I Am The Light of the World

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Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." - John 8:12 (NASB) 

   A brief excerpt from yesterday's message. In order to understand Jesus' statement, we need to understand the reality of darkness. Darkness is here. It is in our lives, our homes, businesses, schools, governments, nations,……and churches! In the OT and the NT, darkness represents a number of phenomenon such as moral depravity, evil forces or powers contrary God, the complete absence of God's presence, and also misery, death, spiritual insensitivity, spiritual blindness, and ignorance. So, the question of the hour is, "Which of these was Jesus referring to when He said we will 'not walk in darkness?'" The answer is all of the above. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus IS the light, He is the source of light. We are told that there is no darkness in God at all (1 Jn. 1:5), and that it is Jesus who, "…who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see…" (1 Tim 6:15-16, NASB)  Jesus, then as light, is contrary and opposite (although unequal) to the things of darkness. 
   Why is this important? Jesus, who is the light or source of all that is righteous and holy, came and dwelt in the darkness. He came and lived within this present world of darkness, but was not overcome by the darkness. Rather, He shined in darkness, repelling it by His presence. If we want to see darkness removed or repelled in our lives, our homes, schools, churches, or anywhere darkness dwells, the best way to expel it is to bring the Light. No matter how hard you try, you cannot walk into an empty room and push the darkness out. If you want the darkness removed, you simply turn on the light. The brighter Jesus shines in our lives, the more darkness is repelled and expelled. 
   If you are like me, you are deeply concerned with the direction world is headed. Even though Scripture tells us this will happen, it should disturb the hearts of believers. Let this drive us to our faces in prayer, asking the Light to shine more brightly in our lives. We might just be surprised at what happens!

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