The Light Has Come
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The Reception of the Light (9-13)
The Reception of the Light (9-13)
A. The Light Has Come!
A. The Light Has Come!
9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
Jesus is the Light. Jesus shines not from the light of any other, He is the source of His own light.
He enlightens every man. All other “light” is borrowed from Him. Every spark of light (our creativity, drive to excel, or intelligence) that a human possesses has its source in Jesus.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t hide His light from some. Just as the sunshine falls on the whole earth as it rises to begin the day, so Jesus radiates the spiritual light of understanding of who God is.
What makes advent so special is that the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is the dawn of light for the world. Before we had flashes of light. God would appear to the prophets and give them a glimpse of Him. His appearances were like a candle being lit and then blown out or a flashlight turning on and off. But from Christmas day until His ascension Jesus lived among us and burned with revelation of the character of God.
B. The Light Was Ignored
B. The Light Was Ignored
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
Even the brightest light can be blocked or shaded.
So here is the situation, the true light of the world who created all that exists, who is life itself, who was witnessed by John the Baptist, has come into the world to enlighten everyone so that they might receive Him if they choose and what was the response? Well, If men are basically good, as most people think today, how would you expect them to respond to Jesus? We opened our arms and welcomed the Word with smiles on our faces and gratefulness in our hearts, right? No, not exactly. “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.” Oh, that’s it we are basically good people but we were just ignorant. We just didn’t know that it was the Word. No, that’s not it either, because, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” The Creator and life giver came to those whom He created and to those who should have known Him best and we turned Him away. How can good people do that? They can’t, which means that there must be something fundamentally wrong with us. John 3:19 says, “and this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.” But there is good news! “As many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become children of God, even those who believe in His name.” The Apostle Paul said it like this in Romans 5:8-10, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
3 “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.”
C. The Light Can Be Received
C. The Light Can Be Received
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
Those who believe in that name are given new life. They are not just born physically, and this new life is not from the stale desire of our darkened sinful flesh, and it is not just something that man made up, but it is new life from God. Do you have this new life? Are you experiencing this new life? If you are, then praise God! If you are not, you can receive Him today.
CS Lewis: “The Son of God became man to enable men to become sons of God.”
The question is, have you received this life giving Word? Do you believe in His name? The name which is above every name and to which every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord? That name is Jesus Christ and there is no name more precious than His.
This is important for us as believers to understand. The world will not receive Him as a whole, but some will. It is those who will receive Him who we look for and it is for those who will receive Him that we are a witness to just like John was. I want you to look at verse 15 with me because it talks about John and his witness. Notice that it says “John bore witness of Him.” A better translation would be, “John bears witness of Him.” The verb is in the present tense because John is still bearing witness of Jesus through the Scriptures and through us as we tell people about our wonderful Savior. Are you bearing witness presently of Jesus?
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
CS Lewis: “Christ’s work of making new men is not mere improvement, but transformation.”
We bear witness to the Light as well so that all might believe through us. Jesus is no longer here on the earth physically, so he must shine through us. We have an incredibly important role in overcoming the darkness. Jesus said in Matt. 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it give light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” We keep the darkness at bay and point people to Jesus and to the Father. Let’s see how brightly we can shine for Jesus in Lamoille Valley!
Ruth Carter Stapelton: “Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.”