Word of Salvation – Vol. 39 No.43 – November 1994

 

Coming Out Of Darkness To Jesus The Light

 

Sermon: by Rev. M.P. Geluk

Text: John 8:12

Reading: Ephesians 5:3-20

 

Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,

The Feast Of Tabernacles was one of the great annual religious celebrations prescribed by God in the Old Testament.  Held every October, it was a feast of thanksgiving for the harvest and lasted several days.

But the feast also commemorated God’s guidance to Israel’s forefathers through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.  A number of ceremonies were held to highlight God’s dealings with Israel.  One such ceremony was the daily outpouring of water from the nearby pool of Siloam.  It reminded people at the feast of God who had miraculously provided His ancient people with water from a rock in the desert.  It was on the last day of this water-pouring ceremony that Jesus stood up and said, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.’  Through this dramatic announcement Jesus showed that only He can satisfy man’s spiritual thirst.

But it now appears that Jesus made another such dramatic statement that linked up with yet one more ceremony during the feast.  Every evening the inner court of the temple was lit up by a huge candelabra.  This was a burning torch and it reminded the people of how the Lord had guided Israel through the desert with a pillar of fire at night.  It is believed that in connection with this particular ceremony Jesus addressed the people at the feast and spoke the words of our text, ‘I am the Light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’

We now want to proclaim the word of God in connection with this statement of Jesus.  The message of the text is this: Coming out of darkness to Jesus the light.

1.  Jesus’ Statement About Being The Light of the World Was a Bold Statement.

Let us imagine the scene at the temple in Jerusalem at the close of the feast.  It is the last day and light is slowly receding as the sun sinks below the horizon, allowing the darkness of the night to envelop the buildings and the people who are still milling about.  They are no doubt saying to each other that this year’s feast had been most unusual.  What had made it unusual was Jesus’ presence.

For some time now Jesus had been going through Judea and Galilee teaching the people about the kingdom of God.  He had performed miracles of healing; people suffering from blindness, dumbness, lameness and other diseases, had been healed.  He had preached repentance and had stressed that they had to believe in the forgiveness of sins through the One sent by the Father in heaven.  Jesus’ unusual teaching and actions had become a hot topic of conversation throughout the country.  Many of the religious leaders did not like Jesus’ growing popularity.  They tried to kill Jesus.  Even some of Jesus’ own followers had turned away from Him.  (John 6:66).

When this annual feast was approaching, the Lord’s disciples had tried to persuade the Lord to go there and show Himself to the world.  (John 7:2ff).  They were keen to have everybody believe that Jesus was the Christ.  The people at the Feast were already on the lookout for Him and some were saying that He was a good man but others argued that He deceived people.  (John 7:12,13).

It was not until halfway through the Feast that Jesus arrived.  Immediately He began teaching the people in the temple courts.  The things He taught caused amazement and controversy.  (John 7:14ff).

On the last day, when darkness had come, the big torch was lit in one of the courts.  The light of the flames enabled people to see whom they were talking to and they could see what was going on around them.  But the real purpose of the torch lighting ceremony was to remind everyone of the pillar of fire by which the Lord had protected Israel in the desert many years before.

No real Israelite could ever forget the pillar of fire.  At first it had stood between Egypt’s mighty army and the children of Israel, preventing them from harm and danger.  After God had wiped out Pharaoh’s army in the waters of the Red Sea, Israel continued its journey into the wilderness and the pillar of fire was there every night throughout the years of their wanderings.  During the day it was a pillar of cloud; at night a pillar of fire.  It gave them light to see by, as well as indicating the presence of the Lord.

And now at the Feast Jesus raised His voice so that all the people could hear: ‘I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’

What a bold statement!  After the torch was extinguished at the feast, everyone had to find their own way home in the darkness.  They would only have their small torch to see by.  You realise, of course, that in those days there was no electricity, no street lighting and no torch batteries.

So the bold statement of the Lord Jesus made a dramatic impact: ‘I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.’  Of course the people realised that Jesus was saying that whoever believed in Him and obeyed His teaching, would find Him to be a light.  Everyone at that Feast knew that as much as you needed some physical light to get home, so also do you need spiritual light for the journey of life.  The Lord Jesus was saying that He was that light and that whoever followed Him would never walk in spiritual darkness.  In fact, by following Christ the Light, one will find that life itself will be light.  You will not be groping around not knowing what to do with your life.  Life itself will not be dark.  You will have in your life Christ, who is the Light.

But there are other things that show how bold Jesus’ statement is.  The Lord is not saying that He is able to shed some light on some of the bewildering issues people may have to face.  He is not saying that He too can be considered as one who with His wisdom and insight can bring light to bear on the dark problems of the world.  He is not even claiming to be a great religious teacher who can enlighten the minds of men with some profound instruction.  What the Lord is saying is that He IS the light.  Not a light among many, but THE light, the only light.  Outside of Him there is darkness.  That is what makes this claim to be THE LIGHT so bold.

Moreover, the Lord did not say that He is able to act as light in some area of life.  He is not putting himself forward as a specialist in some field of knowledge.  He is not even claiming to be the light for some people.  The bold thing He is proclaiming is that He is the light for the whole world.

Furthermore, the Lord is not saying that whoever follows Him will manage to stay out of darkness most of the time.  No, He is saying that whoever keeps on following him will never walk in darkness.  They will always have him as the Light of life.  Those who follow Christ will find that He has become their life.  The light the Lord gives will be their way of life.

Jesus’ statement is so bold that throughout history people have found it objectionable.  In fact, the Lord barely finished speaking these words when the Pharisees already challenged him.  A long discussion followed and quite a number of Jews became involved.  Some became very angry because of Jesus’ words.  They called Him a Samaritan.  That was contemptuous name-calling, for the Jews hated Samaritans.  They even said that Jesus was demon-possessed (John 8:48).  When Jesus explained further that He and the Father are one, that He is God in the flesh, that He is the Messiah, and that He existed even before Abraham, implying that He is eternal, then they became so incensed that they tried to stone Him.  When it got that far, Jesus left the temple grounds (John 8:59).

As you know, Jesus still offends people.  Many do not mind if He is made out to be simply a light; no one minds if He sheds some light on a certain issue or that some of His commandments have good morals.  No one is offended by such a Jesus.  But when it is stressed that Jesus is the only God and that He is the light of the world, then many people are likely to be upset.  Many refuse to follow Him.

2.  Light and Darkness Are Really Two Opposites.

In the second place we want to emphasise that light and dark are opposites.  We know this from nature.  In the beginning, before God created light, there was darkness over that formless, empty mass of earth and water (Gen.1:2).  Then, on the first day, God said: ‘Let there be light!, and there was light!  The light was so good and it separated the day from the night.  Ever since, the light of each new day dispels the darkness of the night.  And not until the light fades away over the horizon is darkness allowed to return.  Light rules the day and darkness the night.  The two are opposites.

And so it is with spiritual light and spiritual darkness.  The Bible says: God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1John 1:5).  When we remain in God’s presence, when we follow Christ, then we have fellowship with Him.  Then we walk in the light because Christ is the Light.  His light is our life and when we share that same kind of life then we can walk together.  We can see by the light of Christ.  We know where we are going.  We know what to do.

But now consider the opposite.  When we do not follow Christ, we are not with God and God is not with us.  Darkness is present where God is absent.  Without Christ the Light, we walk in darkness.  In the darkness we have no fellowship with God.  In the darkness we cannot see.  The fellowship that is possible with others, because of the light of Christ, is not possible where there is darkness.  Because Christ is not with us in the darkness, we cannot know others in a real way.  There is a kind of knowing among those who live in darkness.  But one can’t call it fellowship because real fellowship is only possible when the light of Christ is present.  At best there is a kind of relationship which is held together by a common attraction.  They would not like the light of Christ to expose their deeds because it would show them up as wrong and impure.  And because their deeds are evil, the relationship they have with each other in their spiritual darkness is never completely open and honest.  It is hidden and furtive.  They are even glad that they can hide those things which they do not want the other to know about.  They are not one.  Relationships in the darkness have no unity.  But in the light of Christ there is fellowship.  Things are open and true.  It is all above board.  There is no need for pretensions or cover-ups.  The light of Christ penetrates into every corner of their being.  They have nothing to hide.

We are presented with a sad example of spiritual light and spiritual darkness being opposites in the person of Judas, one of the twelve disciples of Christ.  Judas was with Christ the light.  Like the other disciples, Judas had seen and heard the wonderful, unique person of Christ.  He knew who Jesus was and what He stood for.  The crunch came during the last Passover meal which Jesus had with the twelve.  The normal custom of having their feet washed was observed before they sat down to eat.  But the foot washing became an occasion for Jesus to say that they were all spiritually clean except for one and He was referring to Judas.  The others were clean because they confessed Jesus as the Son of God and had their sins forgiven.  But Judas had allowed the devil to get into him and he was prompted to betray Jesus.  (John 13:2).  Later, during the meal, Jesus exposed Judas and forced him to do what he had already set his heart on doing (13:27).  Judas then left the company of Jesus and the other disciples and went out.  At this point the Bible simply says, ‘And it was night’ (13:30).

Yes, it was night.  The light of day was gone and the dark of the night had taken over.  But spiritual darkness had also taken over the soul of Judas.  And because he allowed that to happen, he could no longer bear to be in the presence of Christ.  He was no longer one with them.  He could no longer walk with them.  The fellowship he had with Christ was allowed to be broken.  Thus he snuffed out the light of Christ in his life and he allowed darkness to enter.  The act of betrayal that he was going to do could not stand the light of Christ.  It could only be done under cover of spiritual darkness.  Therefore Judas left the light.  And the Bible says, ‘And it was night.’

How is it with you?  Are you of the night or of the day?  Are you in the light of Christ or are you in the darkness of hell?  You may want to object and say that this question is too extreme.  Do we have to draw the lines in such sharp contrast?  Must light and darkness be so opposite?  Does not nature itself teach that there is twilight?  For many, the setting of the sun is a pleasant time of the day.  And so with life.  They don’t want complete separation from the light of Christ for they know it is good for their soul.  But neither do they want a separation from the darkness, for it too has its attractions.  They do not want a complete darkness.  They are afraid of that.  They prefer a combination of both light and darkness.  A part of Christ and a part of the world.  Some holiness of life and some impurity.

But light and darkness remain opposites.  Twilight there may be and you and I might enjoy it.  But surely you have noticed from nature that twilight is a passing thing.  It does not last.  It either makes way for the day or it makes way for the night.  Twilight may even last a long time as it does in the extreme northern and southern latitudes but even there eventually it will be light or darkness.  I am sure you are getting the point.  Either we repent and turn to the light of Christ and let it fully penetrate our whole being, our thinking and doing, or sooner or later we will inevitably drift into spiritual darkness.

Light and darkness will always fight to control us.  But they cannot exist together.  For light is the truth, darkness is the lie; light is the love of God, darkness is hatred of the devil; light is love for the things of God, darkness is love for the things of Satan; light is righteousness, darkness is evil; light is purity, darkness is corruption; light is holiness, darkness is filth; light is devotion to God, darkness is rebellion against God; light is wisdom, darkness is folly; light is having fellowship with God, darkness is being forsaken of God; light is walking with fellow Christians, darkness is being in league with unbelievers; light is life, darkness is death.

3.  How Christ Has Overcome Darkness.

Finally, let us be reminded again how Christ has overcome the darkness.  This touches the heart of the Gospel, namely Christ dying on the cross and rising again to life in His resurrection.  Let us go back to Christ on the cross.  At some point during his terrible suffering for the sins of the guilty, darkness descended over the whole land for three hours.  At the end of this darkness Jesus cried out: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Mat.27:46).

Christ was forsaken so that we might nevermore be forsaken of God.  Christ willingly allowed the darkness of hell to overcome Him, so that He might suffer the separation from God that was due to us.  Sin brings death and separation from God and that is our spiritual darkness.  But when sinners repent and believe Christ to be God and Saviour, then they are brought into God’s presence where they have life forevermore.  They are brought from death to life, from darkness into the light of Christ.

Now this wonderful truth, which we call the Gospel of salvation, is found in Scripture.  But it needs to be proclaimed.  It needs to be explained and applied to sinners.  How does this happen?  Well, God has appointed the preaching of the Word for this.  God’s Word becomes light when it is faithfully proclaimed (Titus 1:3).  And so we hope that the preaching on Sundays makes the light of Christ shine in the darkness of the world and in our sinful nature, bringing us to repentance and faith.

Through the preaching of God’s Word today, Christ is calling you out of darkness into His wonderful light.  (1Peter 2:9) But once we are in the light of Christ, then we have to live as children of light and we must have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness.  For we were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord (Eph.5:8).  And so the followers of Christ can say that their heavenly Father has rescued them from the dominion of darkness and brought them into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col.1:13,14).

In conclusion, we must emphasise the importance of following the true Jesus Christ.  If we say that Christ is merely the greatest reformer or educator, or moralist, or character builder, or philosopher; if we regard Him merely as someone who has profoundly affected our civilisation as a religious genius, then we are following a false Christ.  The Christ of Scripture is eternal and equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  All who come to him will never again walk in darkness.

How can a sinner come to the Light?  Let us not picture a Christ waiting for the sinner to come out of darkness to the Light.  No one comes to Christ, except the Holy Spirit draws him.  The darkness does not come to the light.  It cannot and will not come.  No, the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5).

Christ, the Light, is sovereign.  He does not beg and plead for sinners to come to him.  He brings His light to the sinner and exposes the sinner’s darkness and draws him into the light of life.  All those whom the Father has appointed to eternal life will come and they will follow the Light and they will never again return to the darkness.  For Christ the Light is infinitely stronger and far more powerful than the prince of darkness.

Amen.