Sermon Title: Let There Be Light: God’s Will for you in Four Words
Scripture Text: Genesis 1:1, John 8:12, John 1:1-5, Romans 1:20, Colossians 1:15, Ephesians 3:16-19
Introduction
Today we’re going to sum up the entire Bible in just four words. Four words that carry the weight of all God has done, is doing, and will do. Four words found at the very opening of your Bible:
“In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1, ESV)
Let’s take a moment and let that settle in. Before creation, before time, before anything was, God was. And everything that comes after stands as a testament to those four words.
I. God’s Love Revealed in Creation
Genesis tells us:
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3, ESV)
“Let there be light!” These four words sum up God’s will for your life. Light is God’s first command, and it’s not simply about physics or day and night. From the very beginning, God’s heart was to reveal Himself—His love, His goodness—to the world.
All that He made points to His desire for relationship with us.
Paul echoes this truth in Romans:
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20, ESV)
Think about that. Every sunrise, every flower, the stars that fill the sky—even your very breath—all of it is a revelation of God’s love and power.
ILLUSTRATION:
Imagine taking a walk in a beautiful garden. Every color, every fragrance is a whisper from God: “I love you! See what I have made for you!” Adam and Eve literally lived in that garden, surrounded by God’s presence. He lavished blessings on them; He was near to them. This was Paradise—not just a place, but a relationship.
II. Love Gives Freedom and Covers Failure
But God’s love is not control. He set Adam and Eve in the garden, and He gave them choice. Even the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a revelation of His love—a love that refuses to force itself, that allows freedom even to choose wrongly.
And when Adam and Eve chose poorly, what happened? Did God abandon them? No! Listen:
“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21, ESV)
God’s love covers us—even when we fall. He provided for them outside the garden, continued blessing them, and began His plan to redeem.
III. God’s Love in History: Israel, Law, and Prophets
As humanity grew, God called Abraham, and through him a nation—Israel—so the world would see a visible display of His love. He gave them laws, not to restrict, but to gift them with justice, order, and peace. He sent prophets, priests, judges, and kings—all as expressions of His love.
Can you see the pattern? God’s story is a love story—a never-ending pursuit of His people.
IV. The Greatest Revelation: Jesus, Light of the World
But the ultimate revelation was yet to come. God’s love shines brightest in Jesus Christ.
Jesus says:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, ESV)
And John writes:
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5, ESV)
Jesus is the crowning moment of God’s revelation—God’s heart, walking among us, loving, healing, teaching, and ultimately dying for us. Paul puts it this way:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15, ESV)
If you want to know what God is really like, look at Jesus. If you ever doubt that God loves you, look at the cross.
ILLUSTRATION:
Have you ever been in a pitch-black room and someone turns on a single light? Instantly, everything changes. Jesus is that light for the whole world—cutting through the darkness of pain, confusion, and sin.
V. Receiving the Light Personally
But here’s the important part: This is personal. This light isn’t just for the world, it’s for you.
Some of us may feel we can’t see God’s love in our circumstances. Life can get hard, dark. Sin, shame, disappointment—these things can cloud our vision.
But hear this:
“The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16, ESV)
Jesus is not put off by our darkness. He came for it! He came for us.
VI. The Invitation: Let There Be Light in You
John says:
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4, ESV)
That life, that light, is for every one of us. Jesus said:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)
He is the way to be saved, the truth so we can be sure, and the life so we can be satisfied. When you open your heart to Jesus, His life and light fill you, revealing God’s love in every circumstance.
VII. Paul’s Prayer for Us
Here’s a prayer from the Apostle Paul that I pray for you today:
“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19, ESV)
Conclusion: Four Words for Your Life
So, if I had to sum up the Bible, God’s heart, His purpose for you, it would be these four words:
Let there be light!
Let God’s love shine into every corner of your life. Let Jesus illuminate your path. And as His light fills you, may you become a beacon to others.
“In the beginning, God…” In this moment, God wants to begin something new in you.
Prayer
Father, thank You for Your love, revealed from creation to the cross, and into our hearts today. May Your light shine in us and through us, and may we know, without a shadow of doubt, that our risen Lord’s light shines bright as a beacon for us to follow every day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
