2.2.5 1.4.2026 John 1.6-13 A Look at the Light

Start:

Entice: For me one of the best Christmas presents ever—my 200-shot Red-Rider range-model carbine with a compass in the stock; is this desk lamp.

Lamp

I like its functional design. I like its Mid-Century Modern aesthetic. It looks good on my desk…and it was wholly unexpected. Thank you for it. Today it serves as a concrete example of a specific light or source of light coming into view. I had been looking for a new desk lamp for some time. Expecting. Hoping.

Most expectations fall far short of the reality anticipated.

In fact we often adjust our expectation “in light of true illumination.”

As we continue working our way through the prologue to John’s Gospel we come to a section that includes an elusive, misunderstood, sometimes unclear episode.

John 1:5–13 ESV

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Engage: Specifically, why this discussion about John the Baptist? Why here? What does his appearance have to do with “the light”? Let me explain it this way. Jesus came into a fully-formed spiritual culture. It was in many ways a culture like ours. Specifically it was ingrown and often traded in spiritual misinformation. They, in a variety of senses were hoping for a deliverer. A new light to dawn and dispel their darkness.

This text tells us that Jesus is the true light entering the world. Yet, the appearance of Jesus, sort of fell with a thud. Why? This short section of the prologue helps to clarify some missing pieces. 

Expand: Israel had had prophets. John the Baptist looks pretty strange to us—but in Judea, Galilee—really the whole Mediterranean culture—guys like him cropped up all the time. And they mostly basked in their own bizarreness and public adulation. Not John. Yes, he was weird—and a moralist, but more than that he did everything he could to remove the attention from himself and move it to Jesus. He knew his role.

Point to Jesus. 

Excite: And we are still learning those lessons. In John the Baptist the depths of theology meet a bug-eating guy in an a fur-suit. Our text does not describe him that way—John didn’t need to—when John wrote his gospel people remembered John the Baptist. More importantly John reminds us that Jesus is the issue and that compared to the flaming light of Jesus—full participant in the creation of the universe—our attempts to steal the spotlight seem a little silly. It is because John steadfastly refuses to stand in the spotlight that we can begin to understand the illuminating impact of the light of Jesus.

Jesus does not reflect the light—He is the light. He is the real thing. The genuine illuminating power of God present among us.

Our job is to shine the light.

Explore:

Like John we reflect the genuine light of Jesus.

Expand: This text highlights three features of the light. 

Body of Sermon:

1 Witness of the Light

6-8

When we understand John the Baptist’s role in introducing and pointing to Jesus it helps us to understand all witness to God’s divine work in Jesus. It helps us to understand the OT better—prophet, priest, and king—and it helps us to understand our delegated role as witnesses to Jesus. 

1.1 John’s role.

Sent to be a witness to Jesus.

1.2 John’s purpose

Generate the context for believing faith by pointing to Jesus.

1.3 Johns limitation

Not the light, Just a witness.

Herein there is risk. There are too many who claim to be christian who want to hog the spotlight. Our limitation, like John’s is that we are not the light. That limitation becomes a liability when we forget that simple fact.

Like John, we bear witness to Jesus.

We share the

basic role,

purpose,

and

limitation.

We bear witness to give room for individuals to respond in faith.

Next, we must consider the…

2 Work of the Light

9-11

Now, at some point John’s Gospel is going to sort of sound like he’s above our head. There is always a theological point he wants to make. When he makes his theological point in this text, writing about the work of the Word made flesh. He tells us that the Word’s work is 

2.1 General.

The genuine light, coming into the world has brought light to every person. Even those who do not respond in faith

More importantly the work of the light is 

2.2 Specific.

Salvation is ultimately based upon the acceptance or rejection of Jesus’ coming into the world. 

Jesus came into the world He made, to deal with people He made, and is rejected.

People should have recognized Him, and chose not to.

(And what about us?)

The light of Jesus shines on everyone. But not everyone chooses to believe and accept the full, specific eternal results of His coming. 

Finally, we consider the

3 Will of the Light

12-13

It is the will of Jesus

3.1 To make us faithful children of God.

It is the will of Jesus 

3.2 To redeem us from the fallen “willfulness” of humanity. 

Not the will of blood!

Not the will of the flesh!

Not the will of a father!

We are regenerated by God

Shut Down

As complicated as it may sound the message is this. We point people to the light. The light came to do the work of redemption. the light makes it possible for us to rise above human bickering about “whose your daddy?” to become children of God.

That story is “the Gospel”. Our Good News. That is our story.

Yes, there is still much darkness in the world. So, we continue believing, we continue pointing to Jesus, we continue growing into His image. As we tell this story, others will come to choose Jesus as well, and the new birth empowered by God that He offers.

Let me wrap this up as Norma comes to the piano…

Perhaps, you are ready to have the true light fully shine in your life. Maybe you are tired of the petty politics of the fallen human condition. This churches task, my job right now, like John the Baptist’s task all those centuries ago is to point you to the light. Come to His light. Let it shine upon you! Let it dispel your darkness. In the true light you will find God’s peace, and love, and joy.