07] Well. When somebody's got their footprints in the sea. You can't trace them. On land. In the sand. You can follow their footprints. You can understand where they're going.
[18:17] And what's happening. But if their footprints are in the sea. It's all. Unable to be traced out. And that's why William Cowper takes those words. From Psalm 77. And says. God sometimes moves in a mysterious way.
[18:29] His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps. In the sea. And rides upon the storm. Well Job was walking in the dark.
[18:40] Without light. Even though he feared God. And obeyed. His word. Indeed God will boast of him. Before Satan saying. There's no one on earth like him.
[18:51] He's blameless and upright. A man who fears God. And shuns evil. You see. Job was one of those. Righteous remnant. Within. The greater. People.
[19:03] Professing. To be gods. What about Joseph. He too was walking in the dark. Wasn't he. As to why he's a slave.
[19:13] Down here in Egypt. What's God doing in my life. What's the cause. Of his troubles. It wasn't. That God was. Punishing him for his sins.
[19:25] No. In fact. It was because he feared God. God. And was obeying God. That he got into even deeper trouble. As Potiphar's wife. Falsely accuses him.
[19:36] Why? Because. He feared God. And wouldn't break God's command. And he gets thrown into prison. And so why is he spending the best years of his life. In a foreign prison.
[19:48] Forgotten by men. And friendless. From age 17. To age 30. Aren't those some of the best years of your life. Joseph is.
[20:00] A slave in Egypt. And a. And a prisoner. In an Egyptian dungeon. Why? No light.
[20:11] Just darkness. What's the purpose of God in all of this. Don't have a clue. There's a guy named Heman.
[20:22] The Ezra height. And he wrote Psalm 78. Perhaps the saddest psalm. In the whole Psalter. Of 150. It begins in the dark. The darkness deepens. And it ends in darkness.
[20:35] You've put me in the lowest pit. In the darkest depths. You've taken me. From me. My closest friends. And made me repulsive to them. I'm confined. And can't escape. My eyes are dim with grief.
[20:45] I call out to you every day. I cry to you for help. Why oh Lord. Do you reject me. And hide your face from me. And the psalm ends. Not with a sudden glimmer of light.
[20:57] At the end of the tunnel. But it ends with these words. The darkness. Is my closest friend. It begins in the dark. It gets darker. And it ends with.
[21:08] Darkness. Is my closest friend. That's a child of light. A God fearing. God obeying. Child of God. Walking in darkness.
[21:18] With no light. Even the apostle Paul. Knew such experiences. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. And verse 8. We're hard pressed. On every side. But not crushed.
[21:30] We're. We're perplexed. What's happening. But not in despair. This holy apostle. Who was given. To see things in heaven.
[21:41] By vision of the Holy Spirit. That he was not allowed. To speak of what he saw. In heaven. Amen. This. This holy apostle. To who. Who wrote. 28% of our New Testaments.
[21:55] Nevertheless. Found the providence of God. In his life. At times. To be so confusing. That he didn't. He didn't know heads. Nor tails. Of what was going on. In his life. He's.
[22:06] Scratching his head. In perplexity. It's the perplexity. Of God's ways. And we're. Isaiah says. We ought to expect that.
[22:17] After all. God's ways and thoughts. Are higher than man's ways and thoughts. As high as the heavens are. Above the earth. So. If you are perplexed. And scratching your head. About some. Things in your life. And walking in the dark.
[22:28] With no light. Don't we expect that. Of this awesome God. And our little pea brain. Down here on earth. So Paul says.
[22:39] Oh the depth. Of the riches. Of the wisdom. And the knowledge. Of God. How unsearchable. His judgments. And his ways.
[22:49] Past finding out. I can't figure. I can't figure him out. I can't figure out. His thoughts and ways. I'm down here. He's there. You see.
[23:02] This is far more. A far more common experience. Than we might think. The Bible gives us. A lot more examples. We could list Elijah. And Jeremiah. And David. Asaph.
[23:13] John the Baptist. And others. And what we're learning. Just by perusing. The Bible. On this matter. Is that. Not all parts.
[23:25] Of the journey. To the celestial city. Are in the sunshine. That there are valleys. Of darkness. To go through. Without the light.
[23:35] That we would like to have. That we seek. And that we want. Valleys deeper. And darker. Than we realized. When we first set out. On this journey. It's what Isaiah says.
[23:48] Is a child of light. Walking. In the darkness. That's the experience. And now we come. To the last point. And it's the fact.
[23:59] That though we're walking. In the dark. God has not left us. Without counsel. In how we're to walk. In the dark. Notice it.
[24:09] The last part. Of the verse. Let him. Let him trust. In the name. Of the Lord. And rely. On his God. So you see.
[24:20] The walking. In the dark. Does not mean. That we're left. In the dark. About everything. Whatever we may not know. About our circumstances. Where God is leading us. And why.
[24:30] We do know. Who God is. We have that much light. We know his name. His character. His attributes. His promises. And this light.
[24:43] Is given us. In the word of God. Everything I need here. For life and godliness. There's enough here. To shine light.
[24:53] To shine light. Upon my path. Even when I'm walking. In the darkness. Even when I have no light. About these other things. Of the circumstances. In trial. There's enough light.
[25:04] Here. To help me walk. In the dark. There's enough light. Here about. Who this God is. And what he's promised. I know he's with me.
[25:15] In the dark. Though I can't see him. He's promised. To never leave me. I know he's leading me. He leadeth me. Oh blessed thought.
[25:26] Oh words. With heavenly comfort. Fraught. What else do I know? Well I know.
[25:38] That though I don't know. Where he's leading me. I know that as for God. His way is perfect. Can't be improved. He's too wise. To ever be mistaken. So I'll trust him. And I'll know.
[25:50] That the way. He chooses. Is the way. That's best for me. That was Job. I don't know. Where this winding road.
[26:00] Is ending. I don't even know. Where my God is. In this whole thing. But he knows. The way that I take. And when. He has tested me. I will come forth. As gold. There's.
[26:11] How to walk. In the dark. To know the one. Who's leading you. In the dark. And that his way. Is right. And just. And good. Remember Abraham.
[26:21] He was told. To leave home. And to. To go to a land. That the Lord. Would later. Show him. And so. By faith. He left his home. Not knowing.
[26:32] Where he was going. Isn't that a. Walking in the dark. Look. He's walking. But he doesn't have a clue. Where he's going.
[26:45] Martin Luther says. It's the glory of faith. To not know. And it was by faith. Faith in this God. Who he did know. That he trusted.
[26:56] Would lead him to the place. He had promised. You see. I do have light. From scripture. To know that God. Is faithful. And though my circumstances. Are changing. He never is. And I know that all.
[27:08] He has been to me. In the light. In the sunshine. Of my journey. He will be to me. In the. Nighttime. Of my journey. The darkness. And all he's been to me.
[27:19] In the past. He will be to me. In the unknown future. So I can trust him. I can trust. In the name of the Lord. To remain faithful. Forever. Forever. Forever. And I know he loves me.
[27:35] And nothing can separate me. From his love. No darkness. Nothing in my future. Can ever separate me. From his love. That is in Christ Jesus.
[27:45] And that he's too loving. To ever be unkind. So though I don't know. What he's doing. In all this. I do know this. He's up to something good. And how do I know that?
[27:56] Well. Well Romans 8. 28. He promises. To work this whole mess. Dark mess. Out for my good. He promises. In Jeremiah 32.
[28:07] To never stop doing me good. So even in the darkness. He's doing me good. I know that. I know that his goodness and mercy.
[28:21] Will follow me all the days of my life. And then. It's the house of the Lord forever. So I know. And I rely on the love that God has for me. I know that this.
[28:32] His sovereign power is too great. To ever have one of his good purposes for me. Frustrated. He's not like me. I plan something. And. I. I. I can't control that event.
[28:44] And. And so my plan fails. Never does that happen. And so God's purposes. His good purposes for me. Will always. Be accomplished. So I'll trust him.
[28:54] And I'll expect good for him. Even as I walk. Hand in hand with him. In the dark. Like. The apostle Paul didn't know. How he was going to survive.
[29:05] With that thorn in his flesh. That's why he pleaded. This thorn that was sent to buffet me. And to beat me. How am I ever going to go on. In the ministry with that thorn.
[29:16] How am I ever going to go on. In life with that. He didn't know. But he did know. That his Lord had promised. My grace is sufficient for you. It's enough for you.
[29:26] So he trusted God in his weakness. And what did he find? God's power. Resting upon him. So that's how to walk in the dark. You trust in the name of the Lord.
[29:38] You rely on your God. Your God. He is yours. Yours to live upon in the dark. So when walking in the dark.
[29:49] Double down on the light you have. In the word of God. The light about him. The light about his name. The light about his purposes for you. His promises to you.
[30:02] No matter how dark it gets. There's light. For a look at the Savior. And life. More abundant and free. It's in his light. That we see light.
[30:13] Double down on communion. With him. In his word. Now you know that some things are seen more clearly in the dark.
[30:24] Than they are seen in the light. Right now the stars are spangled above. The earth. Because you can't see them in the light.
[30:36] But tonight. When it's dark. And if there's no cloud cover. You'll see those stars more clearly in the dark. Than in the light. And even so there are depths of the love.
[30:49] And sympathy. And tenderness of Jesus Christ. To be seen in the dark. Walk with him. When you're not distracted by all the things.
[31:03] When you're walking in the light. When those things. You cannot see. But you do see him. You'll see him more clearly. You'll love him more dearly.
[31:15] You'll follow him. More nearly. And you'll learn in the dark. What a friend we have in Jesus. A faithful friend.
[31:27] Who draws near. With his comfort in hell. And you know. What we find here in Isaiah 50. Is that he knows all about. Walking in the dark.
[31:38] Verse 4 through 9. Of Isaiah 50. Is one of those. Servant of the Lord songs. There's four of them in Isaiah. And 4. Verses 4 to 9.
[31:49] Is another servant of the Lord song. It's talking about the Messiah. In fact. It's the Messiah speaking. 700 years before he was born.
[32:00] These are the words. That Messiah. The servant of the Lord. Is saying. Did you notice.
[32:11] As the chapter was read. That Israel's sin. Is contrasted. With the servant's obedience. Verses 4 to 7. Is the servant of the Lord.
[32:21] Telling us about his own obedience. And he says. That the sovereign Lord. Awakens me. Morning by morning. Awakens my ear. To listen. Like one being taught.
[32:34] That's not the way. Israel responded. When the Lord was teaching. There was no one to listen. Ah. But the servant of the Lord. Had his ear open. And was listening.
[32:46] Like one being taught. Not by his God. He didn't ignore the word. Like the greater part of the nation. But humbly submitted. And learned from it. He goes on to say.
[32:56] I have not been rebellious. I have not drawn back. So when the word of God. Came to him. He didn't rebel against it. He didn't draw back. When that word said.
[33:08] Go and be damned. In the place of your sinful people. The servant of the Lord. Did not draw back. And say. Oh no. That's too much to ask from me. Rather his response was.
[33:21] Verse four. I offered my back. To those who beat me. I offered my cheeks. To those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face.
[33:32] From mocking and spitting. You see Jesus didn't run. For his life. To save himself. But he obediently. And for love.
[33:42] Set his face like flint. To go to the hellish cross. To save us. Instead of himself. He was obedient. Even to the death. Of the cross. This is the suffering servant.
[33:54] Who delighted in the fear of the Lord. And who obeyed his word. Even that command. To go to the cross. And be damned for his people. So the Lord Jesus.
[34:06] As the perfect man. He too. Had to walk in the dark. So what we have. Then is the light of the world himself.
[34:18] Walking in the dark. For all his friends forsook him. And fled into the night. Didn't they? Leaving him. To walk alone. In the darkness. Of suffering.
[34:29] The worst that men could do to him. So they falsely accused him. Lied about him. And whipped him. And tore his back open. And beat him in the face.
[34:41] And spit on him. And then nailed him to a cross. Because he had said to his enemies. This is your hour. And the power of darkness.
[34:53] Darkness. This is the hour. For the power of darkness to reign. And how dark it was. Not only as men did their worst.
[35:04] But he was left alone to suffer the worst. That Satan and his hellish crew could throw at him. As the spiritual forces and powers of darkness. Unleashed their fury upon him.
[35:17] And then we read that at high noon. When the sun is at its peak. And is at its warmest. And hottest. And brightest. That there was this strange darkness.
[35:29] That descended over all the land. As the sun stopped shining for three hours. As all alone in the dark. He suffered the worst. That the wrath of God.
[35:40] Could pour out upon the sin bearer. Isaac Watts says. Well might the sun in darkness hide. And shut its glories in.
[35:51] When Christ the mighty maker died. For man. The creature's sin. The darkness. The sign of God's presence. Coming in judgment.
[36:04] Falling. Upon the one who bore the sins. Of his people. Here's the light of the world. Walking in darkness. Hanging on the cross.
[36:15] For those three hours. Nature's darkness. Pointed to an inner darkness. In the soul of our savior. And his loud cry of abandonment.
[36:26] Interprets the inner darkness. He felt in his soul. My God. My God. Why have you abandoned me? It was not his usual. Intimate address.
[36:37] Of. Abba. Father. Because he felt nothing. Of the father's love. He felt nothing. Of the privileges. Of sonship.
[36:49] To this. Eternal sonship. To this father. All he felt. Was he was being treated. Not as a son. But as sin. For he becomes sin. For us. So he feels.
[37:01] The abandonment. Of God. Indeed. The outer darkness. Of hell. As hell. Came to Calvary. For those three hours. And he suffered.
[37:12] The outer darkness. That we would have suffered forever. All the light. Of God's face. Turned away. Nothing but the darkness. Of his wrath.
[37:22] And anger. Never did one feel. So all alone. Forsaken. By his God. He was the light.
[37:34] Of the world. Walking in darkness. So children of light. You who fear. And obey the Lord. Know this. That no matter how dark. The night of your soul. The light of the world. Has been there.
[37:46] And he's been there. In a greater darkness. Than you'll ever know. And he walked alone. And forsaken. In the dark. That you might never be alone.
[37:56] In your darkness. He walks with you. In your darkness. He knows all the feelings. That you feel. As you walk in the dark. All of its temptations.
[38:07] To fear. To distrust. To despair. Because he's been there. Himself. And been tempted. In every way. That you are. He understands.
[38:19] So. So pour out your heart. To him. Tell him how you feel. Tell him how forsaken you feel. He understands. He's felt it. And he'll help you. And he'll teach you.
[38:30] How to walk in the dark. Just as he did. Trusting in the name of the Lord. And relying. On his God. The name of the Lord.
[38:43] He knows him as the sovereign Lord. Verse 3. He knows him as his helper. Verse 7 and 9. He knows him as his vindicator. Verse 8. And therefore is the one.
[38:54] Who will never let him. Be put to shame. And so he trusts. In the name of the Lord. And he relies on him. And he'll teach you.
[39:05] How to do the same. And you'll find in him. A compassionate helper. And a sympathizing friend. Now. That's who.
[39:16] Is walking in the dark. It's the. It's the people of God. The children of light. The experience explained. It's. It's not understanding.
[39:27] What's going on. And the counsel from heaven is. How to walk in the dark. Trust. In the Lord.
[39:38] His name. Rely on your God. But the. The. The. The. The. The chapter ends. Telling us. How not. To walk in the dark. It's interesting.
[39:48] There's one more verse. After verse 10. And. And it's telling us. You might be tempted. To do this. So don't do that. No. You. You trust in the name of the Lord. And rely on your God.
[39:58] But. But verse 11. Sounds a warning. Of how not to walk in the dark. But now. All you who light fires. And provide yourselves. With flaming torches. Go.
[40:09] Go. And walk in the light of your fires. And of the torches you've set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand. You will lie down in torment. You see.
[40:21] How different. Are the children of darkness. When they walk in the dark. And. They don't have a clue either. Any more than we do. What's up. And what's happening. As they're tossed about.
[40:32] In the waves of. Trial and trouble. And they don't like. Being without light. And answers any more. Than we do. But rather than relying. Upon the Lord.
[40:44] And what's revealed about him. They create their own light. They light their own torches. And then they walk in the light. Of their own making. Well there's many different ways.
[40:58] To do this. I read this week. Of a rapidly growing number of people. Particularly millennials. Are turning to astrology. Horoscopes. Fortune tellers.
[41:08] Tarot cards. Psychics. Sorceries. And the like. Why? They're stressed. They're insecure. They're living in a world.
[41:19] They don't understand. What's coming next? They want help. In making decisions. Life decisions. They want explanations. As to why things are happening to them.
[41:29] They don't like walking in the dark. So they're lighting their own torches. And it's nothing new. Isaiah spoke of it. Back in chapter 8. And verses 20. And 21.
[41:40] 19 and 20. When men tell you. Why are they going to consult mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter? Should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead in behalf of the living?
[41:53] To the law. And to the testimony. If they do not speak according to this word. There's no light of day in them. And in the end. They are thrust into utter darkness.
[42:05] Darkness. You will lie down in torment. You're trying to get out of this predicament of darkness. Well you.
[42:17] You need to trust in the Lord. But you see. They don't want the Lord. They just want the light. The understanding. On their way.
[42:29] There's other ways. Not everybody goes to fortune tellers and such. Psychics. Others. Instead of trusting in the Lord.
[42:40] They lean on their own understanding. That's the light. That's the torch they light. They create their own truth. Calling evil good and good evil. And putting darkness for light.
[42:51] And light for darkness. Saying peace, peace. When there is no peace. And so they're leaning on their own. Everything will be well. God is loving. He will never send anyone to hell.
[43:02] Things will work out. Think positive. Mind over matter. All the ways. That men lean on their own understanding.
[43:14] Or they create their own light. By finding somebody else. Who will tell them exactly what they want to hear. What their itching ears want to hear. They know where to go. To find somebody to tell them. What they want to hear.
[43:25] They're lighting their own torch. Walking in the light of it. They turn to worldly wisdom. The herd mentality. The way that seems right.
[43:36] The way most are going. Jesus told us about that way. The broad way. With the most on it. It's leading to destruction. Many there be that go in thereat.
[43:50] And Proverbs. The wise man says. That there is a way that seems right to a man. But in the end it leads to destruction. To death. That's worldly wisdom.
[44:01] But such wisdom is really folly. Jeremiah 8, 9 says. Since they've rejected the word of the Lord. What kind of wisdom do they have?
[44:12] You see without God to rely on. Their reliance is on everything but God. It's all but a lighting of their own torch. To create their own light. To guide them through life's dark mazes.
[44:23] But in the end. It will lead to the destruction of lying down. In eternal misery. And torment. And it's also unnecessary.
[44:36] When there is light. For a look at the Savior. And there is a Savior. Who will walk with you. As you walk through darkness. He's been in the dark.
[44:48] He knows the way. Trust in him. Trust your soul into his keeping. Fear him. And obey him. And follow him.
[44:59] And you'll find that he leads. Right home to heaven. Life more abundant and free. Well that's. The challenge to us.
[45:10] As we walk in days that may. Feel like we're walking in the dark. Let's look to our God. And trust in him. And pray with me. We thank you our Father.
[45:23] For. Being real with us. And explaining that the way. That the Christian life is. Is not always in the sunshine. And that is a false teaching. Of the Christian life.
[45:34] But that. Some of the best of Christians. Have been called upon. To walk in dark. Dark. Passages. And.
[45:45] And yet. We are able to read the end of their story. And we see that it. It does end in light. And we thank you that we have their stories. To encourage us then.
[45:56] To walk in the dark. Trusting in you our God. Help us. And for those who are outside of Christ. And still do not know this Savior. And so are walking in the worst of darkness.
[46:08] Don't let them go on walking in the light of their own lighting. But to come to this Savior. And to trust in him. The light of the world.
[46:18] We ask it in Jesus name. Amen. We have a wonderful hymn. That reminds us. That this is. Often.
[46:29] The path for the Christian. Because God works in a mysterious way. His wonders to perform. It's number 21 in your hymnal. Let's stand as we sing. About our.
[46:41] Blessed God. 21. On the top of the page.
[46:55] From Isaiah 42. 16. A promise. From God. Who walks with us. In the darkness. I will make darkness. Light before them. And crooked things.
[47:06] Straight. We've read the end of the story. And it's bright. Isn't it? Let's rejoice in it. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[47:19] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[47:47] Amen. Amen. Amen.