October 7, 2007
John 8:12
The Light of Life
Jn 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jn 1:2 He was with God in the beginning. Jn 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. Jn 1:4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. Jn 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. Jn 1:6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. Jn 1:7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. Jn 1:8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. Jn 1:9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. Jn 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. Jn 1:11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Jn 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— Jn 1:13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. Jn 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
We see things every day; from the moment we open our eyes in the morning to the second we close them to sleep at night we are seeing things. Every day you wake up, you open your eyes and you see. You see using light. Light enables you to see the shoe that was left haphazardly on the floor before you trip on it. Light keeps you from banging your toes on the corners of furniture in the dark. Light allows you to see. Not just to see but to see in color. Colors do not really exist, they are simply a reflection of a certain wave of light to your eyes. All you ever really see…is light. Some things reflect it, some absorb parts of it, some scatter it, and some allow it to pass right through, but all you see is light.
Light is one of the most fascinating and taken for granted aspects of life. But there is more to light than you think. Light is not simply a bulb that you put up so that you can see in the dark. Light is one of the more complicated and confusing things to explain. While we can mold it, control it, manipulate it, and even create it but we cannot completely understand it. Basically light is energy. It moves as both a wave and a particle. Light is the only thing that does this. Light can also move through anything. It does not require a medium to move like other waves of energy do. Light can move through a vacuum. In other words the voids of space cannot keep light from us.
Light is essential to see. Without light, you see nothing, but also without light…there is nothing to see. Without light there would be no food to eat and no air to breath. In other words…without light there would be no life. In a very broad sense life could not exist on earth without the readily available presence of light. I imagine that at least some of you are familiar with the process of photosynthesis where a plant uses chlorophyll to absorb light from the sun and in turn creates sugars which are broken down into glucose which provides nutrients or energy for the plant. What you may not know is what goes into this process. Plants contain a compound called adenosine diphosphate or ADP. ADP is essentially useless…it does nothing. When light is absorbed it initiates a series of chemical reactions that change ADP into ATP adenosine triphosphate, which is really cool. The plant is basically dead…it has no life…it can do nothing. But when light is absorbed by the plant…the plant comes to life. What is produced: ATP is food for the plant…we would call it a nutrient. This nutrient feeds not just the plant, but any animal that eats the plant. Do you see the effect of light? Light brings that which was dead to life…when light is absorbed…the organism that absorbed it has life.
You see it is not food that enables your body to function and have life, it is the nutrients that are found in that food. All of those nutrients work their way back to plants as a result of their absorption of light.
Life can be broken down into what are called trophic levels. You might think of this as the circle of life. In the first trophic level plants absorb energy from the sun and create nutrients. In the second level an animal eats that plant and gets the nutrients, one such animal would be a squirrel. In the third trophic level an animal eats an animal that ate the plant and in turn gets the nutrients, here you have a hyena. Finally in the forth tropic level you have an animal that eats the animal that ate the animal that ate the plant. A lion would fall into this grouping. All trophic levels of life depend on the energy that comes from the plant that was created by light. Without the plants production of nutrients the plant would die. Without being able to eat the plant that produced nutrients that animal would die. Essentially without light being absorbed by a plant…there would be no life. Light is necessary for life.
There is another important aspect to this process: the air we breathe. During the process of photosynthesis plants emit oxygen…which we need to breath. They only emit this oxygen when they are absorbing energy from light. No light…no oxygen…no oxygen…no life. Light is the source of all life…and it is far more complicated than you might think.
In addition to affecting the biological world light also affects our own physiological existence in two ways. Which is just a fun way of saying: it affects us. The First: UV radiation (light from the sun) produces or changes a compound in our blood into Vitamin D. Vitamin D promotes bone formation and allows the body to absorb calcium which gives strength and density to your bones. Without vitamin D your bones would be frail and easily broken. The only natural way in which Vitamin D is produced is through light. The second: Light is a melatonin inhibitor. Melatonin is a chemical secreted by your retina, G.I track, and pineal gland. Melatonin is what enables REM sleep. It makes you tired and helps you fall asleep and increases the vividness and frequency of dreams. When you come home from a long days work…it is not the days work that makes your body want to sleep…it is your bodies reaction to the change in lighting. Have you ever woken up in the morning but decided to go back to sleep, then when you did get up you were tired all day? What happens is you body absorbs light and melatonin is inhibited. But then when you go back to sleep your body receives a second dose of melatonin and it drains your energy more than if you had just gotten up.
When light fades melatonin is released and you are better able to fall asleep. Melatonin is important and can be very helpful. It is also very bad if you get too much of it. Too much melatonin will cause serious lack of energy and depression. This calming, tranquil feeling that melatonin uses to help you sleep will lower your energy and spirits if you have too much. So without light…there would be no joy…and no energy. Without energy we would all just decay away. Without light there is no life.
Jn 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
This image of light is a powerful one. It is certainly rich with meaning. Light is the source of all life. Do you think it is any coincidence that Jesus is called the light? Jesus brings life to that which was dead. He takes an organism that is dead and brings it to life. Jesus enables us to see the truth. He gives us sight. All that we have we have because of Jesus. Life without Him is impossible for He is the source of all life’s existence.
Do you see? Just how much this image shows us? Light is everything. Without light there is nothing…what better way to describe Christ. He is everything. He is the creator and sustainer of life. He is the light of the world. And that light is the life of men. Do you see the parallels? Do you see how light works? John was right on when he called Jesus the light:
Jn 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. Jn 1:4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. Jn 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
Light is not just an important scientific concept, it is a vital part of scripture in its association with both God and Jesus. God’s first creative act was to make light. The earth was formless and empty...it was in this formlessness and emptiness that God created light from nothing. The disorder or chaos of the universe was overcome with the light that God created. Light was the order of God. Light is divine in nature, it is a part of God. In fact Jesus and light are so paralleled in scripture that you could almost use them interchangeably without any problems. Jesus is the light. The light…is Jesus. Again we see the use of ‘THE’ exclusive. Jesus is not one of many lights that shines in the darkness…He is the only light. Without Him the world would be bathed in darkness.
Think of the function of light. Light reveals what is hidden…what cannot be seen. When you turn on the light in your bedroom you see all of things you might trip over or hurt yourself on. Light reveals what is hidden. God is hidden. He is great and mysterious and we cannot understand Him. Jesus is the light. He reveals to us, the nature and character of God. Jesus is the light of the world in that He reveals God to us. If it were not for Jesus there would be no scripture showing us the nature of God. If it were not for Jesus there would be no example of how to live. If it were not for Jesus there would be no sacrifice showing us that God loved us. We know what we know about God…because Jesus revealed it to us. He is the light of the world. He gives us life, He reveals to us what is in the darkness. He is good. Jesus is the light of life. Without Him…there is no life.
We are held together by energy. All of our cells are kept in place by energy…without that energy we fall apart. Energy holds us together. Energy and light are not synonymous but they are very similar. Without light at all there would be no energy. Without light there will be no life.
We so often take light for granted, never knowing how important it is…never knowing how much it does for us. How often do you really stop to think that without light you could see nothing, no color, no detail, nothing. All that you do, all that you see is because of light. Without light you would not have the energy to do anything, you would just slowly wither away and die. Without light you would not have life.
I want to show you one more thing. In your body there is a protein called laminin. Laminin is a glycoprotein that essentially holds your body together. Without laminin you would fall apart. It is the duck tape…the Elemers glue of your body. I wont get into the how it holds you together, I will just tell you this protein called laminin is what holds you together. Here is a picture of what it looks like. (show slide 1) Is that not a good picture? Here is a scientific chart of laminin. (slide 2). We are held together by a cross…not just a genetic cross…but the Cross of Jesus Christ. God’s plan for us from the beginning was to show us how much He loved us through His willingness to sacrifice His only Son on our behalf. The cross is not just central to our religion…it is rooted in the very essence of our being. We are hard wired with the cross. It is the source of our life. The cross reveals to us God’s love. The cross gives us light.
Do you see the magnificence of God’s design? Do you see the power of the light? From the beginning rooted in our genetics the cross has held us together. We are held together by the power of the cross, by Jesus who is the light of the world. When everything around you fails, Jesus holds you together, when the world falls apart…Jesus holds you together. He is the agent that bonds all life together, for He is the energy that we need to live. Life is found in Jesus and through Jesus. There is no other. I have to tell you: it is a magnificent God that we serve. Do you see the majesty and splendor of the God that we worship? God is not some stranger who created us and took off like a dead beat dad, He is a God who loves us, who provides for us. Who sent His own Son to save us from ourselves. Our God is a great and glorious God.
What will you do in response to the greatness of our God? Will you stand with us and sing His praises? Will you make a decision to follow Him? Will you obey Him? This time is for you to make a decision…but this time is not for you…its for Him. This is God’s time: so if you want to dedicate your life to Him, if you want to become a part of this family, if you want to have a relationship with the light of the world…act now…but remember that all of this is not for us…it is for Our God and King. That no words can describe How great He truly is.
