David [00:00:00]:
Hello. Well, good morning, Toby. It is morning here in Tennessee. Yes, I’m back in Tennessee, and it’s good to be here. So this is a message for Sunday, March 24, 324 24. Hey, look at that. All right, so let’s get started. Five.
David [00:00:29]:
Good morning, everyone. Today is a Sunday before Easter, the week we will celebrate Easter all during this week, all the things that are coming. But it’s the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and savior. And his resurrection was the triumph over death, hell and the grave. And this was a journey of redemption, of restoration and reconciliation that started in the garden of Eden and ended with him bringing us the gift of life eternal. Wow. That is so great. And today we’re going to look at another aspect of this.
David [00:01:16]:
We’ve been talking about love, light and life. And so today we’re going to look into that. As I studied, meditated, as I shared before on this, the question that came to me, what was drawing God to do this? And those three words came to me, love, life and light. And so we’re looking again into what these three words mean. Last week, we began by looking into love. God is love, and love is God. Love was and is working in God to bring us redemption, restoration and reconciliation. And that is why Jesus came.
David [00:02:01]:
We saw that love seeks relationship. Love gives and love honors. And in this time, we discovered we honor God by loving him with all of our hearts, our soul, and our mind, and loving others as we love ourselves. Today we’re going to focus on light. Jesus came that we might have light. God is light. In one John one five, the apostle John writes this. 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.
David [00:02:51]:
That word light there in the Greek means delicate, subtle, pure, brilliant quality of light. It also means truth, knowledge, spiritual purity, that which is exposed to the view of all, the power of understanding moral and spiritual truth is light. Wow. Let me go through that again. So light is this expression, this beaming, this showing forth, that is delicate, subtle, pure, brilliant, of high quality. But it is also an expression of the truth, knowledge, spiritual purity, that which is exposed to the view of all, the power of understanding moral and spiritual truth. All of this brings us light. Now, darkness is simply this, its ignorance of divine things, its wickedness, its misery and hell.
David [00:04:10]:
Darkness separates us from the light. But if we have the light within us, darkness is dispelled. It is done away with it, cannot overcome the light. Walking in the light is walking with God. Walking in darkness is walking without or apart from God. There is no darkness in God at all. John, the first chapter of John, verses six and nine there. And the gospel of John says this, there was a man sent from God whose name was John.
David [00:04:53]:
This man came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all through him might believe he was not the light, but was sent to bear witness of the light that was the true light, which gives light to every man coming into the world. God’s love said, let’s give them light. Let’s give them insight, let’s give them understanding. And Jesus came that we may have the light of life. He is the true light, and his light, his truth is for all mankind. He’s not holding it back from anyone. Anyone can come into relationship with God. All they have to do is receive Jesus as their lord and savior, and boom, they’re a part of the family of God.
David [00:05:50]:
Hallelujah. John nine five says this, as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. So Jesus is truth. He’s knowledge, he’s understanding, and he’s spiritual purity. He came that we could know the light and walk in it. Now let’s look at some of the characteristics of light. Number one, we’ve heard this all of our lives, probably if you’ve been in church or around church. Light overcomes darkness, John one three through five.
David [00:06:27]:
And all things were made through him. And without him, nothing was made. That was made in him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. And that word there in the Greek comprehend, means to this, the darkness could not lay hold of it. It could not seize upon it. It could not take possession of it. And another definition of that is it couldn’t lay hold of it with the mind.
David [00:07:06]:
It couldn’t comprehend it. Light overcame darkness, and darkness could not overcome the light. Darkness cannot drive out what God is doing in you, through you, for you, and with you. Wherever the light shines, it overcomes the darkness. John 1246 says this, I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness, because Jesus, the light of the world, came. You do not have to live in darkness. You didn’t have to live in ignorance of divine things and wickedness or experience the mystery of hell. Jesus has set us free from all those evil things.
David [00:08:02]:
Ephesians five eight through 14 says this, for you were once darkness, but now you were light in the Lord walk as children of light. For the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth. Finding out what is acceptable to the Lord and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light. For whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore, he says, awake, you who sleep arise from the dead and Christ will give you light. Paul is challenging us here to be a light.
David [00:08:59]:
Expose the works of darkness. As we expose the darkness, we have the opportunity to invite others to walk in the light of Christ with us. Paul is saying, even through you, even through you, God’s light overcomes darkness. Two Corinthians four, verse six says this, for it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who is shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. As our friend and author Michelle Prince says, ignite your light and illuminate the world by sharing your story. And guys, that’s all the message of reconciliation we talked about. That’s all it is. It’s just sharing your story.
David [00:10:01]:
What has God done for you? What is the blessing of being in relationship with him? You just share that with your friends, with your family, those around you. And the Holy Spirit will work in that to draw them to Christ. When you do this, the light of Christ shines through you, overcoming the darkness and others and giving hope for a better tomorrow. That’s a part of why Jesus came, to give us hope for a better tomorrow. And so what we see is God is light, and God wants to shine his light through you. The second thing we see about light is this. Jesus is the light of life. John chapter eight, verse twelve says, and Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world.
David [00:11:03]:
He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. Not only is he the light, he’s the light of life. John one three through five talks about this. All things were made through him, and without him, nothing was made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of man. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. We read this previously, and let me say this, all life was and is in Christ from the beginning, and the life is the light of man. Now let’s think about that.
David [00:11:49]:
When you look at Genesis one three, it says this. Then God said, let there be light. And there was light. When God said, let there be light. The light came forth from within him. Because of that light, life came into the world. Life could not have come into the world without the light being there first. The beginning of all things came from the light of life, which was in the word, which was in Jesus Christ.
David [00:12:28]:
The light brings the fullness of all things. Jesus said in John 1010 that he came, that we might have life to the full till it overflows. So this brings us to another characteristic of light, which is the word is light. John one, one through four. Again, 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 nothing was made that was made in him was life, and the life was the light of men.
David [00:13:11]:
Another way to read that verse could be in the beginning was the word, and the word was the light, and the word was light. He was in the beginning with light. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made in him was life, and the life was the light of men. God is light. Jesus is light. The word is light. It brings light to everything. The psalmist David said in Psalm one 9105, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
David [00:13:52]:
Wow. He confirms what we’re talking about right here. It is guidance, it is direction, it is wisdom for every day of our lives. King Solomon said in proverbs, proverbs 623, for the commandment is a lamp and the law a light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life. So the way of life brings us light. If we look into God’s commandments and his law, his word, and see the light of life in there. This is how life should be lived in the truth of the light, the truth of the word.
David [00:14:48]:
James one five says this. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. Let him ask of the light, the one who gives instruction, understanding, clarity, revelation. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Conia and I’s friend Bob Bodine. Bob wrote the book two chairs. He shows us how time with God every day can bring us the wisdom, the direction, the guidance, and the understanding we need to move forward. If you don’t have that book, I encourage you to get it.
David [00:15:40]:
You can get it on Amazon. Two chairs by Bob Bodine. It’s a powerful book and how to just spend a few minutes with God every day getting his wisdom insight and direction. The next characteristic of light is we are children of light. John 1236 says, while you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus spoke and departed and was hidden from them. As I said last week, Jesus came to invite us into relationship with our Father God, who is the light. Colossians 112 says, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
David [00:16:37]:
He sees us as his children. When we come into relationship with Jesus Christ, we’re forgiven of our sins. We come into relationship with our Father God, with the Holy Spirit, with his word, and that qualifies us to be partakers of the inheritance of all the children of God, of all the saints in the light. We are a partaker, all of us together, as believers in this community of light. The community of light are partakers of the inheritance of our Father God. God has qualified you. You don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to prove yourself.
David [00:17:19]:
You don’t have to qualify yourself. God qualified you. You do not have to do anything to be worthy or earn the right to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in life. So we simply need to do what Paul said. Father, thank you for qualifying me, for loving me and wanting me to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Thank you for choosing me and accepting me as your child. I encourage you to get up every day and give him thanks. Be grateful.
David [00:18:03]:
That grateful attitude, that thankful heart unlocks the door for God to move and work in us by his holy Spirit every day, no matter what we’re facing, what challenge we’re going through, it brings us peace and hope. It brings us that sense of quietness. God is there with us and for us. He’s working in us and through us. God loves you. You are a child of light. First, Thessalonians five five says, you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
David [00:18:49]:
That verse is true for you and everyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their lord and savior. You are children of light. Here’s a great promise and truth declared by the apostle Peter one. Peter two nine. He says this, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Wow, what a great verse. That explains it all. You are chosen, you are royal, you are priestly, you are holy, you are his special one.
David [00:19:52]:
And we get to walk and live each day in his marvelous light. Jesus came so we could be called in to his marvelous light. Remember what the apostle Paul said in Ephesians before the foundation of the world? He chose you and picked you out as holy and blameless before him in love. Last week we spoke of your royalty. We spoke about us reigning in life as kings and priests. And so Jesus has come that we might reign in life as children of light. In one John one, verses five through seven, the apostle of John said this. 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.
David [00:20:57]:
If we say 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, and we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, your son, cleanses us from all sin. Jesus came that we might walk in the light as he is in the light. If you’ve accepted him and received him, you are a child of God. You are a child of the light. I encourage you to get up each morning, declare, I’m a child of the light. The light of God is in you and shines through you. So go out and be a light, as our friend Michelle Prince says I mentioned earlier, go out and shine and tell your story.
David [00:22:01]:
God loves you. You are his child. And a part of what we celebrate here at Easter is that Jesus came to dispel the darkness and to bring us into light and life in him. Wow. Let’s bow our heads in prayer. Father, we thank you for this time in your word. Thank you for showing us and giving us understanding and revelation into the fact that you are the light. You’re the light of the world.
David [00:22:33]:
You’re the light of life. And you have brought us into relationship with you through Christ and given us this light. And this light resides within us and shines through us and from us, your light, Lord, your life. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. This is so good. We celebrate you, Father God. We celebrate you, Jesus.
David [00:22:59]:
We celebrate you, Holy spirit. We celebrate your word, Lord. And we thank you for working in us and through us, for us and with us, the power of your light in your life. And we give you praise and glory for it all in Jesus name. Pastor Conia is coming now with a word of encouragement. God bless you. Have a great week. Walking in the light of his love.
