- Light is a key theme in Scripture, and as we put together references from the whole Bible, we see a beautifully unified theme what brings hope, and direction for living.
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Video cover image by Anthony DeLorenzo cc-by-2.0
Goal:
To see how Jesus is the light,
and to receive his light ourselves,
this Christmas
- There are 245 references to light in the Bible, and I have been through all of them
- It has been a wonderful experience for me
- This week
Jesus, the Light of the World
- The Long Promised Hope
- New Creation Light —bringing Life
- What does it mean for you and me?
1. The Long Promised Hope
- In the summer of 2018, 12 boys in a soccer team in Thailand went exploring to celebrate a birthday and ended up trapped deep inside a cave underneath a mountain.
- Unusual flooding made the water level rise and the were totally trapped underground
- For 9 days they were in complete darkness, not knowing if anyone even knew where they were
- Then, in the distance, they saw a light...
- Can you imagine what that file like?
light
ladder
- Isaiah prophesied 9:1–2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”
- My first point is: Long promised hope
Luke 1: John the Baptist’s father prophesied
- And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
…whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
- to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
- This was the first hint that all these prophecies would be fulfilled
- Next we have baby Jesus himself
Luke 2: Then Simeon spoke over Baby Jesus
- And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,
- he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
- “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
- for my eyes have seen your salvation
- that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
- a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
- The next reference is the moment ha starts his ministry
Matthew 4
- And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
- so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
- “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
- the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
- From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
- Quoting Isaiah 9:1–3
- Other prophecies from Isaiah that are quoted in the N.T.
Isaiah 42
- Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:
- “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,
- to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
- Maybe you need some hope in your life right now?
- My first point is that light brings hope
- Think of those 12 boys in the cave!
Jesus, the Light of the World
- The Long Promised Hope
- New Creation Light —bringing Life
- What does it mean for you and me?
2. New Creation Light —bringing Life
- There is another set of links between Old and New Testament: Creation imagery
Genesis 1
- In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
- The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
- And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
John 1
- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- He was in the beginning with God.
- All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
- In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
- The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
…
- The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
2 Corinthians 4
- 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.
- Here is an amazing pair of quotes about heaven, from the O.T., then the N.T.
Isaiah 60
- The sun shall be no more your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon give you light;
but the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
- Your sun shall no more go down,
nor your moon withdraw itself;
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall be ended.
- This is prophetic of the age to come
Revelation 21
- 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.
- By its light will the nations walk…
- He is your life
- Being born again is the same as receiving the light
- So hoW does this help us live our lives?
Jesus, the Light of the World
- The Long Promised Hope
- New Creation Light —bringing Life
- What does it mean for you and me?
3. What does it mean for you and me?
- The Light gives life (just like a plant)
- This is another way to think of feeding from Jesus—we absorb his light
John 8:12 & 9:5
- 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.”
- As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
- So how do we take in this light? What do we do to receive it?
- to bask in the rays and let the energy sink in?
- Spiritual Sunbathing! or better, SONbathing!
- Partly it is simply that—spending time in his presence
- Read, pray, sing are all good ways of sunbathing in Jesus
- Also it is to watch him and copy it
- My experience with Nathan & 7-min exercise
John 12
- So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer.
Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.
The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
- While you have the light, believe in the light,
that you may become sons & daughters of light.”
- Jesus said that many people turned away from the light because they felt exposed
- If you are not following Jesus, then you have two options
- You can trust him, that although his light will show your flaws, he will not shame you but heal you
- Or you can hide in the darkness
- But there are a very interesting couple of verses in Ephesians that add something:
Ephesians 5
- for at one time you were darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light
- for the fruit of light is found
in all that is good and right and true
- Living in the Light—you are light if you are born of Jesus
- You have his light in you!
- Isn’t that amazing
- You can bring hope to others
- This is what I want to end with
1 John 2
- …it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you,
because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
- Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
- Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
My Christmas message
- Jesus came as the Light of the World, the long-promised hope!
- He has put his light in you, if you are a believer
- So you can be a light to those around you!
- Be a light to others this Christmas!
- Not only will you bless them, but the blessing will come back on you and you will grow in the light
