Welcome to this podcast featuring well-known Bible teacher Kevin Conner. For more information, visit Kevin Conner dot org. I would like you to turn your bubbles this morning to the proper at Isaiah. Just appreciate the good presence of the Lord here this morning, good spirit of worship, everybody said Amen. Isaiah chapter 50 and I would like to read verses 4 through to the close of the chapter, Isaiah 50 and verse 4 through to verse 11. Isaiah 50 and verse 4 through to 11. The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth my ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God had opened my ear and I was not rebellious, near the turned away back. I gave my back to the smiders and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting. The Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near to justify me, who will contend with me. Let us stand together, who is mine at adversary. Let him come near to me. The whole, the Lord God will help me, who is he that shall condemn me. Though they shall all wax old as a garment, the marks shall eat them up. Who is among you that fear of the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light. Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God. Behold all you that kindle a fire that compass yourselves about with sparks. Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that you have kindled. This shall you have a mine hand. He shall lie down in sorrow. Let the Lord bless this word to our hearts. I want to share with you some thoughts from verse 10, and I'd like to read that again, and we'll just look at the passage that we've read together by way of introduction. Let's notice verse 10, and I want to share some thoughts with you here before I just mention the title I want to hang my remarks on. You'll notice in verse 10 where you sort of have a three-four question really. Who is among you that fear of the Lord? Who is among you that obeyeth the voice of his servant? And who is among you that walketh in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God. So for sake of a title for those who are taking down notes this morning, I want to share some thoughts with you on trusting the Lord in the dark. Trusting the Lord in the dark. Let me read it again. Who is among you that fear of the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, yet even though you're fearing the Lord and obeying the voice of his servant, the Lord Jesus, yet you're walking in darkness and you don't have light? I want to talk about trusting the Lord in the dark. As we look at this chapter, particularly verses 4 through 11, we find that the chance into two sections really. And verses 4 through to 9 is what we would refer to as a messianic section. And I think those of you who know your Bible a little bit and have read it over the years, you'll notice that a lot of the language here in verses 4 through to 9 is particularly messianic language to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. And then in verse 10 and 11, it comes as a word to God's people. So verse 4 through to 9, we have Messiah himself, and we'll pick up some of the main thoughts there. And then in verse 10 through to 11, we have Messiah's people, all the Christians. Christ in verses 4 through to 9 and the Christians or the people of God in verse 10 through to 11. Let's just pick up some of the main thoughts just to sort of lead into what we want to share from verse 10. In verse 4, the first thing we pick up, and you'll notice all these things that I just want to mention very briefly. Prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus Christ himself as the Messiah, as the Lord Jesus Christ. Messianic prophecy because Isaiah is the great evangelist prophet. And in verse 4, the first thing we notice about the Lord Jesus is that the Lord God the Father had given him. He says, you've given me the tongue of the learn, the tongue of the disciples. Other translations bring out that I should know how to speak a word in season and not only know how, but when and what to speak. A word in season that is weary. And so we have a beautiful prophecy here in the Lord Jesus Christ, how he would speak the word, he knew what to speak, he knew when to speak, he knew how to speak. Always had that word in season to people who were weary. Then, in the same verse, the latter part, and verse 5 also, he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth my ear to hear as the learn. So before he spoke, his ear was open, the Lord had opened my ear or dig my ear as a love slave to hear the master's voice. So we have the opening of the ear, and as he says, I was not rebellious, there's no resistance to the Father's word, didn't turn away from it, but there's absolute obedience. In verse 6, we have an allusion to the judgment hall where Jesus Christ received 39 stripes on his back. We gave my back to the smiders, and we think of the 39 stripes that he received on his back in the judgment hall for our healing. Again, in verse 6, the next thing we notice, also in the judgment hall, the mocking of the soldiers. When they mocked him and stripped him of his robe and smote him across the cheek and plucked out his beard. I hear the prophecy says, I gave my back to the smiders and my cheeks to them, the plucked off the hair. Again, in verse 6, the latter part, all alluding to the judgment hall when Jesus was judged for us in Pilate's hall before the actual crucifixion, I hid not my face from shame and spinning, and our human nature, we hated a spirit in our face. Well, you think what the Lord Jesus went through for us? And he says, I hid not my face from shame and spitting. There's no retaliation in him. He took it. The stripes, his beard being plucked out, being smitten across the cheek, and the soldiers saying, prophecy who smote thee, and then the spitting in his face couldn't be anything more revolting. In verse 7, we have an allusion, and this very word is used in the Gospel of Luke. "For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded, therefore have I set my face like a flint." And Luke's Gospel tells us that he said his face as a flint to go to Jerusalem. He knew it was the will of the Father to be crucified, and nothing was going to turn him from the will of the Father, even though it meant crucifixion by the cross. So I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. All right? In verse 8, we have an allusion to the resurrection, this whole subject in itself. He is near the justify of me, and Paul tells his intimacy how God raised Jesus from the dead, and the resurrection was Christ's justification, because he died just for the unjust, and it was not just to put a just man to death. So the only way God could be just, and the justify of him, the believer, than Jesus, was to raise Jesus from the dead. So the resurrection was the justification of Jesus Christ by the Father. So we have an allusion to that. We have an allusion in verse 8 of the adversary. Who is mine adversary? Who will contend with me? Three questions. Who will contend with me? Who is mine adversary? Who is he that you condemn me? All referring to the adversary of the enemy, and how the Lord God would raise him from the dead, and then in verse 9, we have an allusion to the unchangeability, the immutability of the Lord Jesus Christ and the latter part. Lord, they also all shall wax all as a garment. The moths shall eat them up, but he remains forever unchanged and unchanging. So as we look just briefly at verses 4 through the 9, that whole prophecy concerns the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Now immediately after that, we come into verse 10, and as I said, we have this threefold question that I want to share with you this morning. And the new King James puts it out in the threefold question. Who is among you that fears the Lord, the first question? The second question is, who is among you that obeys the voice of his servant, the servant that we've just learned about the Lord Jesus Christ, the servant of Jehovah? And the third question in the new King James says, who is he that walketh in darkness and has no light? So a threefold question, who among you fears the Lord? Who is among you that obeyeth the voice of his servant? And who is among you that walketh in darkness and hath no light? So as I said, what I want to share with you this morning, I want to talk about trusting God in the dark. Now as we study the Scripture, we find that there are actually two kinds of darkness, or two types of darkness referred to in the Scripture, and there's two kinds of light. So I want you just to bear with me, and you'll just have to think, bear with me as I go through this. We want to look at the two kinds of darkness first, but let's look at the first kind of darkness. Now let's turn over to Ephesians chapter 5, because in what I want to share with you this morning, we are looking at what we may refer to as a Christian paradox. Jesus said, "He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." And yet here the Prophet is saying, who is among you that fears the Lord that obeys the voice of his servant? Yet you're walking in darkness and you don't have light. And yet Jesus said, "He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." So as I'm saying, there are two kinds of darkness spoken of in Scripture, and I want you to turn to Ephesians chapter 5 for the first kind of darkness that we're not talking about. Ephesians chapter 5, and let me say the first kind of darkness, I'll explain this as we go through. The first kind of darkness that the Scripture speaks about is the darkness of sin, the darkness of sin. Listen to Ephesians 5 and verse 8. For you are sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord, walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, and had no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reproved them for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light for whatsoever to make manifest is light. Therefore you say at the wake thou that sleepest and have raised from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. You'll notice in verse 8 through to 14, "Keywords, darkness and light, darkness and light." Verse 8, "You are sometimes darkness. You are in the kingdom of darkness. You were children of darkness. We were born into the kingdom of darkness, the darkness of sin." But now through the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the light of the world, now are you light in the Lord. So walk as children of light, not walk as children of darkness. Then in verse 11 he says, "Don't have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reproved them." It's a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. And in verse 13 again, "Whatever is manifest, all things are reproved by the light." We are children of light, we're to walk in light whatsoever to make manifest is light. And the last part of verse 14 arise from the dead which is darkness and death, and Christ shall give thee light. So there's a darkness in Scripture that is referred to or we speak of as the darkness of sin. Darkness of the sinners as well, this kingdom of darkness that we were born into, but now through new birth we're born into the kingdom of light. Now the second kind of darkness is what I want to talk with you about this morning. See we're talking about trusting God in the dark. So the second kind of darkness I want to talk about is this, listen carefully to how I put it. It's the darkness as to our understanding of the purposes and dealings of God. Let me say that again, so first kind of darkness is the darkness of sin, darkness of the kingdom of darkness. No question is to walk in that type of darkness, we had to come out of that darkness. But the darkness I'm talking about this morning is the darkness as to our understanding of the purposes and dealings of God. As I go through and give you some examples this morning, I believe this will come clear to us and we'll see what is the answer to it. So there's a darkness of our understanding as to the purposes and the dealings of God and all Christians experience this. If you haven't cheer up, you're going to experience this. But all Christians periodically experience what I'm sharing about this morning. And I trust it will be a help and encouragement to us this morning. All right, on the other hand, the scripture also shows that there are two kinds of light. And I'd like you to turn over to John's Gospel chapter 8. And I've just quoted the verse, but I'd like you to see it. So two kinds of darkness and two kinds of light. John chapter 8, John chapter 8 and verse 12. John 8 verse 12, then spoke Jesus again under them saying, "I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." How many are glad for that promise this morning? So when we come out of the kingdom of darkness, we're born into the kingdom of light. Jesus Christ is the light of the world and he gives us this tremendous promise on the one hand. "I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." So we say, "Okay, Kevin, I'm coming out of the kingdom of darkness. I'm coming to the kingdom of light. I'm a child of light. Jesus Christ is the light of the world." And he gives tremendous promise, "I am the light of the world. He that follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." So now, are you contradicting what Jesus said? Now, Isaiah says, "Who is among you that fears the Lord, and that obeys the voice of his servant, yet you're walking in darkness, and you haven't got light?" What am I to do? Okay, so this is the first kind of light, the light of salvation. Now, let me define this. So on the areas of darkness, two kinds of darkness, the darkness of the sin of this world, and no Christian is to walk in that type of darkness. Amen? Can you say amen? But we're talking about the darkness of our understanding. We use the expression like, "Do you know about that? No, I'm just in the dark." How many use that expression? Do you know about this? No, I'm just in the dark. He just leaves me in the dark all the time. Well, in the dark when Noah's ark, okay? So we're talking about that, see? So the light of salvation, the darkness of sin is the world. We come out of the darkness of the sin of this world, and we come into the light of salvation in Christ Jesus and walk in the light of life. And we don't have darkness there. The second kind of darkness, as I said, is the darkness as to our understanding of the purposes and dealings of God that all Christians do or will experience at times. So the second aspect of light is this, the light of illumination, okay? The first aspect of light is the light of salvation. The light of salvation in Christ is our light. The second aspect of light I'm talking about is the light of illumination, as to the purposes of God in our lives. So darkness and light. Now as we go through some examples this morning, we find that in the Bible there are many, many of God's people, the saints of God, as well as in modern times who God permitted to walk at times in periods of darkness. And just sort of kept them in the dark as to his purposes. And I really believe saints, and this is what I found to share with us this morning. I really believe that it's important that all of us understand. Thank you, pardon. That's not my stomach from last night. Mark's anniversary. We got the bed one o'clock this morning. So I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. Come out. Oh yeah. Something else. Is it okay? Thank you. I do have weak muscles and I do burp now and then, but that wasn't that. Alright, let's get back to this. So I'm talking about that. It's really important that we understand the principle that I want to share with us this morning because when we do go through times of darkness, and yet we say, well I'm feeling the light, I'm obeying the light, but I'm just in the dark. Why is God allowing this? And if we don't understand God's purposes for allowing us to go through times of being in the dark, then we're going to collapse and say, oh I'll give it up for you on the whole thing. We've got to learn to trust God in the dark saints. Can you say amen? Learn to trust God in the dark. Okay. Let me give you some experiences. It's interesting how maybe you'd like to put this scripture down if you're taking notes. Jeremiah the prophet put it this way. Lamentations chapter three, I'll quote it. Lamentations chapter three, verse two. He hath led me and brought me into darkness, but not into light. Now, Jeremiah feared the Lord if anybody did. Jeremiah was obeying the Lord, and he ends up saying, he hath led me and he's brought me into darkness and not into light. And Job, he says, when I waited for light, darkness. When I waited for light, darkness. When by his light I walked through the darkness. So this times when God allows us all to walk through the darkness and we'll see why. Okay. I want to give you eight examples from the scripture this morning. We'll just look at a verse here and there of those who walked in darkness. And I thought just to help us lay hold of this. I'm just going to put a sort of a simple outline that I'm covering on eight examples of those in the Bible. And you can apply practically to your experience as it's necessary. Eight examples in the Bible are those who went through darkness and had to trust God in the dark. That's what I'm talking about. All right. The first one I want to mention is trusting God in the dark, and this is trusting God in the dark as to direction. The first one I'd like to mention is Abraham, who is the father of all, believe I'd like you to turn over to Hebrews chapter 11. And we won't go through all the verses I have listed here, but at least some of them. Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. And we'll pick up in verse eight. "By faith Abraham, when he was called, to go out into a place which he should have to receive for an inheritance, obey, and he went out not knowing whether he went." Now often I hear people say, "Well, if I say, "Well, we're gone. Well, I don't know. I'm just like Abraham. I'm stepping out in faith." Well, Abraham just didn't step out in faith. How many know that? Let's read what the verse says, "By faith Abraham, Abraham went out not knowing whether he went. By faith Abraham, when he was called." That's the thing. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by a word. So by faith Abraham, when he was called, it just didn't say, "I'm just going to step out in faith. I don't know where I'm gone when I get there. I'll be glad I'm following my father's footsteps. I'm following my dear old dad." You know, there's none of that. "By faith Abraham, when he was called." So he got a word from God. And so God said, "Get out into a place that I'm going to show you that I'm going to give you the land of Canaan for an inheritance." And by faith when he was called, he obeyed, who is among you that fears the law that obeys his voice, yet walks in darkness. Now, as you go through the life of Abraham, and we can just refer to him briefly here, he went out not knowing whether he went. Now, if you went up to Abraham and you were back there and you say, "Hi, Abraham, how you going? Oh, well, where you going? Well, I don't know." Well, that's stupid. You've got to be practical. If it's not practical, I don't want to hear about it. Where you going, Abraham? Well, God just called me. Well, what did he say? He just said, "Get out into a land that I'll show you." What did he show you in the land? No. What did he know where you going? No, I don't know where I'm going. Well, that's brilliant. Now, you see, God didn't say to Abraham now, "He's a map, and I want you to go through here, and I'm going to lay it all out before you." And you know, I think all of us can say I'm into this. When God calls you, he doesn't always give you clear direction for your life, does he? No, he hasn't for me anyway. And if God would just do that, then we wouldn't have to trust him. If we could just say if God could just come to us and say, "Now, I'm going to do this, this, this, and the other, and give you a whole prophecy laying out of hands and props in the whole business, and tell you where you're going to be, what you're going to be doing." So, well, there it all is. But he just had to step out in faith, in obedience to the Word, not knowing whether he went, and just trust God. And many times, in Abraham's experience, he went through the dark. He just didn't know. Yet he feared God, he obeyed the Lord. Yet at times he was just in the dark, and the people had said, "Do you know where you're going? No, I don't know where I'm going." "What are you doing? Just trusting God? Trusting him in the dark." So, all of us, have you got direction for your life? What direction are you going? Where are you going? Okay? How many of you know you're being called of God? Come out of the counties, come out of Babylon to replace the God wants to lead us to. And yet oftentimes, we don't know. We have to trust God in the dark as to the direction. Number two, the same man, he had to trust God in the dark as to obedience. In the same chapter, in verse 17, we're told, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said that in Isaac, shall I see? Well, accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure or two pasts in a take." Now, you think what Abraham must have went through after years of waiting when he's about 99 years of age, or he says that 99 or 100, or he's about 99, somewhere around there, wriggled up like an old prune, they say. And after all these years of hanging onto a promise that in thy seeds, shall all nations be blessed. God gives him a miracle son and only begotten son Isaac. And then as Isaac grows up, he's beloved son. He comes a young man, the word of the word comes to him in a vision that says, "Hey, Abraham, I want you to take your son, your only son whom you love." Well, why did you have to add that? "Take your only beloved son, and I want you to go three days journey into the land of Mariah, and offer him on a particular mount Mariah for a sacrifice as a burnt offering, child sacrifice." What do you think is going to the mind of Father Abraham? Here I feel the Lord here on the brain God, but three days journey. I think as most fathers they haven't only begotten son, which I heard. Mark Andrew, God came to me and said, "Take now thy son, thy only beloved son, Mark. Take him three days journey to Mount Mariah and offer him for a burnt offering. As you're walking up there three days and three nights and little Mark Isaac says, "Father, you got the wood and the fire and the knife, but where's the offering? Where's the land? Ah, son Mark, God himself will provide a lamb. God will provide himself a lamb. God himself will be the lamb. God will provide the lamb. Here, but where is the lamb? Let's go into Abraham. "Father, how do you work this out? Do you promise me an only son?" And you said, "My seed would be as the stars." You said, "Ishmael is not the seed." Why couldn't I offer Ishmael on the altar? Because from him he's going to come to the Arabs and they're going to put up the price of oil. Couldn't I do this, God? I mean, Isaac and you can get lots of Ishmael's running around everywhere, but Isaac, Mark, there's only one of him. Three days going up the mound. And he was as human as we are. Don't sanctify these people. Saint Peter and Saint Paul. You may as well say Saint Kevin. Amen? If you are a saint, we all call to be saints. Right? I've been sanctified and petrified sometimes. So, you know, what's going through the mind of Abraham? Oh, God. Pop him up as a sacrifice. Child sacrifice? Isn't that pretty heathenish? You know, child sacrifice. You know, if God had have just said to Abraham, listen Abraham, I really don't want you to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice. I'm only testing you obedience. I'm only playing with you to see how you respond. Oh, yeah, I can do that if I don't really have to do it. I'm happy to do anything you want me to do if I don't have to do it. I'll allow you. But you see, to come to a place of perfect obedience, and you know what perfect obedience is, perfect obedience is obeying without knowing why. And when I was, I mean, when Mark was a little bit younger now, then I used to ask him to take out the trash can. And he'd say, "Why, Dad? It wasn't my job to explain why. The reason why was because I didn't want to do it, but that was none of his business." But you see, we had questioning obedience. "Why do you want me to obey you?" "Yeah, why?" And we won't die to tell us why we are obeying before we obey him. That is not unconditional obedience. That's questioning obedience. And by faith, Abraham said, "Okay, Lord, I don't understand it. I'm in the dark if I offer this child up." And so as Abraham is going up those three days and three nights journey to Mount Mariah, I believe this is what going through his mind. First of all, the battle of the flesh, "Lord, I fear you. I obey you." And here I just got no light on this. I just am the dark. Why do you really want me to offer him as a sacrifice? A child sacrifice that's evenish? How's all the promise is going to be fulfilled? How's my seed going through Isaac? In Isaac's shell I see because it's going to be the stars from altitude. How's it going to be? And as he learns to trust God in the dark, it starts to come. If I do offer him on the altar as a burn offering, it means that God's going to fulfill his promises. He's going to raise Isaac from the dead. I confess my faith in the resurrection. So when he gets to the top of the Mount, he says to two witnesses. Two witnesses, "You stay, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and we will come again to you." That's faith in the resurrection. But he had to trust God in the dark. What would you have said to Abraham? What would I have said? Trusting God in the dark has to obedience. In the dark has to your family. And this can go. I was going to put down a son, but it can go for a son or a daughter. Can you imagine what happened to the patriot Jacob? When in his old age, God gave him a beloved son by the name of Joseph. And as Joseph grows up, there's a distinctive mantle that falls upon the lad, a prophetic mantle, and he's given all these dreams, glorious dreams. And he tells his father, he tells his brothers about them, and so forth, and the brothers get jealous of him. And so, working up on his brethren and to give a report to his father, how they're looking after the sheep and so forth, all of a sudden, one of the brothers said, "This is the dreamer. Let's kill him." Neuben and Judah, they got together and said, "Well, let's not kill him. Let's sell him. Judah, Jew, Jews, money, monetary system. Let's sell him. Make money out of him." And so, they put him into the pit, they sell him 30 pieces of silver, and they take off his coat of many colors, and they kill an animal and dip it in the blood of the kid of this goat. And I take it back to the father, Jacob, pardon me, and would this be Joseph's coat of many colors that you gave him? Yeah, it is. And just tell by the stitching of it. Wow, it's covered in blood. And Jacob, just about faints. Oh, God. What about all that word? What about all those prophecies? What about all those dreams? And, you know, God let Jacob suffer at least 13 years in the dark. Oh, Jacob loved the Lord in spite of himself. He feared the Lord here by God. But 13 long years at least, when Joseph is down there in Egypt and Jacob's up there, he's got his other leavenbot. And those 11 brothers had to keep that seat. 10 of them had to keep it secret. Guilt conscience, going up years. Don't split the scene. Don't say anything. Don't you guys talk in your sleep? Let the cat out in the bag. Now, God could have sent an evangelist or a prophet or an apostle along to Jacob and says, "I've got to write a knowledge for you." I wish God would do that now, then, don't you? And the Lord shows me, Jacob, that your son Joseph is down in Egypt getting ready for the big famine. So just relax, cool it. Oh, well, I can stand there. But God just left him in the dark. How many think God's nasty? Well, at least I'm honest. Why did God do that? And what was happening in Jacob's life for 13 years? 13 long years. And all his God has a bunch of promises and prophecies. Have to trust God in the dark. Number four, it just naturally follows on. Joseph himself had to trust God in the dark as to his promises. A little pipsqueak of a boy, probably about 17 years of age. Comes up to his brother as one day and says, "Oh, look at all the laying of hands and prophecies I've got, aren't they fantastic?" "Ah, I had a dream." And let me tell you the dream, boys. My Billy beloved brethren, I saw 11 sheaves. And they were all bowing to one chief, actually his mind. It had my face on it. It just stood up and all the... And they interpreted it. They said, "You mean us 11 are going to bow to you?" And the one who gets another dream and he tells his mum and dad about it. "Well, this first dream I had was an earthly dream about a harvest time. 11 sheep, bow to my sheep, but this one is a heavenly dream." I saw the sun and the moon and 11 stars bow down to my star and they began to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Hell. We wonder what you are. And of course the father interprets the dream. But shall I, the son, the son symbolic of the father, more than this than the meats of the year, and the mother, your mother, the moon, the moon is the only heavenly body associated with blood. And you say that delicately because of the mother, associated with blood. And you're 11 stars, 11 brothers. Oh, so in the sun, moon and stars we have the family of heaven. Later on you'll see a woman clove of the sun and the moon and 12 stars. We're going to bow to you. And of course how many know it's great to get a little prophetic word, but you've got to read the P.S., the fine print. P.S., God is out for you. And so God allows Joseph to be sold out by his brethren. Go down into Egypt. Let's turn over to one scripture on this that sort of puts it so beautifully. Psalm 105. What do you think Joseph went to? Joseph was obeying the Lord. Joseph feared God that God allows him to go through the dark. And in the darkness God tests us out. What are we going to do? How are we going to respond? So Psalm 105 puts it this way. And verse 17. Psalm 105 verse 17. He sent a man before them even Joseph who was sold for a servant. Whose feet they hurt with penors he was laid in iron. And the margin says his soul came into iron or the iron came into his soul. Until then until the time that his word came the word of the Lord tested him, tried him. So Joseph what are you doing? Well I can't figure it out. Tell my brothers these dreams. They sell me up for 30 pieces of silver. I get down to Egypt. Then part of his wife she chases me day after day. I get landed into jail. Falsely accused. Could have had my head off. Then I'm in prison there and a butler and a but they have a dream. I get the interpretation of the dream and I gave them a little hint. Remember me when you get back into your position and they just forget me. Years have just been rotten in this prison. Falsely accused. And remember God spoke to me years ago my own experience. He said Kevin I'm going to allow you to go through a bitter experience but don't get bitter. That's a really good point to keep in mind because God allows us all to go through bitter experiences but don't get bitter. And Joseph could have got bitter. Resentment against his brothers and just hate the whole bang lot of them. Who do they think they are? And his whole heart could have just been filled with resentment and bitterness and everything. Where's all these dreams? Everything. But no. Joseph trusted God in the dark for years. Then in due time God brought it to pass. Until the time that his word came the word of God tried him. Now I know many of us here have promises and you look at those promises and think will they ever come to pass? Well trust God in the dark. Five rising out of those two is another man who trusted God in the dark as to rejection by his own brethren. That's the man Moses. Hebrews 11 again in fact it's very interesting how many of these that I'm mentioning this morning all in Hebrews 11 on the faith chapter. Who learned to trust God in the dark. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 24 by faith Moses when he was come to years refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin. And there is pleasure in but they will always remember the latter part than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. That's a long last. The steaming of the approach of Christ greater than the treasures in Egypt we had respect under the recompense of reward. Acts chapter 7 when Stephen is giving his apology as it's referred to he refers to Moses and he said when he was full 40 years old it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel and seeing one of them suffer wrong he defended him and avenged him that was oppressing oppressed and spoke the Egyptian for he supposed. His brethren would have understood how the God by his hand would deliver them but they understood not. Then we find how the next day so who made you a rule in the judge over. You're going to kill me like you did the Egyptian then Moses fled and was a stranger in the land of Median where he began two sons and went 40 years. Do you think of what Moses went through? A proper child? Moses was a proper child. It comes to the great decision. I've got a throne. I can be the son of Pharaoh's daughter and when Pharaoh goes I can take Pharaoh's throne. Maybe if I can take him as throne from the throne of the greatest throne in the kingdom of the world the kingdom that time the Egyptian had. I can make things lighter for all my brethren the Israelites but no that came at time and he's not a little boy at an altar call making a little decision just like that. He's 40 years of age and he made a decision he said no I'm going to suffer affliction with the people of God. So in that great decision to leave the throne of Egypt and to stand with the people of God and willing to suffer affliction with the people of God he leaves the throne. But what happens is he's out there one day he sees a Egyptian fighting with an Israelite and lashing an Israelite so he just zaps the Egyptian buries him in the sand leaves his feet sticking out. Next day he sees two Israelites fighting two brothers so he said well I'm the great reconciler so he says okay boys you're brethren don't go doing this. And the other guy says listen you're Moses I didn't think you are. Pipsqueak you're going to kill me like you did the Egyptian yesterday bury him in the sand leave his hips stick him out. And Moses got out of death and ran for his life out to the backside of the dead and he stuck there for 40 years 80 years old now he is when the burning bush experienced but 40 years what do you think he went through in 40 years. Oh great great I give up a throne I give up being the son of Pharaoh's daughter I give up a throne I give up a court or a wisdom in Egypt I give up this whole business to go and help my brethren who fight in and out and suffer affliction with them and they reject me I thought they'd understand that I was their deliverer 40 years. What happened in his heart. I don't understand it. I'm just in the dark. Moses feared God Moses is about the Lord but he was just in the dark. How many know that Moses had to trust God in the dark. Number six this is a tough one and the thing is since I believe each of these things that I'm showing with this morning that there are some people in the dark in each of these areas or one of these areas maybe more than one. This is a tough one. In the dark as to physical suffering I haven't got time to turn the scripture. We think of Job and chapter one and two of Job shows how the scene begins virtually in heaven. We have God's testimony about Job on earth he is an upright man one that feared God astute evil and offered sacrifice as a priest in his family. Every day for his sons in case they'd sinned then the scene switches from earth to heaven and we have only meeting when all the hosts of heaven are gathered there and all of a sudden Satan the adversary appears amongst them and God says to say what do you come from? He said oh I just walk up and down on the earth thank God he can only walk not run and he's not omnipresent. So he says I walk up and down on the earth and God says if you see my servant Job and Satan just began hurled accusations at God said yeah Job is just serving you for what he can get out of you. Most Christians are just Christians for what they can get out of God but smite them let me smite him and he'll give up being a Christian or give up serving you. And God says okay I'll let you touch him I'll let you touch all these positions. So bit by bit the camel is the sheep his sons and daughters right through everything was destroyed and one after another what does Job do and I hear lots of people often preach about Job and they say oh Job the thing that I feared came upon me and the reason Job was zapped was because he feared the thing. I don't believe that I'll be frightened of getting rich all my life and it's never happened like the guy who wrote Think and Grow Rich he got back from a demon spirit Napoleon Hill and what blows me away is how many Christians swallowed the book and they're still thinking about the only one who thought and grew rich out was the guy who wrote the book because all the dumb Christian bought his book. So God says Satan comes back for the next meeting I've only touched his property you can always buy more camels. Get your car stolen you always get another car you can't get another wife that's what I said when my car was stolen last year and Job phoned me up about it. I told Carolyn I said well don't worry darling I'll always get another car I can't get another one of you. But touch his body now touch his flesh and he'll curse you to your face and God said okay I'm going to give you permission to touch his flesh but don't take his life so far no further. So Satan goes forth from the presence of the Lord and smites Job physically with boils out of him tight as whatever a lot of them call it. Here he gets out on the ash heap and he's scraping all the pus, well how vivid do you want me to describe it, scrape it all then he gets comforters. Marvellous comforters and all of them have a different philosophy why he's not here why is sick. Well after I read the book of Job I say who wants enemies when you got friends like that. So there he is and then his wife comes on and buy if my wife said to me some of these things that Mrs. Job said to Mr. Job I'll be out of a job. Why don't you curse God and die. Now God didn't come to Job and say now listen here Job I'm going to tell you what I want to do to you. And if I tell you what I'm going to do to you and sort of for warn you before I'm going to let the devil at you and he's going to take your camels and your sheep and your sons and daughters and you're going to smite you with balls and I'm going to do all this. And all I'm doing before is just for the sheer fun of it to test you out and let the devil know that you're not so bad after all. And God didn't tell you that he left him in the dark. I could name people here I won't do a trusting God in the dark physically. Oh why aren't we here why don't some get here and why doesn't others explain it. Some have to trust God in the dark. One more two more on my three in the dark as to deliverance I'd like you to go to Daniel chapter three. We're looking at this in our Daniel class. In the dark as to deliverance Daniel chapter three. Here we have the account of the three Hebrew men not three Hebrew children they were about 40 years of age and they're just having a bit of a rock festival here. And the rock music is started and everybody's bowing and worshipping old name's image. The three young men Shadrach and Abednego. Think about Mumford says you're shacking off we go. Shadrach and Abednego said oh Nebuchadnezzar verse 16 I'm reading. We are not careful to answer the in this matter we don't have to pray about it think about it. It would be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fire with furnace. And he will deliver us out of that hand of King but if not. Hey see they could have said God if you deliver us we want out of the image. God didn't tell him they didn't even know it was no you said I'd only believe only believe only believe just turn your faithless. They didn't know God's will they didn't know whether God would deliver them or not. They just said our God is able to deliver us he will deliver us but if not. And saints we have to allow for that but if not. How many believe God is over the hill? How many believe God will heal? But save he doesn't. Are you still going to trust him in the dark? Am I still going to trust him in the dark? Can you say amen? That's it regardless. If you get God in the corner say God you do it or else otherwise I'm not going to be a Christian. I'm not going to pray for the sick I'm not going to preach the gospel I'm not going to do anything unless you do it. No God's I will save and heal and deliver and do the whole lot and he will but if not. I'm still going to trust him. I'm not going to bow. And there we can there's this image. The spirit of this world and the rock festival spirit. And of course we wouldn't be complete unless we went to Jesus himself. He says to his life walk I am the light of the world he that followed me shall not walk in darkness. And when he goes to Calvary which is what that chapter is about. Spitting shame talking up his beard. Locking him. Goes through it all. Six hours on the cross. Three hours in the light of man the sunlight. When three hours he and Jews the mocking and one of the cruelest things that must have been that Jesus must have suffered was you know when they would sort of thought the very things into his face. Let me quote from Matthew twenty seven that quoting Jesus they said Jesus was quoting the Psalm twenty two. And that actually Psalm twenty two was sort of actually quoted either by the centurion the watches or by Jesus himself. And starts up in Psalm twenty two Matthew twenty six while I'm talking Matthew twenty seven while I'm talking. The Psalm twenty two starts off my God my God why has thou forsaken me so Jesus starts to pray the Psalm and as the Psalm goes through they end up quoting some of the Psalm back to him and is found in Matthew twenty seven verse forty one. Matthew twenty seven verse forty one likewise also the chief priest mocking him with the scribes and elders said he saved others himself he cannot save saying something to know he could have saved himself. But if he had have saved himself he would never save others. If he had have saved himself we would never be saved. And you know there's a divine cross principle there that if we save ourselves we'll never save others. He saved others himself he cannot say if he be the king of Israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. We won't believe all the miracles and everything we've seen and signs and wonders we won't believe that but he will just come down off the cross we'll believe. And listen to as they quote now more of Psalm twenty two that he's quoting he trusted in God. Let him deliver him now if he will have him because he said on the Son of God and the thieves also which were crucified with him cast the same in their teeth and the gospels trusted in God let him deliver him if he delight in him. So what do you think happened after God pulled the blind over the sun the natural sun when the sun the light of the world went into darkness and Jesus the sun of God as you went and as so in the light of the world went into darkness. Three hours suffering the humiliation of men and being jeered out and mocked in the crucifying agony and then he goes into three hours darkness when God pulled the sun the blind over the S.U.N. as something happened to the S.O.N. in the dark. And just go through the messianic Psalms but Jesus went through three hours of darkness and I believe what happened in that darkness is too sacred for any of us to handle. When he was made sin for us when he said on the light of the world he that follows me will never walk in darkness yet the light of the world goes into darkness. When he says on the resurrection life he will believe for me will never die now he's going to die. When he says you follow me you'll never hunger you'll never thirst and yet he says I thirst. When he said my father is with me I'm not alone yet he says my God why have you forsaken me. You know can we explain that how many know that Jesus himself had to trust God in the dark and the resurrection was God's answer to him trusting him in the dark. Let me just give you a few scriptures on trusting as we bring our message to a close. Psalm 139 we won't even turn to them. Psalm 139 verse 11 to 12 the darkness and light are both alike to thee. It doesn't matter whether you're in the dark or the light God sees in everything. Amen. Isaiah 42 verse 16 I will make darkness light before thee. Isaiah 42 verse 16 I will make darkness light before thee. Isaiah 45 verse 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness. How can you find the treasures of darkness if you don't allow the Lord to let you go to it now and then. Micah that's Isaiah 45 3 the treasures of darkness Micah 7 and verses 8 and 9 Micah 7 verse 8 and 9. We just rejoice not against me oh my enemy. When I fall I shall arise though I sit in the darkness the Lord will be alight unto me hallelujah. Let me give you two or three scriptures on trusting. And to thee oh Lord do I lift up my soul oh my God I trust in thee. Psalm 25 verse 1 and 2 Isaiah 62 verse 8 I'm sorry Psalm 62 and verse 8. Trust in the Lord with all your heart trust in the Lord. We're living in an age of distrust but it's wonderful to be able to have someone you can trust. A man trust trust in the Lord. Proverbs chapter 3 in verse 5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. Let me finish from our text. Who is among you that fears the Lord? How many here this morning fear the Lord? A man good healthy fear. Who is among you that obeys the voice of his servant? That's the Lord Jesus Christ the servant Jehovah. Who is obeying his voice? A man less hands on this one. Who feels they're walking in darkness and you don't have light hands up? You know what the answer is? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and lean upon his God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your understanding. As we learn to trust him in the dark lean upon him and say Lord I trust where I don't understand. To learn more about Kevin Connor's own story be sure to get a copy of his autobiography entitled This Is My Story. Visit KevinConnor.org for more information. [BLANK_AUDIO]
