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“Lesson 03 - How Darkness Attracts Us”
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Introduction
On January 3, 2011, a reporter with the Columbus Dispatch recorded an interview with Ted Williams, a down-on-his-luck radio commentator who had become homeless after losing his job due to drug and alcohol abuse. The interview was posted on YouTube and quickly went viral. Just three days later, January 6, 2011, the country was riveted with Ted’s story and his “golden voice.” Williams was quickly offered employment with the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball franchise and flown to New York, appearing on NBC’s Today show doing the voice-over intro as the show came on the air. His quick rise to fame was incredible. Imagine your week week starting off homeless, living on the cold and snowy streets of Columbus, and ending the week with a stay inside a posh New York hotel - conducting media interviews and doing advertising spots for nationally known companies. Hollywood called and by the weekend Williams found himself out on the west coast. By January 12, in an interview with Dr. Phil, Williams admitted to drinking heavily during his rocket ride to fame and voluntarily checked into rehab. Twelve days later he checked himself out and by the middle of the year, found himself back in a rehab again - after falling prey to narcotics abuse.
Williams’ story is one of great tragedy and also one of great hope. His substance abuse has cost him everything. He has lost his marriage, his relationship with his children and with his mother. He has wasted an unbelievable amount of money and lost his career numerous times. Blessed with tremendous opportunities, why does Williams keep throwing it away? How does he seem to lose battle after battle? What is so attractive about the darkness that he makes the decision to run back into it, time after time? His struggle - is the same one we face - with different issues and without national media attention and 24/7 internet exposure.
What is it about our attraction with darkness? Especially, after coming out of it into God’s marvelous light. Imagine being lost inside an abandoned mine. As you desperately try to find your way out, wandering around in the darkness you actually go down deeper. Every tunnel leads to a dead end, or to another tunnel. Frustration sets in as you have no idea of which way to go. Your eyes are wide open, but all you see is black darkness. You are cold, damp, and dirty. There is no place to rest. Then, after a week you catch a faint glimpse of light and with every ounce of remaining energy, you make your way to the light and find yourself outside. The light is bright, so bright in fact that it hurts your eyes. You begin to wonder, am I really better off? Then the mind wanders back to a few things inside the mine that gave temporary enjoyment by distracting you from where you were. And, you make the decision to go back down into the mine and live. This story is repeated countless times everyday - in a much more serious way. As people see the light of the gospel and spiritual life, and then go back to the old way of darkness and death.1
In our two previous lessons, we have attempted to define spiritual darkness. We have seen how it represents the absence of God and His truth. It also stands for the activity of Satan and those in the demonic realm who make war with everything that is pure, just, and holy. In our world, their battleground is inside the hearts and minds of men and women. Spiritual darkness is not passive. It creeps, skulks, and slinks behind looking for a way to exploit the passions of our flesh, moving us to carry out the desires of the body and mind, Ephesians 2.3. While darkness creeps, we also have a tendency to gravitate toward it as well.
We are caught inside a metaphorical vice, wedged between two great forces that intend to squeeze us into submission and make us their master. As Satan advances on one side, on the other side we contend with our human will and the flesh. While it may feel as if victory is impossible, God promises to equip us with all the tools we need to engage the enemy in every spiritual battle we face. And as we wield every punch, deity stands with us, fighting along side us - guaranteeing us victory. I will never leave you or forsake you, Hebrews 13.5. Defeat is only an option when we choose to stand down and allow Satan to have his way. Unfortunately, most of the time, all Satan has to do is walk right in the door we’ve left unlocked and wide open, due to the desire of our eyes and flesh, and the pride of life, 1 John 2.16.
What causes us to leave the door open where Satan comes in, at worst without any opposition, or at best, with weak resistance? Why do we find ourselves so easily squeezed and crushed by Satan and his forces of darkness? In today’s lesson we will take an in-depth look at three ways darkness attracts.
Satan Cloaks Bondage Inside the Promise of Freedom
After a decade or more of marriage, what makes a husband or wife wake up one morning and decide that it’s time to go? What moves them to determine that they just don’t love their spouse anymore and that they no longer want to be married? What could cause them to betray the one they once promised to love and cherish forever and willfully step outside of the marriage to find fulfillment? What could cause a father or mother to brazenly crush their children into a million emotional pieces as they break up a marriage? As the fighting intensifies, the children cry, and the family crumbles, Satan smiles. This awful scene replays itself every day in today’s society. And while we are not often surprised to see it happen inside families void of a relationship with Christ, it also happens with regular occurrence inside Christian households. Never say never. It could happen to you, if you allow Satan to wrap up his shackles and chains inside a custom wrapped, shiny package of “freedom.”
From the very beginning, Satan has used his cunning and deceptive practices to make God’s way appear restrictive, antiquated, prude, and binding. Think of how he got to Eve that day inside the garden. Eve clearly knew God’s expectations regarding the eating of the fruit from the tree of life. She did not wake up that morning expecting to disobey God. But, Satan knew exactly how to set his trap. He promised freedom. He deceived her into thinking the blessings of her present situation were undesirable and that there was something far better on the other side. Notice how Satan worked: You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil, Genesis 3.4-5. We can easily see how he made it sound as if God was hiding something that she deserved and that life would be so much better once she took what was rightfully hers. Once he convinced her that she would be more fulfilled and experience unbridled freedom apart from the constriction of God’s rules, it was all but over. She was clearly in his trap. But, she had yet to follow through. What pushed her over the edge? What made her pull the fruit off the tree and eat?
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate, Genesis 3.6. You can almost see the vice closing in on Eve. Already convinced that she deserved freedom, now the problem of the fleshly desire kicked in. She quickly rationalized that the fruit could be eaten, and that it looked really good. The physical desire of the flesh, coupled with a powerful lie, proved to be a lethal combination. She and her husband were crushed by Satan. Instead of a life of peace, freedom and bliss, they were separated from God and spent the rest of their days moving closer to their death, Genesis 3.16-24. Never underestimate the power of the flesh and the power of our own self will when coupled with Satan’s lies.
The great tragedy is that it is only after sin has occured and one is trapped, that the true bondage and confinement begins. What looked so great on the front end could not have turned out worse. Satan’s tactics have never changed. The process that worked so effectively with Eve plays itself out day after day in the lives of countless people.
Those in Darkness Applaud Evil
In writing about the former life of Christians Paul says, we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind, Ephesians 2.3. It is hard to think about, but in essence we were once pawns of Satan. He intent was to use us to further his purposes by making the lives of those around us more evil.
Now that we are in Christ, Satan tempts us to come back under the shroud of his darkness through the hearty approval of those who are already trapped by him. Those inside the demonic world and those controlled by their power on earth cheer us on as we take backward steps - away from God and His light. Satan is not neutral. His ways are always negative. He constantly looks for a way to use darkness to make our spiritual lives unstable. In fact, we need to understand that darkness is militant. It never ceases to provide or encourage opportunities for more sin and depravity.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord,” Ephesians 5.6–10. What Paul says in verse 6 is especially important. Let no one deceive you with empty words. Those already in darkness work to convince us that sin is not ugly, or dirty and repulsive. Think of how every effort is made to avoid the word sin altogether. Satan has perfected the process in our culture by exploitation of the media. Sin is made to appear attractive, hip, and cool. For example, the cultural mantra continually trumpets that sex is natural, everyone has needs, these are just innocent pleasures and personal weaknesses. Think of how those in darkness promote homosexuality, abortion, destruction of the family, and the lack of personal responsibility. Every day we are bombarded with deceitful and vain words that are intended to manipulate godly people into surrender. Those who walk in the light need to recognize these things for what they are. The words aimed at us are empty. While they may sound smart and sophisticated, they ring with the sound of hollowness. They are words void of understanding and are untruth.
This is why Christians are warned about the company they keep. Because darkness is militant, we need to guard against being deceived, bad company ruins good morals, 1 Corinthians 15.33. While we endeavor to be light inside a dark world, we need to draw clear lines of demarcation. Those who live on the slippery slope will eventually fall. Those who live right on the edge will eventually be pulled over to the other side. Who are your primary associates? What media do you consume? “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things,” Philippians 4.8.
Those Who Choose Darkness Hate the Light
In both testaments, we read of the active opposition to and persecution of those who walk in God’s way. Those who choose darkness hate the light. And by doing so, they have chosen their own condemnation. Jesus said, And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God,” John 3.19–21. For those who love sin and desire to hide in it, darkness is a desirable thing. They despise the openness of light. They have completely given their heart over to Satan.
As we examine this principle, we begin to better understand the motives and methods of the Pharisees’ persecution and murder of Jesus. There are two groups of people who are unaware of the presence of light. Those who are blind and those who close their eyes so tightly - they refuse to see. The Pharisees are in the latter group because they rejected Jesus’ light. Once they consciously made the decision to close their eyes, there was no limit to how far they would go to eliminate Jesus. Notice Jesus’ statement to the Pharisees: You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies, John 8.44. Those who have teamed with Satan are fully committed to carrying out his purposes. As time progressed, the methods and decisions of the Pharisees and Sadducees became more brazen - ultimately achieving their intended result - murder.
The same thing happens today. Those who have committed to Satan and his darkness will stop at nothing to try to eliminate any reference to the light. Think of the war on Christianity that is presently taking place inside our country. Any reference to God is met with hostility and must be removed at all costs. What was once obscure and done behind the scenes, now is right out in the open as the elements of darkness boldly operate inside our society. This is not unprecedented. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble,” Proverbs 4.16-19.
This is why darkness should scare us. No matter how we get there, the longer we stay the more comfortable it becomes. Darkness has a way of hardening our heart. “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the the deceitfulness of sin,” Hebrews 3.13.
Conclusion
Now almost one year removed from his sudden burst into fame, Ted Williams has drifted back into media obscurity. He was last seen at one of the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York and works out of his home in Dublin, Ohio - as a voice-over artist for a New England based cable network. While he works hard to overcome them, the demons of the past will continue to haunt him - working overtime to get him to surrender to his addiction.
His story is like ours. Like Ted Williams, we fight back the darkness and battle the weakness of the flesh. While we don’t know Ted’s spiritual condition, we do know that the New Testament Christian is not alone in this epic struggle. Through the presence of the Spirit, we can win. We are not alone. Our God is with us all the way. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 8.35–39.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What is the only way we can suffer spiritual defeat?
2. What is so tempting about Satan’s promise of “freedom”?
3. Describe how Satan laid the trap to ensnare Eve.
4. How did the flesh play a role in leading to Eve’s sin?
5. What are some examples of “empty words” we hear inside today’s culture?
6. How can we guard our self against “empty words?”
7. Why do those who choose darkness hate the light?
8. What should scare us most about darkness?
9. Is there any hope for the hard hearted?
10. What can we learn about our own struggles from Ted Williams?
1 4 MacArthur, J. (1986). Ephesians: MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Publishers.
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