Longings To Be Followed-4 Series

LONGINGS TO BE FOLLOWED-IV—John 8:12

Attention:

How many of you here are hunters &/or fishermen?

A father absolutely loves the outdoors. He loves being in the woods & on the water. Because of his passion for hunting & fishing, his family eats a considerable amount of wild game.

In fact, they eat so much, wild game, that one evening as Dad sets a platter of his perfectly seasoned, fried venison steaks on the dinner table, his ten-year-old daughter looked up & said, “Daddy, it sure would be nice if pizzas lived in the woods."

There are many things we long for...

Things that may or may not be Christ honoring, such as...

Personal recognition, Power over others, Overly expensive vehicle(s), Expansive house(s) & lands, Personal comfort, Statement clothing, Fine clothing, Self-serving relationships,...

When the brilliant undiminished light of Christ shines upon your longings, what is actually revealed about them...about your own heart?

Jesus invited His audience to accept Him as the Light that everyone/all should follow.

Jesus is the Light that all should follow.

What should we follow?

OR

Why should we follow Jesus?

4 Longings worthy of following...

Last week we found that A Longing to follow, is one that fulfills the need for...

1. REPETITION Of TRUTH(:12a)Repetition/Reiteration/Re-Emphasis

2. EXPOSURE To TRUTH(:12b)“I am the light of the world”

3. An APPROPRIATE WALK/Path(:12c)“Shall not walk in darkness”

4—A Longing to be followed fulfills the need for...

POSSESSION Of LIFE(:12d)

Explanation:(:12d)

8:12—“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.””

These “followers” of Jesus will be the possessors/holders(“have”) of “the light of life.” Thus “having” the “the light of life” keeps one from “walking in darkness.”

Jesus’ “light” is that which is arises out of the “life” He offers.

Anyone can have that “life” by faith in Christ.

The “life” that Jesus has & offers is preemptively set, predetermined, established, &/or prearranged to supply proper or correct “light” to every “follower.”

God offers men, women, boys & girls the gift of “life,” as opposed to offering “death.”

The “life” which Jesus possesses & offers is very much more than mere breathing & movement!

Also “life” entails & encompasses more than just accomplishments of one’s “life” lived. It includes & defines the realm of spiritual success, achievement, & accomplishment as well.

Mankind is vastly more than the sum of his parts, right?, & the same is true in spiritual matters as well! We are designed by God to have relationship with the Creator God, in whose very image we are fashioned.

Again:

John 1:4-5, 9-11—“In Him was life, & the life was the light of men. & the light shines in the darkness, & the darkness did not comprehend it.”.....“That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, & the world was made through Him, & the world did not know Him. He came to His own, & His own did not receive Him.”

**Having “light” in Christ Jesus, we are enabled to see “life” properly, as God has always intended it to be seen...To ‘be’ as God wants us to ‘be’...To properly interpret “life” as God has designed, equipped, & desires it to be interpreted.

“Have”—ecw or scew—Future Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To have, i.e. To hold—1a) To have(hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have(hold) possession of the mind (refers to alarm, agitating emotions, etc.), to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as; 2) To have i.e. Own, possess—2a) External things such as pertain to property or riches or furniture or utensils or goods or food etc., 2b) Used of those joined to any one by the bonds of natural blood or marriage or friendship or duty or law etc, of attendance or companionship; 3) To hold one's self or find one's self so & so, to be in such or such a condition; 4) To hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to—4a) To be closely joined to a person or a thing. Strong—including an alternate form scew; (used in certain tenses only); a primary verb; To hold(used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).

“Life”—zwh—Noun Fem.—1) Life—1a) The state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate, 1b) Every living soul; 2) Life—2a) Of the absolute fulness of life, both essential & ethical, which belongs to God, & through him both to the hypostatic "logos" & to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature, 2b) Life real & genuine, a life active & vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions(among them a more perfect body), & to last for ever. Strong—Life(literally or figuratively).