Light is needed in dark places and the world today is a dark place. The Bible teaches that there are two kingdoms in conflict, the kingdom of light, God’s Kingdom and the kingdom of darkness, Satan’s kingdom. The results of the kingdom of darkness are violence, death, sickness and sin of all kinds. We see the kingdom of darkness in action in the news all the time.
This past week, the news headlines have shown: an earthquake in Chile, shootings, suicide bombings, violence, high unemployment, political fighting and so on. You might say that the news media is not a true barometer of what is going on in the world. I think there’s a certain amount of truth to that – seems like the only news fit for print is the bad news. However, you have to admit that everything is not right in our world – there is a lot of darkness, there is a lot of evil.
It’s also in St Louis, Here’s local headlines: man shot to death in East St. Louis parking lot, officials point fingers in abuse case, video gambling puts Illinois governor on the spot. Looks like we’ve got plenty of problems, plenty of darkness right here in St Louis.
Just because the world is a dark place, I don’t think that we need to throw up our hands and say that life is hopeless. I don’t think that we need to get down or depressed about the darkness. God wants us to live brightly in our dark world, He wants us to let our lights shine. He doesn’t want believers overwhelmed by the darkness.
NIV Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.
In a dark world, a lot of people go around complaining about the darkness. In a dark world, a lot of people argue with others about their behaviors. God’s Word tells us that complaining and arguing don’t help at all, we shouldn’t do either. In fact, to complain or argue puts you right back into the darkness. But there’s a better way, a way to live a blameless and pure life, to shine like stars in a dark world.
My message today is entitled “Designed To Shine.” It is no accident that you and I are living in 2010 in a dark world. God designed you to live in such a time of this. So no complaining or arguing.
In this series, we’re going to look at a book in the Old Testament called Esther. If you’ve never read it before or not recently, I’d encourage you to read it this week. It’s only 10 chapters long. The book is about a young Jewish girl named Esther who was living in a dark world. Esther was part of the exiled nation of Israel living in captivity in Persia during the reign of King Xerxes between 486 and 465 BC.
The story begins with King Xerxes throwing a royal banquet that lasted for 180 days, showcasing the enormous wealth and splendor of the kingdom. Near the end of the banquet, the King sent for Queen Vashti to parade her beauty before the guests, but she refused to come. Needless to say, she was removed from her position of queen and that’s where our story of Esther begins. The first lesson we can learn about bright living in a dark world is …
Listen to my March 7, 2010 message “Designed To Shine” (message-notes).