We are going to look at one of the simplest passages in the Bible. It is only three words. Even though it is only three words it is one of the most profound passages in the Bible. Turn to I John 1:5.
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (I John 1:5 NKJV) We read the whole verse but I want to concentrate on three words, “God is love.” That phrase is profound. In fact, two of the simplest and yet most profound verses in the Bible are found in I John. Chapter 1 verse 5 is one of those passages. The other is chapter 4 verse 8, “God is love.” Profound concepts do not have to be long and cumbersome.
“God is light!“ We need light just like we need God. Do you realize there is a physical disorder caused my lack of light? It is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). It is caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight, which in turn alters a person’s brain chemistry. During the fall and winter months when the hours of daylight are shorter, less light passes through the eyes which then inhibits the release of an important brain chemical, serotonin. When serotonin is not released in sufficient quantities, symptoms of depression may occur. Melatonin, another important brain chemical which regulates our sleep cycle, is released in greater quantities, adding to the depressive state. How is Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) treated? The standard treatment for this disorder is “light” therapy. In fact, it is the primary treatment recommended by the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association, and it is also backed by extensive medical research through the prestigious National Institute of Mental Health. The principal behind light therapy is that by increasing a person’s exposure to bright light, the chemicals in a person’s brain can be brought back to normal levels and lessen or remove the symptoms of S.A.D. The advantages of light therapy are that it is simple to administer, requires no medication, and has minimal side effects. Although (S.A.D.) only affects a few of us, about 1 in 5 people.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by: Michael Otterstatter)
We need physical light but even more we need God’s light.
I want to share some of the functions of light. This will help us to understand God’s unique place in our lives. I am going to use a simple acrostic as a teaching tool. I want to take the word LIGHT and highlight five functions of light which also are five functions which God performs in our lives.
L...Light gives Life.
One of the first things God placed in this world was light. In Gen. 1:3 God commanded that there be light.
One of the major teachings of I John is that life comes from God and eternal life comes through Jesus Christ. Apart from Him there is no life.
Ill- When I was a boy I found some quail eggs that had been uncovered by my uncles hay cutting equipment. The nest in which the eggs rested had been torn apart by farm equipment. I knew the eggs would not survive because of this. I came to the rescue. I took the eggs home, put them under a light and hatched them under a light. Light gives life.
Ill- Dr. Alexander Popaderos, a famous Greek philosopher, used to teach an ethics class for two weeks on the island of Crete. And this particular summer just as he was getting ready to close the class, the last few minutes of the class, he said, “Now are there any questions before we go?” And just as he was getting ready to say, “OK then you’re dismissed,” a little man in the back of the room, a rather timid looking man, sort of carefully raised his hand and said, “Dr. Popaderos,” “Yes” “I have a question” “Yes, what is it?” He said, “I’d like to know, what is the meaning of life?”
Dr. Popaderos very quickly quieted the group, he said to the class, “You know, if you don’t mind I’d like to answer that question.” He reached into his back pocket, and took out his wallet. He took out of the wallet a little mirror about the size of a fifty-cent piece, honed down on the edges, kind of sparkling. And then he told this tale, he said, “When I was a child, I began to realize that I could have so much fun with that mirror. I would simply catch the glint of the Sun, and shine that mirror into an otherwise darkened place. As I grew older I began to learn that this is no child’s toy. This is really a metaphor for my life. Now I am not the light—I am not the source of the light. I am simply a broken mirror fragment. But if I allow the sun to shine on my mirror fragment, it is amazing what light I can bring into darkness.” Then he said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, that is the meaning of life.”
Each of us is a mirror fragment. We are not the Light. We are not the source of the Light. We are simply a broken mirror fragment. But when we permit the SON to hit our mirror fragment, and then bounce off into the life of a darkened heart, there can be change, there can be illumination.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by: Matt Black)
I...Light Inspires!
Notice the last part of verse 5 and verse 6. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (NKJV) When we are inspired by God’s light and our relationship with Him, we will live a different lifestyle.
Have you ever walked out on a moonlit night and gazed up into the Heavens? The sight of that beautiful sight will lift your spirits. That light inspires you.
Have you ever read about someone who has a near death experience? Maybe the person has a heart attack and dies for a few brief seconds. Maybe the person is killed in a car wreck and is brought back to life after a few seconds. In most every one of those situations there is a common story. The people who experience the near death episode come back to describe a warm light that attracted them. I believe that is the light of God’s presence drawing them. Light has that affect. It draws and inspires and people want to be near it. John teaches us in verses 5 & 6 that people who walk in God’s light want to have fellowship with Him.
Ill- In the nineteenth century, lighthouses on the U.S. coasts were tended by lighthouse keepers and their families. If a man who tended the light took ill or became disabled, often the work was picked up by his wife or children. Such was the case of Hosea Lewis.
Having become, in 1853, the keeper of the light on Lime Rock Island at Newport, Rhode Island, Lewis suffered a stroke four years later, at which time his teenage daughter Ida assumed responsibility for the light. Each day included cleaning the reflectors, trimming the wick, and filling the oil reservoir at sunset and midnight, along with providing for her father’s care.
With long and demanding tasks, Ida was unable to continue her schooling, but daily delivered her siblings to class, whatever the weather, by rowing the 500 yards to the mainland. In the mid-1800s, it was unusual to see a woman maneuvering a boat, but Ida became well-skilled and well-known for handling the heavy craft.
The teenager gained a measure of fame at age sixteen when she rescued four young men after their boat capsized. She rowed to their aid, hearing their screams as they clung to their overturned craft. On March 29, 1869, Ida saved two drowning servicemen from nearby Fort Adams. Public knowledge of Ida’s courage spread as far as Washington, inspiring President Ulysses S. Grant to visit Ida at Newport later that year. Ida rescued another two soldiers in 1881, for which she was awarded the U.S. Lifesaving Service’s highest medal.
In early February of that year the two soldiers were crossing from Newport to Lime Rock Island on foot when the ice gave way. Ida, the lighthouse keeper, came running with a rope. Ignoring peril to herself from weak and rotten ice, she pulled one, then the other to safety. All told, Ida Lewis personally saved something like 25 people in fifty-plus years of keeping the light. Her last reported rescue came at age 63 when she saved a friend who had fallen into the water on her way to visit Ida on the island.
Asked where she found strength and courage for such a feat, Ida answered: ’I don’t know, I ain’t particularly strong. The Lord Almighty gives it to me when I need it, that’s all.’
Ida Lewis was a faithful steward. But the reason she was so faithful in her task is that she realized there were always people that would need to be saved.
(SOURCE: http://www.vais.net/~cypress/ida.htm; Contributed to Sermon Central by: Michael Elmore)
G...Light is a Guide.
What do airports use to line their runways? They use light.
In Exo. 13 we read the story of God leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The Bible says at night he lead them with a pillar of fire to give them light. He guided them.
A favorite Bible passage that has been memorized by many is Ps. 119:105. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (NKJV)
God desires to guide his children. He wants to guide you through difficulties, in decisions and as you face the challenges of life.
H...Light is a symbol of Hope.
The Psalmist said “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1 NKJV)
In Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of Jesus he uses light as a symbol of hope. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” (Is. 9:2 NKJV)
In Revelation there is a passage that is often used at funerals. It includes the picture of light. “And there shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 22:5 NKJV)
In most every home that has children there is a small light that is a symbol of hope to children. It is called a night light. It gives comfort to children who are in the dark.
Lab Rats, Light, and Hope
A group of graduate students did a very bizarre experiment. They took lab rats and put them in a tank of water and placed the tank in a totally dark room. They went into the joining room and monitored them with video equipment. The rats swam for almost six hours before giving up and drowning. The students then took another set of lab rats and put them in a tank of water and placed that tank in a room where there was a small lamp. Their hypothesis was that the light would give the rats hope and they would survive longer. As it turns out, the rats swam almost 17 hours. Much longer than the rats in total darkness. Something about the light enabled them to survive longer.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by: James Chandler)
T...Light represents Truth!
Let’s suppose you are awakened from a sound sleep by a noise outside. You are concerned that the noise may be caused by a burglar. You get out of the bed and turn on the outside lights. Why do you do this? You want to get to the truth.
Let’s suppose you are driving down the highway, minding your business, driving 70 in a 55 mph zone. You look in your rear view mirror to see flashing blue lights. You are about to face the truth.
In the Bible when the apostle Paul was converted to faith in Christ, God used a bright light to awaken him to the truth. (Acts 9:3) The truth brought him to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Ill- There is an old story about a lighthouse keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of coastline. Once a month he would receive a new supply of oil to keep the light burning so that ships could safely sail near the rocky coast. One night, though, a woman from a nearby village came and begged him for some oil to keep her family warm. Another time a father asked for some to use in his lamp. Another man needed to lubricate a wheel. Since all the requests seemed legitimate, the lighthouse keeper tried to please everyone and grant the requests of all.
Toward the end of the month, he noticed his supply of oil was dangerously low. Soon it was gone, and one night on the light on the lighthouse went out. As a result, that evening several ships were wrecked and countless lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very apologetic. He told them he was just trying to be helpful with the oil. Their reply to his excuses, however, was simple and to the point: "You were given oil for one purpose, and one purpose only - to keep that light burning!"
(SOURCE: James Emory White, Rethinking the Church (Baker Books, 1997), 27-28. Contributed to Sermon Central by: Joel Smith)
That light house keeper had to face the truth. He had to look in the mirror of self introspection. The Bible tells us the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)
Conclusion
Let’s review! I have given you five functions of light. Light gives life, inspires, guides, gives hope and reveals truth. God meets those needs in our lives. It may be that God wants and desires to meet one of those needs in your life today. Will you let Him?
