The Light Has Come
The author, M. Scott Peck once said, “Life is difficult.” This is a simple, yet profound statement. It seems in this day and age like we have to work an eternity just to survive. It used to be that we put in long hours and worked weekends or a second job in order to get ahead, but these have become necessary for many families today just to get by. Sicknesses constantly plague us, from the common cold to horrible diseases like AIDS and cancer. It seems that as soon as we have found the cure for one disease, another worse one comes along. We live in a world filled with great evil, of which the terrorist attacks of September 11 are only one example. In our lives we feel great sorrow over and over. It seems that we’ve hardly gotten over the last tragedy when a new one hits. Loved ones die or become sick; it seems that we run around in circles just to survive; life seems to lose its purpose, because we can barely survive. Life is unquestionably difficult. Suffering is rampant.
The question arises, why is life so full of suffering and sorrow. If we can answer this question, I think we will be well on the way to ending that suffering. The source of all these things: hard labor; sickness; death; tragedy is all the same. In the beginning, when God created the earth and everything in it, he created man and woman: Adam and Eve. And God placed them in the Garden of Eden, a garden of paradise. In this garden grew all kinds of fruit trees that were excellent. The garden was well-watered because it was at the crossing of four different rivers. God had put Adam in this garden to take care of it, but it was not hard work. It was enjoyable work. God provided for them to eat out of every tree of the garden. … except for one.
Genesis 2:15-17, “15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. 16 But the LORD God gave him this warning: "You may freely eat any fruit in the garden 17 except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die."
One day, Satan came as a serpent and tricked Eve into eating from this tree, by making her doubt God and convincing her that she could become like God. In turn, Eve convinced Adam to eat the fruit. Because of that act of rebellion against God, a curse was placed on mankind.
Genesis 3:16-19, “16 Then he said to the woman, "You will bear children with intense pain and suffering. And though your desire will be for your husband, F7 he will be your master." 17 And to Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit I told you not to eat, I have placed a curse on the ground. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return."
Mankind was cursed with at least things here:
1. Pain & Suffering
2. Hard work & toil
3. Death
Into God’s perfect world, sin and evil and death were introduced. It was the start of a terrible, long dark night. For thousands of years after the Fall of Man, the world lived in complete darkness under this curse. The world was completely controlled by and given over to evil. All that was good suffered; all that was evil reigned.
In this world there were glimpses of hope, sparks of light. Even as God was passing judgment on mankind, he said to the serpent
Genesis 3:15, “From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
In this world, God chose the man Abraham and promised him
Genesis 12:2,3 “2 I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you."
Abraham held onto this promise with great faith, but he never saw its fulfillment.
And God promised the Old Testament prophets time and time again that a new day would come. He promised that although the world was experiencing a long dark night, one day a new era would dawn on the earth. The Old Testament ends on this note
Malachi 4:2, "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”
Then for 400 years, God said nothing. And all along man, whether he knew it or not, yearned for freedom from darkness. The righteous could look around and see unrighteousness everywhere. There was corruption in the Roman government. There was corruption in the house of worship. And mankind was longing for an end to that night.
Last year I spend several months very sick. I had some sort of stomach problem. During the day it wasn’t so bad. But when I went to bed at night it got worse. I would fall asleep and wake up in the middle of the night in such miserable pain. And I would lie there and look at my clock and count the number of hours until morning. I would fall asleep and wake up so many times. And every time I woke up I would hope to see light coming through my window. And every time it would be darkness. So, I would try again and again and again. And then finally, one time I would look up and there would be light. Then I would get out of bed and go to work and feel not good but not so bad all day. And then I would go home and dread the night, because I knew I would go through it all again.
Now that was a time when I felt this way in extreme. But maybe you’ve noticed, like I have, that when you’re sick, you long for the morning. It’s just something about the daytime that eases the pain and makes you feel like you can continue.
And this is where the world was. The world was sick. It was miserable and weary and fearful. And it so longed to look out and see the light beginning to peek through the window. People were looking for some hope in a hopeless world.
And after more than 400 years, finally there was some hope again. God spoke through the priest Zechariah. God promised Zechariah that he would give he and Elizabeth a son, John, who would prepare the way for the Savior that was coming. When the baby, John was born, Zechariah gave this prophecy:
Luke 1:67-79, “67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: 68 "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited his people and redeemed them. 69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, 70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. 71 Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. 72 He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant with them, 73 the covenant he gave to our ancestor Abraham. 74 We have been rescued from our enemies, so we can serve God without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness forever. 76 "And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. 77 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. 78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace."
God had remembered his promise to Abraham! God remembered what he had promised the prophets of the Old Testament, that he would send a savior from the line of David. The wait was over. The time had come. The night was through. A new day is dawning. It’s the end of the control of evil. It’s the end of the control of sickness and pain and death and empty, unfulfilled life. It’s the end of the night of suffering. It’s a whole new day of light: hope; joy; peace; fulfillment. The Sun was beginning to rise on the dark night. You could begin to see the light peeking over the horizon.
And what is the difference. What is it that brought the new day?
An angel announced this good news to some shepherds in the hillside:
Luke 2:10, 11, “10 but the angel reassured them. "Don’t be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! 11 The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!”
Luke 2:32a “He is a light to reveal God to the nations”
Jesus’ birth wasn’t just an ordinary birth. He was the Savior of the World. He was sent down from heaven to end the dark night that had come over the world by the Curse.
Jesus came to bring three things, according to Luke 1:79.
And maybe today you feel like the people did then. Maybe you feel like your life is filled with pain and suffering. Maybe you feel like you’re working so hard just to survive and life is empty and hopeless. Maybe you wonder if there is ever going to be a way out of this miserable condition. You wonder if the light will ever come out again in your life. You wonder if your long night will ever end. And there is good news today! Jesus is waiting to bring the light to your life. He didn’t just do this for the people 2000 years ago. He is still in the business of turning peoples’ lives around today.
I. To give light to those in darkness.
A. To understand what how Jesus would give light to those in darkness, we must first remember why there was darkness in the first place. The darkness was a result of man’s sin. The curse came because of man’s sin. And it is only through eliminating that sin that we can be free from the darkness.
B. Jesus came to take away sin. John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah about whom this prophecy was spoken, introduced Jesus like this:
John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Sin got man into this problem that he had, and Jesus came to take that sin away. It was the only way.
John 3:18-21 “18 "There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God. 19 Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants."
The reason that light has dawned on some peoples’ lives and not on others’ is simple. Everyone has a choice. You can accept the light or reject the light. If you reject the light, you will remain in darkness. And with that darkness comes all the pain and suffering and turmoil of the night. But if you accept that light, Jesus, then he will turn your night to day. He will turn your suffering to joy. He will turn your sin to righteousness.
Acts 26:16b, 17, “Yes, I am going to send you to the Gentiles, to open their eyes so they may turn form darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.”
1 John 1:7, “But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.”
It is when we accept Jesus as the light from God, that we experience the forgiveness of sin, which was made possible by his sacrifice. And it is when we receive this freedom from sin that we will begin to see the Curse being undone in our life. It will be just like the Sun has come up and ended our dark night. It is then that we can enjoy the other benefits that are revealed in Luke 2.
II. Light for those in the shadow of death.
A. It seems that man has always feared death. Sometimes people have an idea of what they think is coming after death and that frightens them. Other times they just don’t know what’s coming after death and that frightens them. Others simply worry that they won’t make enough of an impact on this world and that their life will be meaningless because they just live and die. Dying is the one thing that nobody can get out of. Some people are healthy and some are sick. Some seem to suffer while others don’t. Some work hard while others don’t have to. All of life is unfair. Except death, it comes on per person. And death is also the result of the Curse. And I believe that when he says, “shadow of death,” he is speaking of living with this fear of death.
B. Jesus, however, in bringing a new day and light to mankind, has brought life to replace death.
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Jesus takes man’s worst fear and worst enemy, death, and says I’ve come to end it all. We no longer have to be afraid of death, because Jesus defeated death for us. Now, you may notice that many other philosophers and religious leaders have claimed to find a way. But Jesus is different from the others in an important way.
All the others proclaimed that they had found a way and then they died. Jesus proclaimed that he was the way and then he died just like all the others. If history ended there, Jesus would be no more credible than any of the other religious leaders. But the facts don’t end there. Jesus rose from the dead. That Jesus rose from the dead is a historically verifiable fact. While, I could list the ironclad evidence that Jesus rose from the dead, I won’t take the time. Instead, I will simply tell you that I have spent weeks and weeks studying that topic, and am convinced that there is no way that it could be untrue. However, if you don’t believer me, you can come see me and I will recommend a few books that you can read.
While the others left their followers guessing whether or not they were right, Jesus came back from the dead to prove to his followers that he was right. Unlike all the others who now lie silent in their graves, the empty tomb of Jesus proclaims loudly through the ages, “I was right. It works. The way works.”
So we can live without fear of death, because we know surely that when we die it doesn’t end. We will rise again.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 26 “20 But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again. 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, Christ. 22 Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other man, will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will be raised 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
Even though we’re still not exempt from death, we know that death won’t have the final victory over us. We know that as surely as Jesus rose from the dead, so we will rise from the dead. Instead of being the thing that finally defeats us, it will be the thing that launches us to our final victory. Once we have died in Christ, we are eternally sealed. And we know that our life is not over and therefore meaningless at death, but it is only the doorway into new life.
C. Jesus doesn’t just offer life “forever” when he offers eternal life. He also offers us a new quality of life. A fulfilled, rewarding life.
John 10:9, 10 “9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”
So, it isn’t just that Jesus gives you life, forever, but the life that you do have takes on a whole new quality. This is what we call “Zoe” life. I think the third thing that Jesus comes to bring is an example of part of Zoe life.
III. Peace
A. Life without Christ has always been a life without peace. Surely, there are times when our hearts feel peaceful, when there everything is going well. But those are always short-lived moments of peace. Something always comes to rob that peace.
The darkness and evil and fear of death brought such turmoil to the heart of man. Man has worried about everything, and even sometimes when there is no way to explain why, just feels an immense feeling of emptiness. Even when everything is peaceful, it seems like there is no peace inside sometimes.
A former president of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and historians from England, Egypt, Germany, and India have come up with some startling information: Since 3600 B.C. the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period there have been 14,351 wars, large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed. The value of the property destroyed would pay for a golden belt around the world 97.2 miles wide and 33 feet thick. Since 650 B.C. there have also been 1656 arms races, only 16 of which have not ended in war. The remainder ended in the economic collapse of the countries involved.
B. Life in the Garden for Adam and Eve was a peaceful life. And Jesus came to restore this peace.
John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
Now this doesn’t mean that as of yet, everything is going to be perfect. In fact, there will be many times when the circumstances around you are not peaceful. But it is precisely in those moments that you can experience God’s peace.
Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered.
The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled.
As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd.
A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.
The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace?
A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power.
A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.
“Peace that Jesus gives is not the absence of trouble, but is rather the confidence that He is there with you always.”
Conclusion: John 12:36, Jesus said, “Believe in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”
c. 2001
