John 8:12, John 8:20, Isaiah 9:1-6, Ephesians 5:11, Isaiah 49:6, Philippians 2:15-16

Summary: John’s Gospel presents seven distinctive claims by the Lord Jesus Christ (John 6:48, 8:12, 10:9, 11, 25, 14:6, 15:5). His claims reveal a great deal about our world, our lives, and what he has to offer us. This message will center on His claim of being “the Light of the World.”

The Lord Jesus made it clear to His disciples and those who encountered Him throughout His three and a half years of ministry that He was no mere healer, teacher, sage, or model of behavior we could try to emulate. Each of the four Gospels present Him as God Incarnate, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the Promised Messiah who would deliver His people Israel. He would deliver them, not from the tyranny of Rome or the perversions of puppet rulers such as Herod Antipas, but from a bondage far worse with eternal consequences, namely the bondage in which we all find ourselves, that of sin and the certainty of punishment and judgment that comes with it.

Scripture shows us that our sins have brought about the chaos in the world and within our souls that we arrogantly and maliciously place the blame on God when our plans and schemes do not work out.

We have no one to blame but ourselves. Even if the devil had not tempted Eve in the Garden and Adam with her, the fact is that our human nature was given a free will either to obey God or not. In our inevitable rebellion against His laws and guidance, along with our deliberate malicious rejection of His love, mercy, and grace, we decided that we knew better than the Creator how life and the world should operate. The pride, egotism, and arrogance that possessed Lucifer to rebel and end up being thrown out of heaven (Isaiah 14:7-12) is our inheritance as well. And it is those same emotions that blind us to the obvious fact that we cannot get ourselves out of this spiritual quagmire in our own strength nor by our own limited intellect and devices (Romans 3:10-18, 23).

God, being the Holy Being that He is, will not tolerate sin nor wickedness in His presence and will not allow us to enter His heaven in our present condition. Our deviant, malevolent nature would stain and mar the beauty of heaven. And worse, our pride would be on eternal display if we were able to get there by some plan or idea hatched in our sinful state apart from the merciful and benevolent act of God on our behalf (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Here is where the Lord Jesus shows Himself as the Light (John 8:12) in terms of redeeming us from the dark hearts and dead souls we possess (Genesis 6:5; Psalm 101:5; Proverbs 26:23; Jeremiah 17:9; 1 John 3:20). His claim is made in the prologue to John’s Gospel (1:4-9) and by Himself on numerous occasions (John 9:5, 12:35, 46), indicating that He is THE Light, not A light as if He were just another religious figure or mystic guru. He provides the true and living way (John 14:6) to His fallen creation as the Source of life (8:12), with abundance (John 10:10, 14:27, 15:10-11) as well as eternal life through His death on the cross for our sins, His burial, and resurrection (11:25, 17:2).

His Light was provided to His people Israel as mentioned, but also for the other nations as well. This was foretold by the prophets (Isaiah 49:6, 60:1-3) and proclaimed by the apostles, who were eyewitnesses of His resurrection and commissioned to present the Gospel to the nations (Matthew 18:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8-11), letting everyone know that salvation, mercy, and grace was available to all who trusted in Jesus (John 12:46).

When we place our faith in Christ for salvation, it also means that we become His disciples, or learners. He has full ownership over us as our Lord (Matthew 10:34-39; Luke 14:25-33). In turn, we are to obey Him, keep His commandments, and grow in our faith by the study of the Word (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15) through prayer or conversing with the LORD daily (Matthew 6:5-15), being part of a fellowship of like-minded believers (Hebrews 10:25), and supporting one another as brethren.

We are to keep ourselves above the temptations of the flesh, to live in a manner that glorifies Christ, and to be used of the Holy Spirit to draw others to Him by the conduct of our lives and manners. We are to walk in the Light as He is in the Light (1 John 1:7), and when we sin, we are to admit it before the Father, ask others around us for forgiveness, take responsibility for those sins we commit, and be assured that Jesus is our Advocate, interceding on our behalf before the Father (Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2).

Living a life in the Light is not going to be easy in this present world, and the Lord Jesus made that clear to all who would follow Him. But He is with us at all times, will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), will always keep us in His hands (John 10:28-30), will always call us to come to Him for rest and comfort (Matthew 11:28-30), and will return one day to take us home to be with Him forever (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10). We will return to this world with Him where He will end evil, punish the wicked, and create a new heaven and earth free from sin, disease, death, and tears, and we will be part of the eternal kingdom (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:11-15, 21:1-7).

The Light of Jesus Christ is available today for those of you reading this message who are weary of the darkness of this wicked world and your own wickedness as well. He offers the Light that will never be extinguished or dimmed. All you have to do is ask Him to give you that light, free you from your sins, and to follow Him as Lord and Savior from this day onward (Romans 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 6:2). Avoid the eternal darkness of judgment that awaits all who reject the only light that He will ever provide.

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Donald was born and reared in the authentic “Cajun Country” of southern Louisiana. He is a graduate of Louisiana College (B.A. in History Education/ Biblical Studies, 1984), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. In Christian Education, 1994) and Andersonville Baptist Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, Biblical Exposition, 2000). He has been in the Gospel ministry since 1986, serving as an evangelist, interim and supply pastor, hospital and rescue mission chaplain, high school and college teacher, and pastor in churches in Louisiana and Oklahoma.

In 2018 he began to devote his time to the rich field of internet and social media evangelism and outreach. In 2021 he became a member of the Oklahoma Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, using his skills as a writer to contribute articles and sermons to websites such as Rapture Ready, Sermon Central, and Inspirational Christian Blogs. He also writes Bible studies and curricula for churches in southeast and central Asia and Africa, the locations of which are anonymous.

He can be contacted at: donaldwhitchard@gmail.com for inquiries, information, and speaking/preaching engagements. His website is: www.realitycityreverend.com . A copy of his resume is also available upon request.

 

First, a disclaimer; this is not about the movie that was released on January 7, 1947, called “It’s A Wonderful Life.” What this message pertains to is John 1:1-4; “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 anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Isaiah 9:6; “For to us a child is born; to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

1 John 3:1; “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.”

From the first sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), God knew that humans could never withstand all the temptations that would be thrown at us. He is perfect and likewise can only tolerate perfection. Because of this, and because of His pure, unending love for all of us, He knew that only He could offer a part of Himself that could resolve all our sins. He could have caused all humans to be slaves, working endlessly to even begin to somehow “earn” a portion of eternity. Sadly, even at this extreme measure, we never would be able to live up to His expectations.

Even though Jesus is called the “Son of God,” He is fully God. Just as the Holy Spirit is also fully God. Man believes he has this all figured out, but we will never know the full measure of the Holy Trinity while we are on this earth.

Looking at 2 Peter 3:9 and then Romans 8:38-39, we have some idea of just how much our “God of Love” cares for us. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Then verses 38-39; “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That message alone is powerful even with our limited understanding. God knew from the moment of the first sin that He would have to provide a pathway for us that otherwise would not be available. Genesis 3:15; “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

God was telling Satan that He would come between the devil and all his demons with a part of Himself that would gain the final victory. Satan has tried to destroy any good that the Father ever provided, even to the point of “tempting” the Son of God in the wilderness. When Jesus rose from the dead after having lived a sin-free life here, Satan’s fate was sealed. His sinless blood reached back to the beginning of creation for all who had lived in the will of the Father, and it will reach all the way from Calvary to the end of the Millennial Reign of Jesus for those who received and accepted Him as their Savior.

Please note, this does not mean all “perfect, sinless” people, as no other earth-born human has ever been or ever will be without sin. Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23 cover this very well. God has provided a clear pathway through Jesus that is straight and narrow, and all who belong to Him will be saved. He even provided a resolution for all our sins right up to the moment we take our last breath on this earth (1 John 1:8-10.)

All who reject the Savior will not have eternity with Him. They will have a miserable eternity with Satan and all his demons. There will be no beauty to look at as the Lake of Fire will be in complete darkness. In spite of what false prophets are proclaiming, there are no other options available.

All who receive and accept Jesus will become a part of His precious flock. Our eternity will be completely beautiful in the “Light” that will be provided by our Savior. He provided this gift for us and paid our passage in full for it. Our total “cost” is to admit we are sinners in need of a Savior, believe in our hearts that Jesus is the only Savior possible (John 14:6), and confess and call out to the Lord to be saved. To add anything to this, or to think any of this can be earned or bought is a complete insult to Him.

What we can do is honor our Savior by living for Him. No, we will not be perfect; and yes, we will still slip and sin. However, once we have received His gift and have “opened” or accepted it, we belong to Him. Satan will try to convince you otherwise, but know that God’s Word is true as Romans 8:1 states; “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

In 1918, William Golden wrote a song called “A Beautiful Life.” Please consider the words.

1.) Each day I’ll do a golden deed by helping those who are in need. My life on earth is but a span, and so I do the best I can.

Ref) Life’s evening sun is sinking low; a few more days and I must go to meet the deeds that I have done, where there will be no setting sun.

2.) To be a child of God each day, my light must shine along the way. I’ll sing His praise while ages roll, and strive to help some troubled soul.

3.) The only life that will endure is one that’s kind and good and pure. And so, for God, I’ll take my stand; each day I’ll lend a helping hand.

4.) I’ll help someone in time of need, and journey on with rapid speed. I’ll help the sick and poor and weak, and words of kindness to them speak.

5.) While going down life’s weary road, I’ll try to lift some traveler’s load. I’ll try to turn the night to day; make flowers bloom along the way.

Just by watching world events today and seeing the changes taking place that we would not have thought possible just a few years ago, this should tell us that Bible Prophecy is 100% accurate and right on time. Evil is running amuck, and all the so-called “letter” people are trying to say that the Bible is not relevant for this modern age. All the “abominations” that God said He hates are out in the open, and anyone speaking against the ones abusing them is called a “hater.”

Our Jesus commanded us to love everyone for their eternal souls, and with this, I have no problem. However, He did not say we have to “love” their evil ways and abominations, nor are we to participate in them. Even Jesus had issues with the religious leaders of His day and all the false teaching they were doing.

Our goal is to pray for all to open their hearts to the Savior and be led by the Holy Spirit. Those who don’t will be a part of the Revelation 20:11-15 judgment at the Great White Throne. That is the one where everyone is guilty, and there are no pardons or reprieves.

As the song says, if we can help to bring a soul to the Savior, just think what “A Beautiful Life” they will face. And think how our souls will be joyful for this all through eternity.

Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus!

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