LIGHT FOR THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS – Charles Spurgeon

LIGHT FOR THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS

Introduction: The Light to the People of Galilee

“The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people which sat in darkness saw great Light, and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death Light is sprung up.” – Matthew 4:15, 16. Filled with love for the place where He had been raised, our Lord went to Nazareth. There, in the Synagogue, He preached the gladdest of tidings; but alas, the greatest of Prophets and the Lord of Prophets received no honor in His own country. “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” Expelled from the city by violence, the Patient One turned His footsteps another way. Yet, even when justly angry, love guided His footsteps. He must go, for the Nazarenes had proved themselves unworthy, but where shall He go? He will go to the outcasts, to that part of His country most neglected, to the region where the population was mixed and degenerate, called not Galilee of the Jews, but Galilee of the Gentiles. It was far from Jerusalem, where little was known of the worship of the Temple, where error was rampant, and where men’s minds were enveloped in darkness and hearts in the gloom of death.

The loss of Nazareth became the gain of Galilee! Even His judgment upon a place is overruled by His mercy, and even today there are some in this house who have often had Jesus preached to them from their very childhood, but until this hour they have refused obedience to the Gospel’s command. What if He should now turn away from them? I pray He may not have done so already. Yet, in turning away from them, He will deal with others in mercy. As the casting away of the Jews was the salvation of the Gentiles, so the leaving of these privileged ones opens a door of mercy and hope to those who have not before enjoyed such privilege. To those who are unfamiliar with the Gospel, to those who feel unworthy, to those despondent and despairing, the Gospel is sent! As previously, the Lord preached to Zabulon and Nephthalim, and the people who sat in darkness saw a great Light. Even so, He is this day proclaimed among you! From the text, it appears that some are in greater darkness than others, but there is a hope of Light for such souls. That Light is found entirely in Christ, and—joyful news!—this Light has already sprung up around them. They need only to open their eyes to delight in it.

I. Some Souls Are in Greater Darkness Than Others

From the text, it is clear that some souls are in greater darkness than others. Divine sovereignty runs through all of God’s dealings. He does not even distribute the privilege of hearing the Gospel to all alike. Some lands remain untrod by the missionary’s foot, while here, at the corner of our streets, the Gospel is preached. Some people, by the very circumstances of their birth and parentage, have never attended the worship of God, while others, even before they could choose, were carried to places where prayer was likely to be made. God distributes His grace and privileges as He wills.

In the text, those who were most deplorably situated are described as sitting in darkness. “The people which sat in darkness” means, first, ignorance. The Galileans were notoriously ignorant; few teachers of the Law had been among them, and they did not even know the letter of the Law. Today, many still find themselves in a similar state. They may have gone to places of worship their entire lives and yet never heard the true Gospel. In some churches, the Gospel is scarcely preached. Instead, people hear philosophy, ceremonialism, and sacramentarianism, while the blessed truth of salvation through Jesus Christ is kept in the background. How many are there who, even in Christian lands, remain ignorant of the Gospel? They sit in the darkness of ignorance.

The consequence of this ignorance is the darkness of error. Those who do not know the truth of God, since they must have some faith, seek out many inventions. If they are not taught by God, they soon become taught by Satan and fall into his traps. Galilee was notorious for its heresies, but what a mercy it is that God can save even heretics! Those who have embraced false doctrine and added darkness to darkness can still be brought into the glorious Light of Truth! Despite having denied Christ’s deity, doubted the inspiration of Scripture, or fallen into many traps of false teaching, the Divine Shepherd can still seek and save these lost sheep.

As a result of their ignorance and error, these people were wrapped in sorrow and discomfort. Darkness is often a symbol of sorrow. The mind that knows not God knows not the heart’s best rest. There is no solace for grief like the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who are ignorant of it are tossed about upon a stormy sea without an anchor. Glory be to God, for when sorrow brings midnight, His grace can transform it into noon! This darkness of sorrow was also likely accompanied by fear. People fear the unknown, and those in spiritual darkness frequently fall prey to superstitions. But there are also well-founded fears. The sinner who is awakened to the reality of his sin and feels the weight of divine judgment but cannot see the way to forgiveness is in the deepest, most terrifying darkness.

Matthew writes that the people “sat in darkness.” He intentionally alters the wording from Isaiah, where the people are described as “walking in darkness.” To sit in darkness implies inactivity, a sense of hopelessness. Those who sit are not making any effort to move toward the light. They may have tried to find the Light before, but when they did not succeed, they gave up all hope. They may have prayed, but felt as though God would not hear them, and in their despair, they stop praying altogether. They may sit in the darkness, having become indifferent to their condition, resigned to their fate.

This is a sad and wretched state to be in, but it is a very common one. Some souls sit in darkness, waiting for the storm-clouds of God’s wrath to break over them. They live in constant fear of death and judgment. However, what a blessing it is that, this very day, we have the Gospel to preach to them!

The text goes on to say that these people sat “in the region of death.” This implies they live in a place where death reigns. Many people today live in spiritual death. Their surroundings are filled with darkness, despair, and the stench of sin. If they enter a church on Sunday, it is an exception to their usual environment, where oaths, profanity, and sinful behavior are the norm. These souls live in constant spiritual death, and they may feel as though everything around them is prophetic of death. They dread taking any step, fearing that it could lead them into the bottomless pit of hell.

II. For Those Who Are in a Worse Condition Than Others, There Is Hope and Light

To the land of Zabulon and Naphtali, the Gospel came, and evermore, to souls wrapped in gloom, the Gospel has come as a guiding and cheering Light. The Gospel has borne rich fruit among such people. Christ has won great victories among once-barbarous nations, where people were lost in their darkness. The poor Thais, the cannibals of the South Sea Islands, and the once-enslaved Ethiopians are all living testimonies to God’s mercy and grace.

Even in our own city, churches gathered from among the destitute reflect the Master’s glory. The church in Golden Lane, under the guidance of Brother Orsman, has witnessed incredible conversions. Churches in the impoverished districts of St. Giles and Whitechapel have been a testament to God’s saving power. These churches, built from the poorest of the poor, glorify God through the redemption of the most broken souls.

Christ is glorified when He saves the thief, the harlot, and those who have been the scourge of society. Even those who are mentally depressed and despairing have found comfort in Christ. Many of us were once in great darkness, with no hope, yet we have been brought into the Light. We can testify that Christ saves the most hopeless. He has caused His light to shine upon those who once sat in darkness, and He can do the same for you. Be of good courage, for there is hope for you!

Many promises in Scripture are made specifically to those in great darkness. “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) This promise is for you, burdened sinner! “The poor and needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue fails for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Jacob, will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 41:17) Do you not hear the Light in these words? “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him.” (Isaiah 55:7) There is light in these promises.

III. The True Light for a Soul in Darkness Is All in Christ

The best part of the message is that the true Light for a soul in darkness is all in Christ. “The people which sat in darkness saw great Light.” Christ is not just Light, but great Light! He reveals great things, manifests great comforts, saves us from great sin, great wrath, and prepares us for great glory! But this Light must be seen. “The people that sat in darkness saw great Light.” Light is of no use unless it is seen. Faith must grasp the blessings that the Savior brings. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 45:22) We must see Christ with the eyes of faith, and then we have Light.

Christ is the Light of every believing eye, delivering the most troubled soul from its misery. In Him is light, and that Light is the light of men. Jesus is the day-dawn and the morning without clouds. There is Light in Christ’s name—Jesus, a Savior! There is light in His nature—He is both God and man, equal with God and fellow with man. In His divine nature, He has the power to save. In His human nature, He can relate to our suffering and be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.

Christ is not only a Savior, but the Mediator who intercedes for us. He is the sacrifice for our sins, and He is the one who bridges the gap between us and God. His death on the Cross is the greatest light of all, and it is the light that dispels all darkness. Christ’s sacrifice assures us that God can save sinners.

Come, then, and trust in Christ! Cast yourself into His arms, for in Him alone is the Light that will lead you out of darkness. Let Christ be your Savior, your Light, and your Salvation. The Son has risen, and with His light, He will lead you from the shadow of death into the glory of eternal life!

You Need No Other Light Than That of Jesus

You need no other Light than that of Jesus—dream of no other! Give up self, give up self-hope—be in utter despair of anything that you can do! And now, whether you sink or swim, throw yourself into the sea of Christ’s Love—rest in Him, and you shall never perish. Neither shall any pluck you from His hands. “Cast your deadly ‘doing’ down, down at Jesus’ feet; Stand in Him, in Him alone, gloriously complete.”

IV. The Light That Surrounds You

But, lastly, we would say to every poor soul in darkness, you need be in darkness no longer, for LIGHT IS ALL AROUND YOU—it has already “sprung up!” What a mercy of God, my dear despairing hearer, that you are not in Hell! You might have been there; many no worse than you are there, and yet here you are in the land of hope! This day, God does not deal with you according to the Law, but after the Gospel fashion. You are not come to Sinai this morning; no burning mountain is before you, and no tones of thunder peal from it. You have come unto Mount Zion, where the Mediator of the New Covenant speaks peace and pardon! I have no commission to curse you, but I have distinct authority from my Master to bid you come and receive His blessing! On Zion’s top today you have come to the blood of sprinkling; you might have been called to the blood of your own execution! No devils are around you, just an innumerable company of angels who wish you well. See that you refuse not him who speaks!

Remember, dear hearers, that today the Gospel command is sent to you all. You who are most despairing—you are bid to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Prove that,” you say. I prove it thus—He bade His disciples go into the entire world and preach the Gospel to every creature. You are a creature, therefore we preach it to you! And what is the Gospel? Why, just this—“He who believes and is baptized shall be saved. He that believes not shall be damned.” That Gospel, then, comes to you! God commands all men, everywhere, to repent! O what mercy it is that the Light of the Gospel shines around you still! Will you shut your eyes to it? I beseech you, do not!

Moreover, the provisions of the Gospel, which are full of Light and Love, are all around you at this moment. If you will now believe in Christ Jesus, every sin that you have committed shall be forgiven you for His name’s sake. You shall be to God as though you had never sinned; the precious blood shall make you as white as snow!

The Gift of Righteousness

“But that will not suffice,” says one, “for God righteously demands obedience to His Holy Law, and I have not kept His commandments; therefore I am weighed in the balances and found wanting.” You shall have a perfect righteousness in one moment if you believe in Jesus, “even as David also describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness without works.” Happy is the man to whom Jesus Christ is made Wisdom and Righteousness, and He is so to everyone who believes. “There is, therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”

A Transformed Nature

“Ah,” you say, “but I have a bad heart, and an evil nature.” If you believe, your nature is changed already: “A new heart also will I give them, and a right spirit will I put within them.” “They shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them.” He can change you so that you shall scarcely know yourself! You shall be a new creature in Christ Jesus! Old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new! He will take away the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

God’s Faithfulness in Keeping You

“Alas,” you say, “even this is not enough, for I shall never hold on in the ways of righteousness, but shall go back unto perdition.” Hear, O trembler, these gracious words—“I will put My fear in their hearts, and they shall not depart from Me.” And what says our Lord, Himself? He says, “They shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand.” “The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.”

God’s Assurance in Times of Doubt

“But what if I go astray?” asks one. Then He will heal your backslidings, receive you graciously, and love you freely. “He restores my soul.” He will not allow even His wandering sheep to perish, but once again will He put them in the right way.

“Ah, but my soul-poverty is deep, and my needs will be too great.” How can you say this? Is He not the God All-Sufficient? Has the arm of the Lord waxed short? Did He not furnish a table in the wilderness? Is it not written, “My God shall supply all your need?” He shall cause all grace to abound towards you. “Fear not you worm, Jacob, I will help you, says the Lord.”

Facing the Fear of Death

“Ah, but,” says one, “I shall surely be afraid to die, for I am afraid of it even now.” “He who lives and believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” “When you pass through the rivers, I will be with you.” Death is swallowed up in victory; having loved His own which are in the world, He will love them to the end. You shall have such faith in dying moments that you shall say—“O Death, where is your sting? O Grave, where is your victory?”

God’s Invitation to All

“But you cannot mean me,” says one. I mean you who sit in darkness; you who are ignorant, you who are depressed, you who have no good thing of your own, you who cannot help yourselves, you lost ones, you condemned ones, I mean YOU! And this is God’s message to you—“God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” “Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus.” “He who believes on Him is not condemned.”

The Call to the Lost

Oh, come, you guilty ones, for He is ready to forgive you! Come, you filthy ones! The Fountain is ready for your cleansing. Come, you sorrowful ones, since joy is prepared—His oxen and fatlings are killed, for all things are ready—come to the feast of love. But I hear you say, “I must surely do something.” Have done with your doings! Take Christ’s doings!

“Oh, but I do not feel as I should.” Have done with your feelings—Christ’s feelings on the Cross must save you, not your own feelings. “Oh, but I am so vile.” He came to save the vile—

“Come, in all your filthy garments, Tarry not to cleanse or mend! Come, in all your destitution, As you are, and He’ll befriend! By the Tempter’s vain allurements, Be no longer you beguiled— God the Father waits to own you As His dear adopted child!”

The Promise of Salvation for All

“But I have been an adulterer, I have been a thief, I have been a whoremonger, and everything that is bad.” Be it so, yet it is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save SINNERS. All manner of sin and of blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men. It is true that you are far worse than you think you are; you may tell me you are horribly evil, but you have no idea how evil you are. You deserve the hottest place in Hell. But it is to you the mercy is sent! To you, man! To you, woman! To you who have defiled yourself with all manner of unmentionable enormities—even to you!

Thus says the Lord, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and as a cloud, your sins. Return unto Me, and I will have mercy upon you.”

A Gracious Invitation

I cannot say more. I wish I had the power to speak, to say with the tongues of men and of angels, but I have such a blessed message to deliver to you that I feel it needs no fancy words. The message itself is all that is needed if the Spirit blesses it. Oh, do not reject it, I beseech you, you guilty ones! You despairing ones, do not turn from it! Put not away from you the Kingdom lest you prove yourselves unworthy, and bring upon yourselves His wrath unto the uttermost! If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. Receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior, now, on the spot! May God the Holy Spirit lead you to do this, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Portions of Scripture Read Before Sermon: Matthew 4:12-25; 5:1-12.

Charles Spurgeon