What did you learn from last week’s sermon, “The Darkness of Unbelief” ?

Q1: Who lives in the “darkness of unbelief,” a believer or an unbeliever?

Q2: What darkens an unbeliever’s heart?

Q3: Does every unbeliever (wittingly or unwittingly) serve the devil?

Q4: What happens to the devil and his followers at the second coming of Christ?

Q5: If you are a believer, when was your name written in The Book of Life?

Q6: Is sin the root of an unbeliever’s problem?

Sermon Summary & Answers

Pastor Wilson started out his sermon on Sunday to recap last week’s sermon – Evangelisms Hope, Scope, and Path. It is all about sharing what Christ did to save the unbelievers in all nations from eternal death, which started with Israel and now the Church. Christ is the LIGHT unto the world (Isaiah 42: 5-6, John 1:1-4) that shines into the darkness of a sinful person. Without believing in Christ, you have no light. You have the “darkness of unbelief.”

To say that someone has the “darkness of unbelief,” says that four things exist…

1. A Common Condition – Romans 3:10 tells us that no one is righteous without Christ, and some have turned away from God. They have no fear of Him (Romans 1:21), which means their foolish hearts are darkened. We have to carry the light into this group of people.
2. A Dark Lord – In John 8:12-45, Jesus tells us that we either serve Him or we serve the devil. So, every unbeliever serves the devil – perhaps unknowingly, but most certainly. We cannot be naive about the power and efforts employed in his schemes. He is the being that can and will give you precisely what you want…especially if it will destroy you. God will and has allowed the devil to interfere with humans for His purposes. Remember Job? God let the devil do all kinds of awful things (sickness, death, mayhem) to him, and this proved Job faithful and stronger. It was a good thing for this believer – it might not be for an unbeliever. Pastor Wilson urges us to take the whole armor of God with us (Ephesians) constantly. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 sums it up nicely…“4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief [second coming of Christ]; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then, let’s not sleep as others do, but let’s be alert and sober.”
3. A Tragic Destiny – Every unbeliever faces the same tragic destiny: eternal judgment and the unending suffering of the wrath of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 warns: “For you yourselves know that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.”
4. A Single Hope – There is one hope for all mankind: that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  Revelation 20:10 tells us that the devil will be thrown into a lake of fire at the second coming of Christ. All those who have lived in the “darkness of unbelief” will accompany him. This will be their second and final death. Then the Book of Life will be opened, and all of the names of the children of light (believers) will be read. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that these names were written before time began. There is only one way to get on this list. You have to face the UNBELIEF and put your trust in Jesus Christ.

How do you speak about the lost – those who live in the “darkness of unbelief?” We have often used the terms “pagan” or “heathen.” We should challenge ourselves to speak about them the way the Bible does. It says they are “living in darkness and trapped in unbelief.” Their sin is not the root of their problem. Unbelief is the root of their problem (Hebrews 3:8-19). So, therefore faithful evangelism’s primary target must be unbelief, not sin. There is only one weapon that combats the “darkness of unbelief”; it is the light of Jesus Christ. Pastor Wilson compassionately pleaded with the congregation to share Christ and what He has done when evangelizing instead of over-emphasizing how the person hasn’t lived up to the law (Ten Commandments).

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Did you find this quiz and sermon summary helpful? Log on to gccbg.com/blog each week for the latest Q&A. Jessica will send the link out in the Midweek church emails. I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Please email me at thepew@gccbg.com.

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Answers:

1. An unbeliever
2. Having no fear of the Lord darkens the heart (also, not thanking Him or glorifying Him)
3. Yes, unfortunately
4. They get thrown into the lake of fire forever
5. Before time began
6. NO! Unbelief is the root of every unbeliever’s problem.