Don’t Miss the Light

INTRODUCTION

Good moring, looking forward to sharing from John again with you today.

Last week, we saw Jesus as the light and life of the wrold. Someone who is eternal and the soruce of life.

Today we are going to meet a messenger God sent to point us to Jesus and give us an example of how we are to be messengers of Christ as well.

Have you ever ignroed a text or a call beucase you didn’t recognize the number? Car warranty, rich saudi prince, or the irs looking to collect all your back taxes.

Have you ever ignored one though and it ws actually important?

My parents change phone numbers more often than most people change cars.

So every now and then I get a call from a number I don’t know…I ignore it and then I have to check my voicemail.

Too often we can do this spiritually as well. We can ignore the most importnat voice becuase we don’t recognize it. Then, when re recognize where it came from we have to decide what we will do with it.

so whether you’re wondering who Jesus really is or you’ve walked with him for years my prayer is that this passage speaks to you today. I want you to see the witness, the rejection, and the reward.

CHARACTER: People Who Are Either Searching—or Settling

By going back to the basic understanding of who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and what our response to him should be we are ensuring the foundation of our lives is solid and makes the trials we face possible to get through.

You may be struggling wit your meaning or direction in life. You may need to be reminded of what it means to be a child of God.

When JEsus tells the story of the man who built his house upon the sand or upon the rock is telling the difference between the people who will hear the Word and apply it and those who hear the word and don’t live it out.

PROBLEM: We Tend to Miss the Light (vv. 9–11)

This is why it’s important to remind ourselves of these basic things of Christ. As we are going to see today He, the Jewish Messiah that had been prophesied about for thousands of years, was dismissed, ignored, and the message of the gospel was missed by the pharisees and religious elite of the day. They had spent their time learning the word, they knew the law, and taught the law, but when Jesus was right in front of them, they missed it.

It reminds of us guys when we use our man eyes. You know, when finding anything in the fridge…we can’t see it. I don’t even try anymore, I just ask. Now, some of you hunters, you can see a deer 500 yards away through brush but a bright red ketchup bottle 2 foot from your eyes…well thats just too much I guess.

Have you ever overlooked something life changing just because it looked to ordinary?

Have you ever heard of alexander Fleming?

In 1928, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming returned to his London laboratory after a two-week family holiday. On his cluttered bench were dozens of Petri dishes in which he’d been culturing staphylococcus bacteria. What he saw could easily have been dismissed as spoiled—one dish was covered with a fuzzy green mold. Most researchers would have thrown it away and started fresh.

But Fleming took a closer look. He noticed that where the mold grew, the staph colonies around it had mysteriously vanished. Instead of being annoyed by what looked like contamination, he sensed something significant. He isolated the mold (a strain of Penicillium), tested its effect on other harmful bacteria, and discovered penicillin—the world’s first true antibiotic.

Maybe you’ve heard the gospel but never responded to it. Maybe you’ve trusted Jesus as your savior but your overlooking the greatest things about Him and His impact on your life becuase you deem them as ordinary. Your choosing to live in the dark becuase you see the light as only coming from a flashlight rather than the sun. Something simple and less extravagant.

GUIDE: Two Johns, One Mission

Enter the two Johns.

John the Baptist was the forerunner—sent from God to point to the Light.

John the Apostle was the writer—telling the story so we could understand it.

Both men weren’t the Light—but they knew how to point to it and reflect it.

Humorous aside: Think of them like road signs—you don’t stop and admire the sign that says “x miles to the grand canyon” You follow where it points.

Bridge: Today, Scripture is our sign—God still speaks through it to point us to Jesus.

WITNESS

JOURNEY: THE TEXT, CLEARLY WALKED THROUGH

1. God Sends Witnesses So No One Has to Walk Blind (vv. 6–8)

John 1:6–8 KJV 1900

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

Exegete: John the apostle introduces us to John the baptist or John the baptizer. Remmeber, before John the baptist there had been 400 years of silence from God. Malachi was the last anyone had heard from God in Israel. THen, John the Baptist comes on the scene praching the kingdom of God and baptism for repentance. He is fuliflilng Malachi 3:1

Malachi 3:1 KJV 1900

1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, Even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

John was not the light, he was not the Messiah, but he was the mesenger that God chose to use to tell others of Jesus. John Macarthur calls him the last Old-Testament stle prophect that points us to Christ.

In verse 8 John the apostle points to the humanity of john the baptist in contrast to the deity of Jesus established in verses 1-5. HE was not the light, he was sent to bear witness of the light to come.

Illustrate:

Why do you think God had to send a messenger before Jesus?

For the same reason we need preachers, teachers, and disciplers today. God’s method of passing faith down has always been through others. First it starts in the home with us dads.

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 KJV 1900

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Parents, we are the messengers that our kids are going to watch first. Dads, you have a responsiblity to represent God well in your home.

Then as a community of believers we see through the example of Christ with the disciples where He invests into them for his years on earth and then through the example of the apostles and the early church.

Apply: This passage gives us two take aways.

First, who is pointing you to Jesus and he;ping you grow as a disciple? Second. who are you pointing to Jesus. God sends messengers adn you are one of them. You aren’t the light, you aren’t the one the message is about but you are the one responsible to the Lord to share GHos ghood news and truth with others.

Unfortunatelty rthough, many miss the message of the good news. They miss the direction God has for their life becuase it’s not what they thought it would look like. But…the good news is, you don’t have to.

REJECTION

2. Many Miss the Light—But You Don’t Have To (vv. 9–11)

John 1:9–11 KJV 1900

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Exegete:

John doing what John does throughout his gospel goes back to contrasting the humanity of John the Baptist with the deity of Jesus. It’s a term known as Johanine Dualism. Last week we saw the darkness and light contrasted, here he stays with the light metaphor and uses it to contrast Jesus against John the messenger of Christ.

He makes it plain that Jesus is the one who God send. He is the one that was in the world and created the world. But those who he craeted, and had chosen, his own people the JEws, knew him not. Many did not give him the time of day becuase he was not what they expected. They were expecting him to overthrow the roman government and be a great militaristic leader. THey did not realiez that he was actually there to do so much more.

After feeding the 5000 in John 6, the people wanted to come and take him by force to make him king. He did not want that so he withdrew.

The charges levied against him in Luke 23 at his trial before his crucifixion showed the jews accusing him of usurping roman authority.

They misunderstood the message of the gospel and what He was there ffor.

Illustrate:

This drives a popular sect of christinaity known as the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. THey teach that by faith you can never get sick, have all the money you want, and if you don’t. well then you don’t have enough faith.

Jesus promises trials and tribulations, Jesus doesn’t mince words about who He is or what following him is like.

He says you need to count the costs in Luke, he tells people to sell their belongings, let the dead bury the dead, he promises that life wont’ be easy. YOu are told to carry a cross.

And yet we ask…how can this guy be the light? that doens’t sound like a bright ffuture.

Don’t confuse God’s hidden work with God’s absence.”.

When a marriage is restored becuase of grace and forgiveness, that’s a miracle. When a druga addict gets clean, thats a miracle. When hearts are changed becuase of the impact of the gospel and understanding of the love of Jesus, that is a miracle. Becuase it took the miracle of Christ resurrection to make it possible.

Apply:

don’t miss who Jesus is for some counterfiet. See him for the Bible, the written word of God describes him as. He is God, he is the light of the world. He is the the one all thigns were created bya nd for.

Have you begun to ignore his presence because your not seeing soem miraculous things happening every week? Or is it you’ve gotten so distracted with the darkness you’ve forgot to see the glimpses and glimmers of light that are all around you?

REWARD

3. Receiving Jesus Changes Everything (vv. 12–13)

John 1:12–13 KJV 1900

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Exegete: To those who don’t miss Him, those who choose to trust in Him, when you choose to trust in Him, you become a child of God. not by birth, effort, or other’s decisions, but by God. Because He loves you. Because he died for you.

Adoption isn’t something we earn, it’s something we receive as a gift.

When you recieved JEsus as your savior, not all of your problems are solved. Not all of your issues go away. Your storms won’t stop but you’ll have Him with you as you go through. You’ll have a refuge, you will have an understanding of the world becuase of the biblical worldview

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ezekiel 36:26 KJV 1900

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

This is instantaneous but you go from being an adult with a life based on however many years of history building up to it and then become a babe in Christ.

Maybe you’re thinking, ‘That all sounds good—but I’ve believed in Jesus and I still feel stuck.’ I get it. Growth takes time. Adoption is instant, maturity is a process.

And you have to re learn some things.

Illustrate:

Have you ever went to another culture that had different practices than the on your from?

Slurping Your Soup (Japan) In Japan, it’s perfectly polite—actually, encouraged—to slurp your ramen or miso soup loudly. Not only does it cool down the broth, but it’s a sign you’re enjoying the meal. In New England, that level of soup enthusiasm might earn you a few side-eye glances at the table.

Shoes On or Off? (Most of Asia, Scandinavia, Russia) Many cultures simply keep their street shoes on indoors—or switch to a separate “house pair” of slippers. In New England, slipping off your boots by the door is almost Pavlovian; wearing muddy shoes across someone’s living room would be tantamount to a polite misdemeanor.

“Cheek Kisses” for Hello (France, Brazil, Middle East) Two, three, or even four light cheek-kisses are a common greeting among friends (and sometimes strangers!) in countries like France, Brazil, Argentina, and Lebanon. A New England handshake or wave can feel quite… reserved by comparison.

Nose-Rubbing “Kunik” (Inuit/Eskimo) The traditional Inuit greeting of rubbing noses (sometimes called the “Eskimo kiss”) is an affectionate gesture. Imagine trying that on your uncle at Thanksgiving—New Englanders would be simultaneously charmed and alarmed!

Spanish Siesta Shutdown In many parts of Spain (and Latin America), shops and offices close for a two- or three-hour midday siesta. Main Street absolutely shuts down. New England’s 24/7 takeout pizza culture would never survive that kind of enforced nap time!

Singing “Happy Birthday” With Full Band (Philippines) In the Philippines, birthdays are celebrated like mini-festivals—sometimes with parades, marching bands, and choreographed dance numbers at school or work. New Englanders are lucky if we get more than one slice of cake and a chorus of three off-key voices.

Communal Water-Bowl Washing (Ethiopia, India) In parts of Ethiopia and India, you’ll often see travelers or guests share a single basin of water and a small cloth to wash their hands before and after meals. In New England, the idea of communal hand-washing gear would send us straight for the Purell.

Standing on One Leg to Say “Cheers” (Thailand) At formal Thai weddings or ceremonies, guests will lift one leg while toasting the happy couple—supposedly to show balance in marriage. Try that at a New England family reunion, and we’d be too busy grabbing HDTVs to fall over.

Hair-Sniffing Greeting (Bhutan) In Bhutan, close friends and family sometimes greet each other by wafting a strand of hair beneath the other’s nose—believed to bond and share positive energy. Most New Englanders would politely step back, clutch their coffee, and pretend they didn’t see it.

First-Coffee-Then-Anything (Ethiopia, Finland) In coffee-cultures like Ethiopia and Finland, refusing the first (or second, or third) cup of coffee offered is almost impossible—it can be seen as rude. New Englanders might applaud the politeness… but internally mourn their iced-tea breaks.

Banging Plates at Weddings (Greece) Breaking plates in celebration at Greek weddings is a traditional show of joy and good fortune. Picture a New England gathering where someone smashes a salad plate mid-reception—our collective insurance premiums would skyrocket!

Dance-Through-The-Funeral (New Orleans, Ghana) In New Orleans jazz funerals or Ghanaian “celebration of life” funerals, mourners might sing and dance their loved one to the grave. For stoic New Englanders—used to hushed church services—it can feel like someone mixed up the program with Mardi Gras.

——Just like when a child is adopted into a family and has to adapt to the new culture they are in, you wil find yourselves having to adapt to the culture of follwoers of Jesus. If I go to Japan, it would be weird if I don’t slurp my soup. In christian culture it may be different ot hear someone curse, make a crass joke, etc. However, if we don’t allow people the opportunity to grow with loving accountability, then we are potentially holding them to a standard in a way that will drive them from Christ.

Apply:

When we recieve Jesus He changes everything however some things may change with time. Some things may change easier than others. However, all things will require a messenger, a discipler, someone who loves Jesus and loves you and want you to be more likeJesus.

Those who have lived as follwoers of Jesus for a long time have to be careful to not forget where they came from and how they got to wehre they are. It’s all by the grace of God.

You belong- not becuase you earned it, but because He gave it.

RESOLUTION: What Will You Do With the Light?

To the unsure: Jesus is here. Will you recognize Him and receive Him?

To the believer: Are you living like a loved child or like someone still searching in the dark?

Anticipated objection: “I’ve messed up too much.” Response: Good news—your adoption was never based on your performance. It was based on God’s grace.

IMPACT

If rejected: You remain in darkness, confused about who you are and why you’re here.

If received: You step into clarity, confidence, and a new family name.

CALL TO RESPONSE

Evangelistic:

“You can receive the Light and become God’s child today. You don’t have to earn it—you just have to accept the gift.”

Discipleship:

“Believer, don’t live like an orphan. Walk in the joy of being His child. Carry the Light forward.”

Closing Anchor Line:"The Light still shines. What will you do with it?"