The Light of the World
Journey Through The Gospels • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
13 “There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
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.
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Darkness vs Light
Darkness vs Light
Just as it was in the beginning, so it is today, and so it shall be at the return of Christ.
The world is full of darkness. Hopelessness, darkness, evil, the absence of God and of good cover the earth as the waters covered the earth in the beginning.
Light is used in the Bible to describe and express God’s presence, life, hope, clarity, proper vision, knowledge, wisdom, holiness, freedom, truth.
The wisdom knowledge grace and truth of God shine upon us, into us, and through us to reveal every absence of good, to dispel every darkness.
Like the inspection light the mechanic uses under your vehicle to shine into places that never see light and expose their conditions, the light of truth shines into the deepest recesses of our hearts and minds, and lives to expose our lies, the ones we’ve believed and the ones we’ve conceived.
It is the hope that shines through the darkness of obscurity and unknowing, of fear and worry and stabilizes and encourages us with the promises of God!
Light brings an uncovering to what was hidden in darkness, understanding to what was cloaked in mystery, and revelation to what was covered in ignorance.
God said - that is, His Word expressed, Jesus, let there be light.
He speaks into the darkness of our hearts and minds, the ignorance and deception and lostness of our society.
Somehow we find ourselves in a dark room with no awareness of our surroundings, then God comes along and sends His light.
Darkness has no power over light. Even the smallest lamp will dispel complete darkness. It is not a presence, but an absence.
Ignorance is not a presence of misinformation or disinformation, but an absence of accurate information that is trusted.
Fear, though palpable, though an active force of deception, is really an absence of faith.
Faith the size of a mustard seed can dispel fear.
The world is in a desperate dark place.
Truth is clouded and shrouded and absent from public arena.
To speak the truth is to start a fight. People get really upset really quickly at the notion of objective and absolute truth.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
In vs 25 Paul explains that they exchanged the truth for a lie.
We Must Not Despair
We Must Not Despair
But God spoke into the darkness and created the light - and separated the light from the darkness.
God sent Jesus into a dark, depraved, desperate, and dying world to give it light, to give it hope, to give it revelation!
He separated light from darkness, the kingdom of light from darkness!
He gave humanity the option to disassociate from the darkness and to be reborn into the kingdom of light, to have a light that mankind has not fully experienced since Adam and Eve fell into darkness in the garden of Eden, the light of LIFE!
We can look at the lostness and desperation and blindness of pride in this world and despair, or we can shine His holy wonderful light of life, bringing peace, hope, and revelation, bringing truth wherever we go.
It is becoming more apparent as I grow older and as time launches toward its end, people have no compass, no anchor, they do not know that truth exists. Our government is led by people who don’t have the simple clear common knowledge of a five year old because they can’t distinguish between a boy and a girl.
What they hate about truth is that it delineates between light and dark, right and wrong, man and beast, holy and common, male and female, common and sacred.
Let me read on...
Let me read on...
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.”
14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.
15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.
17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true.
18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”
19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”
20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
The Pharisees, Judeans, leaders of His day, teachers of the law, the Sanhedrin, scribes, and Sadduccees were blinded by their religion. They were drunk and mad on the power of their positions. They were so dead set on proving Jesus wrong that they never allowed His words to penetrate their hearts. They would not accept the words of the Faithful and True witness.
In keeping with Mosaic Law and Rabbinical tradition there had to be at least 2 witnesses to establish anything. The Law and Prophets, truth and grace, and Father and the Son, … none of these pairs of witnesses were enough.
What they required for proof was impossible, because their hearts were hardened, closed off. They could not see the light because their eyes were sewn shut.
What will you accept as proof?
The one who is willing to believe, will receive anything as proof. The one who refuses to believe will not accept anything.
We could argue all day, all year, with someone who claims that scripture is not scientifically accurate or historically reliable. We could show them proof after proof after proof, but they will not receive but they cannot.
In fact, none of us could believe or receive apart from the working and moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and our minds. Even still, we had to be open!
The World Is Being Prepared
The World Is Being Prepared
We can despair over the darkness or we can shine our lights!
The darkness prevailing in our land and in our culture is preparing the way for the light.
The manure of deception often becomes the fertilizer for the soil to receive truth.
Many people will still hunger for truth, it’s hardwired into us.
We want logical conclusions and for things to line up with our observances.
History shows time and time again that generations reject the notions of the generations before them.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Jesus is still in the world through His disciples - those who believe in Him and follow Him have and shine the light of life!
All is not lost, as long as God leaves a remnant in this world, and God through the ages has always had a remnant.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
1 Timothy 6:15–16 (ESV)
15 … he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.