Have you ever noticed how easy it is for us to grow weary of, if not immune to the abundance of ‘warnings’ that we tend to be inundated with these days? I think one reason we see so many warning labels every time we purchase something, be it tools, toys, or food items...is because companies who make and sell these items have to protect themselves from frivolous lawsuits, being the litigious society we have come to be. “Don’t eat these Tide-pods!”. And do we really need to be forewarned that when you buy ‘hot’ coffee from McDonalds...(or anywhere else for that matter)...that the water in the coffee is going to be....hot? But here we are.

I also suspect that when the pandemic struck six years ago, that might have been ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’, as we like to say, when it comes to being ‘done with all the warnings’; ‘masks, vaccines, and social distancing, anyone? (too soon?)

I only bring this up because if you are a student of, or even a regular/casual reader of the Bible...you come across plenty of verses in there that are clearly ‘warnings’ to whoever has ‘ears to hear’. I also suspect that we tend to confuse the meaning of the words ‘warning’ and ‘threat’. I’ve brought this up before - God did not send Jesus into the world to ‘threaten’ us, nor to condemn us...but to ‘save’ us (John 3:17)...and He certainly was offering up warnings everywhere He taught and preached. I find myself being often reminded of the passage in Luke 13:1-5, for example... on a regular basis.

But the warning I am drawn to of late is found in John 12:35-36. Would you take a moment and go read, maybe even mark that passage in your Bible, please? There is much to unpack here, so I hope you are taking notes.

Jesus begins with admonishing those who are with Him to “walk while you have the light...while the light is with you....”(35). Just a few chapters earlier, we read where Jesus announced that He, Himself... was the ‘light of the world’ and that anyone who ‘follows Him shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life’ (John 8:12). Please note that He did not say those who ‘believe’ in Him or ‘profess to know Him’ or have ‘accepted Him as personal Savior’...would have the light of life and not walk in darkness; He said those who ‘follow’ Him. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself if you have an ‘active’ faith ...or is it just ‘passive’? There is a difference, I hope you realize – (Matt. 7:21; Titus 1:16; James 2:17).

Can you identify the clear warning Jesus offers up there in John 12:35, followed by a statement of fact? “...lest darkness overtakes you...” is the warning, and the statement of fact is: “he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going”. You might also jot down Prov. 14:12 as well.

So what do you think it means for ‘darkness to overtake’...someone? Give that a minute, or two.

If you are a true ‘born-again’ child of God...is that even possible, for darkness to ‘overtake’ us? I’m thinking the answer to that is ‘yes’, otherwise, why would Jesus warn us to continue ‘walking in the light...lest the darkness overtake us’?

Here’s another question for you to chew on- can ‘brethren’...be deceived? I’m thinking ‘yes’ to that also, because James specifically warns ‘brethren to be not deceived’ in James 1:16. Paul also issues a warning to the brethren of the same thing in Ephesians 5:6.

Now I realize that many people have been taught that “no one can snatch you from the Father’s hand”, and that you will ‘never perish’ (John 10:28). But let’s not forget to whom Jesus was referring to there in vs. 27, as it was ‘His sheep...who hear His voice...and they follow... Him’. (And what did Jesus say happens to those who fail to ‘repent’, in Luke 13:3,5?) I’ll give you a moment with that one as well.

If you are actively following Jesus, and doing whatever He tells you to do, you have no reason to fear of being ‘snatched’ or ‘overtaken by the darkness’. (John 2:5; Acts 3:22-23; Luke 6:46; Ps. 91). But if you are not truly abiding in Him, as in ‘actively following’ Him, you have every reason to be ‘concerned’; and that is not a ‘threat’!

So I want to delve in to these two specific words- ‘overtake’ and ‘darkness’. What was Jesus trying to convey to us when He issued this warning? Let’s look at that word ‘overtake’, first. It comes from the Greek word [katalabe] , and it means ‘ to take eagerly; i.e. seize, possess’ (from Strong’s Concordance).

After Jesus healed that lame man in John 5:1-9, He saw him a bit later in the temple and acknowledged that he was ‘made well’ indeed. Then Jesus tells this man to ‘go and sin no more, or something worse might happen to you’ (5:14). Was that a ‘threat’ or a ‘warning’? And what do we learn from the lesson Jesus gave us in Matt. 12:43-45, about a man whom had an ‘unclean spirit’ removed from him; but that unclean spirit came back, and brought with him seven other spirits more wicked than him, and they entered him’. What was the condition of that man in the end?

And just for some quick ‘extra credit’ for those who can’t get enough of this- take a look at Deut. 28:45. What was God’s ‘warning’ to His people back then if they failed to ‘keep His commandments’, as He listed all these ‘curses’. What did he say these ‘curses’ might do? Does your Bible say they would ‘pursue and ‘overtake’ them until they are destroyed’? Friends... when did God change? (Mal. 3:6)

Which now leads us to that other word of interest which Jesus mentioned. What did He say it was that would/could overtake us in John 12:35? What do you think He was referring to with that use of the word ...’darkness’? Who or what...is this ‘darkness’ that Jesus speaks of? You don’t want to miss tomorrow’s lesson. I hope you will join me.