John 1: 6 – 8; 19 – 28 / Go Into The Light
Intro: A grandfather decided to share with his 4-year-old grandson the way he had found a Christmas tree during his youth. He took his grandson to the woods to select the perfect tree. They tramped all over; but the boy couldn’t find one that suited him. Finally, as it began to get dark and cold, the grandfather said, “We’ll have to take the next tree.” The little boy looked up in bewilderment responding, “Even if it doesn’t have any lights either?”
I. Christmas has become a time of lights ever since Martin Luther, who over 500 years ago brought an evergreen tree into his home and decorated it with candles.
A. Through December, the evenings are lit up as homes, businesses, and even city streets fill the night with beautiful colored lights and decorations.
B. It seems fitting since that first Christmas was also decorated with lights. There were angels who lit up the night for the shepherds and there was the star in the East that led the wisemen to Jesus.
C. VS. 6 & 7 – “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.”
II. The image of light is not unique to Jesus. Many cultures picture their deities to be light or sources of light. Most notably the Egyptians.
A. The God of the OT was a God of light who appeared to Moses as a burning bush and lead the Israelites out of slavery as a pillar of fire. The image of light is a powerful picture of God.
B. Light cannot be contained. Light has no shape or form. You can’t hold it in your hand, or close it up in a box. In fact, if you look in the dictionary the first definition for “light” is “something that makes vision possible.”
C. Light is mentioned 71 times in the gospel of John. It puts chaos to flight, shows things as they really are and guides or leads the way.
III. Spiritually speaking, people are living in a world of darkness. “The Sounds of Silence” a Simon and Garfunkel song from the 70’s could very well be the theme song for today’s generation. “Hello darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again.”
A. What our world needs are those who are willing to point others to the light, to be a witness to the light as John was a witness to the light. Vs. 8 – “He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.”
B. Our role is to point others to Christ Jesus, to point others to the light of Christ. We cannot bring light to the darkened souls of others, but we can direct them toward the light. We can reflect the true light and be representatives of the light of Christ.
C. Ghost Whisperer is a TV program in which a young woman attempts to help earth-bound spirits resolve some problem so that they can go into the light. I see this as our job as Christians, to help troubled, earth-bound people to go into the light of Christ.
Conclu: Perhaps the most precious gift you can give another person is the gift of the light of Christ. We light up our homes, we light up trees and even light candles on Christmas Eve. The surest way to bring light into our dark and hurting world is by introducing others to the light of the world, Christ Jesus.
