Light Series

Sermon: The Light!

Thesis: This sermon emphasizes the significance of light, particularly in relation to Jesus as the "Light of the World." It explores both scientific and biblical perspectives on light, illustrating its essential role in life and faith.

MacArthur, John F.. Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You (p. 116). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

The Spring Concert tonight has a theme and it’s all about the “Light - Jesus – the way – the truth and the light of the world!”

Their theme verse for tonight is John 14:6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” and another one of Jesus 7 “I am” statements found in John is in 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’”

A few years ago, I was sitting in the doctor’s office, and I picked up the Oct. 2001 edition of the National Geographic. It had an amazing article on the “Power of Light”. I started reading!

The article’s introduction caught my attention: “Light reveals the world to us. Body and soul crave it. Light sets our biological clocks. It triggers in our brains the sensations of color. Light feeds us, supplying the energy for plants to grow. It inspires us with special effects like rainbows and sunsets. Light gives us life - changing tools, from incandescent bulbs to lasers and fiber optics. Scientists don’t fully understand what light is or what it can do. They just know that it will illuminate our future (3).

After just reading this introduction in the article I said, this article has spiritual insight for us as Christians. I read on and the verses on light in the Bible just raced through my mind. Wow I thought! The Bible talks a lot about light and the light of the world.

Here are some of those Scripture Texts to remind you of “The Light of the world”:

I John 1:5: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

Psalm 74:20: “Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.”

John 1:1-12 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.?10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

The apostle John wrote this introduction to his Gospel to reveal who the light is and what the light does for all those who believe in Him.

T.S.- Let’s explore some spiritual application points of light from this scientific study of light and from the Bible.

I. Scientists tell us that light reveals the world to us. The Bible tells me the same thing that the Lord reveals the world to us!

i. I thought this is true God himself – He reveals the real world to us!

i. We never see the real world until God illuminates it to us through the lens of His Word, the Holy Spirit and His presence.

1. Psalm 119:130: “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

2. 2 Samuel 22:29: “David sang, “You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.”

a. We see Scripture speaking to us that God’s Word is what lights our path and leads us out of darkness. It's His light which gives understanding.

b. Recently I picked up one of Charles Swindoll’s books called, Simple Faith and there it was beaming off the page to me, the importance of light. He made this comment about light,” What is the purpose of light? The answer is not complicated. Light dispels darkness “(60).