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WEEKLY
Volume 2 Number 14
2 September 2007
Jesus Is the True
Light
(Message
delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the Sunday Worship Service, 2 pm, August
26, 2007)
Text:
John
8:12
Light is so vital for
our lives, animals and plants. God created light on the first day of His
literal six 24-hour days in His creation, and God saw the light and said
that it was good (Gen 1:3-5). And on the fourth day God made the sun,
the moon and the stars to be lights in the firmament, to divide the day
from the night; and let them be for signs, for seasons, for days, and
years (Gen 1:14-17).
As God’s natural light
is free and available, many people take it for granted. In darkness how
can we see each other? How can we admire beautiful and splendid scenes
of Nature or appreciate an artist’s masterpiece? How can we see and
remove the dirt from our face or our body? How can we read a book and
understand it? How can we find a way and walk safely in right direction?
How can we work and do this or that? How can we discern a true diamond
or banknote from a fake one? Many more questions that you and I can list.
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is
good: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that made great lights:
for his mercy endureth for ever” (Ps 136:1, 7). Natural light is
good and vital for our lives, how much more God’s Divine Light is vital
for our spiritual life!
The Bible says that
“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John
1:5), our heavenly Father is “the Father of lights” (James 1:17),
and our Lord Jesus Christ is “the true Light” and “the light
of the world” (John 1:9; 8:12), and God’s Word is
a lamp and a light (Ps 119:105). Therefore, in order to get the true
Divine Light for our spiritual life, we are to come to our living and
true God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and to His Word
alone. Many human religions and cults
and occult groups are deceiving themselves by believing that their gods,
their leaders and their books are true light! No marvel, even Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).
Jesus Is the True
Light
The Lord Jesus is
“the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world”
(John 1:9), and He confirms, “I am the light of the world: he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light
of life” (John 8:12). However, not everyone has received the Lord
Jesus as the true Light of their spiritual life!
Many are deceiving
themselves and others by thinking that they are walking in the “light”
while they are walking in spiritual darkness! They cannot see God’s
truth nor their spiritual corruption and perishing condition. They
arrogantly regard themselves as saints, spiritual leaders or teachers,
“a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness”
(Rom 2:19) and mislead many followers because of their rejecting the
Lord Jesus as the “true Light”. To them, our Lord says, “Let them
alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the
blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matt 15:14).
Many others
love to live in darkness of sin and
reject the Lord
Jesus as the true Light “because their deeds were evil. For every one
that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved” (John 3:19-20).
But those who love the truth and practise
it despite their hopelessness and helplessness will come to the Lord
Jesus Christ, their true Light, “But he that doeth truth cometh to
the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in
God” (John 3:21). Truly, “The people which sat in darkness saw
great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death
light is sprung up” (Matt 4:16).
How about you and me? Is
the Lord Jesus Christ our true Light?
Walking in Darkness or in Light?
Our Lord confirms that if we follow Him, we
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life, “I am
the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Then, are you and I
walking in darkness or in light? How do we know?
Walking in the Lord’s Presence:
The Lord Himself is the Light. If we do not have Him and His presence in
our hearts and lives, we are still walking in darkness. Many may know
the Lord and His Word (head-knowledge), but do not have a living
fellowship with Him, and they are still living in darkness! Do you and I
maintain our fellowship with the Lord in His light?
Walking by Faith:
Our Lord Jesus says, “I am come a light
into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in
darkness” (John 12:46). When we say we believe in the Lord, we must
believe in God’s Word as well (John 3:34; 12:47-50; 14:10) and “walk
by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). Then, if you and I doubt the
Lord and His Word, we are still walking in darkness.
Walking in Holiness and Biblical
Separation: God is holy and
He demands us to be holy, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter
1:15-16), and “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1
John 1:5) and “what communion hath light with darkness?... Wherefore
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch
not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Cor 6:14,17),
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them” (Eph 5:11). Many are living in darkness of
sin, worldliness, and compromise. If you and I do not live in holiness
and separate ourselves from sin, unbelief, wrong doctrines and
worldliness, we are still walking in darkness! To live in the Light, we
must walk in holiness and Biblical Separation.
Walking in Truth and God’s Guidance:
The Lord is Truth and His Word is Truth (John 14:6; 17:17), and He is
pleased to find us “walking in truth” (2 John 1:4), walking
according to His guidance, His will and His Word, “O send out thy
light and thy truth: let them lead me” (Ps 43:3). In darkness, many
cannot see nor understand the truth, nor discern the truth from
falsehood, thinking that all religions are good or all Bible versions
are good! Many are walking in darkness without God’s truth, God’s will
and guidance. They are doing their own will, living a double life as a
hypocrite, telling lies with double talk, and even “serving” the Lord
but according to their own terms and ways! How about you and me?
Walking in Love:
God is Light and Love (1 John 1:5; 4:8), so “He that loveth his
brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in
him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in
darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath
blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:10-11). This is not “human love” but
Divine Love that “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the
truth” (1 Cor 13:6). Many are living in darkness of hatred or
vengeance without any forgiving attitude. Many others are willing to
sacrifice God’s truth for the sake of “love and unity” while they cannot
discern God’s love from human love, or holy unity from worldly unity!
How about you and me?
Walking in Humble Submission:
Paul was knocked down to the ground by
“a light from heaven,” and encountering the Lord Jesus, “he
trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
with his humble submission (Acts 9:3-6). Serving the Lord, Paul was
still “in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Cor
2:3), not trusting in himself but in the Lord alone (Phil 3:3). “God
resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).
If you and I really see the Lord and see ourselves in His Light, we
shall not be proud or arrogant, but following Him with trembling and
full submission. Many are walking in darkness of arrogance without any
humble submission to the Lord and His Word. They even arrogantly dare to
question, criticise, attack or cast doubt on God’s Word! How about you
and me?
How to Have the Light of Life and
Reflect His Light
Open Our Heart and Receive the Lord Jesus:
It is important for us to see that the true Light of our spiritual lives
is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, a living Divine Person. Having Him, we
have Light. Having fellowship with Him, we have fellowship with Light.
Living in Him, we are living in Light. Being controlled and led by Him,
we are filled with Light and directed by Light. As we open the windows
to let the light in and dispel the darkness, when we open our hearts and
lives to welcome the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him take control of us,
His Light of holiness, truth, love, joy, peace, hope and enlightenment
will dispel the darkness of sins, selfishness, lusts, hatred, gloom,
fear, worry, doubt, confusion, ignorance, etc. from our hearts. Will you
and I not be wise to welcome the Lord Jesus Christ and submit ourselves
to His holy and loving control?
Follow the Lord Jesus and His Word:
We always need the Lord Jesus
Christ, our true Light and our Life, and we cannot live without Him,
“In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). We
need Him to shine forth His light and His truth and guide us to follow
Him and His Truth, “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead
me” (Ps 43:3). As ships and boats do need the lighthouse beacon to
be led to the shore safely in total darkness of the night, we do need
the guidance and protection of the Lord Jesus Christ in this world of
darkness until we are safely taken to Heaven. We are to humbly follow
the Lord and His Word with our faith and full submission and maintain
our fellowship with Him in His Light, “But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John
1:7). Thank God that the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ keeps on
cleansing us from all our sin so that we may maintain our fellowship
with Him.
Reflect the Light:
The Lord expects us to exactly
reflect His Light as “the light of the
world” (Matt 5:14). To reflect His Light while we are living in this
world of darkness of sins, we must always have the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself shining in our hearts and lives; we must walk in His Light with
humble submission and Biblical Separation; and there must be nothing
between us and the Lord. The Bible says, “But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass (a mirror) the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit
of the Lord” (2 Cor 3:18). Holding a mirror facing the sun, we can
see a strong reflected light shining and flaring. How can a mirror
reflect well if it is dirty or its back faces the sun or there is
something between it and the sun? Likewise, our lives have different
levels of reflection from God’s light depending on how much we know the
Lord and His truth, how much we are submissive to the Lord and to His
perfect Word, and how close we keep our fellowship with Him in His
light. Then, are you and I clear mirrors facing to the Lord? Is there
anyone, anything, any sin, or any idol even “self” between us and the
Lord? Moses had a very close communion with the Lord and his face
reflected God’s glory (Ex 34:35), and so did Stephen (Acts 6:15). Shall
we not regard all things but loss and maintain our close fellowship with
the Lord in His light so that our lives may reflect His glory and His
truth to others in this world of darkness?
Conclusion
Dear friends, how we really
need the true Light, the Light of Life in our spiritual life! The Lord
Jesus Christ Himself and God’s Word are our true Light, no one else or
anything else. To have the Light of Life in our lives, we are to open
our hearts to welcome the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word with our humble
submission, dependence, and Biblical Separation, then keep on walking in
His Light and following His Truth and guidance. May the Lord keep our
hearts clean and clear without anything between us and Him so that we
may exactly reflect His Light of truth, salvation, holiness, love, hope,
peace and joy in this world of darkness. All thanks and glory be unto
Him alone. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear?” (Ps 27:1). Amen.
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