“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:14).
We are called to be the light of the world. Light always overpowers darkness. God is light. The devil represents the darkness of this world.
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
“To open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18).
Look at Matthew 27:45. “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.”
For three hours there was darkness everywhere while Jesus was hanging on the cross. Matthew 27:46 says, “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,…’My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?'”
When Jesus took our sin upon Himself, God turned His back on Him. Why? Because God cannot look upon sin. That is why we must be light. We must be forgiven. If we walk in darkness, God cannot look upon us.
Darkness represents sin. Satan is the prince of darkness, but God is the light that overpowers darkness. If it’s pitch dark outside and the lights are turned on inside, the light illuminates the room and even goes through the windows to expose darkness outside. Why? Because wherever there’s light, the darkness has to flee. It doesn’t work the other way around. You can never overpower light with darkness.
Think about it. Everyone knows what a flashlight is. But have you ever heard of a “flashdark?” Have you ever seen a device you could carry around during the day and when you would turn it on and point it into a room, it would make the room dark? Of course not! There is no such thing as a “flashdark.” That’s because light always overpowers darkness and where there is light, darkness cannot dispel it. The only way to have darkness is through the absence of light.
Jesus took our sin because we could not come into the presence of God with sin. Light and darkness do not mix. 1 John 1 says:
If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all righteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
(1 John 1:6-8)
Notice in verse 7, the scripture doesn’t say “some of the sin.” It says the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Without the blood we cannot stand before God and say we’re not sinners. We were born into this world as sinners. But, when we accept Jesus, we become a new creature in Christ. Then, 1 John 3:9 applies to us, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin…because He has been born of God.”
If life is in the blood, you will not have spiritual life until the blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin. Then you can stand before the Father and talk to Him because you are without sin.
In the Old Testament, the people had to have an earthly priest in order to talk to God. But in the New Testament, the Word of God says that once we’ve accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can go directly to the Father using the name of Jesus.
If the blood of Jesus hasn’t cleansed us, we cannot approach God and expect to be heard because God cannot look upon sinful man. We must be washed in the blood. If we ignore the blood, we cannot approach God.
Excerpt permission granted by Larry Ollison Ministries
Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.