(Begin with all lights in worship center off) Darkness. Have you ever been in a place so dark that it felt as if you could reach out and touch the darkness? I’ve been out in the deep woods after dark and I remember not being able to see my hand in front of my face. That was dark. On Thanksgiving night a few weeks ago we came home from a great dinner with friends to discover the electricity was off in our neighborhood. I drove through unlit streets and rows of dark houses. The darkness gave an eeriness to familiar surroundings. When I arrived home I stumbled around in the dark bumping into walls and tripping on dog toys until I found the flashlight. That was dark. But when I think of a place so dark that I could feel it I remember being in a cave a hundred feet below ground at Laurel Caverns in Pennsylvania. It was at that part of the tour where the guide informs us he is going to turn out all the lights…so stand right where you are…so don’t move …so don’t panic…so grab someone’s hand. Then the lights go off. That is a darkness I could feel.
Darkness is a metaphor used often in the Bible to describe the brokenness and sinfulness of the world. The darkness of the world is a darkness you can feel. You can feel the darkness in the misbehaviors of an unloved child. You can feel the darkness when your child spills a drink at the dinner table and you yell at them even though you spill things too and no one yells at you. You can feel it in the eyes of a lonely woman in a struggling marriage. You can feel it in the words of a man trying to explain why his job is more important than his family. You can feel the darkness in a person disparaging Christ in an attempt to sooth his conscious.
The Bible says it this way.
People look toward the earth and saw only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. Isaiah 8:22
And they will be thrown into darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness. Ephesians 5:11
We live in a broken darkness that you can feel. But in the midst of the darkness there is hope. (lamp post on stage turns on) For there is Someone greater than the darkness. There is Someone who has taken the reins and mastered darkness. There is Someone who is the light. The Bible says…
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not mastered it. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:1-5, 14
Mid ninetieth century author Robert Louis Stevenson, who was once very ill as a child, recorded a childhood incident in his diary in the mid 1850’s. He was seated by a window at nightfall, watching a lamplighter light the street lights below. His nurse came into the room and asked him what he was doing. “I’m watching a man make holes in the darkness,” he replied. Aqua Church by Leonard Sweet, pg 45-46.
Jesus Himself is the One who is poking holes in the darkness. Jesus is the light that loves an unloved child into a life of purpose. Jesus speaks acceptance and hope to the lonely wife. It is Jesus who breaks through the deception of a workaholic lifestyle and provides a life of balance. It is Jesus who shines light on the impatience of a father and it is Jesus Christ the light who shines the spotlight of Himself on the spiritual seeker.
Light has always been a means for giving direction; for providing hope. When we began the message this morning we began in the dark with the lamppost eventually coming on. It is amazing how our attention and focus was drawn to the light when it came on. And that is the wonder of the incarnation. When Jesus the light shined in the darkness, He captivated attention and drew the focus on Himself. People could not help themselves just as we could not stop ourselves from looking at the lamppost this morning. They had to look toward the light. That is the power of light; that is the power of the incarnation. Just as the lamppost gave Lucy hope for a way home so Jesus the light exposes the emptiness of darkness and gives us a way home to God.
This morning I want us to discover the light Jesus Christ. I want His incarnation to captivate our attention; expose the darkness in our lives and give us hope. I want us to open our Bibles and be amazed again by the incarnation. The incarnation is a fancy word that simply means God became flesh and lived among us. The incarnation speaks to the reality that God somehow clothed Himself with human frailty to live among those with unclean hands and tainted hearts.
John 1:14 says, “the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” The word “dwelling” literally means, “to pitch a tent”. The idea harkens back to the tabernacle of the Old Testament which God indwelled as the Israelites moved from place to place. Jesus left the mansions of heaven and the streets of gold to pitch His tent among those living in shelters and walking in streets of mud. Jesus left the splendor of heaven to sleep in the woods. Jesus gave up the praises of angels to hear the jeers of men. But make no mistake about it. Jesus did come. Jesus undoubtedly pitched His tent among people so that we could watch Him more closely. So that we could watch Him and give our lives to Him. So we could watch Him and become like Him.
This morning I want us to take a look at the incarnation as told by John in John 1 and discover two vital realities.
1. Christ’s mastery over darkness brings hope.
2. Christ is the light…you and I are not the light…but we are light bearers
If you have not already done so, please open your Bible to the book of John. John is the fourth book of the New Testament. Now let’s read verses 1-8. This passage is the disciple John’s attempt to describe the incarnation of Jesus. John does this not from a view point of genealogy and lineage but of deity and humanity. The first reality I want us to consider is the reality that Christ’s mastery over the darkness brings hope.
1. Christ’s mastery over the darkness brings hope
Verse 5 tells us that Jesus Christ, the light of the world, has entered into the darkness of brokenness and unbelief and lostness and death and this darkness does not overcome Jesus. Instead, Jesus has mastered the darkness. This may lead us to ask a simple question. Why? Why has the light mastered the darkness? Or stated another way, why has darkness not mastered the light? Verses 1-4 answer that question. They give us three reasons why the light has triumphed over darkness.
First, because Jesus is God. John says that Jesus is the Word. That is John’s way of saying that when Jesus spoke God was speaking. When Jesus spoke something into existence or spoke words of truth it is the same as God Himself speaking. Verses 1 and 2 describe a mystery that is entirely true but challenging to grasp. Jesus is God. The Word made flesh existed as God before He was ever born as a man. Before He took on human flesh, the Word Jesus existed eternally as God and in fellowship with God the Father. John later tells us “the one who comes from heaven is superior to all.” (John 3:31). One reason Jesus can master the darkness is because He is God.
A second reason is that Jesus is Creator of all things. Verse 3 tells us that Jesus was not a passive spectator at creation but was the One through whom all things came into existence. Jesus is the Creator of all things and therefore He can master the darkness.
The final reason that Jesus can master the darkness is in verse 4. Jesus Christ is life to humanity. Jesus is the source of both physical and spiritual life for each of us. The light that shines in the darkness is the very life of the Son of God. Notice the flow here. Jesus masters the darkness because He is God. As God He is the Creator of all things. As Creator, Jesus is the source of life.
So let me offer a word of hope to you this morning. Perhaps this morning you find yourself at church for the first time in a long time. Maybe even the first time. It’s Christmas season so you thought you would give church a try for ole time’s sake. Let me offer to you the hope of life and light through Christ. Jesus came to earth so that you could experience true spiritual life. His desire for you is that you would truly learn to live…and to live you must experience His life. I encourage you to allow Jesus to shine into your heart and burn away the spiritual darkness so that you can see Him clearly. His salvation is available to you and I would love to talk to you after this service about the life available to you.
There is a question that is asked often in the Christian world. “If you were to die tonight would you spend eternity with God in heaven?” That’s a great question and the reason for me offering Christ to you just now. But there is another question and one we Christ-followers need to start asking. “If you were to wake up tomorrow morning, will you live in the fullness of life that Christ intended?” I believe this question is important because most of us are going to wake up tomorrow and will be called upon to live another day.
You see, Christ’s mastery of the darkness has hope for both the one searching and the one who has been found. As a Christ-follower you must know that the life Christ placed in you at salvation was not intended as a one-time experience soon put behind you. John 10:10 say’s, “I, Jesus, have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Another version says it this way, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance or till it overflows.” Amplified version. Jesus experienced incarnation so that you and I could truly live…every day!
So what does the abundant life look like when you are looking for a parking place in front of PetsMart, see a car backing out, wait patiently and then watch as a 20 something gal talking on a cell phone zips into your place from the other direction. And who doesn’t even glance your way as you slowly drive by. Or when you walk into Circuit City to buy your wonderful wife a Christmas present. After a diligent search that would make Columbus jealous you find someone who works in the store, ask where something is, told it is locked up in a cabinet over there and then he walks off. So what does the abundant life look like during Christmas shopping? Honestly, I have no idea. But I do know what asking your children for forgiveness for saying things about people and their driving habits looks like. And no, I’m not bitter.
Christ gave us His life so that we could live life in all its fullness. Jesus is talking about a spiritually vibrant life as well as a abundant life on planet earth. A life where joy is a normal part of your day…unless you are shopping. A life where you enjoy the relationships of friends. A life that increasingly experiences Christ. A life that is increasingly becoming like Christ and putting a smile on God’s face.
The abundant life is a life with a guiltless past. I hope you know that when you came to Christ He forgave your past. Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” No matter what you have done Christ forgives you. It doesn’t matter who you hurt or how you hurt yourself, Christ forgives your past. The incarnation means your past is forgiven.
The abundant life is a life full of trust in Christ that allows me to live above the worries of each day. Read Matthew 6:25-34. The incarnation means you don’t have to worry about the cares and concerns of life. The incarnation means we can concern ourselves with God and His kingdom rather than what we wear and where we live.
Finally the abundant life is a yielded life. Luke 9:23 say’s, “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” The abundant life is a life yielded to Christ. Being yielded to Christ is important because life is not void of struggle and crisis. The incarnation of Christ means He gives you life through the crisis. A great friend of mine who died of cancer once sent me this note.
“My how my Lord has blessed me these past 16 months as I’ve seen Him provide for my every need and shown me the importance of trusting Him, especially when we don’t understand what He is doing. God has very special ways of dealing with His children as he weaves the dark threads and one is able to praise and thank Him for His steadfast love and goodness that draws you close to Him because of His peace and presence that overshadows any disappointment. You know He has it all under control because He is God, you belong to Him. He is working His purposes out for your own good and his Holy Spirit is teaching, comforting, correcting and leading as we yield to His control.” Jean Ballard
There is a second reality that the incarnation calls us to accept.
2. Christ is the light…you and I are not…but we are light bearers. John 1:6-8
I find it fascinating that the gospel writer would have to utter the words “John the Baptist was not the light”. How could someone encounter Jesus Christ and wonder how anyone else could compare to Him. It’s like seeing the blazing sun and then trying to convince me that a candle is really bright. These words were not for John the Baptist. John well understood his position and role. No, these words were for those who may have been confused about Who the true light is.
So as great as John the Baptist was he was not the light. Jesus alone is the light of the world. Now that is indeed good news because when it comes to light, you and I are like John the Baptist not Jesus. In case you have not figured it out yet, you are not the light. I am not the light. Rick Warren is not the light. Mary the mother of Jesus is not the light. There is only one light and it is Jesus the Christ.
But because Jesus experienced the incarnation and because Jesus is the light He can do the same thing for us that He did for John. He can make His dwelling in us. He can pitch His tent in me and you. He can put the light of Himself in us! Then we, like John the Baptist, can testify or be a witness of the true light. It’s sort of like the sun and the moon. The moon has no light of its own. It simply reflects the light of the sun. And the moon reflects the sun most brightly in the darkness of night. So we too are witnesses or mirrors of the true light.
We have the joy of walking around planet earth being a witness of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist performed no miracles or signs; he just proclaimed Jesus. So like John we get the joy of being the human agent through which the Word is proclaimed.
The gospel writer Matthew put it this way, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. Our abundant life expressed in good deeds brings notice to the light of God’s glory.
Notice a key word in verse 8. The NIV says John came ONLY as a witness to the light. Some of us may chafe under the word ONLY. That seems to say that someone else is more important. Like, “I’m only a private and you’re a general.” Or “I’m only a church member and you’re a pastor.” Well that is exactly what it is saying. You and I are only witnesses of the light; we are not the light. So relax and enjoy the abundant life of a witness and stop trying to be the sun.
Because Christ has mastered the darkness we have hope. Jesus is the light and we are witnesses. There is just one more thing I want to draw our attention to about light this morning. (light candle on stage). Do you know what began happening to this candle from the moment I lit it?
From the moment the flame touched the wick this candle began the process of being consumed. You see, candles are made to give off light but in order to do so they must be consumed. Candles are made to be consumed. They express their full beauty and usefulness as they are being consumed. They grow more beautiful as they are being used up.
Light, men and women, consumes that which is touches. The flame of a candle eventually consumes the whole candle. And when Jesus Christ incarnates Himself in us, His light begins the process of consuming us. His light consumes our sinful habits. His light consumes our thoughts. His light consumes the minutes and hours of our day. His light consumes the days, months and years of our lives. And eventually, His light will consume our entire life. A friend of mine used to say, “When I die, I want to enter eternity completed exhausted and entirely exhilarated.” That was his way of saying that he wanted to leave nothing behind. He wanted his life to be completely consumed by Christ. He wanted to enter eternity entirely used up.
Let’s conclude this morning by reviewing three questions.
1. If you were to die tonight, would you spend eternity with God in heaven? That is the hope of Christ for all.
2. If you were to wake up tomorrow, will you live in the fullness of life that Christ intended? That is the hope of the Christ-follower
3. Is your life being increasingly consumed by Christ? That folks is the incarnation of Christ realized in your life.
