This is what the Bible teaches: there are actually two kingdoms.

There's the kingdom of darkness which we see in the brokenness in the world. We see it in cancer, death, disease, infidelity, adultery, war. All of these things are a result of the kingdom of darkness. On the other hand, there's the kingdom of light. We see this in close relationship with our friends and family members, in connection, in creation. All of this is because of the kingdom of light. And the main difference between these two kingdoms is their king.

The king of the kingdom of darkness is Satan. And the best word that describes Satan is liar. He lies about everything. And the main lie he tries to get you and I to believe is that we can be our own king. That we rule over all of this. But the issue is if I'm my own king and this is my kingdom, suddenly I now have a responsibility to deal with the brokenness in this world. So how do most people deal with it? Through sex, alcohol and drugs. I try to numb the pain that I feel. I try to avoid it through these things. Another way we see this is through finances. If I make enough money, if I'm rich enough, suddenly I'm above the brokenness. I can buy my way out, right? And the last way we see people deal with the brokenness is religion. If I'm a good moral person, if I do and say the right things, maybe I can earn my way out of this brokenness. And the thing about these things is that they all work for a while, but after some time, they don't work anymore. The guilt and the shame that I'm feeling from my own sin and my own brokenness starts to come flooding back.

Now, the king of the kingdom of light is a very different kind of king. His name is Jesus. And the best word that describes Jesus is perfect love. That's who he is. That's what he emulates. That is his character. His perfect love. And Jesus saw us in the midst of our brokenness, trying to fix our way out with all of these things. And here's what he did. He came down into our broken world. He lived a perfect life and died a death on a cross. Shed his blood on the cross for my brokenness, for your brokenness. And then he rose again three days later to become king over the kingdom of light.

John 8:12 says this. It's Jesus speaking. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. Colossians 1:13 says, "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the son whom he loves." This is Jesus's kingdom and the way that we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. He asks one thing from us. That we take off our crown and surrender it at his feet. That we say, "God, I have tried and I have failed and I no longer want to be the king of my own life. Jesus, would you be the king of my life instead and to follow him for the rest of your life?"

So, we want to close with this question for you: Which kingdom do you see yourself in? Do you see yourself in this kingdom? Have you experienced these things? Or do you see yourself in this kingdom? Do you know that you are holy and fully loved by Jesus? And that this brokenness is now not your identity because of his sacrifice on the cross. If you would like to be a part of this kingdom, we want to walk through that decision with you. If you scroll up to the LEARN MORE/ CONTACT US button, there will be a form you can use to get connected with us at Salt + Light Church. And we want to get to know you. We want to pray for you. We don't want you to do this alone.