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Night. Darkness. Blackness. There’s something unnerving about the dark. As children most us of were probably afraid of the dark at some time or other. Darkness caused hesitation, uncertainty, fear.

In the Bible, night or darkness usually symbolized rebellion against God. Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” In John 3:19, Jesus says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

Followers of Jesus have no fear of darkness or the powers of darkness. God “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13). We are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). This is only because of Jesus. “I am the light of the world,” he says, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). 

How then shall we live? Ephesians 5:8 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” To live as children as light means we forgive one another. 1 John 2:9 says, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.” We do not let the world or its ways corrupt us. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” We stand firm in the truth of the Gospel, remaining faithful and clothed in the armour of God because, Ephesians 6:12 says, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” And we pray, remembering that “while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).

We live as people of the light looking forward to the “day of the Lord” and we declare God’s message: “this is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

As we approach October 31, let us rejoice that darkness and evil hold no fear because Jesus is victor. He is “the light that shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

 

視頻大意翻譯(Brief video Chinese translation):

晚上好。

夜晚，黑暗，漆黑一片。在黑暗中很自然的會有一些令人不安的東西。我們大多數人在兒童時期都或多或少害怕黑暗過。我們不喜歡”上樓去睡覺”或不 開燈睡覺。黑暗會導致猶豫，不確定和恐懼。

而黑夜或黑暗象徵著對神的反叛或屬靈上的盲目。約翰福音11:10，耶穌說 :” 若在黑夜走路、就必跌倒、因为他没有光。”羅馬書1:21說” 因為他們雖然知道　神、卻不當作　神榮耀他、也不感謝他．他們的思念變為虛妄、無知的心就昏暗了。”接著在約翰福音3:19耶穌說” 光來到世間、世人因自己的行為是惡的、不愛光倒愛黑暗、定他們的罪就是在此。”

 但耶穌的跟隨這並不懼怕黑暗或黑暗的力量。神”他救了我們脫離黑暗的權勢、把我們遷到他愛子的國裏。”( 歌羅西書1:13)。因此，我們是” 有君尊的祭司、是聖潔的國度、是屬　神的子民、要叫你們宣揚那召你們出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德。”他說”我是世界的光”” 我是世界的光．跟從我的、就不在黑暗裏走、必要得着生命的光。”( 約翰福音8:12)

那我們應該如何過活呢? 以弗所書5:8 說” 從前你們是暗昧的、但如今在主裏面是光明的、行事為人就當像光明的子女．”像光明子女一樣過活意思就是我們要彼此原諒。約翰壹書2:9” 人若說自己在光明中、卻恨他的弟兄、他到如今還是在黑暗裏。”我們不讓這世界或這世界的方法侵蝕我們。哥林多後書6:14說” 你們和不信的原不相配、不要同負一軛．義和不義有甚麼相交呢．光明和黑暗有甚麼相通呢。”以弗所書6:12提醒我們在福音的真理上站穩腳步，有信心並穿戴上屬靈的軍裝” 因我們並不是與屬血氣的爭戰、乃是與那些執政的、掌權的、管轄這幽暗世界的、以及天空屬靈氣的惡魔爭戰。”當我們禱告時記得馬可福音1:35節說的” 天未亮的時候、耶穌起來、到曠野地方去、在那裏禱告。”

在這些日子，我們像光明之子一樣過生活，期盼”主的日子”來臨並宣告神的信息:” 神就是光、在他毫無黑暗．這是我們從主所聽見、又報給你們的信息。”

在接近十月31日時，你要受鼓勵。黑暗和邪惡無法令我們害怕，因為耶穌已戰勝了。他是” 光照在黑暗裏、黑暗卻不接受光。” 約翰福音1:5。

讓我們禱告。

Grace and peace

Pastor Callum