Jesus Christ Is The Light John 1:4-5

Well, good morning. Everyone welcome to faith Bible Church. It's on a beautiful day. Spring day first day of spring or second day of spring something like that. It came really fast.

But.

Glad it's here and Found me on my hands and knees pulling weeds yesterday. So isn't that a glorious thing but part of home ownership. I wanted to for announcements remind you that on Resurrection Sunday Our pastoral candidate Iljin Cho will be here with his wife Lauren.

That morning on Sunday morning at 930 please plan on coming early at night to Spend some time with them to meet them to greet them and then around 1045 or so We're gonna have come into the this room here.

I mean worship center, and they're gonna give a brief testimony Of how they met and came to the Lord or whatever is laid upon their hearts and then we'll have normal service at 11 and.

And.

Brother Iljin will then preach the morning service the morning message. So it's gonna be a good time of worship of being together and To getting to know this family better. So please please put that on your calendar.

Before I go to the Lord in prayer, I wanted to read Psalm 27. You just listen along. 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?

When the wicked come against me to eat up my flesh my enemies and foes they stumble and fell Though an army may encamp against me. My heart shall not fear Though war may arise Against me in this I will be confident and then at the end of the chapter wait on the Lord.

Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say on the Lord and We've said a lot as we've been seeking the Lord in in in our church his church faith Bible and We just need to have that perspective as we do wait on him As to what the future would have for us.

So be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. So let's go to the Lord in prayer Lord God, we thank you father that we are gathered this morning Lord. We do look with anticipation at Il Jin Cho's Visit with us Lord.

We just ask for your guidance for your Wisdom as well father and Discerning if this is a place for him for them Lord if this is what you would have us to do as a church. So Lord, we do wait on you father.

We do seek your your will in in this situation and in all things father. Lord, we ask that you would bless our service this morning that we would we would rejoice in your goodness in your grace in your Mercy father that is new every day.

Father we thank you that that we can worship you and spirit and in truth and may our worship be acceptable in your sight father and that as we lift our voices as you Have led pastor John In his message this morning Lord.

May you just bless each element of our worship father. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

David.

Good morning. It's an exciting life with Jesus as your master, let's stand and sing. Come thou almighty King For the beauty of the earth.

The scripture reading this morning is from 1st John chapter 1 verses 1 through 10. 1st John Chapter 1 verses 1 through 10. That which was from the beginning Which we have heard Which we have seen with our eyes Which we have looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the Word of Life.

Life that was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you. That eternal life which was with the father and was manifested to us. That which we have seen and heard. We declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us.

And Truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 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.

If we say we that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness We lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light We have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus Christ his son Cleanses us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we can confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

May God has blessing to the reading and hearing of his Holy Word.

Let's stand and sing. Great is thy faithfulness and how great thou art.

Well, thank you so much David and good morning.

The Light of Life in John 1:4-5

Let's go in our Bibles, please to the gospel of John the gospel of John. Can you believe it's warming up out there?

Don't I didn't need a sweater. Well praise the Lord.

Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and Then that Friday we remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary what we often call Good Friday and.

Then.

That Sunday will be celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the grave without which we have no hope. So it's a pretty amazing time in church history it's pretty amazing time to be a pastor be able to preach and share God's Word and and a lot for us to think about over the next couple of weeks as Christians and I think this passage that we're going to be looking at this morning.

This one verse is Going to be pretty encouraging as we look to the next couple of weeks. I think the best way to set yourself up for this morning's message and you can probably do this pretty easily with me is Imagine being in a dark room.

Can you do that with me a Pitch black room with no light no light and your goal is To get to the other side of the room. You don't know how big the room is. You don't want to stub your toe. You don't want to whack your shins on a piece of furniture on the coffee table.

How many have ever done that at night? Ran into the coffee table man. You got a bruise. If you can do that with me you'll get some sense of The verse that we're going to be discovering or studying this morning and what we'll be learning about the Lord Jesus Christ because in John chapter 1 verse 4 it says this in Him was life and The life was the light of men.

So in this one verse we have Jesus being The life that we studied last week and.

Also.

Jesus Christ being the light of men. So the good news of the gospel right the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ is life and also in Jesus Christ was the light of men. That's the good news.

The bad news is the next verse The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not Comprehend it now. See here's where I'm going. Who in their right mind? Would want to be in a dark room and Not want light and You have to go from one end of the room to the other without light who in their right mind.

How could anyone? Church, how could anyone? Reject light in that situation. He'd be saying what is wrong with that individual? So the message title today if you're looking at your notes is Jesus Christ is the light and as we did last week today I want to call our attention to the meaning and the ramification and the application of this truth that Jesus Christ is the light of men.

Jesus Christ is the light. Why did Jesus himself put so much emphasis on his being the light and what is the Significance of this truth about Jesus Christ to the Christian life. Amen. So before we go any further, how about we pray?

Lord we thank you so much for this day this time that we can be in your word that we can roll up our pant Legs as it were and take off our shoes and socks and wade into the truth of your word Lord God and cool Our feet and and and feel that refreshment that comes from your word.

May the Holy Spirit himself Enlighten our eyes and open our eyes of understanding and our hearts father God to receive your word this morning Lord that it might bear fruit in our lives that it might first of all be seed that is planted and Then secondly bear fruit in our lives by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit we pray in Jesus name.

Amen. There was a Christian missionary serving in the bush in Africa in the country of Rhodesia many many years ago, or is it Rhodesia? Rhodesia. I saw somebody twitch Rhodesia. You you would have loved being in my eighth grade science class on Thursday.

I think it was on Thursday. They said mr. Kane It's Wednesday not Wednesday. I go what when's this one girl? She's kind of got some spunk to her Wednesday, I said that's what I say. No, you don't. What do I say Wednesday?

It's not Wednesday. It's Wednesday. So it's Rhodesia and it's Wednesday. There's another word. I can't remember right now. Does she they said that I mispronounce all the time. Anyway, this missionary tells the story of an old woman that she met and You know was getting to know as a missionary and share the gospel in the small village and She said to the missionary you have brought us the light.

But we don't seem to want it. You have brought us a light, but we still walk in darkness. And see this woman was speaking only of the life that she knew in Africa. But her words aptly described the reaction of people Everywhere to the light of Jesus Christ when he first shown on the world.

Jesus was and is the light of the world in one sense understanding that he's God, right? He's always been the light of the world and yet when he appeared The world rejected him because it preferred the darkness.

Verse 5 the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. Verse 9. That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world and the world was made through him.

Proof that Jesus is God and the world did not know him. Verse 11 he came to his own and his own did not receive him. If you go over to chapter 12 verse 35. Chapter 12 verse 35 Jesus said a little while longer the light is with you.

Walk while you have light lest darkness overtake you. He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. So this great image of Where Jesus Christ is the light of the world is the second theme that John? introduces in this fourth and fifth verses of this opening chapter first Jesus is life and now Jesus is light and Later in the gospel Jesus quite poignantly says in chapter 8 verse 12.

I am the light of the world. Chapter 8 verse 12 Jesus spoke to them saying again I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness. But have the light of life. So Jesus is the life and the light.

Why the emphasis or the word picture of Jesus being the light and is there? Significance for this truth about Jesus being the light for the Christian life. Well, yes there is for one because God is light and Since Jesus is God Then Jesus also has to be light.

So what is John the Apostle. John the writer of this gospel mean when he declares that Jesus is? The light of men for one. By using this title John's declaring That Jesus is revealed as the one. Listen to me as the one who knows God and who makes God known.

See when Jesus when John refers to Jesus as being the light of men. He's telling us that Jesus is revealed as the one who knows God the Father and The one who makes God the Father known. Jesus shines light on the father and since God is light Jesus also has to be light.

Now understand light is a universal image for the illumination of mind through understanding light is this universal image of Illumination of the mind through understanding we can't and we don't know where we're going in the dark without light and Before Jesus came into the world the world was in darkness and in general and the world didn't know God understand that from Malachi the last book of the Old Testament to Matthew there was essentially 400 years of silence from God.

For 400 years.

God was in effect Silent for 400 years in effect. There was no light. So when Christ came and his light shone before men then men had the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face and the person of Jesus Christ.

And does That not bring more meaning to verse 14. The word became flesh and Dwelled among us and we beheld his glory.

The glory as.

Of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. So also in context for the significance of this image Lies in the fact that God himself God the Father is pictured as light in Both the Old and the New Testament.

David writes in Psalm 27 1 You've sung it. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Psalm 36 9 for with you is the fountain of life in your light in Your light we see light. Another Psalm Psalm 104 says praise the Lord.

Oh my soul. Oh Lord. My god. You are very great. You are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment. He stretches out the heavens like a tent as.

As.

Dave read earlier. John writes in his first epistle in first John 1 verse 5 God is light and in him is.

No.

Darkness at all. See God is light. So the image of light Seems perfect and so appropriate as a term for the one who makes the Father known God is light. Jesus is light. See light Penetrates the unimaginable depths of space far beyond the limits of human vision.

In all the vastness of space into which a telescope can probe we can see but only light some of it traveling according to scientists Millions of years to reach our eyes. Without light there is no vision without light.

There's no view of reality without light. There is no confident journey without light. There is no growth without light. There is there is only cold. There's no health. There's no life. When some plant of the open day strikes root in a dark place it becomes pale and flaccid and it becomes Distorted beyond recognition as it is looking for light some chink or crevice crevice in a rock to grow.

See. The Bible says that God is love right in our limited human understanding of this rich and vast word the word love conjures up all kinds of images and and thoughts about God. The Bible also tells us that God is light and since Jesus is God then Jesus also has to be light.

So the image of light is so rich and it's totally appropriate to describe the Lord Jesus Christ. God The Father is light. So is Christ the Son. He is the image of the invisible God. He is the one who fills all in all because he is light in him.

God The Father is illuminated so we see and know the Father. So first of all God is light and what therefore the Sun has to be light and in that light is What life? Now second to better understand and appreciate What it means that Jesus is a light.

We also need to contrast the light with the darkness. You see if you think about it the imagery and the contrast Between light and darkness being in a pitch black Night with no moon versus being outside in the noonday Sun at high noon that is a contrast that any of us can relate to and it helps us to understand the Significance of Jesus being the light.

Jesus is a light shows and teaches that by his coming into the world he exposes the works of darkness. Jesus shown in the darkness and The darkness didn't like it and the darkness still today doesn't like it.

See in the beginning God said what let there be light and there was light and God separated the darkness from the light and He called the light good but not the darkness. If the Sun is hidden all we see is a shadow and we call that shadow only what is Contrasted with the sunlight and the contrast of the two the shadow versus what's in the light Intensifies that contrast and this is what Jesus has done by his coming.

Jesus stands before the world in perfect purity and perfect light in contrast. Man stands in imperfection and impurity in the world. The line of separation is drawn forever. The conscience of men acknowledges This light.

Whether we know it or not the light which streams from Christ opens away to a clear Distinction between good and evil. His coming is a judgment. Light and darkness are not blended in him. Satan comes as what an angel of light.

Jesus came as the light. The coming of Jesus into the world exposes the world's darkness and where men thought they had most light Jesus is perfect light. Jesus is not a dim light underneath the shade a dark shade.

Covered he is the perfect light. You remember camping you've been camping. When you're camping you go outside at night. You shine the flashlight and when contrasted with the darkness, it's very bright.

I don't know if you remember the days when the only kind of flashlight you had was a flashlight with two batteries and Then all of a sudden they had a three battery flashlight and a four battery. You had those big things a police carried them around on their belt.

You couldn't wait to get one of those, right? You know, you'd see them they they put them in your thing and then they came out with what LED. And now they rate them in lumens. I mean When I got my first four battery D cell flashlight, man I thought I had arrived and now I get like a hundred times a light out of something this big.

But a flashlight only works when it's dark. Eventually the Sun comes up and once the Sun is up the light intensity of the flashlight fades into insignificance when compared to the light of the Sun and This is the experience that people have when they come face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ.

So long as we live in the darkness of this world. You and I are able to compare the relative merits of human goodness or righteousness. We see the difference Between a three battery character a two battery character a one battery character and a dead flashlight, don't we?

And.

We rate people accordingly. But you see all these distinctions fade away in the presence of the pure white light of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His coming reveals the incredible intensity intensity and profundity of the darkness.

That's why when you ask somebody Have you ever told a lie?

Yeah.

What's that make you. And they'll tell you anything except a liar but then if you say If I told you a lie, what would you call me? Oh, you're a liar. And what should be ours today and all of men's reaction to this stark contrast between light and darkness.

It can be one of two things for one a person can hate Christ for the light as many people have done. They can try to get rid of his presence in their life. They can yell things like crucify him like when you shine the light and I mean when you give your kids right when they're little and you give them a Flashlight for the first time, you know what happens, right?

Get it away from me. They will swat and yell at you and this is what John is saying. This is what he's saying in verse 5. The darkness did not.

Comprehend it.

Right.

He couldn't and would not have said that. Unless the darkness tried to overcome it and I'm going to get to that word in a minute because some translations there have overcome it. People can certainly try to overcome the darkness.

Second our.

Reaction to the light Can be what God wants us to do. We can embrace the light and We can let it shine on us and we can say Lord. I See now that my own good works are far from perfect. In fact, they seem quite dark.

In fact, they seem almost Non-existent when compared to your righteousness and I realize now that my works my goodness I'm a good person will not take me to heaven. I realize now that my church attendance and going to church and being nice to people is not enough light to get me to heaven.

But God you have the goodness which I do not have and You have promised to give it all who believe on your son and receive him as Savior and that is what I do now.

I.

Trust you to remove my sin. I put my faith and and my trust in you Jesus Christ alone because my Works are a dead battery will be compared to yours. If someone will say that God will do as he promised.

That's why Jesus Christ came. Jesus is a light and One of the significances of this truth is that man man now has a clear Contrast between the light and the darkness. That's why Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 521.

God made him Jesus Christ who knew no sin sin for us. So that in him We might become the righteousness of God not our own little flashlight now. Third. Because Jesus is a light It also means that in the light There is victory.

See. The third. Important point to note in Studying the image of Jesus as a light is the fact that in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ It has not been overcome by the darkness. See. The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world and was not and has not been overcome by the darkness.

Look at verse 5 carefully.

One.

Translation written by a Greek scholar. He put look at verse 5 in your Bible and listen to how this translator translated the verse. He says the light still shines in the darkness and The darkness has never put it out.

Now you think about this truth in the light of the days in which we live the light.

Still.

Shines in the darkness. It's still shining and the darkness has never put it out. See the Greek word in the second part of verse 5 comprehend can be translated overcome or put out and It's a word in the Greek that has at least three meanings.

And so there's a wide variety of Interpretations when you go to translations, there's a wide variety of interpretations of this verse. Go to John 8 for the most. At the most literal level. The word that is translated in verse 5 comprehend or overcome depending on most English translations it means to seize or apprehend somebody either.

Physically or intellectually look at John 8 verse 4. Well verse 3 then the Scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery and when they had set her in The midst they said to him teacher This woman was caught in adultery in the very act.

The word caught there is the same word That we have in verse 5 that's translated Comprehend or overcome. What are they saying? They're caught physically we caught her. Physically in the act of adultery and that's what the word is is using there the word can be used to catch someone intellectually or mentally and in the case of verse 5 it would be intellectually to understand.

Comprehend mentally is the interpretation that we find in the King James a new King James and the new American Standard. But the word can also mean overtake overtake by by extension as you're Pursuing somebody to overtake them or to overcome them.

John 12 verse 35 see the idea of overtaking or overcoming is the clear meaning of the verb in the only other place where it occurs in John's gospel and it's here in John 12 verse 35 He says walk. While you have the light.

Less darkness. What? Overtake you. He who walks in darkness does not know where he's going. So in the sense of overtaking the word moved into the sports vocabulary of Jesus's day. And it was used when a wrestler was said to have taken down his opponent.

So these translations they're all right. The Sark the darkness certainly did not understand the light and the darkness. Siddon certainly didn't overcome or overtake Jesus as the light. Now, let's go back to verse 4 in chapter 1 and Yet there's another meaning of the word.

Some scholars suggest comes even closer to John's true meaning and that is to quench or Extinguish or eclipse the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not Extinguish or eclipse the light.

So if you think about astronomy which may be involved here we can say that God's light is shining in the darkness and Church, please listen to me. Despite what is going on in this world? The redefinition of marriage what they're doing to children in their education today.

Gender identification personal pronouns you see we can say God's light is shining in the darkness and His light has never and will never be put out. That's what it's saying. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness Has not Cannot will never Put it out Extinguish it.

See we do not see on this earth the unending natural cycles of light and darkness here darkness always overcomes a light. You can be in the gloomiest country on the earth or the brightest night will always follow the day.

You know.

It can be retarded we can turn on the light. But night comes eventually and the point is here is that what physical darkness does each evening. Spiritual darkness tried without? Success to do in the case of Jesus Christ.

Crucify him crucify him. The devil danced for glee when Jesus died and gave up his last amen. And then he goes in the grave for three days and then what he raises again. Which will be celebrating in two weeks.

The darkness has tried to overcome or overtake that light that started in the darkness. But Jesus simply overcame it. Listen to what one man said a lot more intelligent than I and he probably can pronounce Wednesday.

I quote this man. Having seen this other light that is the light of God Revealed in Jesus Christ. I Turn to it. Striving and growing towards it as plants do towards the Sun. You came as light into the world in order that whoever believed in you should not remain in darkness.

Your light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it nor will it ever. Friends Jesus is the light. God is light and Jesus is God. He too is light. No matter how dark this world might turn and We understand.

Don't we? That it's turning to bitch to pitch dark faster than we can imagine. But no matter how dark that darkness it cannot overcome or overtake the light of Jesus. When it comes to Jesus being the light.

Understand what we learn about God when we consider the contrast between light and darkness. Understand to the victory over the darkness that Jesus as the light gives mankind. And finally because Jesus.

Because Jesus is the light. Believers are called to be lights. See in order to see the full teaching of the gospel of John about light. We need to add to these truths that there is a sense in which in our day in our day Jesus is no longer The light of the world directly in our day.

Believers are the light of the world. You see. We are his light Reflected in the world. Christians are his light reflected to the world. See in John 5. I'm sorry in and in verse 5 John uses a present tense in describing Jesus's light.

He says the light shines in the darkness. It's shining in the darkness as if Christ's light was shining now and the verb shines is in the present tense. That means the light is shining. That's how we would translate it literally in the English with an ING.

The light is shining. It's continuing to shine. Now go to first John chapter 2 first John 2 because in first John 2 verse 7 John also says that Christ shines in our day only through Christians. First John 2 7 first John 2 7.

Brethren, I.

Write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment what you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again a new commandment. I write to you which thing is true in him and in you.

Because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light and Hates his brother is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going. Because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

See.

When Jesus was in the world, he said as long as I'm in the world, I'm in the light I am the light of the world, but when he turned to those who believed in him in Matthew chapter 5, he said to them Matthew 5 verse 14 Just to remind you Matthew 5 verse 14 You are the light of the world.

Who us.

Believers You are the light of the world. You don't get it yet. A city to sit on a hill can't be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket. But on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and Glorify your father in heaven. Friends you want something else here? Jesus. Please listen. Jesus didn't mean that the believers were the light themselves.

He's saying that they're lights and they are to be lights because of Christ in them. Which is one reason why he says. Why he says it went in Matthew that no one puts a light on the table to light a room and then covers it up.

John 12. John 12. He says to those who did not believe Jesus. This is a context is the people answered him. We've heard from the law that Christ remains forever. How can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up?

Jesus said look a little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have light. Lest darkness overtake you. He who walks in darkness does not know where he is coming while you have the light. Believe in the light.

That you may become sons of the light. See what Christ is saying. He's saying that today Christians are the light of the world but they can be the light of the world only because He is their light and they reflect him.

That's why Paul says 2nd Corinthians. I want you to see this 2nd Corinthians 4. 2nd Corinthians 4 verse 6. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of Darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

See, so Jesus Christ is God. But he's also 100 man. He is life and he is the light of men. See in light of what John has said back in John chapter 1 When he says he was the life and the life. Was the light of men in terms of its real world and its shoe leather application to the Christian life to us here to those watching by video.

See in order to take that to us today sitting here and Spin the hands of time 2 ,000 years we're left with some very convincing and Probing questions that we should be asking ourselves and I encourage you even if you're watching by video To think about these questions with me.

See the light of Jesus like any light is very revealing. I'm constantly I have a little shelf by my main chair, you know the chair and And I have a little shelf. I'm constantly dropping things and they fall underneath this the chair so I get on my hands and knees.

It's a great thing. The kids love it when they walk out and I'm there on my hands and knees and I got a flashlight. You know and I'm looking under the chair. Where did I drop it this time? Where did I drop that?

You know, is it on one of the bottom shelves in the back where the light doesn't reach? You see I can see a lot when I shine that bright light there. See the light of Jesus is revealing and what I mean is that Jesus is light penetrates the darkness and Shows us what's always been there if the light of the Lord Jesus Had this effect in a believer they can say with Isaiah.

Remember when Isaiah when he saw the Lord high and lifted up and Isaiah woe is me. Woe is me. I'm a man of unclean lips. Peter said go away from me Lord. I'm a sinful man. Paul said in 1st Timothy, I am the worst of sinners see the light of Jesus should reveal and result in Produce humility.

Because you understand the light misses nothing. It's pure light. It misses nothing. So a question to ask ourselves this morning is this and be truthful.