In the fourth chapter of Proverbs,
Solomon, that king under whom the Lord granted great wisdom,
wrote the following from verse 14, enter not into the path of
the wicked and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass
not by it, turn from it and pass away. For they sleep not except
they have done mischief. And their sleep is taken away
unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as
the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect
day. The way of the wicked is as darkness. They know not at what they stumble. My son, attend to my words. Incline
thine ears unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine
eyes. Keep them in the midst of thine
heart, for they are life unto those that find them, and health
to all their flesh. The path of the just is as the
shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
The way of the wicked is as darkness. They know not at what they stumble. Throughout this book of Proverbs,
throughout these chapters, Solomon exalts his hero to seek hold
of wisdom. speaks of her earlier in the
chapter. And the great benefit there is
in walking in the way of wisdom. Not earthly wisdom. Not the wisdom
of men. Not the wisdom of this world.
But that wisdom that comes from on high. The wisdom that God
gave unto Solomon was not that common wisdom of man. that would
have us indulging and seeking after all that is here below,
a way that seems right unto man, or which leads unto destruction,
a way that seems natural unto man, to grasp after everything
that they can see, touch and feel in this world, the riches,
the glory, the power, the pleasure of this world, all of which is
brief and fleeting and is taken away. It perishes with man when
man perishes. Man's life in this world is brief,
It's fleeting, it's but for a moment. He's like a blade of grass that
grows up and then is cut down. And people seek after everything
they can get here below. But it's nothing. Fades away. And they cannot take it with
them beyond the grave. They have a soul which will continue
beyond the grave. But what they seek after in this
world is taken away. The wisdom of this world will
tell you to go this way and to go that way. And it will tell
you not to seek God. Not to seek Jesus Christ. Not
to seek the gospel. Not to consider the soul. Not
to consider your state before God. Not to consider the world
and the life to come. It mocks at eternity. It mocks at God. It mocks at
Jesus Christ and it mocks at salvation. It will lead you another
way but it's a way of fools that it leads you. The fool have said
in his heart there is no God. Whether he says it with his lips
or not is another matter. He may with his lips in the presence
of others pretend to believe in God. But in his heart he lives
like there is no God. And he says in his heart there
is no God. That this life is all there is.
Grasp all that you can now. Eat, drink and be merry. For
tomorrow we die. Live for the moment. Live for
the day. Because this is all you've got.
And the fool grasps at all that he can get. And ill health. and sorrow and sickness comes
and takes it away. And in the end, death grabs hold
of his shoulder and pulls him the other side of the grave and
all is gone. And reality comes to stand before
his face. There he stands, the other side
of grave, in the presence of wisdom. In the presence of that
wisdom that he derided in his foolishness. In the presence
of a wisdom unlike any wisdom that he had in this world. And then he knows the difference
between good and evil. Between truth and lies. Between God and man, between
the wisdom above and the wisdom from below, between light and
darkness. Then he discovers the difference
between the walk of the wicked and the walk of the just. Then he discovers, when it's
too late, what Solomon would have him hear below when Solomon
writes, the path of the just is as the shining light, that
shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked
is as darkness. They know not at what they stumble. They know not at what they stumble.
Despite all the wisdom they pretend to have, despite all the knowledge
that the wicked have, despite all the riches and the power
that they may attain to in this world, even if they rise to the
very heights that this world can offer, even if they lead
countries and empires, the wicked stumble in the darkness. For they know not the path of
the just, which is as the shining light. Now in which way do you
walk? Do you walk in that narrow way,
that narrow path of the just, that a few find and discover
and a few are led along? whilst derided by that great
company of the wicked who will surge ahead on their broad way
that leads to destruction. Which path are you on? The path
of the just is as the shining light. The shining light. Now this shining light upon which
they walk, is a picture of the Gospel, and the light of God
that shines through the Gospel, which illuminates their pathway. There is no light in this world,
no true light, no spiritual light, no light of wisdom, but that
which comes from God above. For he is the light of the world. Repeatedly throughout the scripture,
the difference between light and darkness is set before us. The difference between truth
and lies, and good and evil, between God and man, righteousness
and sin. And that difference is illustrated
in the light. The path of the just is as the
shining light. John writes in his Gospel concerning
the entrance of Christ into the world, the Word of God, that
in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and
the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything
made that was made. In Him was life, and the life
was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness,
and the darkness comprehended it not. The darkness comprehended it
not. For those in the darkness, the
wicked stumbled about in the darkness and even though the
light shone, even though the light was there, they couldn't
see it. Because their eyes were blind
and their understanding was darkened. It's not as though the light
wasn't there. It's not as though the light
never shone. They simply didn't see it. 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. That was the true light,
which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was
in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew
him not. When Christ, the light of God,
came into this world, the world that he made, the world that
he sustains, the world knew him not. The wicked in the darkness
stumbled at that which they did not know. They know not at what
they stumble. But this light came into the
world. This light which is Jesus Christ,
the Word of God, the Son of God, came into the darkness of this
world. He walked amongst men. He spake
unto men. He was seen of men. And the darkness
knew him not. They saw a man. They saw a man
from Nazareth. They saw Jesus of Nazareth, the
carpenter's son. They knew who his parents were.
They could see who he was. They heard his words. But they
knew Him not. They knew Him not as the Light
of God. They knew Him not as the Son
of God. And you can know Jesus Christ. You can know about Him. You can
know the historical account regarding Him. You can read all of His
words in the Scriptures. You can say many things about
him. You can read the Gospel accounts
of his crucifixion and his resurrection. You can read what he said of
whom he was and what he said concerning his father from whom
he came and not know him. And not know him. But John who
writes this Gospel wrote as one who saw him with the physical
eye, and touched him with his hands, and heard his voice. But he also heard his voice within. The light of God shone not merely
upon John, but within John. It shone into his heart. It shone within his understanding. He heard the words of Christ,
not as outward words with the outward ear, but he heard them
inwardly with the inward ear. They were words of eternal life
to him. They shone within. And he who
was once wicked, a wicked man, John, a sinner like you and I,
He who was once in the darkness stumbling at what he knew not,
when Christ spake with power unto his soul, he heard. He who was in the grave heard
the voice of the Son of God and lived. The life of God came unto
him. The light of God shone within
his heart. And he who was once dead lived. He who was once blind saw. He who was once in darkness walked
in the light. He who was once a sinner was
made righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ and walked before
God as one of the just who walks in a pathway which is called
the shining light. The path of the just is as the
shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. As well as his gospel, this same
John wrote epistles to the church. He writes in 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 of the word of life. For the life was manifested and
we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal
life, which was with the Father and was manifested unto us. That
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye
also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship
is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things
write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is
the message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you,
that God is light. and in him is no darkness at
all. If we say that we have fellowship
with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin. If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned,
we make Him a liar and the word is not in us. This then is the
message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you, that
God is light. And in him is no darkness at
all. Oh, what John knew. He'd seen
this one called Jesus. He'd handled him. He'd heard
his voice. He beheld him. He knew everything
about him, which could be sensed, seen, heard, felt with the outward
senses. but he'd also seen who he was
inwardly. The life of God had entered into
his soul. The light of God had shone around
and about him and into his heart. And that is his message. He is the light of God and in
him is no darkness at all. He is a shining light. Christ himself, the Son of God,
is the shining light. He is my pathway, John says. The path of the just is as the
shining light. Here in the Gospel, we make known
Christ, the light of God, and everything else is darkness. The way of the wicked is as darkness. They know not at what they stumble,
but there's no darkness in Christ. In which way do you walk? In which path are you journeying? Whose voice do you hear? The voice of the multitudes in
this world that say, go this way. Or the voice of Jesus Christ
who says unto his own, follow me. David knew this light. David knew the difference between
the darkness and the light. The father of Solomon who writes
this book of Proverbs. David, that great type and figure
of Jesus Christ, that King of Israel, that Psalmist who wrote
so much concerning the coming Messiah. David knew by experience
the One who is the Light of God. And David, having lived his life
upon this earth, which was full of sorrow, but also full of the
joy of salvation in Jesus Christ. Full of heartache and trial,
he lost loved ones. He was sought by Saul, who desired
to take his life. He knew many enemies and much
persecution. He knew the hatred of man, because
of his love of God. David, who knew what it was to
rejoice in God his Saviour, and who knew what it was to feel
the hatred of man, and the sorrow of sin, and the guilt and the
turmoil that sin would bring upon him. David, who was taught
much of the wisdom of God and who knew the difference between
light and darkness. On his deathbed wrote the following
words in 2 Samuel 23. Now these be the last words of
David. David the son of Jesse said,
and the man who was raised up on high the anointed of the God
of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of
the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, The rock
of Israel spake to me. He that ruleth over men must
be just, ruling in the fear of God. and he shall be as the light
of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without
clouds, as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining
after rain. Although my house be not so with
God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things and sure, For this is all my salvation and all my
desire, although he make it not to grow. What words from David's
lips. David the son of Jesse, David
that man who God raised up on high, David who was the anointed
of God, of Jacob, anointed to be king over Israel, David, the
sweet psalmist of Israel, could write and say that the spirit
of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue. He knew
when he penned those psalms. He knew when he spoke and wrote
that he was not merely writing down his own experience. but
that the Lord guided his words and the Lord spake by him and
what he wrote was prophetic of Jesus Christ, his salvation. He knew as he wrote that he was
right in concerning that everlasting covenant that God had made with
him. He knew that he was writing concerning
that covenant that God made between Father and Son and Holy Spirit,
that he wrote concerning the coming Son of God, who'd come
as Messiah into this world, who'd come as the light in the darkness,
who'd come as his salvation. That one who'd come in the place
of men, who would come as a sacrifice. and come as the priest who'd
offer the sacrifice, come as a sacrifice for sinners. He knew that he wrote to that
one who'd come and offer himself up before Almighty God in the
place of sinners and offer up his own blood to wash away the
sins of his people. to wash away the darkness within
their souls and the iniquity within and bring in its place
the righteousness of God the life of God the light of God
that brings those sinners out of the darkness and into the
light that takes sinners and makes them to be just because
of what this one, the just one, did in their place. He knew that
as he penned those Psalms, he was writing of a man unlike any
other man. He was writing of his son to
come. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit
thou at my right hand. He was writing concerning what
this son of God would do as a sacrificial saviour of his people, as the
redeemer, as the ransom of their souls, as the one who could stand
as a man, as a divine man. as the Son of God and the Son
of Man in the place of sinners, as a sacrifice equal to men,
but equal to the righteousness of God, as one who could come
and save to the uttermost. He was writing as one who could
speak of an everlasting covenant, a covenant where the Son of God
Purpose to deliver all those for whom He came. All those names that the Father
gave unto Him. All those names laid upon His
heart. All the eternal election of grace. He came for everyone and He bore
the sins of everyone. He died for everyone. He rose
again for everyone. He saved them to the uttermost.
He saved them with an everlasting salvation. He blotted out their
iniquity. He took away the darkness because
he came as a shining light. He knew that he wrote concerning
the God of Israel, the rock of Israel who spake unto him, the
one from whom comes all wisdom, all light, knowledge and righteousness. This God said unto David, that
he that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. David knew as a king and a ruler
over Israel, the wisdom of God, that he must be just. He must
be seen before the people to be without sin. He must rule
in justice and righteousness. And he must walk before God with
the fear of God. A wicked sin cannot rule. A wicked
sin cannot lead the people. He can only lead them unto destruction. But he who will lead the people
to their salvation, he who will lead the people in a way of blessing,
must be a man who's just and upright. Now David knew in himself that
he was not just. He was not upright. He knew what
God would do with him under grace. He knew how God had spoken under
him. He knew how God had led him.
He knew how God had anointed him. He knew what God did with
him as a man, through God's grace and long-suffering. But he knew
also that in himself he was full of iniquity, full of sin. Oh, how David, that great man,
that great king stumbled. He was put to the highest heights,
but he fell to the greatest depths. In Psalm 51 he writes, Have mercy
upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness, according
unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. wash me frually from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have
I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest
be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive
me behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the
hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom purge me with
hyssop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than
snow oh what David knew of his sin has God taught you something
of what he taught David Has He taught you what is in you? Has
He taught you something of how you're conceived and born into
this world, that you're shapen in iniquity? You're a sinner
from the womb, all that you say, think and do by nature is wicked
before God, it's darkness. Has God taught you what you are? Can you say with David, Before
God, I acknowledge my transgressions. My sin is ever before me. Against thee and thee only have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. We do many things
in this world which are wrong. We commit many crimes against
many people. We disobey authority, we disobey
parents, teachers, the law. We harm many people, friends
and foe. But ultimately all that we do,
every lie that we speak, every sin that we conceive, every iniquitous
thought within, all those things that go through our minds that
we hide from everyone else. But we know what we think. We
know what we see. We know what we'd say. We do,
not to men, but unto God. against thee and thee only have
I sinned David knew what he was by nature he knew that by nature
he walked as one who was in darkness he stumbled about they know not
at what they stumble he knew what he was by nature but he
knew that his salvation was in God alone. Behold thou desirous
truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt
make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall
be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter
than snow. David was given a sight of one
who died in his place, one who purged him. one who washed him
with his own blood. He was given a sight of Christ,
the light of God, who made him just. He was given a sight of
the everlasting covenant which God made with him. Though he
was a sinner, though his household was not as he would desire, Though
there was sin in himself and in his home, though he knew what
he should be as a ruler of the people, but he knew he was a
sinner, yet God made with him an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things and sure. Yet God said unto David, despite
everything you've done, I love you, David, you're mine. you're mine and i will wash you
i will cleanse you i will make you to walk before me in wisdom
you're mine unto david the light of the sun arose and shone david's
pathway was as the shining light and david could write of he who
rules over god's people he who is the King of Israel, he could
write that he shall be as the light of the morning when the
sun rises, even a morning without clouds, as the tender grass springing
out of the earth by clear shining after rain. He knew who Christ
was. He beheld by faith Christ rising
forth from the grave, as the sun rises up from the horizon. He saw Christ, his Saviour, rising
up as the light of the morning. He saw the King of kings and
the Lord of lords, and he knew who he was. And it's in him that
he trusted. For this is all my salvation,
he says, and all my desire, to know him who has made with me
an everlasting covenant. Now what do you know of the light
of whom John speaks? What do you know of the light
of the morning of whom David speaks? What do you know of the
path of the just, the shining light of which Solomon speaks? Do you pretend that you've not
heard? Do you bury your head in the
sand and pretend that this message is not there to be seen? Do you
say, what can I do if I'm in darkness and I cannot see the
light? Do you make excuses for your
stumbling about? Well, Paul makes it plain in
Romans 2 that we're without excuse. We're without excuse. God causes
the light to shine in this world every day, whether you see it
or not. That which may be known of God
is manifest in man, for God have showed it unto them. The invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead. so that they are without excuse. Because that when they knew God,
they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools. What wisdom do you follow? and changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God into an image made like the corruptible man
and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own
hearts. They changed the truth of God
into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than
the creator who is blessed forever. Amen. Paul connects the wisdom
and the foolishness of this world with the fact that man is without
excuse because the creation around him speaks under him every day. It speaks under him every day. It sets forth every single day
the difference between light and darkness. Light and darkness. You don't need to go to a church
to have this set before you. You don't need to hear a preacher
to have this set before you. You don't need to read the Bible
to have this set before you. Every day the sun rises. Every
day the sun sets. Every 24 hours there is day and
there is night. There is light and there is darkness. Every day God is saying to this
world, to every soul in this world, the difference between
light and darkness. Every day man is awake and goes
about his business in the day. And every night he falls asleep. And no man or woman in this world
can cheat the natural order of how his body requires sleep and
how he must sleep in the darkness and work in the day. And in these things, God is preaching
the gospel and his truth to every man every day. So he is without
excuse. David himself writes in Psalm
19, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth
his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech
nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone
out throughout all the earth, and their words to the end of
the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle
for the sun, which is as a bridegroom going out of his chamber, and
rejoicing as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is
from the end of the heaven, and His circuit unto the ends of
it, and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. The law
of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the
Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord
are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is
pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are
true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than
gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey in the
honeycomb. Moreover by them is the servant
warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward. Who can
understand his errors? Cleanse thou me. from secret
faults. Keep back thy servant also from
presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over
me. Then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the
great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and
the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord,
my strength and my Redeemer. So writes David. He makes it
very plain that every day there is a speech which goes forth
in this world. There is a message which is sounded
in the creation. Day unto day uttereth speech,
night unto night showeth knowledge. There's no speech or language
where their voice is not heard. Doesn't matter which country
you're from, what culture you're from, which tribe you're from. There's not one tribe in this
world, however hidden and lost. However deep in the Amazon jungle
they may be, they have seen the sunrise. Day after day after
day after day. And they've seen the nightfall.
Night after night after night after night. And these things
tell them that there is a God. They make it plain, the difference
between night and darkness. between life and death for in
the night man sleeps and he can't escape it his body grows tired
he can't go without sleep and that sleep is a picture of death
and it's a reminder to him day after day, 24 hours after 24
hours there's life and there's death at the moment you go to
sleep and you wake up and you're brought back out of sleep. But
there's going to come a day when you go to sleep and you don't
wake up. The day when you wake up in another
place, another world, the other side of the grave. We're without excuse. These things
are a picture of the gospel. And God preaches his gospel through
the creation. in this type and this figure
unto all the earth and every soul upon it so that they're
without excuse, so that you're without excuse. Every day you
see the rising of the sun and you're reminded every morning
that early in the first day of the week Christ the Son of God,
the Son of Righteousness rose with healing in His wings. Christ
rose from the grave, he rose from the darkness of death, he
rose from sleep and he shone forth with his gospel and all
his people rose with him. And every day as the sun rises
up to its greatest height and its greatest heat, you're reminded
of the glory of Christ on high. and yet men shut their eyes and
shut their ears and shut their understanding but the sun's always there it
doesn't matter if it's a fair day when the skies are blue and
the sun shines at its brightest or if it's a day when the storm
clouds gather and the skies are grey and the world is darker
the sun still shines the sun is still there and even
on the darkest day it's still brighter than the night and it
doesn't matter how many clouds there are in your soul or how
much of a barrier there is that your sin places you between places
between you and God Doesn't matter what there is that obscures the
Gospel from sight, the sun is still shining. God is still on
high. Christ is still upon his throne. He still came into this world
as the light in the darkness. He still went to the cross. He
still suffered and died for sinners. He still wrought the fulfilment
of that everlasting covenant, which David was a partaker of. He still rose as David spoke,
the light of the morning, the sun rising. He still went up
into glory with all his people victorious. He still shed his
blood and washed his people clean. And he still sits on high declaring
this message. And every day is a day that you
might hear. Every day this glory shines,
every day this message is preached and it's preached in the light
of the sun in the physical realm. And it's preached in the light
of God in his scriptures, in the wisdom of God that was written
and spoken and written down by the psalmist and by Solomon in
the Proverbs. and by the prophets of God, and
by the apostles, the disciples, all these holy men of God, led
as David was by the Spirit of God, to record what God spake. It's there, written down, for
you to read, for you to hear. The Spirit of the Lord spake
by me, David says, and His word was in my tongue. And it's there to be heard from
every Gospel preacher that God sends forth on high. And if you
ever hear the Gospel preached, if you ever hear these things
declared, you're accountable to them. The Spirit of the Lord
spake by me, says David. His word was in my tongue and
so he is with every preacher that God sends. And if you hear
and shut your ears to it, you're guilty. of your rejection of
the truth as declared by God unto your soul. Will you shut
your ears? Will you shut your eyes? Will
you close your understanding? Will you bury your head in the
sand? Will you dive underneath those storm clouds? Will you
try to conceal yourself? Will you go and hide under the
rocks that God may not see? Yet the sun still shines and
the gospel still preached. And there's a day coming when
you will stand before Almighty God, stand before the Son of
Righteousness Himself, stand before the shining light, and
He will ask you and say unto you, why did you not believe? And when you make your excuses,
He will remind you of what Paul wrote in Romans, that you are
without excuse. The heavens declare the glory
of God. That which may be known of God
is known unto every man. You know there is a God. You know you are created. You
know you are accountable under him. The light of the gospel
is made known even in the creation around you. And we will be judged
according to the light we've received. For some it may just
be through creation, through others they have the scriptures
to read, through others they've heard the gospel. However much
you know, however little you know, you're without excuse.
For the sun shines in its brightness. It is a shining light. A shining
light. When Christ came into this world,
into this world of darkness, He sent forth a prophet, John
the Baptist, before Him to herald His coming, to make way. And John went forth into the
darkness of this world unto Israel and said, repent, turn from your
fallen ways, turn from the way in which you're going, turn unto
God. For the Saviour is coming, the
Saviour is on his way, he's coming. The light is shining. And when
questioned of John, Christ himself said of John, because of how
John heralded his way, that even John was a burning and a shining
light. Not that John was the light,
but even his witness shone light. in a dark world. And ye were
willing for a season to rejoice in his light. The people went
and followed John. But then when the true light
came, many who heard John with the outward ear turned away. An outward profession won't do.
Some understanding of the truth in the bare letter won't do.
Though a burning and shining light may come before you. Though
a great preacher may preach the gospel in power unto you. You
need to hear the words of Jesus Christ himself. You need to hear
him. There was a man named Saul, who
knew of Jesus Christ. He knew of all that he had done.
He'd have heard his words. He heard the preachers whom Christ
sent. He heard Stephen preaching the
gospel and declaring unto the people, Jesus Christ. And he
stood by as he was stoned. He consented unto the death of
Stephen. He hated this Christ. He hated those who followed him.
He hated all that he heard of him. And he went about seeking
to destroy him. You may try to quench this light. You may try to shut the ears
of those who preach of him. You may try to trample the scriptures
and the gospel underfoot. You may turn aside. You may bury
yourself in the things of this world that you may not see. But
Saul did all he could to destroy this life. He did all he could
to persecute this way and God would not have it. For he writes
in Acts 26, whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and
commission from the chief priests to persecute the church there,
to round up the believers of Jesus Christ, to gather them
together, At midday, O King, I saw in the way a light from
heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about
me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen
to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me and saying in
the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against
the pricks. And I said, who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom
thou persecutest. But rise. and stand upon thy
feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make
thee a minister, and a witness both of these things which thou
hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto
thee, delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles
under whom now I send thee. to open their eyes and to turn
them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto
God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among
them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Wherefore,
O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, but
showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout
all the coast of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should
repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. Oh, what Saul, Paul saw. He saw the shining light. He persecuted the gospel, and
then one day, the gospel came under him. He persecuted Jesus
Christ as he put the followers of Christ unto death and one
day Christ appeared under him. He tried to stamp out the light
and then the light shone all around about him. I saw in the
way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shining
round about me. And then that light spake unto
him by name, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And the
light shone within, and the life entered into Saul. I am Jesus,
whom thou persecutest, came the word from the light. And it sent him forth. Christ
sent Saul forth. unto the Gentiles, to open their
eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan
unto God, that they may receive the forgiveness of sins. There's a reason this light shines.
There's a reason this day, today, exists. There's a reason the
sun rose up this morning. And that's because the light
shines. That's because Christ is on high. That's because the Gospel's to
be preached. There's a reason you stand here
this day, because Christ reigns and keeps this world alive, because
He's delivering His people from their sins. There's a reason
you are here this day, that's because Christ, by the power
of His Gospel, is delivering sinners from the darkness and
bringing them into light. Where are you? Where are you? The way of the wicked is as darkness
and they know not at what they stumble. But the path of the
just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto
the perfect day. You may try to hide. You may
try to flee. But this light, on high, shineth
more and more unto the perfect day. As the day of Christ's return
unto this world approaches, this light shines more and more. The gospel is preached. The light
shines forth. Where are you walking?