Sermon Tone Analysis

! Dust and Ashes Publications

* Home

* Cart

* About Us

* Contact Us

* Free Books

* Book Reviews

* Publications & Store

*Engaging Chunch History*

*Church History Books Online*

Home » Free Books » Bonar, Horatius » Light & Truth: The Gospels !

Chapter 67 - John 7:53; John 8:1, 12 - Jesus our Light Light & Truth: The Gospels by Bonar, Horatius

Quick Access Chapter 1 - Matthew 1:1 - Very Man... Chapter 2 - Matthew 1:16 - Jesus the See... Chapter 3 - Matthew 2:3 - Jesus the Trou... Chapter 4 - Matthew 3:10 - The Desert Vo... Chapter 5 - Matthew 4:23 - Jesus in Seas... Chapter 6 - Matthew 5:45 - His Sun... Chapter 7 - Matthew 8:1-3 - Human Lepros... Chapter 8 - Matthew 8:34 - Man's Dislike... Chapter 9 - Matthew 11:28 - The Rest and... Chapter 10 - Matthew 11:29 - The Three E... Chapter 11 - Matthew 12:41 - Nineveh and... Chapter 12 - Matthew 13:25 - The Two Sow... Chapter 13 - Matthew 19:6 - Herod's Ball... Chapter 14 - Matthew 19:15-16 - Man's Wa... Chapter 15 - Matthew 14:24-31 - The Help... Chapter 16 - Matthew 17:17 - The Graciou... Chapter 17 - Matthew 18:1-4 - The Peerag... Chapter 18 - Matthew 18:2; Luke 19:10 - ... Chapter 19 - Matthew 21:44 - The Stone o... Chapter 20 - Matthew 22:42 - The Things ... Chapter 21 - Matthew 24:12 - The Chill o... Chapter 22 - Matthew 24:42, 44 - True Vi... Chapter 23 - Matthew 25:3 - Religion wit... Chapter 24 - Matthew 25:31, 33 - The Gre... Chapter 25 - Matthew 24:70 - The Denying... Chapter 26 - Matthew 27:4 - The True Con... Chapter 27 - Mark 3:35 - Relationship to... Chapter 28 - Mark 4:39 - The Great Calm... Chapter 29 - Mark 5:36 - Only Believe... Chapter 30 - Mark 6:6 - Jesus Wondering ... Chapter 31 - Mark 6:33, 34 - Christ's Te... Chapter 32 - Mark 6:53-56 - Jesus and Hi... Chapter 34 - Mark 11:13 - The Fruitless ... Chapter 33 - Mark 10:52 - Christ's Recog... Chapter 35 - Mark 11:22 - Faith in God... Chapter 36 - Mark 13:33 - Watch and Pray... Chapter 37 - Mark 13:34-37 - The Master ... Chapter 38 - Mark 14:62 - The Coming of ... Chapter 39 - Luke 4:16-31 - The Gracious... Chapter 40 - Luke 6:19 - Health in Jesus... Chapter 41 - Luke 7:36-50 - Much Forgive... Chapter 42 - Luke 11:13 - How Much More!... Chapter 43 - Luke 15:2 - Jesus Watching ... Chapter 44 - Luke 15:10 - God's Joy Over... Chapter 45 - Luke 15:20 - The Father's L... Chapter 46 - Luke 15:22 - God's Free Lov... Chapter 47 - Luke 17:26, 27 - Noah Days... Chapter 48 - Luke 19:11-27 - The Lowest ... Chapter 49 - Luke 14:40 - Christ Must ha... Chapter 50 - Luke 21:28 - Signs of the T... Chapter 51 - Luke 21:36 - Deliverance in... Chapter 52 - Luke 22:18 - The New Wine o... Chapter 53 - Luke 22:19, 20 - The Heaven... Chapter 54 - Luke 23:32-43 - The Three C... Chapter 55 - Luke 24:29 - The Disciples'... Chapter 56 - John 1:12, 13 - Reception o... Chapter 57 - John 3:2 - The World's Need... Chapter 58 - John 3:14, 15 - Life in Loo... Chapter 59 - John 3:29 - The Filling Up ... Chapter 60 - John 3:34, 35 - The Fullnes... Chapter 61 - John 4:10 - The Living Wate... Chapter 62 - John 5:39, 40 - Bible Testi... Chapter 63 - John 6:17 - Night with Jesu... Chapter 64 - John 6:50 - The Bread of Im... Chapter 65 - John 6:51 - Christ's Flesh ... Chapter 66 - John 7:37 - Come and Drink... Chapter 67 - John 7:53; John 8:1, 12 - J... Chapter 68 - John 8:31, 32 - Truth and L... Chapter 69 - John 8:54 - The Father Hono... Chapter 70 - John 11:40 - The Honour Giv... Chapter 71 - John 12:12 - Inquiring afte... Chapter 72 - John 12:32 - The Great Attr... Chapter 73 - John 12:35-36 - Light and i... Chapter 74 - John 12:46 - Light for the ... Chapter 75 - John 12:48 - The Judging Wo... Chapter 76 - John 14:8-10 - The Revelati... Chapter 77 - John 13:16, 17 - The Abidin... Chapter 78 - John 14:26 - The Mighty Com... Chapter 79 - John 14:27 - The Divine Leg... Chapter 80 - John 16:25-28 - Christ in H... Chapter 81 - John 16:33 - Tribulation, P... Chapter 82 - John 17:26 - The Declaratio... Chapter 84 - John 18:28 - Ritualism and ... Chapter 84 - John 19:2 - The Greater Sin... Chapter 85 - John 20:17 - Christ's Work ... Chapter 86 - John 21:5 - The Tender Love... Light & Truth - The Gospels - Footnotes...

Previous Index Next

LXVII.

Jesus Our Light.

"And every man went unto his own house."-John

7:53.

"Jesus went unto the mount of Olives...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."-John

8:1, 12.

If we group together the scenes of this and the succeeding chapter, we might head them thus,-a day with Jesus; in which we have not merely his answers to the disputing Jews, but his proclamation of love; a night with Jesus on the Mount of Olives; dawn with Jesus in the temple, listening to his early teaching; sunrise with Jesus, as, pointing to the east, He says, I am the light of the world.

Let us follow, however, another division, which will, perhaps, bring out the truths of the passage more fully, in connection both with man and the Lord; (1.) man at home, Jesus not at home; (2.) man the listener, Jesus the teacher; (3.) man the sinner, Jesus the forgiver; (4.) man the child of darkness, Jesus the light of life.

I.

Man at home, Jesus not at home.

"Every man went to his own house; Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives."

The crowd which had surrounded Him all the day gradually drops off, one by one, as the evening draws on, and Jesus is left alone.

Each one has a home to go to, a roof to shelter him, and retires to rest with his family; Jesus has nowhere to lay his head; they go one way, He goes another; they keep within the city walls, He goes without the gate to Olivet, there to spend the night in prayer.

He is not at home; even in the temple, which is his Father's house, He must not stay; its gates are closing, and He is shut out; the temple shuts Him out, the city shuts Him out.

He can only go to the places where man is not; to the solitudes where, outside of Jerusalem, outside even of Bethany, He can meet with God.

This homelessness of the Son of God was for us.

He became homeless that we might have a home,-a home in his Father's house.

He went without the gate that we might enter in.

He became an exile, taking our place and life of banishment, that we might have an entrance ministered to us into the celestial city, the Paradise of God.

Hast thou, O man, availed thyself of this great work, and returned to thy Father's house?

Or art thou still an exile from God, though at home on earth?

II.

Man the listener, Jesus the teacher.

That to which God calleth us is "listening."

"Hear, and your soul shall live ;" "faith cometh by hearing."

Christ came to us as the Word,-to speak to us; his very coming was God saying to us, "Now listen to me." Seldom do we find man in this attitude, and hence so little faith; and, when Christ comes the second time, He will find little faith, because few listening.

But here we have a group of listeners, and that in the early dawn, gathered round the eternal Word.

And He teaches!

How willing to teach!

How glad to get a listener, an open ear!  How eager is He to pour in all his wisdom; to teach the ignorant; to unteach them the evil and error; to teach them the good and the true!  Are our ears ever open?

Are we eager listeners?

As ready to hear as He is to speak?

Oh how much we lose of happy wisdom, simply from not listening!

Jesus Himself knew what it was to hear the Father, "He wakeneth morning by morning; He wakeneth mine ear to hear as one who is taught."

And having thus learned, He comes to teach.

Learn of me, He says.

The Lord make us willing learners!

The Lord give us open ears!

     III.

Man the sinner, Christ the forgiver.

In the midst of the teaching and the listening a scene occurs; an interruption, yet not truly so; an interruption which only illustrates the character of the teacher.

Vile sin has just been discovered, and the culprit is brought in.

It is flagrant transgression.

How will He deal with it?

Will He palliate it, or will He say, Go and stone her.

If He does the former, what becomes of his holiness and professed veneration for the law?

If the latter, what becomes of his kindness to publicans and sinners.

He does neither.

And yet He pardons the guilty!

How marvelous the grace!

How wonderfully He deals with sin and the sinner!

He condemns,-nay, He makes his hearers condemn it,-and not only the woman's, but their own; yet He forgives!

He shews them sin in a worse, a wider, a more universal aspect than they dreamed of; yet He also shews that nothing can obstruct his forgiving love.

His is pardon to the uttermost.

He came to save sinners!

Who is there that He is not willing and able to save?

     IV.

Man the child of darkness, Christ the light of the world.

These are awful words, "children of night," children of darkness,-worse even than the world's phrase, children of the mist.

The world is dark,-darkness itself.

Each soul is dark.

Man's efforts to enlighten himself has only left him darker.

But the light has come; the true light now shineth.

The Christ has come, and He is the light of the world, the light of the soul, the light of life.

In the present case He is pointing to the rising sun and saying, "I (not yon sun) am the light of the world."

Till I appear all is night.

Then, all is day.

C1irist as the revealer of the Father, of his grace and righteousness,-Christ as the possessor and dispenser of the Holy Ghost,-is the light of the world.

1.

Light cheers and gladdens.

Thus Jesus gives joy and peace.

2.

Light purifies.

Jesus renews, sanctifies, assimilates.

3.

Light quickens.

Jesus removes death; imparts life.

4.

Light heals.

Jesus heals wounds, diseases; He cures.

     5.

Light liberates.

Jesus sets us free.

No bondage where Jesus is.

Oh the difference between night and noon, darkness and sunshine!

Have you made the exchange?

Will you make it now?

He that believeth in me shall not abide in darkness.

Previous Index Next

* Dust & Ashes Home

* Free Books

* Book Reviews

* Store