The Great I am - Part II - John 8:12 - "Light Destroys Darkness" FBC Canton - Sunday am - September 15, 2019 - "Light Destroys Darkness ...
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The Great I am - Part II - John 8:12 - “Light Destroys Darkness”
FBC Canton - Sunday am - September 15, 2019
Introduction: The Light of the World is greater than any darkness in your life.
There is more than one kind of darkness in scripture:
Physical - Genesis 1:
Emotional - II Corinthians 4:6-18
6
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness,
who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen
vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed,
but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not
destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord
Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we
who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in
us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is
written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,
14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and
will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread
through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 16 Therefore
we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is
being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is
working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look
at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which
are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Spiritual - Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11Put on the whole
armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not
wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having
put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19
and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make
known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may
speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
9/11/01 DARKNESS:
Islam's long war on the West
Bill Federer recounts significant events happening on the infamous September 11
By Bill Federer
Published September 10, 2019 at 9:37pm
Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001
Sept. 11, 1565
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent dominated the Mediterranean, with intentions of not only invading
Sicily, Sardinia, Majorca, and southern Spain, but Rome itself. The only thing standing in his way was
the small rocky Island of Malta just south of Sicily, defended by the Knights of Malta.
In March of 1565, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent sent Algerian Admiral Dragut to Malta with 200
ships and 40,000 Muslim soldiers, including 6,500 elite Janissary troops.
Dragut stated: "Unless you have smoked out this nest of vipers, you can do no good anywhere."
Queen Elizabeth I of England is said to have remarked: "If the Turks should prevail against the Isle of
Malta, it is uncertain what further peril might follow to the rest of Christendom."
The Knights of Malta were led by a 70-year-old Frenchmen, Jean Parisot de la Valette. Pleas for
reinforcements went out across Europe, but defense seemed futile. La Valette addressed his men: "A
formidable army composed of audacious barbarians is descending on this island. These persons, my
brothers, are the enemies of Jesus Christ. ..."
La Valette continued: "... Today it is a question of the defense of our faith – as to whether the Gospels
are to be superseded by the Koran. God on this occasion demands of us our lives, already vowed to his
service. Happy will be those who first consummate this sacrifice."
The Turks attacked again and again, even reducing one of their fortresses to rubble, but the Knights
kept fighting, resolved to save Western Civilization. Finally, Dragut was killed and the Muslims sailed
away on Sept. 11, 1565.
Sept. 11, 1683
Sultan Mehmed IV sent over 138,000 Muslim Ottoman Turks to surround Vienna, Austria, led by
General Mustafa Pasha. For two months they starved the 11,000 Hapsburg-Austrian defenders.
Sultan Mehmed IV sent the message to Austrian King, Leopold I: "Await us in your residence...so we
can decapitate you."
Polish King Jan Sobieski gathered 81,000 Polish, Austrian and German troops and led a surprise
attack on Sept. 11, 1683. They made one of the largest charges in history, 38,350 cavalry and
dragoons. Soldiers had made wings for their backs which made a thunderous noise when they charged, causing the Turks to flee in confusion. Upon entering the abandoned Turkish tents, Sobieski found bags of beans – coffee beans – revealing how Turks could fight day and night. The beans came from Ethiopia, the one African country which stayed Christian, and the Muslims called them infidels or "cafir," from which the word "coffee" was derived. The legend is that Pope Clement VIII was petitioned to declare coffee "the drink of the devil" due to its association with Muslims, but the Pontiff tasted it and stated: "This devil's drink is so good, we should cheat the devil by baptizing it." Shortly after the victory of Vienna, Polish General Koltschizky opened Vienna's first coffeehouses and coffee quickly spread across Europe. The Pope and European leaders hailed Jan Sobieski as the "Savior of Western Civilization." President Theodore Roosevelt wrote in his 1916 book "Fear God and Take Your Own Part": "From the hammer of Charles Martel to the sword of Jan Sobieski, Christianity owed its safety in Europe to the fact it ... could and would fight as well as the Mohammedan aggressor." The humiliated Muslim army beheaded General Mustafa Pasha and sent his head back to Sultan Mehmed IV in a velvet bag. Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) wrote in "The Great Heresies" (1938): "Less than 100 years before the American War of Independence a Mohammedan army was threatening to overrun and destroy Christian civilization. ... Vienna was almost taken and only saved by the Christian army under the command of the King of Poland on a date that ought to be among the most famous in history – Sept. 11, 1683." Sept. 11, 1697 Muslim Ottoman Turks dominated Belgrade, Serbia, since 1521. In 1691, Austria helped free Belgrade, but Muslim Ottoman Turks recaptured it and razed the city's buildings to the ground. The Serbian Orthodox Patriarch led thousands to flee to the Austrian Hapsburg Empire in the first "Great Serbian Migration." Habsburg Prince Eugene of Savoy led the Holy League to counter-attack. Losing 500 men, the Holy League killed 30,000 Turks in one of the Ottoman Empire's worsts defeats in history – the Battle of Zenta, Sept. 11, 1697. Sept. 11, 2001 Islamic terrorists hijacked passenger jets. Two were flown into New York's World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and one crashed in Pennsylvania. President Bush stated: "Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended." That evening, President Bush stated: "Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. Pictures of planes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger." President Bush continued: "America was targeted ... because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. ... I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve. ... I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me.'" Sept. 11, 2012 The U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, written with the help of Eleanor Roosevelt, was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, Dec. 8, 1948. Without referencing the "Creator" as the source of rights, like the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes articles such as: Article 18. "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief." This conflicted with Islamic Shariah law which imposes the death penalty for anyone leaving the Islamic religion. Many articles in the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights were rejected by
the leaders of 57 Islamic countries, who formed their own group called the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC. In 1990, OIC passed the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, affirming Shariah law as supreme, with: • the death penalty for those leaving Islam • punishing women who are victims of rape • allowing men to be polygamous • permitting wife beating • censoring speech insulting Islam On Dec. 12, 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began a three-day closed-door meeting with the OIC, promising to support their Istanbul Process to universally "criminalize" speech insulting Islam, effectively enforcing "dhimmi" status on non-Muslims worldwide. By definition, the Christian Gospel insults Islam. If someone in a Shariah controlled country proclaims Jesus Christ more than a prophet – but also the Son of God who died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world – it would mean the death penalty. In fact, all speech contrary to Islam insults Islam. At the end of the meeting, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stated: "The Istanbul Process initiated with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... must be carried forward." Clinton added: "We now need to move to implementation." In the following months, Hillary Clinton's State Department ignored repeated requests for security by Ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya. He was killed with several others in the Benghazi attack on Sept. 11, 2012. The night of the attack, Secretary Clinton's State Department blamed a video, and the shortly after sent memos to YouTube and Google recommending they censor speech insulting Islam, consistent with promises made at the OIC Istanbul Process meeting. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice added to this narrative, as did President Obama when he told the U.N. General Assembly, Sept. 25, 2012: "The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." The U.S. supported the Muslim Brotherhood's ousting of Egypt's President Mubarak. Then U.S. weapons were used to oust Libya's President Gaddafi. Requests made by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act revealed emails of weapons being moved from Benghazi in a "Fast and Furious" gun-running style program to arm Muslim fighters in ousting Syria's President Assad. This is part of a larger plan remove current leaders in order to reestablish an Islamic Caliphate. When Russia came to Assad's defense, the Muslims armed and trained by the U.S. attacked into Syria and Iraq, calling themselves ISIS, and proceeded to torture, rape, behead and displace hundreds of thousands. On Sept. 13, 2001, President Bush stated: "In the face of all this evil, we remain strong and united, 'One Nation Under God.'" Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com. Discover more of Bill Federer's eye-opening books and videos in the WND Superstore! It is all forms of darkness that are addressed here in the book of John: Genesis 1 and: John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might
believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 1 John 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 5This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
John’s Summary
a) Light will invade the dominion of darkness.
b) Satan the ruler and his subjects will resist the light, but they will
be unable to frustrate its power
c) The Word will be victorious in spite of opposition.
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. John 1:6-8
Let’s stand and read and pray for the Lord to shine His light into your life today!
I. The Light of the World Dispels Darkness! v. 12
a. Only for those who follow Jesus! John 3:16-21
i. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not
send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does
not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of
the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not
come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth
comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done
in God.”
ii. The pharisees and the scribes want to stone a sinful woman in the beginning of
the chapter and stone the sinless savior at the end.
iii. All religionists want to kill Christianity! But no darkness can kill God’s light! It is
the nature of light, because God created it; to be inherently more powerful than
darkness.1.
2. The Dark Condition of Israel (& Ourselves): by Chuck Missler
3. Chapter:1) Ignorance of forerunner; blindness to His presence.
i. 2) Joyless state; desecration of Father’s House.
ii. 3) Dead in sins; the need to be “born again.”
iii. 4) Callous indifference to Gentile neighbors.
iv. 5) Impotent: blind, halt, and withered.
v. 6) Hungry; no appetite for the Bread of Life.
vi. 7) Officers sent to arrest Christ.
vii. 8) Israel = YHWH’s unfaithful wife: adulterous.
4. “...light of the world”: (and their consciences, v. 9). Remember that the
Feast of Tabernacles had just ended. The use of light is important in this
feast: In the Temple, in the Court of Women stood 4 golden candelabras,
each with 4 golden bowls. Some records suggest it illuminated the entire
city.
i. • He uses the ordinary to speak of the extraordinary,
ii. • the physical to speak of the spiritual,
iii. • the temporal to speak of the eternal,
iv. • the here-and-now to speak of the hereafter,
v. • the earthly to speak of the heavenly,
vi. • the limited to speak of the unlimited, and the finite to speak
of the infinite.
b. • The Messiah as a “light unto the Gentiles” is mentioned in Isa
42:6; 49:6; 60:1-3; Mal 4:2.
c. • Universalism? No. He is The Light only to believers
(Jn 12:46; 1:4, 5, 9).
d. • Darkness without excuse (Rom 1, 2).
II. The Light of the World Divides Darkness. v. 58
a. Exclusive Truth excludes those who do not believe. Exodus 3:13-14
i. 58] Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I
am. “Before Abraham was, ego eimi (I Am).”
1. Cf. Ex 3…And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the
children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath
sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall
I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he
said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me
unto you. Exodus 3:13,142.
ii. 59] Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out
of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
1. The Pharisees always come to our rescue: Whenever we might not
understand the context, they make it clear for us!
2. It was in the temple (8:20); it was the sabbath (9:14); he was not formally
charged by the Sanhedrin. Not by profligates, on the public roads, but by
orthodoxy, in the Temple!
3. “Took up stones”: The proof that they understood; stoning for blasphemy.
4. It reveals how blinded to the truth they were. The verb balosin, (cast)
implies some began to cast stones. Chuck Missler
Conclusion: Accept the Light! Be the Light of the World!
iii. Three Choices
1. He is either:
a. 1) A Lunatic (He isn’t, and doesn’t know he isn’t)
b. 2) A Liar (He isn’t, and knows that He isn’t)
c. 3) The Lord. (He is.)
2. Your decision does not in any way change who He is: He is the great I
AM, Jehovah, the eternal God. Your decision is to accept or deny this.
Whose child are you? Salvation is a matter of life or death.
iv. Summary: Chapter 8
1. Begins: Jews attempting to stone a sinful woman, to catch Jesus in a trap;2. Ends: They try to stone a sinless Messiah, because they were caught in their own trap... 3. The repeated phrase “die in your sins” (John 8:21, 24) would clearly relate to the judgment of the woman; and the fact that the chapter ends with an attempt to stone Jesus shows a perfect parallel to the opening story. Chuck Missler, John 8
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