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The Light of the World
Jesus said,
"4
I must work the Works of Him that sent Me,
while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in
the world, I am The Light Of The World"
(John 9:4-5).
by Katie Stewart
Preface
n the verse above, the LORD Jesus declared, "As long as I am in the world, I am The Light
Of The World" (John 9:4-5). His
sojourn on this Earth was in a physical body, as the Worthy "Lamb that was slain" (Revelation
5:12), Who "redeemed us
to God by [His]
Blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (5:9). His stay on Earth as a mere Man, was a short
one, "even
[as] a vapour, that appeareth for a little
time" (James 4:14)-- as mankind's
Bloodstained hands prove. "For your hands
are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies,
your tongue hath muttered perverseness" (Isaiah 59:3).
And, for that brief visit, the world was filled with the Light that He is, until
we "killed the LORD Jesus" (1Thessalonians 2:15) in the darkest moment of man's
mean history. "22
Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among
you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you,
as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate Counsel and Foreknowledge
of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain" (Acts 2:22-23). His Glorious Light was plunged into the darkness of night, until, on the
third day, "God hath raised [Him] up, having
loosed the pains of Death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of
it" (2:24). "As long as I am in the world, I am The Light Of The World" (John 9:4-5). "He
was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not" (John 1:10). The pure pleasure of His physical self,
comforting mankind in fellowship and friendship, we esteemed not. "19 And
this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than Light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth
The Light, neither cometh to The Light, lest his deeds should be reproved" (John 3:19-20). The "Light
of [His]
countenance" (Psalm 90:8) could
no longer reach inside of a man, and reveal, oh, so many things! In His Death, all
of those "miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by Him", man saw Jesus work-- by His Own
blessed hand-- no more.
"2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the Works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 I must work the Works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am The Light Of The World. 6 When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing" (John 9:2-7).
God is Light
od, by His very Nature,
is Light. "Who coverest Thyself with Light
as with a garment: Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain" (Psalm 104:2). "This then
is The Message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light" (1John 1:5). "The
Message" of the Word of God shows us the Light concerning
God.
"What saith the Scripture?" (Romans 4:3).
If we want to be where the LORD eternally inhabits, then we must
reside in The Light. "5
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. 6 If we say
that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not
the Truth: 7 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" (1John 1:5-7).
Walk in The Light
hen He was here as a Man, Jesus said to us, "35 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. 36 While ye
have Light, believe in The Light, that ye may be the children of Light" (John 12:35-36). To know where you are going, presently,
determines where you will wind up in the future. If Heaven is where you wish to spend
Eternity, then Jesus is The Light Who guides you there. Take Jesus' example. Being
"risen from the dead" (Matthew 28:7), the LORD Jesus is now returned to
the "Father of Lights" (James 1:17), to His esteemed position "where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1). He knew where He wanted to be,
and the "Father of Lights" guided His way to that place. Even Jesus Christ, as a Man, had to follow
the Rules. He did not, nor did He desire to, climb up "some
other way" (John 10:1). For, Jesus
Christ, "Who in the days of His flesh... [even] though He were a Son, yet
learned He obedience by the things which He suffered"
(Hebrews 5:7-8). [Read "The Amazing
Humanity of Jesus Christ"
---New Window.] And,
though no longer physically at our side, His Spirit, "the
Spirit of Truth... will guide you into all Truth" (John
16:13) and encourage you to "continue
in [His] Word" if you are to be His "disciples
indeed" (John 8:31). "I am The Light Of The World: he that followeth Me
shall NOT walk in darkness, but shall have The Light of Life"
(John 8:12). It is only as we obey and "work the Works of Him that sent [Jesus]"
(John 9:4) that we can "walk
in the Light, as He is in the Light" (1John 1:7).
The purpose of the Light is to show The Way in which to go. "To give Light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow
of death, to guide our feet into The Way Of Peace" (Luke
1:79). In this physical life, we live in a time-related sphere that
lasts only a moment when compared to Eternity.
"9 Jesus answered,
Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not,
because he seeth The Light of this world. 10
But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth,
because there is no Light in him" (John 11:9-10). Being
tied to time and space in our finite journey is why Scripture encourages us that
we must be "redeeming the time, because
the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). How did Jesus redeem His time? He fulfilled the First and Second Great
Commandments. "37
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the LORD
thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind. 38 This is the First and Great Commandment. 39 And the Second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40). Love was how He fulfilled these
two Commandments, for "God is Love" (1John 4:8). Love was how Jesus redeemed His time
on Earth. He redeemed His time by redeeming us! "Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver
us from this present evil world, according to the Will of God and our Father" (Galatians 1:4). And, how is this our Example? "Walk in Wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming
the time" (Colossians 4:5). We are
to redeem our time by working and praying for the Redemption of "them that are without". And, what
is the "Wisdom",
or I should say, by Whom is this "Wisdom" we are to "walk in"? "He was clothed with a vesture
dipped in Blood: and His Name is called The Word of God"
(Revelation 19:13). The WORD commands us to "take unto you the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13). Our Example, "The Word of God" has, again, enlightened
our way.
If we again take Jesus as our "Example," He becomes our Light and our Path, "for
even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
Example, that ye should follow His steps" (1Peter
2:21). Where will His steps take us? They will take us right to where
He is. "That where I am, there ye may
be also" (John 14:3). Our "Example" has laid out the
path we are to take by every Footprint we follow. "35 Walk while ye have The Light, lest
darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
36 While ye have Light,
believe in The Light, that ye may be the children of Light"
(John 12:35-36).
Our Testimony of The Light
s "children of Light", we are "known and read of all
men" (2Corinthians 3:2). Their opinions of us will
sway their opinions of our God. "And we
have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world"
(1John 4:14). If we are hypocritical "ambassadors for Christ", the world
will think God is hypocritical. "Now then
we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray
you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2Corinthians
5:20). "For ye were sometimes
darkness, but now are ye Light in the LORD: walk as children of Light" (Ephesians 5:8). As the LORD's "ambassadors" in an evil and dark
world, it is our responsibility of love-- to God, first, and to our neighbor, second--
that we walk right. "14
Ye are the Light of the world. A city that
is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 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. 16 Let your
Light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in Heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).
Your actions speak volumes, "for out of
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew
12:34). If hate is demonstrated, many, including the LORD, see it.
"9 He that saith he is in the Light, and hateth his brother,
is in darkness even until now. 10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the Light, and there
is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness,
and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes" (1John 2:9-11). Sin is a deceiving influence-- a
heart hardening influence. "Exhort one
another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the
deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13).
Jesus, "The WORD of God" (Revelation 19:13), walked among us, and look what
our sin did to Him! "The Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten
of the Father,) full of Grace and Truth" (John
1:14), and we "crucified
the LORD of Glory" (1Corinthians 2:8)!
How hardhearted can we be?
The Two Johns' Testimony of The Light
e speak here of John the Beloved Apostle and of John the Baptist.
Their testimony of God's Light in the world is stedfastly anchored in the Testimony
of God's Word. The Word of the Apostle John begins in the very first chapter of his
Gospel to pour out the glorious Light of Life upon the Creation. "1
In The Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in The Beginning
with God. 3 All
things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was Life; and The
Life was The Light of men. 5 And The Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended
it not" (John 1:1-5). The first
John then begins to speak of the second. "6 There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John. 7
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of The Light, that all men through Him
might believe. 8
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light" (1:6-8).
That is our job, also. "And He said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). Shine
"in darkness", "Preach
the Gospel", just as Jesus gave the Example. "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you:
as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you" (John
20:21). And the saints have, through the ages, obeyed the Great Commission
to shine The Light of the Gospel to a dark and idolatrous world. "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son
to be the Saviour of the world" (1John 4:14). As the Apostle John recorded in the first verse of his first book, "In The Beginning was the Word"
(John 1:1), he continued to shine forth in his last book on
The End of the Church Age. "6 I saw another angel fly in the midst of Heaven, having
the Everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the Earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give Glory to Him;
for the hour of His Judgment is come: and worship Him that made Heaven, and Earth,
and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Revelation
14:6-7). The beloved Apostle John's Testimony of The Light shall shine
forth for all Eternity.
"9 That was The True Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. 11 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He Power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name: 13 which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father,) full of Grace and Truth" (John 1:9-14).
And the two Johns' Testimony of The Light agree in unity and love.
"15 John [the Baptist] bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of Whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. 16 And of His fulness have all we received, and Grace for Grace. 17 For the Law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the Only Begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him... 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the Way of the LORD, as said the prophet Esaias... 26 I baptize with water: but there standeth One among you, Whom ye know not; 27 He it is, Who coming after me is preferred before me, Whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose... 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is He of Whom I said, After me cometh a Man which is preferred before me: for He was before me... 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. 33 And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the Same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son Of God" (John 1:15-18, 23, 26-27,29-30, 32-34).
Conclusion
s Jesus filled this world with His Light, our lives must do the
same. We are His Light in this world. "14 Ye are the Light of the world... 16 Let your
Light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in Heaven" (Matthew 5:14,16). As Jesus said, "4 I must work the Works of Him that sent Me, while it is
day" (John 9:4),
so must we work while it is our "day". As Jesus was sent to us and now
resides in Heaven with the Father, we cannot yet follow Him. "33 Then
said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto Him that
sent Me. 34 Ye
shall seek Me, and shall not find Me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come" (John 7:33-34). We are the ones now sent to the world,
to "go ye into all the world, and preach
the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). We "must work the Works of
Him that sent [us]" (John 9:4). And soon, we will, like the Apostle Paul,
be "ready to be offered" for "the time of [our] departure
[will be] at hand."
We will "have fought a good fight, [we will] have finished [our] course, [we
will] have kept the faith:
henceforth there is laid up for [us] a Crown Of Righteousness, which
the LORD, the Righteous Judge, shall give [us] at that day: and not to [us] only, but unto all them also that LOVE His Appearing"
(2Timothy 4:6-8). Soon, we also shall abide with the Father
and with the Son in Heaven. Jesus Promised, "If
any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant
be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour... And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also" (John 12:26; 14:3).
"Wherefore comfort one another with these
Words" (1Thessalonians 4:18). "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come
quickly. Amen. Even so, come, LORD Jesus" (Revelation
22:20).
.
---New
Window
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