GOD’s OFFER Of LIFE-I—John 1:5-13
Attention:
The planned communities in & around Carrabelle. Somewhere ‘down-the-line’ realty investors saw land development in Carrabelle as an opportunity. They convinced the city to grade the land, provide roads, provide sewer access. The companies/investors built docks for river access, built club & gatehouses, pools, etc.—Their’s was the promise of life for our city & county—Everybody got on board & committed financially & infrastructurally(?)...BUT the economy went sour. The monies promised for development were really committed to other things. No houses were ever built, no lots sold, & the city & investors were left in the lurch. Now the promised development consists of ghost towns—Their Offer of life failed miserably & hurt many!
Unlike that of the investors in Carrabelle, God’s Offer of Life stands to this day & beyond. It cannot fail!
The apostle John revealed God’s offer of legitimate Life to mankind.
God offers Life to mankind.
How can Life be procured/had?
God’s offer of Life comes to you thru...
1—God’s offer of Life comes to you thru...
Its CONTRAST(:5)
Explanation:(:5) Comparison/Juxtaposition/Association
:5—“And the light shines in the darkness, & the darkness did not comprehend it.”
?In what sense does the light presently shine(“the light shines”)? In what sense did the darkness “not comprehend” it(“the darkness did not comprehend”)?
“The light shines”
The light is present/visible in the darkness. It is in direct contrast to the darkness & can be perceived in/by the darkness. However, the darkness did not comprehend/apprehend the light though it was there.
Men are designed to be drawn to attain to their purpose[to the life]. They can be consumed by circumstance, which keep them blinded to God’s truth. Thereby they miss the “life” available to them.
We see that “darkness” is presented here as a vessel within which & whereby sin thrives.
That “darkness” personifies humanity! And it personifies the absence of life which is ‘death’!
Jn. 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.””
That general segment of mankind which operates in the confines of “darkness,” will not, by willful choice, grasp/seize/take eagerly/catch/overtake the light which is “shining” before them & in their midst!
“Shines/Appears”—fainw— fainei—PAI3S—1) To bring forth into the light, cause to shine, shed light; 2) Shine. Fainw refers to the actual external appearance, generally correct, but possibly deceptive. Strong–To lighten(shine), i.e. Show (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative). From??—Shine, give light.
“Darkness”2X—skotia—skotia—FSN—1) Darkness; 2) The darkness due to want of light; 3) metaph. used of Ignorance of divine things, & its associated wickedness, & the resultant misery in hell. Strong—Dimness, obscurity (literally or figuratively). From??—Darkness, gloom. “Comprehend/Understood/Apprehended”—katalambanw— katelaben—2AAI3S —1) To lay hold of—1a) To lay hold of so as to make one's own, to obtain, attain to, to make one's own, to take into one's self, appropriate, 1b) To seize upon, take possession of, 1c) To detect, catch, 1d) To lay hold of with the mind. Strong—To take eagerly, i.e. Seize, possess, etc. (literally or figuratively). From—kata—down from, through out 2) according to, toward, along.—&— lambanw—To claim or procure for oneself, Seize, win, attain, make one’s own; In Jn.1:5=1. 1. Grasp, comprehend[with the mind?], appreciate, overcome, put out, master. 2. Seize w/ hostile intent, overtake, come upon, catch, detect.
Some noteworthy & informational occurrances:
Mk. 9:18—““And wherever it[mute spirit] seizes[katalambanw] him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, & becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.””
Jn. 8:3-4—“Then the scribes & Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught[katalambanw] in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.”
Jn. 12:35—“Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake[katalambanw] you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.”
Argumentation:
Jn. 9:30-34—“The man answered & said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God & does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered & said to him, “You were completely born in sins, & are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.”
Php. 2:5-11—“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, & coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself & became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him & given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, & of those on earth, & of those under the earth, & that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Rom. 1:18-21—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Jn. 8:24—““Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.””
Jn. 3:14-21—““And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, & men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.””
*Mat. 7:13 -14—““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
*Mat. 6:22-23—““The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Illustration:
Carrabelle Lighthouse/A couple(staying at the RV park at C’belle Beach) asked us where the light could be seen/We told them that it could be seen from Old C’Belle Beach/Consider that we(Christians) are to reflect the light of Christ in order to direct people down the proper path/....
Consider what a captain of a sea-going vessel must do at night/He must commit himself to certain lights along the way/Sharp definition between the marker lights & surrounding darkness/You must go slowly heeding only those markers which will keep us in the right path when we cannot operate by sight/We must trust the Light/If we reject the Light we will run aground & lose everything/CONTRAST
The darkness doesn’t overwhelm the light, but the darkness in men chooses to deny & avoid it!
Application:
? You CONTRASTed God’s offer of Life?
?You accepted God’s offer of Life?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The planned communities which failed in & around Carrabelle.
God’s Offer has never & will never fail!
Action:
God’s offer of Life comes to you thru...
1. Its CONTRAST(:5)
Presented 09/15/2013am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
