Jesus - Light of the World

Genesis 1:1–4 NIV

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

The light shines best in the darkness

It is hard to tell the impact of a single source of light when there are other points of light.

The light shines the best in the darkness. The darker the dark the more impactful the light.

If you light a single candle in the room with the lights on, you may notice, but you might not. It defiantly wont stand out as a source of light, but then, look at tonight and we light a single candle in room of darkness and all the sudden you can see. I can see my notes and can see where i’m going. I can see not to run into you.

When I look at the world around me I often think, wow “How have we got ourselves into this position”. We look at the world and I think we can be pretty discouraged because the darkness seems to be everywhere and it seems to be over taking.

John 8:12 NIV

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John8:12

The Darkness Shows the Need for the Light

It is only in the darkness that you truly recognise the need for the light. It is when the power is out and you still go around the house turning on light switches. You know the power is out (That is why you are carrying a flash light), but you still flip that switch.

You forget how useful light is until it is gone. Every year the winter comes and I forget how dark it gets. You find yourself wanting to wind down for the day and then realized that is it 3:30 in the afternoon when in the summer I have defiantly been that guy mowing his lawn at 8:15pm.

There are places in town you don’t go after dark. There are things you can’t do after dark. All but a few plants and animals need the light for survival.

Even looking at Christmas lights requires light. It is not the darkness that is great, but the light on the background of darkness.

The darkness points out the light and shows the need for the light.

We need the light

God sent his son into the darkness

God sent his son into the darkness so we could have light

God sent his son into the darkness so o we would have light

John 1:1–5 NIV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-5

Jesus is the light. He is the contrast against the darkness. He is the morning dawn that brings life.

Then you take that one candle and light another and another and before you know it there is light everywhere.

Matthew 2 NIV

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Isaiah 9:2 NIV

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

One light that lit a fire that has burned for 2000 years to today. Shine the light of Christ.