May 25th, 2022
Last week, we talked about the power of an encounter with God and specifically looked at Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus. He said, “At midday, O king, I saw on the way light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me” (Acts 26:13). Jesus’ glory outshone the sun, even though it was the time of day that the sun would have been the brightest and the strongest. That same brilliant light “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). This week, I want to share some thoughts that have been on my heart about the power of that light!
The first thing we need to understand is that Jesus doesn’t just have the light that He shines. Jesus is the light. John 1:9 says of Jesus, “the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” Jesus said of Himself in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” When we walk with Jesus, we become children of that same light (Eph. 5:8) and we have to make a choice to walk only in the light. The Gospel itself, the good news of Jesus Christ, is a call out of darkness and into light. John 3:16 is probably the most well-known scripture in the Bible, capturing the heart of the gospel, however just a few verses later, Jesus expounds on it so powerfully saying,
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:17-20)
Jesus Himself said that people loved the darkness rather than the light. The sad truth is that not everyone wants to be in the light, because light exposes. People that want to hold onto sin or harbor iniquity can’t do it in the light of Jesus, so they stay in the darkness thinking that no one sees. The reality though is that “no creature is hidden from [God’s] sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). Eventually, everything will come into the light and every man and woman will give an account to Him for their lives. We have to choose Jesus and live in the light while we can accept His sacrifice and receive forgiveness!
John 4 tells an incredible story about Jesus and a woman from a town called Samaria. Now, scholars tell us that Samaritans were a people that were part Jewish and part Assyrian that did not follow the same religious customs as the Jews. Jesus came upon her while she was drawing from a well and He asked her to get Him some water. She responded in surprise, wondering why on earth He was asking her for water since “Jews had no dealings with Samaritans” (John 4:10). Jesus essentially ignored her cultural concern and said, ““If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). A few verses later Jesus did something very interesting, as He discerned some truths about her life by the power of the Holy Spirit. He told her to go get her husband and bring him, at which point she told Him she had no husband. He responded, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” She immediately realized she was dealing with no ordinary man and responded, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet” (John 4:19). By the end of the conversation Jesus revealed to this woman that He was the Messiah, and that Salvation would come “from the Jews” (John 4:22). In John 4:29, the Bible tells us that the woman went back into her town, leaving her water pot—she didn’t even finish what she was doing—and told everyone about the encounter she’d had with Jesus! John 4:39-42 records the outcome of her witness:
‘Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So, when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Wouldn’t you love to know what else happened in those two days? A whole town received salvation because of this woman’s testimony, but what I really want to bring your attention to in this story is her response to Jesus. The Bible doesn’t tell us why this woman had five husbands or why she wasn’t married to the man she was with, but whatever the reason, she could have responded defensively. Having the details of your life revealed by a stranger would be uncomfortable, but Jesus never exposes things without purpose. God will do the same things in our lives when we come into the light, but we have to understand it’s always to heal us and demonstrate His goodness in our lives. There is nothing left for the child of God in the dark and if you feel like you’ve been battling darkness, the answer is so simple: Allow God’s light to shine in that area and His light will expel it without a fight!
Lastly, I just want to remind you that as a child of God, the light of God isn’t just around you or for you. It is dwelling on the inside of you! As we walk with Jesus, we are the light of the world and a city on a hill. It’s our purpose to call people to the light, just as Jesus told Paul to go to the Gentiles to “open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”’ There is only one light, and it’s Jesus, whose face is as “the sun shining in full strength” (Rev. 1:16). Eventually, the sun will grow dim; the moon will darken; and the earth will cease to exist as we know it, but we will dwell forever in a city lit only by the glory of God (Rev. 21:23-25)! Be encouraged this week: You get to have fellowship with the light of the world, every day. You carry the very power and presence of the One whose face shines brighter than the sun, and absolutely nothing is too hard for Him!
The first thing we need to understand is that Jesus doesn’t just have the light that He shines. Jesus is the light. John 1:9 says of Jesus, “the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” Jesus said of Himself in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” When we walk with Jesus, we become children of that same light (Eph. 5:8) and we have to make a choice to walk only in the light. The Gospel itself, the good news of Jesus Christ, is a call out of darkness and into light. John 3:16 is probably the most well-known scripture in the Bible, capturing the heart of the gospel, however just a few verses later, Jesus expounds on it so powerfully saying,
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:17-20)
Jesus Himself said that people loved the darkness rather than the light. The sad truth is that not everyone wants to be in the light, because light exposes. People that want to hold onto sin or harbor iniquity can’t do it in the light of Jesus, so they stay in the darkness thinking that no one sees. The reality though is that “no creature is hidden from [God’s] sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). Eventually, everything will come into the light and every man and woman will give an account to Him for their lives. We have to choose Jesus and live in the light while we can accept His sacrifice and receive forgiveness!
John 4 tells an incredible story about Jesus and a woman from a town called Samaria. Now, scholars tell us that Samaritans were a people that were part Jewish and part Assyrian that did not follow the same religious customs as the Jews. Jesus came upon her while she was drawing from a well and He asked her to get Him some water. She responded in surprise, wondering why on earth He was asking her for water since “Jews had no dealings with Samaritans” (John 4:10). Jesus essentially ignored her cultural concern and said, ““If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). A few verses later Jesus did something very interesting, as He discerned some truths about her life by the power of the Holy Spirit. He told her to go get her husband and bring him, at which point she told Him she had no husband. He responded, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” She immediately realized she was dealing with no ordinary man and responded, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet” (John 4:19). By the end of the conversation Jesus revealed to this woman that He was the Messiah, and that Salvation would come “from the Jews” (John 4:22). In John 4:29, the Bible tells us that the woman went back into her town, leaving her water pot—she didn’t even finish what she was doing—and told everyone about the encounter she’d had with Jesus! John 4:39-42 records the outcome of her witness:
‘Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So, when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Wouldn’t you love to know what else happened in those two days? A whole town received salvation because of this woman’s testimony, but what I really want to bring your attention to in this story is her response to Jesus. The Bible doesn’t tell us why this woman had five husbands or why she wasn’t married to the man she was with, but whatever the reason, she could have responded defensively. Having the details of your life revealed by a stranger would be uncomfortable, but Jesus never exposes things without purpose. God will do the same things in our lives when we come into the light, but we have to understand it’s always to heal us and demonstrate His goodness in our lives. There is nothing left for the child of God in the dark and if you feel like you’ve been battling darkness, the answer is so simple: Allow God’s light to shine in that area and His light will expel it without a fight!
Lastly, I just want to remind you that as a child of God, the light of God isn’t just around you or for you. It is dwelling on the inside of you! As we walk with Jesus, we are the light of the world and a city on a hill. It’s our purpose to call people to the light, just as Jesus told Paul to go to the Gentiles to “open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”’ There is only one light, and it’s Jesus, whose face is as “the sun shining in full strength” (Rev. 1:16). Eventually, the sun will grow dim; the moon will darken; and the earth will cease to exist as we know it, but we will dwell forever in a city lit only by the glory of God (Rev. 21:23-25)! Be encouraged this week: You get to have fellowship with the light of the world, every day. You carry the very power and presence of the One whose face shines brighter than the sun, and absolutely nothing is too hard for Him!
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