A Light Has Shined!

Isaiah 9:1–2 NKJV

Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

The World Sits in a Prison House of Darkness

Isaiah 42:6–7 NKJV

“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

The Kingdom of Satan

There are two spiritual kingdoms—the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God.

Matthew 12:26–28 NKJV

If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Satan’s kingdom rules over the darkness of this age.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Darkness is the absence of light

Ignorance: The absence of light—the true knowledge of God.

Blindness: The inability to receive light—the inability to perceive the truth.

Satan: The Master of Deception

Satan uses deception to imprison men under the power of darkness.

Revelation 12:9 NKJV

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 NKJV

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

A Light Has Shined!

The Light of the world is JESUS!

John 1:4–11 NKJV

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. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

John 12:46 NKJV

I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

John 8:12 NKJV

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Jesus came to deliver us from the power of darkness and bring us into His kingdom.

Colossians 1:13 NKJV

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

Two Responses to the Light

John 3:19–21 NKJV

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Those who hate the Light and refuse to come to the Light.

Why? They hate the Light and do not want their evil deeds to be exposed.

Do you love the darkness? Do you hate the Light?

Those who come to the Light.

Why? They are truth seekers and truth followers.

Are you a truth seeker? Are you a truth follower?

Response to the Word

Believe in the Light

John 12:36 NKJV

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.

Come out of the darkness

1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

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;

Walk as Children of Light

Ephesians 5:8 NKJV

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light