The Power of Darkness

How can I identify the power of darkness?

It isn’t usually the overt, obvious evil that trips us up. That stuff is pretty dark, easy to identify, and clearly to be avoided. The biggest pitfall for Christians is the covert evil that is much harder to see—the strategies that Satan employs in coming, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “As an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). These indirect attacks, small temptations, and subtle influences no less lead us away from God’s path. As such, they are more dangerous to us than we imagine.

In Luke 22:47-53, led by Judas Iscariot, an armed crowd arrived in the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus. While the whole plan to seize him was couched in being a “good” thing, initiated by the religious leaders and motivated by a desire to preserve the Temple and the stability of their lives in Israel, it was the most evil thing ever perpetuated on the earth: the condemnation of the sinless Son of God and the rejection of the Saviour of the world.

As this story unfolded, Jesus had twice told his disciples to pray that they wouldn’t fall into temptation. The account of his arrest provides a template for us to see how “the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53b) operates in the world and in our lives so we can identify it and thus resist any temptation to give in to it.

Sermon Notes

The Gospel of Luke | Pt. 6
The Power of Darkness
Pastor Todd Dugard // Luke 22:47–53
March 31, 2019

How can I identify “the power of darkness” around me?

• Darkness disguises itself as good (v. 47–48)

• Darkness acts impulsively (v. 49–50)

• Darkness explains away the miraculous (v. 51)

• Darkness operates in the shadows (v. 52–53a)

• And in order for the light to shine, darkness must have its day (v. 53b)