Day 30: Light Of The World

Precept #1

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5)

            Here we are about to study our first “Precept.” They are what Jesus has called us to do to be like Him, right now. We are to continue the work He started until the day of His return. With that said, I want to share two of the most beautiful verses about Jesus being the “Light of the World.” The first one says; “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.” (Mat 4:16) I love the word picture of Jesus being as the dawn’s morning light. His love rising up from the earth, as it shines forth the grace and mercy of God. Destroying the shadow of death in the process, that is just wonderful! I love it! Here is the second verse, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2Co 4:6) Jesus, the light of the world, shines forth the glory of God through His face. Now we understand when Jesus says, “… he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; …” (Joh 14:9b) Let us look at a prophecy of Jesus in the “Older” Testament. “And He [God] said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” (Isa 49:6) Then we see the fulfillment in the life of Jesus as He says, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (Joh 9:5) Jesus will never stop being the light bearer, ever! Let us read of His continual everlasting light shining. Speaking of the new heaven and the new earth we read, “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Rev 21:23) AMEN!

            “In him [Jesus] was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (Joh 1:4-5) The life of Jesus is the light we needed to be able to return home, back to our Daddy. It may sound poetic and it is. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (Joh 8:12) When we follow Jesus and make Him our Lord, we receive this light and life. “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” (2Ti 1:10) Nothing could stop the light from shining. This is still true today. The greater the darkness, the brighter the light becomes. The shadow of death that hung over us all, no longer can cast its darkness over those who accept Jesus.

            The light of Jesus shines into this world to the Glory of God the Father. Jesus tells us, “… He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” (Joh 12:44-46) Our Lord is delivering a very specific message to the people of the world about God. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1Jn 1:5) There is no darkness in the “Light” of our Father. This is the glorious thing Jesus is declaring to the children of God. He is calling us into His “Light.” “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” (1Pe 2:9) We once were in the shadow of death hiding away with our sins and failings. Jesus shining forth the light of God through the beauty of His face destroyed the darkness. Through Him, we now run with arms open wide towards the unapproachable light.

            We are the children of the light, Praise God. Listen to our Lords leading, “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.” (Joh 12:35-36) We must believe in the light to become the children of the light. You see, Jesus calls those called by God, “…the children of light.” (Luk 16:8b) After His resurrection, we are still called the same thing, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)” (Eph 5:8-9)

            The verse we just read at the end of the last paragraph tells us a great wonder. It says “but now you are light in the Lord.” Now we are light. Jesus speaking in what I believe was a prophetic sense declared, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Mat 5:14-16) Once Jesus fulfilled His work on the earth as the perfect sacrifice, He ascended to heaven to commence His work as High Priest. Let us read, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” (Heb 6:19-20) Again we read, “But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.” (Heb 7:24) Now to continue on His ministry upon the earth He gives us His Light, so we become the light of the world through Him. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20) We talked about how Jesus is the “Spirit of Life,” He is also the light of men, so when that spirit of life is in us we become the light of the world. We are not the source of the light, the light of the Savior lives within us. In the same way a flashlight is nothing without its bulb, we have no light without the true light within us. With His brightness shining forth, we become the vessels that carry the light to the world. This is expressed clearly with these verses, “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” (Col 1:11-14) We have become partakers and share in the light.

             We must with sober hearts understand the responsibility we have been given. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” (Rom 13:12) We must do this to have a pure testimony, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” (Php 2:13-16) Jesus warns us to end the works of darkness He has come to save us from; “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” (Luk 11:34-36) Additionally we read, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2Co 6:14) We cannot earn our salvation. We also cannot remain in rebellious sin and call ourselves the light. The sin must end. While we all sin, I now speak specifically of sin we willfully hang on to. Anything we hold in rebellion and not give to the Lord darkens the light within. His grace provides us time to repent. Though if He has already shown us something we must give up, and we do not, then we are in grave danger. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than 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. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (Joh 3:19-21) Therefore, here is the truth and the good news, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 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. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1Jn 1:6-10) There is beautiful balance to those scriptures. Our Daddy is light, we all have sinned, He will forgive us if we ask, then we can have a relationship with Him. If we sin when we are in the light, as long as we come to Him in repentance, He will forgive us. Be encouraged Brothers and Sisters “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1Th 5:4-9) We have a date with destiny within our Father’s glorious light!

            Before we close this chapter, I want to focus in on a wonderful transformation for humanity. This is not to make a faulty comparison of how one is better to the other. No, this is to show the completion of the promise, the gift that had not yet been fulfilled, that now has been. Jesus said this about John the Baptist. “Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Mat 11:11) I do not think you can get a better compliment. John was a forerunner for Jesus. His job was to prepare the world for Jesus’ arrival. Jesus said that John had a light of truth, “Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.” (Joh 5:33-35)  Jesus’ disciple John, proclaimed the truth for Jesus as “A Light,” though he was not “The Light Source.” “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (Joh 1:6-9) Since Jesus accomplished His mission upon the earth, and the Holy Spirit has come. We now share in the light. Now we are “the light” of the world. Jesus says; “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” (Mat 5:14) This promotion is done by the True Light of Jesus living inside of us. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20) To bring this full circle, we now continue the mission of John the Baptist. We are to prepare the world for Jesus’ second coming. It was said of John and his mission; “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luk 1:76-79) Since we are now called, “Children of The Light,” we are to fulfill this calling for our Lord. We are also to be like John the Baptist and prepare the world for Jesus’ soon coming. Family I pray; “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” (Col 1:11-14) We are the light of the world, Amen!

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