Be The Light, By Living The Life! Series

The Miracles and the Ministry of the Messiah in the Book of Mark

Week 6: ‘Be the Light By Living the Life’

Mark 4:21-25

Crossroads Community Church

Rev. Ricky A. Rohrig Sr., Founding Pastor

April 19, 2015

I want to share a brief illustration, I remember when I lived at home with my parents it was night time and obviously very dark and I stumbled into the kitchen to get something to drink. I grabbed a pink mug out of the cupboard and proceeded to pour pink juice into a pink cup while it was dark. Needless to say because it was dark and the color of the juice and the color of the mug were the same color I proceeded to make a mess. I learned my lesson that night, if you want to see what is going on, you need to turn on the light.

So let’s talk about darkness and light: those who live in darkness are confused, unable to see reality. Lost in a world of illusion they make judgments based on mere appearances, and are simply unable to grasp what is important and true. Darkness is a place where you literally cannot see what is going on, things get hidden in the darkness.

John 3:19-21

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Light, on the other hand, cuts through this darkness to unveil the right and the true. And Jesus is the Cornerstone of the kingdom of light; we begin to “see” when we acknowledge Him as the eternal Son of God. It’s hard to hide in the light

But “light” also has a moral dimension. And it is this moral dimension that Jesus affirmed as He not only presented Himself to Israel as God, but also claimed the right to establish a grace morality which is far higher than the legalistic morality of the Jews, for it alone truly reflects the morality of God.

John 1:1-11

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

The imagery of opposites is an important aspect of Johannine theology. Paired opposites—such as light and darkness (John 1:5), heaven and earth (3:12; 8:23), flesh and spirit (3:6), and belief versus unbelief (3:18)—are striking in their impact when encountered by the reader. These pairs of polar opposites have often been described as dualistic, but this may be misleading if dualism is understood in a philosophical sense. For example, John did not place light and darkness on the same level. In the Johannine frame of reference, darkness is not the counterpart of light but its absence, the separation from and removal of the One who is the Light of the world. By means of polarized imagery John was able to emphasize to his readers that they, like all people, face alternative choices. When it comes to one’s response to Jesus, these choices are of enormous importance because they determine one’s eternal destiny. To John, there was no middle ground.

Today I am going to minister about light and darkness, from this thought, ‘Be the Light By Living the Life’

A. The importance of light in scripture

1. Light comes from God (Genesis 1:-5)

2. God is light (Psalm 27:1)

3. God’s Word enlightens our path (Psalm 119:105)

4. God can turn darkness into light (Isaiah 42:16)

5. Christians are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)

6. Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12)

7. Light shines in the hearts of Christians (2 Corinthians 4:6)

B. What are we to do with the Light?