Light Has Come
The Gospel of John Series – Part 2 September 20, 2015
Last week I shared about the beginning of all things; how there was the Word and that Word was Jesus, eternally existing and creating all that has ever been made. We saw how He is life, and that life is the light of all men.
Today, we're going to look a little more at that light that has come into the world.
I'd like to again encourage you to take notes, to write down your thoughts, to highlight your bible, to write out any questions you may have and to also take time to read this again at home and ask God what He may specifically be saying to YOU.
Let's continue this journey through this gospel according to John. Today we look at chapter 1 and verse 6. I'm reading from the English Standard Version. Will you stand with me as we read the Word of God…
Pray – God, speak to us…
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was (Iōannēs) John. (Jehovah is a gracious giver).
This is John the Baptiser who was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth (Mary's cousin) born shortly before Jesus was. We can read much about his birth and life and death by beheading in all of the Gospels. We're not going to focus too much on John today, we'll save that for next week if you want to do some pre-reading, check out Matthew 3, Mark 1 and Luke 1 & 3…
What I will say about John and what we need to see is that he was SENT FROM GOD. John's birth was to two elderly folks who figured there was no way they could have kids any more. But an angel came to Zechariah (a priest) and told him this would happen and that God had a very special plan for this child. (see Luke 1). He would be great and would lead many people to repentance. God had a mission for his life.
But being an old man, he doubted the message. But all that the angel told him came to be. Do we have doubts about what God can do in and through our lives? Have there been times when we think, 'Nahhhh, that could NEVER happen! God couldn’t really do THAT.'
Oh, ye of little faith! (I think that's what Jesus would say…) What have we missed out on, what glory has God been robbed of when we don't believe what He says? What does it say about our faith when we doubt God's Word? God sends US out as His voice in this world. Jesus told this to His disciples in John 20…'as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you…'
God sent John, He sent Jesus, and He sends us with a message for the world. Do we believe that we are sent with a mission, do we realize the purpose to which we are called? Do we take it seriously when God says, GO? John knew his mission and it was this:
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
John came as a witness, to share about light. What light? A candle, a 60W bulb, a 220 lumen LED flashlight? I happen to have one of those. I love it! It is a compact, tough and VERY bright flashlight. It's like a spotlight on dark nights that will send a focused beam across a field and light up something on the other side. I'm pretty sure you could see this thing from several miles away, especially when it's on emergency flash mode…it's cool!
But this is not the light John was testifying about. He was witnessing about Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. Again, we see this correlation between what John, the writer of this gospel, has pictured comparing it with the Genesis account of creation – let there be LIGHT.
I like the picture of Christ as 'light' because light is indeed so amazing! Come into a dark room and what's the first thing we want to do? Turn on the light. Why? So we can see. Jesus comes into a dark world so that we can see the truth that God has for us.
Light exposes things that are hidden in the darkness. Just like my little flashlight can put a focused beam on something far away in the darkness, the light of God's truth can focus on things in our life that we think no one else can see.
Sure, we may be able to keep our little secret sin from others, but do we actually think we can keep it hidden from God? Visible light can't shine through solid objects but x-rays, gamma rays and other forms of radiation can pierce through pretty much anything.
Even if we cover it up with a righteous-looking lifestyle of going to church (somewhat regularly), praying (except on our own), tithing (or putting just something in the offering)…others may think we are fully committed followers of Christ when in the spotlight of God's truth, we are just playing church. If we ask God to take a look around in our thought life or our internet searches or after-hours tv watching or the books we read or the movies we watch…do you think we'd want everyone to see? Would we be a little embarrassed?
Light has come into the world and it gives light to everyone. We can all see truth – we see it in God's Word, if we choose to look at it, actually read it, study it, ask God to speak to us through it, ask Him to show us what is true, what is right, what is holy, what leads to life…we can even see what is sin, what is morally wrong, what is unacceptable in God's sight, what leads to death…the light of truth can do all that; Jesus can do all that – we must choose to let Him shine in all areas of our life, our mind, our actions, our faith, our journey each day.
But that's just it – we have to choose to let God do that. Look at verse 11…
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
God (Jesus) came to his own – implying his own people, his own creation. God came to the very ones He called His chosen people and what did they do. They said, no! After all the prophecies about the coming Messiah, after all the signs and miracles He did, after all the things He taught in the temple and in the synagogues and in the streets, still His own people chose to kill Him. They couldn’t stand the light. They just would not believe it.
God wouldn’t do things like that! God would not become a 'man'. God would never allow himself to be killed. God would do things the way we expect Him to, the way WE want.
It would be easy, it would be obvious, it would make life perfect, there would be no more troubles, no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more lack of money, no more fighting, arguments or divisions – just paradise. God's happy with whatever I do and God would make me happy 'cause God wants me to be happy.
But that's not what Jesus came to do. Jesus came to shine as a light on all our sinful ways and show us that we can't DO anything that makes God DO anything we want, because it's not about US, it's all about HIM. We are sinners according to all that God has called sin. There is not one person alive now or ever who hasn't blown it in some way when it comes to being good enough for God, except Jesus Christ.
That's why He is the only One that we can believe in as Saviour and Lord. He is the only One in Whom we can trust fully that what He says is true.
Even John the Baptiser confessed that he was not the light – 'Don't believe in me – believe in the One Who sent me!'
The same goes for me or anyone else who testifies about Christ. Don’t believe in me…don’t put all your hope in me…don’t look to me as the one who can save you, because I will let you down. I am a sinner too! I'm not the light, Jesus is the Light. I cannot look into your heart and show you what needs to be dealt with in terms of right and wrong – that is God's job, and I'm sure glad it is!
I can't pay the price for your sin, and neither can you. No number of good deeds or prayers or penance can cover your sin or mine – all that has been done through Christ's death on the cross. Only by believing in Him can we have our sin forgiven, all our sin, any sin, every sin. Only by believing in his name can we join the family of God.
Verse 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
We need to choose to receive Him. God does not force Himself on us and MAKE us do that. I cannot MAKE you or anyone choose to accept Jesus as your Saviour. Being born into a Christian family does not make you a Christian. Being born in one ethnic group or another does not bring you any closer or further from God. No status or title or level of income make anyone more or less worthy of being part of the family of God.
What does is making the choice to believe. Believe that Jesus is the Word of God, the Creator of everything, the Son of the Most High, the Author of salvation, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God, the Light of the world that is giving each of us the opportunity to have His light shine in our hearts right here, right now.
Only God can work the kind of life-giving miracle of taking us out of the darkness of unbelief and placing us in the light of His love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. But we need to believe that and that only!
Acts 4 tells us This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
We cannot believe that Jesus is one way to get to God, and if that's not good enough, I'll try something else too. We can't be part-time believers. We can’t believe some and not all of what Jesus taught. We cannot accept some of God's Word and reject other parts. We need to receive Christ into our lives and believe with complete hearts that He is Who He says He is and did what He came to do so that we can live forever with Him and that starts TODAY.
And so I ask you – DO YOU BELIEVE? If you do, you are a child of the King with all the rights and privileges thereof, namely eternal life. And you also have a responsibility. And that is to be a witness to the light of His glory and grace in the dark places of this world that need his light to shine on them too, to live a life of worship of God in the power of his Spirit to the glory of His Name! DO YOU BELIEVE?
His light is shining on us right now, and I pray that each and every one of us will see it, receive it and believe it with all our heart, so that we may be saved and so that we will go out and bring the message of salvation into the world we live in. AMEN!
