Jesus, The Light, Gives Life

Jesus Is The Inextinguishable Light

John 1:4 In Him was life, and that life was the Light of men.

The self-existing life of the Word, dispensed at creation, became the light of the entire human race.

John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Jesus is the source of understanding of reality. He is the basis of the knowledge of truth. We live in a confused, and confusing world that has little understanding of reality, God, and truth.

People today often think, “as smart as we are with all our civilized ways, how could anyone say we are in darkness?” However, as we think about life and the struggle to find solutions to the problems that afflict us from generation to generation, we have to admit without the light of Christ, we have no real working answers.

John Was The Witness To The Light

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came as 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.

John was the needed witness to the light, someone to enable those in the darkness to understand the light. Before him, they had no capacity to really understand who Jesus was. John’s duty was to introduce people to the Messiah. His ministry was to strip down the truth so that it could be grasped by those in darkness.

Jesus The Light Enables Us To See

The grace of God is exhibited in sending someone before the Light who would stoop to our weakness, and communicate truth at our level, making it available to us.

John the Baptist came and began with the ABC’s:

A: John preached: “Repent” Admit your need. That is where darkness has to start: admit you are in trouble, and cannot find your own way out.

B: Believe in the One who gives life. He can meet you right where you are and give you life and light

C: He taught that we can Correct our behavior on the basis of having received new life and light from God.

John identified the Light. He told men Who He was, because Jesus did not look like light as they perceived it.
Jesus did not come into this world like a sunburst That is why people did not recognize Him to be Who He was. He needed and chose a witness.

Jesus Is The Real Light

John 1:9 The true light, Who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Jesus came into the world, in an act distinct from creation. He is the real light because it is the full revelation of God’s truth. He is the true Light, as opposed to borrowed, reflected, secondary, or derived light. He is the true Light, as opposed to shadows and symbols. He is the pre-eminent, all-glorious emanation from God.

John 1:11 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not

His own, refers not only to the world of His creation, but specifically His own relatives, his own family, and clearly a reference to the people and to the land of Israel. Jesus came to the place where God had put His name,

His own were the very people who claimed to believe in the One true God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Old Testament. They were the most religious people on the planet

Jesus, The Light, Brings Life

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, He gave the right to become the sons of God, to those that believe on His name: 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Those who put their trust in Jesus become children of God; only Jesus is the true Son of God. As His children,
we are adopted. Jesus is His son from the beginning.

This is a spiritual, not physical, family He speaks of.

One does not enter God’s family and become a child of God by natural heritage or ancestry. It is not simply a matter of being in or from a Jewish or Christian family. It does not happen by your own effort. It does not happen by the effort of others. No one else can make you a Christian. One becomes a child of God when something happens in your heart. When you trust and yield to Him, when you surrender to His Lordship, then you are forever His son or daughter.

God’s Glory Is Seen In The Son

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.