LWC SERMON GUIDE
Dawn in a Darkened Age
Scriptures to read and ponder
Main text
Isaiah 60:1–3
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
Other key scriptures from the sermon
Genesis 1:2–3 – God speaks light into chaos and darkness
Romans 13:11–14 – Wake up from slumber; put on the armour of light
Deuteronomy 18:15 – “The Lord your God will raise up (qûm) for you a prophet…”
Matthew 5:14–16 – You are the light of the world; do not hide your light
Sermon Recap
1. Introduction – When the lights go out
Recent Gibraltar power cuts as a picture of our age:
One moment: normal life
Next moment: everything shuts down – shops, lifts, screens, movement
In that sudden darkness:
A tiny candle became the most powerful thing in the room
The candle did not “fix” the power grid
But it pushed back the darkness right where it stood
A single flame “humiliating” a whole room of shadows
Big idea:
Our moment in history feels like a power cut in the soul
God is calling His people to be that “candle” in the room
2. The atmosphere of this age
Rising mental and emotional pressure:
Mental health conditions soaring
Young adults drowning in anxiety
We are the most prosperous and the most medicated generation in history
These are not just “statistics”:
They are sons and daughters
They are the people on your street, in your office, in your row at church
The darkness is not just “out there” in society:
It walked into the room with us
Some marriages are running on fumes behind a smile
Some parents and grandparents are exhausted beyond words
Some are battling anxiety they do not even have language for
Many woke up today thinking:
“God, please say something. Please do something. I am at the end of myself.”
Survival mode has become the new normal:
Functioning but not flourishing
Numb, disoriented, disconnected
3. Darkness and thick darkness
Isaiah 60:2 – “Darkness covers the earth and thick darkness the peoples”
Isaiah is not being dramatic; he is being honest
He gives language to what our souls already know
“See / Behold”:
The prophet calls us to pay attention
He wants us to see and name what is happening in our age
What is “darkness” in Scripture?
Not just “absence of light”
It is the presence of something hostile – an environment contrary to God’s ways
Four dimensions:
Moral confusion
Right and wrong inverted
Good called evil; evil called good
A culture that has lost its moral compass
Spiritual blindness
Cannot perceive God or value truth
Dullness and leanness of soul
Emotional collapse & exhaustion
Fear, anxiety, despair as the norm
Burnout as a lifestyle
Fragmentation
Families unravelling
Communities divided
Nations polarised
“Darkness is the operating system of a fallen world.”
“Covers” – an active, expanding force:
Darkness is on the move
It spreads from mind → home → classroom → office → culture
It escalates from darkness to thick darkness
This is not an ancient museum text:
It is a present-day doctor’s diagnosis
A world more connected than ever, yet more confused than ever:
Information exploding; wisdom evaporating
Endless voices; very little truth
Full schedules; empty souls
Houses full of technology; homes empty of peace
Result:
Chaos in the mind
Chaos in the home
Chaos in the streets
Chaos in the culture
4. “Arise, shine, for your light has come”
God’s pattern:
“God never exposes what He does not intend to heal.”
He does not name darkness so we can sit in despair
He names darkness because He is about to speak a word into it
Creation pattern (Genesis 1:2–3):
The earth: “a soup of nothingness… inky blackness”
Chaos. Emptiness. Deep darkness.
Into that, God speaks: “Let there be light.”
He does not just diagnose; He creates a new reality with His Word
Isaiah 60:1 – “Arise, shine, for your light has come”
Heaven issues a command, not a suggestion
God stands over His people and says: “Enough lying low. Get on your feet.”
5. Three dimensions of “Arise” (qûm)
a) Arise = Wake up
Romans 13:11–14 – “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber”
Many are “asleep” not physically, but spiritually:
Asleep to calling
Asleep to mission
Asleep to the truth God is telling about them
The Spirit asks: “Have you checked the time?”
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here
Time to put aside deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light
b) Arise = Step into your office
Qûm used as commissioning language in the Old Testament
Deuteronomy 18:15 – God will “raise up” (qûm) a prophet
God is not just waking someone up; He is:
Appointing
Installing
Authorising
He raises deliverers, judges, prophets, leaders
Word for the church:
Stop shrinking back from what God has given you
Stop apologising for the mantle on your life
Stop negotiating with the call
Step into your office; stand in your assignment
c) Arise = Advance
Military command – shift from observation to engagement
“Arise, let us go up…”; “Arise, for the Lord has given them into your hand…”
It is the trigger between:
Watching and fighting
Waiting and moving
Meaning:
Stop merely studying the darkness
Challenge it
Push back against it
Take ground
The original hearers did not hear a polite suggestion; they heard a battle order
6. Shine – Make God’s presence visible
“Shine” is not self-generated light:
The brilliance is not ours; it is His
We are not the source; we are the surface
Matthew 5:14–15 – “You are the light of the world”
A city on a hill cannot be hidden
Lamps are not lit to be put under a bowl
They are placed on a stand to give light to everyone in the house
The real issue for many believers:
They are not lacking light; they are hiding the light they already have
We hide it under:
Fear
Shame
Comparison
People-pleasing
Trauma and past hurts
The Spirit’s word: “Take the basket off.”
“Your light has come” – past tense
We do not arise and shine because something needs to happen
We arise and shine because something already happened:
The Cross happened
The Resurrection happened
Pentecost happened
We are not waiting for permission; we already carry the outcome
“The glory of the Lord rises upon you”
Glory: splendour, weight, honour, reputation
God’s excellence rests on us and radiates from us
7. ReframING identity – From survivors of the dark to bearers of the light
Isaiah 60:1–3 reframes who we are:
You may have passed through darkness, but you are not darkness
You may have felt fear, but you are not that fear
You may carry exhaustion, but God says there is a power source you do not yet know
New identity markers:
You are a dawn maker
You are a glory carrier
You are a light bearer in an age of chaos
The glory on you is not a private blessing:
God chose you
God called you
God saved you
God commissioned and sent you
Strategic mandate:
You are not saved to be frozen
You are not meant to leave the world as you found it
You are sons and daughters of the Most High God:
Ordained to rise
Ordained to shine
Ordained to dispel darkness wherever you are
Missional promise:
“Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn”
People are drawn not to our perfection, but to the brightness of God’s glory in us
8. Conclusion – Time to rise and shine
It is time:
To wake up from comfort
To step out of complacency
To rise in holiness
To shine with courage
To stand in authority
To walk into dark places carrying Kingdom light
Call to action:
Arise and shine – your light has already come
Carry that dawn into:
Your family
Your workplace
Your city
Your nation
Your world
Memorable quotes
“A single flame humiliating an entire room of shadows.”
“God never exposes what He does not intend to heal.”
“Darkness is not just the absence of light; it is the operating system of a fallen world.”
“We are watching a world more connected than ever, yet lonliner than ever.”
“God does not name the darkness so you can sink into despair; He names it because He is about to speak a Word into it.”
“Arise is not a suggestion from Heaven; it is an operational command.”
“Stop negotiating with the call. Step into your office.”
“You are not the source of the light; you are the surface on which His glory shines.”
“Many believers are not short of light; they are hiding the light they already have.”
“We do not arise and shine because something needs to happen; we arise and shine because something has already happened – the Cross, the Resurrection, Pentecost.”
“God did not save you to freeze you.”
Questions for discussion
Engaging the text
What words or phrases in Isaiah 60:1–3 stood out to you most strongly today, and why?
How does seeing “your light has come” (past tense) change the way you read this passage?
Which of the three dimensions of “Arise” (wake up, step into your office, advance) feels most relevant to your current season?
Naming the darkness honestly
Where do you see “thick darkness” in our culture – moral confusion, spiritual blindness, emotional exhaustion, fragmentation?
What does “darkness covers the earth” look like on the ground in Gibraltar – in schools, workplaces, families, online spaces?
Are there areas of your life where you have normalised survival mode and stopped expecting change?
From diagnosis to calling
How does the statement “God never exposes what He does not intend to heal” challenge the way you see your own pain, your family’s struggles, or our society?
In what ways might you have been “asleep” to your calling, potential, or mission in Christ? What would “waking up” look like in practical terms this week?
Where might God be asking you to stop “studying the darkness” and start pushing back – at home, at work, at school, in friendships?
Stepping into your office
What “office” or role has God already laid on your shoulders (at home, in church, in your workplace, among your friends)?
Are you currently shrinking back, apologising, or negotiating with that call? What is one concrete step you can take to stand in your assignment?
As a church family, what would it look like for LWC to live as a community that has “arisen” – awake, commissioned, and advancing?
Shining in the dark
What is the “basket” that most often hides your light – fear, shame, comparison, people-pleasing, past trauma?
What might it look like, very practically, to “take the basket off” this week?
Who in your world is currently walking in darkness who might be drawn to “the brightness of your dawn” if you began to shine more openly?
Responding together
What is one area of your life where you sense the Spirit saying, “Enough lying low. Get on your feet.”
As a group, where do you feel LWC is called to carry dawn into Gibraltar in this next season?
Further reading
Scriptures to deepen the message
John 1:1–9 – The true light that gives light to everyone
John 8:12 – Jesus, the light of the world
Ephesians 5:8–14 – Live as children of light; wake up, sleeper
1 Thessalonians 5:4–8 – Sons and daughters of the day, not of the night
Philippians 2:14–16 – Shine like stars in a warped and crooked generation
1 Peter 2:9–10 – A chosen people, called out of darkness into His marvellous light
Colossians 1:12–14 – Rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the Son
Books and resources (for those who want to go further)
Pete Greig – How to Pray (for cultivating a life that is awake and attentive to God in a dark age)
Jon Tyson – Beautiful Resistance (on living a countercultural, shining witness in a compromised world)
John Mark Comer – Live No Lies (on resisting the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil in an age of confusion)
Prayer points
Personal awakening and holiness
Pray that the Holy Spirit would wake you up from spiritual slumber – that you would “understand the present time” and live with urgency and clarity.
Ask God to reveal any areas where you have made peace with darkness (habits, compromises, attitudes) and to give you the courage to put on the armour of light.
Stepping into your office
Ask the Lord to clarify the “office” or assignment He has given you – in family, workplace, church, and city.
Pray for boldness to stop shrinking back or apologising for the call of God on your life, and to stand in your God-given authority.
Courage to advance, not just observe
Pray that you would not be a passive observer of the darkness but an active agent of light – willing to move from watching to engaging.
Ask the Lord to show you one specific situation this week where you are to push back the darkness with prayer, kindness, truth, or prophetic courage.
Freedom from the “basket”
Bring to God the specific “basket” that hides your light – fear, shame, comparison, people-pleasing, or past wounds.
Pray for inner healing and deliverance from those limiting stories, so that the light of Christ in you can shine without hindrance.
LWC as a dawn-making community
Pray that Living Waters Church would truly be a “dawn in a darkened age” in Gibraltar – a community awake, holy, and courageous.
Ask God to pour His glory upon LWC in a way that is visible, tangible, and attractive to those walking in thick darkness.
Pray that “nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” – that people from many backgrounds, stories, and nations would be drawn to Jesus through this church family.
Mission to Gibraltar and beyond
Pray for specific people you know who are currently walking in darkness – by name – that they would encounter the light of Christ through your life and the ministry of LWC.
Ask the Lord to send LWC members out as “dawn makers” into every sphere – government, business, education, healthcare, media, neighbourhoods – carrying the presence and light of the Kingdom.