LIFE AND LIGHT
John 1:4-5
1) Jesus=Life. Vs. 4, “In him was life.”
• In Jesus is physical life. Life is found in Jesus. He is the Creator of life (vs. 3). A man and a woman cannot take credit for creating a life. Yes, they come together and through that, pregnancy occurs and nine months later a baby is born but that does not mean we can take the credit for producing life. Life does not happen unless God allows it to happen. And the woman does not do anything to develop the baby in her womb; this is done by God. Psalm 139:13, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” In Jesus is life.
• In Jesus is spiritual life. John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me.” No one has physical life through anyone other than Jesus and no one has spiritual life through anyone other than Jesus. Jesus is THE way, not one of many ways to the Father. Nothing we do [good works] will gain us eternal life apart from trusting in Jesus. No other god [Buddha, Mohammed, etc.] other than Jesus can make us right with the Father. “All roads lead to God; most to his judgment, one to his forgiveness.” Jesus told Martha in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” Jesus is the way to eternal life. Without Jesus we are the living dead. We are alive physically but dead spiritually. Eph. 2:1, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” That’s why we need to be born again. We were born of the flesh the first time around, now we need to be born of the Spirit. And that can only be accomplished through Christ. 1st John 5:11-12, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Without Jesus there is no eternal life.
• In Jesus is the fullness of life. John 10:10, “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” How’s your life? Are you fulfilled? What’s missing? For too many of us, we would say, “If I just had more money I would be happy.” “If I just had more stuff I would be satisfied.” “If I just had a good man/woman in my life I would be fulfilled.” Yet here’s the thing-if money, fame, power or things provided the fullness of life then every celebrity would be the most joyous people on the planet. But what do you find? Many celebrities are in and out of rehab, in and out of jail, in and out of relationships, committing suicide. The fullness of life is found in nothing this world has to offer. The fullness of life is found in Jesus.
2) Jesus=Light.
• Jesus is the light. He is the source of life. He is also the source of light. John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Cultural Background - “The Jews celebrated a ceremony called “The Illumination of the Temple.” It took place in the court of the women. The court was very dark, surrounded by deep galleries. In the center stood four great candelabras. When darkness descended, each of the candelabras were lit, which in turn lit up the courtyard. During the night, the priest and the people danced and sang songs of joy. It is with this understanding that Jesus makes this comment to the Pharisees that surrounded him - “I am the light of the world.” In essence, he is saying, “Your candles only light up this courtyard, but I can bring light to the whole world.” Light is good in that it helps us see. When we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit shows us things in the world, in ourselves, in others that we never saw before. In the wisdom of the light, we see the things that would take us down. The light helps us to recognize falsehood and deception. This can save us from making costly mistakes. Also, in the wisdom of the light of God’s word we will be able to see. Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” The people of Jesus’ day understood darkness. They didn’t have the modern conveniences that you and I have. To walk from one place to another they actually tied oil lamps to their feet. David used this to create an analogy highlighting the importance of getting God’s word into us. Through the teachings of the bible we will have light to see the spiritual dangers that lie ahead of us. Psalm 119:130, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Jesus’ light makes things clearer for us.
• Exposing what’s in the dark. The darkness can be a scary place. Have you ever been somewhere where you literally could not see your hand in front of your face? Where the darkness was so thick you could actually feel it? The dark is a place where bad things often happen. There are many animal special that hunt at night. The lion is one of them. With that in mind, consider 1st Pet. 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The lion prowls, he sneaks, he’s hidden in the thick cover of night. He can take his prey by the element of surprise. These are the same tactics Satan uses on us. He’s subtle, sneaky and deceptive. Using the dark areas of our hearts to take cover in and pounce when the time is right. We need to be alert. We need to have light. What does light do? It exposes what’s in the darkness. [Commercial with two antelope and night vision goggles. We need night vision goggles to see what’s in the dark. These goggles would be the antelope’s most prized possession. But not if they didn’t have them on. If they had them but didn’t put them on they would be fools and they would be toast. What about us? First, is the light of Christ a prized possession? Second, knowing we have the goggles, are we wearing them? Are we utilizing the power that’s available to us? If we’re not, we’re both fools, and we’re toast.] Job 12:22, “He reveals the deep things of the darkness and brings deep shadows into the light.” Light revealing what’s in the darkness can mean a couple of things: 1) it exposes hidden dangers and 2) it exposes hidden sins/secrets. For some, the light is scarier than the dark. John 3:16-21. “The Cave Dwellers” by Max Lucado. “Long ago, or maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe of people in a dark, cold cave. The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew to do. The sounds in the cave were mournful, but the people didn’t know it, for they had never known joy. The spirit in the cave was death, but the people didn’t know it, for they had never known life. But one day they heard a different voice. “I have heard your cries,” it announced. “I have felt your chill and seen your darkness. I have come to help you.” The cave people grew quiet. They had never heard this voice. Hope sounded strange to their ears. “How can we know you have come to help?” “Trust me,” he answered. “I have what you need.” The cave people peered through the darkness at the figure of the stranger. He was stacking something, then stooping and stacking more. “What are you doing?” one cried, nervous. The stranger didn’t answer. “What are you making?” one shouted even louder. Still no response. “Tell us!” demanded as third. The visitor stood and spoke in the direction of the voices. “I have what you need.” With that he turned to the pile at his feet and lit it. Wood ignited, flames erupted, and light filled the cavern. The people turned away in fear. “Put it out!” they cried. “It hurts to see it.” “Light always hurts before it helps”, he answered. “Step closer. The pain will soon pass. “Not I,” declared a voice. “Nor I,” agreed a second. “Only a fool would risk exposing his eyes to such light.” The stranger stood next to the fire. “Would you prefer the darkness? Would you prefer the cold? Don’t consult your fears. Take a step of faith.” For a long time no one spoke. The people hovered in groups covering their eyes. The fire builder stood next to the fire. “It’s warm here,” he invited. “He’s right,” one from behind him announced. “It’s warmer.” The stranger turned to see a figure slowly stepping toward the fire. “I can open my eyes now,” she proclaimed. “I can see.” “Come closer,” invited the fire builder. She did. She stepped into the ring of light. “It’s so warm!” She extended her hands and sighed as her chill began to pass. “Come everyone! Feel the warmth,” she invited. “Silence woman!” cried one of the cave dwellers. “Dare you lead us into your folly? Leave us. Leave us and take your light with you.” She turned to the stranger. “Why won’t they come?” “They choose the chill, for thought it’s cold, it’s what they know. They’d rather be cold that to change.” “And live in the dark?” “And live in the dark.” The now warm woman stood silent. Looking first at the dark then at the man. “Will you leave the fire?” he asked. She paused, and then answered, “I cannot. I cannot bear the cold.” Then she spoke again. “But nor can I bear the thought of my people in darkness.” “You don’t have to,” he responded, reaching into the fire and removing a stick. “Carry this to your people. Tell them the light is here, and the light is warm. Tell them the light is for all who desire it.” And so she took the small flame and stepped into the darkness.”
• “But the darkness has not understood it”. Those who are in the darkness do not see the light of Christ for what it is. Satan has blinded their eyes. 2nd Cor. 4:4-6. It’s not that they cannot have an opportunity to see the light of Jesus but that they have not been able to see it. Not because those who are in the darkness did not have the opportunity to understand it. John 12:46, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” It’s not that we can’t understand the light; it’s that we choose not to understand it. As we saw earlier, there are some that choose to stay in the darkness. Yet one of the reasons we don’t understand is because there are false lights out there. 2nd Cor. 11:13-15, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” There are people out there who give off artificial light. They are superficial and artificial. These are the ones who tell you what you want to hear. The false lights do not speak the truth; they don’t expose what’s in the darkness because then you might get upset at them and walk away. The false lights will tell you there’s no need to change anything. Part of Satan blinding the minds of unbelievers is causing them to be ‘blinded by the light’. Blinded by this, ‘I’m okay, you’re okay, we’re all okay’ artificial, feel good light. Jesus however, is the one, true light. John 1:9, “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” True light as opposed to false light, imperfect light, inferior light.
• The darkness cannot overpower the light. One of the ways the Greek word for, “understood” can be translated as overpower or overtake. The AMP translation for John 1:5, “And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].” That’s great news because when we feel consumed by spiritual darkness we can know that no matter how heavy and thick the darkness is it’s no match for the light of Christ. Prov. 4:18-19, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” The ungodly will trip over their own feet while the followers of Jesus will have the light of Christ guiding their way.
• Let it shine! Matt. 5:14-16. We need to let the light of Christ shine so that God would be praised. We might think, “How can my light make a difference in this vastly dark world?” “There is not darkness enough in all the world to put out the light of one little candle.” This little light of mine; I’m gonna let it shine.” A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, "What do you put on your face to make it shine?" With surprise the man of God answered, "I don’t put anything on it!" His questioner began to lose patience and said emphatically, "Yes, you do!" All of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I’ve seen it in the towns of Agra and Surat, and even in the city of Bombay." Suddenly the Christian understood, and his face glowed even more as he said, "Now I know what you mean, and I will tell you the secret. It’s not something we put on from the outside but something that comes from within. It’s the reflection of the light of God in our hearts. Eph.5:8-21. We who were once in darkness and are now the “light in the Lord” need to “live as children of light” bearing the “fruit of light”. Continuing in the fruitless deeds of darkness will cause our light to “be under a bowl”. Jesus wants us to shine. The only way that’s going to happen is if we pattern our life after the light. “Be a moon; reflect the Son.”
