The Enlightenment from Jesus Christ

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  The Enlightenment from Jesus Christ

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  Please turn in your Bibles to John chapter 1. We will pick up where we left off last week in verse 5. Look at verses 5 to 9 this week as we continue our advent series post tenebras lux. The Latin phrase meaning after darkness, light, which was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. And in the time that was coined, it was due to the darkness that was pervading in the church through heresy, false teaching, and through debauchery...false living. And it needed exposed to the light of the glory of Jesus Christ then, as it does now, and in every generation of the church, for Christ to have that purified church, that pure bride that is spoken of in Ephesians chapter 5, that is purified and kept holy by the washing of the water of the Word of God. And so this month we are thinking of that theme of after darkness light, because of where we are in the Gospel of John when it comes to purifying our hearts and renewing us in our holiness and our Christ likeness. There is no better place to do that than looking at the person and work of Jesus Christ Himself. And as I said last week, we have done an advent series in some of the other gospel accounts, and this year we're in the Gospel of John. We started last week, and just looking at his pre-existence and coexistence with God and His self-existence that he always has been, and all things were created from him and through him and to him, which puts him in an exclusive category of being the great I am God, very God. As we already said this morning, God, truly God, and we are thankful for creeds that were worked out over the course of time amidst many false teachings for us to hold on to. We are also thankful for poets who take those wonderful ideas and turn them into songs that we can sing. And so even this morning, what a wonderful pairing together of saying the Chalcedonian Creed and then singing a beautiful song like Behold Him and hope we can have both of those things in our hearts and minds together, something so exalted and lifted up that we have to think hard while we say it together, and then something so natural and beautiful to express in our songs. And, we just pray that I preach 'inconfusedly' this morning is the thought on my mind. So you can pray that for me every week that Adam's preaching would be 'inconfusedly'. But back to our text in this advent season, thinking of the light that pierces through the darkness in John 1. That's where it all began. The great I am, the one who was in the beginning with God and always has been, is where it starts. And then this week, we're going to look at the light that has come into the world to enlighten every man. And after that, we'll look at the life that only Christ can bring. That eternal life is available only through him, not by the blood or the will of the flesh, or the will of man. Nothing in us, but it's all of God. And then finally, we'll see at the end of this chapter how he is the only way to God that grace and truth came through him. And so as even you try to hold this, I called it last week the entryway or the foyer into this wonderful Gospel of John. And hopefully you're also reading through it at the same time, because a lot of the themes and truths we get into today, if you've been reading in John already through the first 6 or 7 chapters, you'll have heard them already. They'll be familiar to you, and I think will only encourage and enrich what you're learning each Sunday. If you're new this week, we just gave the challenge for the month of December leading up to Christmas Day to read a chapter of John each day, so if you're behind, that's okay. You can do your best to catch up. But for the rest of us who maybe have been doing this, we see that these themes of the Word and light and life reoccur. John wants these images to be in the reader's mind. And as I was reflecting on them this week, my mind actually went to John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. That's what John's gospel is trying to do. It's trying to point you to the Father, John 20:31, that you would believe that he's the Son of God and by believing in him, have life in his name. And as I was thinking on John 14:6, when Jesus makes a statement, I am. Just that statement in itself speaks of his godness, which is what we saw last week, did we not? If you want to summarize, what did we learn in verses 1 to 4 that Jesus is the great I am. Now I know in John 14:6 next he says, I am the truth. Well, or I am the way, the truth, and the life. We'll get to the way next, or at the end. We'll get to the truth today, and then we'll get to the life next week. So even as you want to try to hang your thoughts together on this wonderful introduction in the Gospel of John, these first 18 verses, maybe just in the margin or in your notes, jot down John 14:6 and those four things we see in that one simple verse, the great I am who says he's the way, the truth, and the life is actually right here in John 1:1-18. So today we're going to go into 5-9. I'll actually read one through nine just to catch us up to speed, but that we will see that he is that great morning star, the dawn of the light that came into a dark world that, apart from him, would not be able to find its way to God. That men stumble in the darkness looking for the light. And then, as we see in today's text, he is the light that is shined in the darkness. So, follow with me in John, as I read.
  "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. There was the true light, which, coming into the world, enlightens every man."
  Father, your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light into our path. And so enlighten the pathways of our hearts this morning to see the glory of Jesus Christ in this text, we pray. Amen.
  Imagine driving through Hickory with no idea where you're going because of poorly labeled street names. Hard to imagine being confused by the very practical, methodical laying out of eight different 10th streets just in the northwest section alone. Okay, I'll try harder. So imagine your first time coming to Hickory and it's the dead of night...no street lights. The lights on your car aren't working, so you're driving in the dark. And then there are no names on any of the street names. And there's no names on any signage. There are signs, but there's no words. And you're trying to get to a destination. And on top of all that, there's no life. As in nobody is out. No doors to knock on. Nobody walking down the street. What are the chances of you getting to your destination? Remember, no light to guide the way. No words to give you any clue of where you are. Every building unique and yet without knowing what it is...don't know where to go. And then lastly, no life around that you could say, hey, can you tell me where you know the old whatever that building is was, as most Hickory people do. No words to read, no lights to see, no life to help would leave you...one word...hopeless, hopeless.  That's not far from the situation that John is describing in the prologue of his gospel. Apart from Jesus Christ, no revelation from God without his eternal word, Verses 1 to 4. Apart from Jesus Christ no illumination from God without his eternal light. And apart from Jesus Christ no regeneration from God without eternal life. All three of those ideas, titles, descriptions of the Lord Jesus Christ meanssomething when you put them against the backdrop of darkness. And not just darkness, but no signs, no reference points, and nobody to tell you the way to go. They could say, hey, you might not know the truth, but I can tell you about it. That's what John has set up here in the opening of this gospel. A world in darkness...no words, no lights, no life. And yet, when we get to the name Jesus Christ in verse 17, you see that he is the word made flesh who dwelt among us, and he gave life to all. And he is the light that has come into the world. And so word and light and life are all these prominent themes in the beginning of this. But they're not throwaway words. John is using them creatively to make you think just how vital the Lord Jesus Christ is to everything in existence. Because without him we have nothing and know nothing, and we have no way to find our way to God. Stumbling around trying to come up with our own ideas of him. One writer, Peter Leithart, captures the thoughts that would have been unimaginable to a Greek, you know, to this idea that the gods would want to stoop down to the men to become man, and even to the Jew that the great God of Israel would condescend and come down. He writes this, "The advent of the eternal Son broke sacred order. The sky God came to earth not as an elusive theophany, but in an everlasting union. A God from beyond the world entered the world, so that the beyond is also in. He who cannot be seen showed himself in the world, with appearances visible, tangible, audible, though he only can be truly seen by those who respond to a call to faith. Jesus sweeps away the graded ladder of being that connected earth to sky, humans to gods, leaving an infinite abyss between creator and creature that was bridged when the creator took up residence in creation as a creature" That is the glory of the incarnation, that is both the majesty and mystery and the mercy of the incarnation. It's majestic, isn't it? As the writer said that this sky God, as he calls him, this eternal sun, breaks from the world he lives in to come into the one he created. That's majestic. And it's mysterious at the same time...how it actually all works, you know? The best theologians in history have to use really big words that we sit here today and say that we just need an entire hour to kind of think upon. There's a mystery to it. And yet, if we have all that and yet can't see the mercy in it, despite what we don't understand about it, we can't understand that what an act of mercy for God to come. And we hold all those together in awe as we celebrate this advent season is right where God wants our hearts, that you would be in awe of the mercy and majesty of the God who came...Jesus Christ, the Son of God in flesh. So today we're going to talk about not his existence anymore. We covered that last week. We're going to talk about the enlightenment that he brought. As we saw in verse nine, he is the true light to come into the world to enlighten every man. And so we're going to just talk about this idea of enlightenment, this idea of having understanding, of coming to know the truth that you could not come at on your own apart from him.
  So let's start in verse 5 with first the principle of enlightenment that is the overarching truth of this section 5 to 9. That you have to catch what's in verse 5. And it's not complicated or confusing. It's not meant to be. John in verse 5 just says something very self-evident in nature. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it or overcome it or master it. And you get that when you look out into the night sky. Though, as vast as the universe is, and as dark as it is, all it takes is one star, however many light years away, to what?...pierce through that darkness. And once it is pierced through, invisible to you there visible, not invisible. There's nothing the darkness can do about it. That's the way light works. The darkness flees. The absence of light has now the presence of light and darkness can't do anything about it. That's just the simple principle going back to Genesis one, that maybe John, at its most basic level, there almost seems to be a planned ambiguity to verse 5. But for sure, because he started in John 1:1 with in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God all that. Well, Genesis started the same way in verse one. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And we saw last week, John, makes the connection here. The eternal word, the Son of God...Jesus, before he comes in bodily form, was there with God at the beginning in perfect harmony, perfect love, perfect joy. But listen to how Genesis 1:2-4 moves into where we start today, when it says, the light is there with the darkness. Genesis 1:2,the earth was formless and void. Another way to say there is absolutely nothing. And the darkness was over the surface of the deep and well, what else is there? And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. Then God said, let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. So of course, I think any reader, especially a Jewish reader to this gospel, would think first and foremost back to this account. And perhaps what John is trying to do is establish the connection between goodness and light. Not to say that we should immediately jump to the conclusion that the idea of darkness in the Bible is immediately evil, because sometimes it's just neutral, as in everything is created by him. And to God it's not to say that good and evil are the same, or truth and error are the same, but just this simple concept of light and darkness. Listen to Psalm 139:11-12. If I say, surely the darkness will overwhelm me and the light around me will be night. Even the darkness is not dark to you and the night is bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to you. Well, that just highlights, what?, about God's nature and character. He's omniscient. It doesn't matter if something's in darkness or light, physically speaking, because nothing is hidden from him. He knows all, sees all. So in the darkness, we, you know, yet in our humanity think well, criminals in particular. If I just do something in the dark, I get away with it. And we all know that's not true. God sees everything. He sees right through into our heart of hearts. He knows what's the darkness down there, too. So there's nothing hidden from him because he's God. Isaiah 45:5-7, I am the Lord, and there is no other. Besides me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known me. That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun, that there is no one besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. The one forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity. I am the Lord who does all these. So in the Old Testament this imagery of light and darkness moves from just...God is the one who creates it all to even there in verse 7, if you heard in Isaiah 45 the one forming light and creating darkness, and then a poetic fashion in the next line, causing well-being and creating calamity. There you see a glimpse of the connection between light being something that is good, causing well-being, and darkness being something that is calamity. So back to our text when John is opening this next section to talk about Jesus as the light that comes into the world, I wouldn't put it past them that he's trying for us to move from just neutral categories of physical light and darkness and understanding the simple law that light penetrates through the darkness and the darkness can't do anything about it. To nowwhat it says in the next verse. The darkness does not or not the next verse, but the idea that the darkness doesn't comprehend it. Or your version might say master it or overcome it, that there is something more now. He wants to move from just this physical example to a spiritual lesson. Well, what is that relationship? Well, we know from the Gospel of John multiple times when he talks about light and darkness, it actually has a moral dimension to it. Listen to John 3:19. Jesus says, this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. That's John 3:19 and 20, and then 21. But he who practices the truth comes to the light. Do you hear the connection now?...that in the Gospel of John he writes this prologue just bringing back these two ideas of light and darkness, but he's building them on the teaching of Christ that he knew from the years he walked with Christ. And that when wethink of light as the hearers of this gospel, we think light is associated with truth and goodness, because that's what God is like, 1 John 1:5, God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. And at the same time, we're to associate darkness, at least in John's gospel, with the opposite of truth, error lies, and the opposite of goodness...evil. And this is the world into which Jesus came. And here's what he comes into this world doing. The darkness does not comprehend it, or the darkness does not overwhelm it or master it. That Jesus is this light that comes into the world, and the darkness cannot stop the good that he is going to do. And then throughout his gospel, he speaks of himself, as is the light that comes into the world on a mission. John 8:12, then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. All those ideas connected there in that one verse, John 8:12. Or John 9:5, while I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Or lastly, John 12:46, I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. So back to our text. When we talk about the principle of enlightenment. Um, the main takeaway that we just understand on a basic level is that the light wins over the darkness. We know that on a natural level...a physical level. But we also can see in the rest of the gospel that that's true on the spiritual level. That Jesus Christ is the light that comes into the world, and whoever believes in him comes out of the darkness and into the light. And so that's a simple concept in verse 5 that John wants you as you come to know who Jesus is and what he came to do. He came to bring the truth. And that truth was just not facts, true or false, but it was goodness versus evil that he was coming to bring the righteousness that has been lost in a dark and decaying world back to humanity through his life. Now, all that is kind of out there in the ether. But what does it have for us today? What encouragement can you draw from verse 5? Well, if you just listen to everything Jesus said about himself being the light, and then he says, you who believe in me, you can walk in the light. You can practice the truth. I think you can draw a lot of encouragement from verse 5, just in this concept of learning that the darkness does not comprehend or overcome the light. How does that hit you today sitting in the pew? well, if you're a person of the truth, if you're a child of light and you're wondering this Christmas season, this advent season, you know, how am I going to make inroads into some of the people in my life, some of the coworkers, some of the relatives that will be over, some of the neighbors that they're unbelievers. And I just feel like I'm always fighting a losing battle. I think when you actually let verse 5 minister to your soul today and meditate on the truth, you're entirely wrong. You're not fighting a losing battle. That's what verse 5 teaches us. The darkness does not overcome the light. The light overcomes the darkness. Truth overcomes error. Error does not overcome truth, according to John. Now think about that on a practical level. I mean, the people that we interact with on a day to day level that might discourage us or frustrate us because they don't walk in the truth. They don't know the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They may seem like there's more of them and less of us. And so we're fighting a losing battle. Just like you look out into the sky. And if you only see one star in the whole darkness of the night sky, you might think the stars, the light is losing. But with all that darkness out there, it can't do what? It can't cover up that single light. So maybe we don't have strength in numbers, but we do have it in the victory of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That the interactions you have you may not think they're going anywhere, but when you share the gospel with an unbeliever, when you take a stand for truth, you're actually winning, even though you may not see the immediate result. On the other hand, the error that that person is trying to, in a sense, maybe instruct you with, according to this verse, will not overcome the truth. If that person doesn't know the Lord Jesus Christ and they're trying to come up with arguments against what you believe. Know that they're arguing from error and take heart that that can never overcome the truth that you have. I mean, that's just foundational to understanding the difference between darkness and light, lies and truth, evil and goodness. In the end, the light wins. That's good news today, not just for this text, but for where you sit right now if you're in Jesus Christ. You won't end up on the losing side. We know ultimately at the end, Christ returns and he brings about truth and righteousness to reign forever. But you are actually a beneficiary of that right now. That word for comprehend...I think of that in the category of truth versus error. So it gives me courage to be strong in the Word of God, because that's where the victory is found. It's not found in my own ideas or your own ideas. Think about 1 John 2:14, especially for those of you who are young in the faith. The secret to your success of standing in the light and walking in the light and practicing the light against the darkness of the day around you, young person in Christ. And I don't mean physical age because when John is using these phrases, in his epistle 1 John 2:12-14, he talks about little children and fathers and young men. He's not talking about age of a person's physical life. He's talking about their maturity in the Lord. And so he could say to little children, you the one thing you do know, if you're a new Christian in here, your sins are forgiven because of the name and work of Jesus Christ. But what he says to young men, those who are maybe adolescents in the faith is this. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. The one who is the evil one over the darkness, you overcome him.  However old you are in Christ, if you feel like you're an adolescent, you're not. You've moved on past the simple things. I know Jesus forgave my sins, but I may not be considered a father in the faith who knows him, who is from the beginning. If you're somewhere in your adolescence, spiritually speaking, you're standing firm against the evil one, and the darkness that's around you is directly correlated to how strong you are in the Word of God. And if it abides in you. Sowhen we say, hey, why not read the Gospel of John this month? Why not double down on the time you spend in the Word of God this month? We're not just saying that because we're supposed to. It will have an effect in your life. Whatever trials and temptations the evil one might want to send your way this month, do you know that your victory over them will be in correspondence to your time in the Word of God. because that's a promise right here in 1 John 2:14. You are strong and the Word of God abides. We love that word around here remains in you. It stays close to you, and you stay close to it. And the closer you stay to the Word of God, allowing it to work in your life. James 1...looking into it. It reflecting back to you a true picture of who you are. And as James 1 warns, don't just put it down and be like a person who gets himself ready in the mirror and then walks away in like three seconds is like, dude, I need to check my hair...every junior high boy ever. I just got a thumbs up from one. Thank you. I was that way. I forget what I look like. That's what James says is the person who reads the Word of God, and then just kind of lays it aside and doesn't apply it and just goes on their way. But if you're strong in the Word of God and it stays with you, it stays close to you. That's how you fight from victory. That's a message in the Epistle of John. But back to the Gospel of John. It's the whole principle of this first point of enlightenment. Darkness doesn't win over light. If you know the truth this advent season, I mean really know it and believe it and are taking it to heart. You are the most important person to the people around you because you have the truth that can save them, that can transform them. And that light, even though you're just one voice in that unbeliever's life amongst a chorus of people that they're listening to, that singular voice you have is not an exaggeration, infinitely more powerful because it's built on the eternal, unchanging, enduring Word of God. You have to believe that. And that helps give us courage this morning of overcoming the darkness. So that's the first point in verse 5, the principle of enlightenment that the light comes into the world is this the light succeeds, the light wins, the darkness doesn't.
  So now let's move to his next idea about being an enlightened one of God, the people of enlightenment. What is our witness about, really? Well, he takes us to one of the greatest witnesses in the Bible, John the Baptist. And he's the theme of John's idea from verses 6 to 8. He wants to introduce you to John the Baptist, not the writer of this gospel. He refers to himself as the one whom Jesus loved towards the end of this letter. But when he's talking about John, it's not the John that wrote this. He's talking about John the Baptist. And this is what he says about him. There came a man sent from God whose name was John. Now, real quick, neat kind of thing. You don't see it in your English Bible, but it's there in the Greek. That word there came a man sent. That word sent is actually the same Greek verb that we saw in verse 3. Look above where it says all things, three words, came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being. Those three 'came into being' are the same word for this sent. And so if we were just going to be literal about it, this is John the Baptist's summary of his life. There came a man who came into being from God.What does that do for us? Well, it reminds us, man, this guy had one mission while he was here. He was the man that came into being from God, sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness. That was the purpose of his life. That's the purpose of our lives in Christ. Why you have come into being as a born again believer of Jesus Christ is left here to be a witness, no matter what set of spiritual gifts you have. And they all differ. Every spiritual gift you have is to be focused in the same direction, which is to be a witness for Jesus Christ, a witness by your words you speak, and a witness by the works of your life, all of it giving testimony that you have been changed and transformed for his glory as a person of the enlightenment. Sothis example of John, he came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. John knew that. John knew where he stood. Look at John chapter 3. It's maybe the best summary by story form of how John knew where he stood in relation to Jesus Christ, whom he came to proclaim. Turn just a few chapters over, verse 22. After these things, Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea, and there he was, spending time with them and baptizing. So what John is saying here in John chapter 3 is Jesus now has some followers, but John still has more followers, and he's baptizing them in verse 23, and people are coming and being baptized by John because he hadn't yet been thrown into prison and beheaded. So inevitably, there arises a discussion on the part of John's disciples because they're wondering about. Wait a second. Um, so we've been following you, but you've been telling us this other guy is the Lamb of God sent to save the world. So, more people are going to him. And should we stay with you or go to him? Verse 26, they came to John and said, Rabbi, he who is with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, look. He's baptizing now, and everybody's going to him. If you remember the beginning of the gospel of Mark, chapter one, it says, everybody was coming to John. You know, we got, you know, in these guys minds a little Jets and Sharks kind of action going on...a little territory. Who's the guy John? And here's John's answer. A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. So if you're going to be someone who has been given the light, understands where you stand before God with the message you have of the gospel. The first thing you realize is, what do I have that hasn't been given? Is what John says. I can get nothing unless it's been given to me from heaven. Every word I'm saying, the life I'm living, the purpose I'm here is a gift from God. Well, that's a good first step, isn't it? When you have a powerful message, like John the Baptist had, telling people to repent, for the kingdom is near. It could easily produce a prideful messenger. But a man of hubris would not pair well with a humble savior, would he? If John had some notion. Yeah. You know what? You guys stick with me. You know you've been following me. Don't bail out yet. No, he says, look, of course I don't have anything unless it was given from heaven. Verse 28, you yourselves are my witnesses that I have said and always will say, I am not the Christ, but I've been sent ahead of him. And like most preachers would, John was a great preacher. He stops here and he tells them the principle. I'm not the Messiah. I'm not the Savior. I'm just sent ahead of him. And then he gives an illustration of this in verse 29 that will stick with us. It's just like this at a wedding. The one who has the bride is the groom, but the friend of the bridegroom we'll call him the best man, he's a pretty important guy. He at least is entrusted with the ring. Right? And while the groom is getting ready to get all the other lackeys in line, you know that. Okay, come on, guys, hurry up. I've done a few weddings in my day as a pastor, and, you know, it's always the guys that you're trying to round up beforehand and, you know, doing stupid stuff out back. And, you know, they're in their suits and they're wrestling and you're like, stop it already. So the groom's best man has an important role to play. But if he understands anything by verse 29, he knows this. It's not about me. Even if we go wrestle out back and we come up to the stage and we're all grass stained and our ties are crooked, but the groom looks great. And of course, the bride in all of her beauty. I accomplished my mission. I was out of the way because the reality is. And I tried to do this...and I remind this to the wedding parties, usually at the rehearsal. None of tomorrow is about you. Everybody is looking at these two people. Everybody is here for these two people. Your name was not on the invitation and somebody said, oh, hey, that's the best man. I'm going to that wedding. They're coming to the wedding to celebrate these two people...bride and groom. It's all about them. And so usually when I'm doing a wedding at the rehearsal and I see everybody coming in and they're, you know, um, I just sense, like, okay, it's getting a little bit like somebody has some opinions here that need to be squashed. And the best way to do that, and I start it off on that Friday, is we're all here for them. Right. That's why you came in. That's why guys you bought that suit. Ladies, you bought that dress you'll never wear again. You spent money you didn't have. Especially the closer you are to college age to get here. You're broke because you love them. Let's keep it that way. Don't get in the way of what this is about tomorrow. And John the Baptist embodies that. When he says, look, I stand and hear him. I rejoice greatly because of his voice, and any joy I have is not in me becoming more. It's in me becoming less. Any person that's going to be a faithful witness and a fruitful witness for Jesus Christ...you this holiday season is when you stand back and are more amazed at the glory and behold Jesus Christ and just overflowing from that in your heart you want to talk to people about the Lord. Not when you feel like you're just on a mission with an agenda to tell all those atheist friends of yours how wrong they are. You might get in the way of that. What gets you out of the way is when you are so amazed, and you rejoice greatly because of the voice of Jesus in your life. Your joy is so full that you want him to increase in other people's lives. You want people to know more about him, less about you, and that's what any faithful messenger would do. It's not about them, it's about him. And when we get that, I think we can make a much greater difference this holiday season in the people around us when we are reinvigorated. One, if we feel down and out and worn out, we go back to what we learned in verse 5. The truth will win out over the error. The goodness will win out over the evil. So don't be in despair. And also, I just need to look to the light to encourage me to keep going. I don't need to look for a light from within. I was thinking of this as I was reading in Lord of the Rings. Don't hold it against me. I know some of you are big time Lord of the Rings fans. Others of you are like, this is the nerdiest movie...orcs and hobbits. Well, there's this beautiful scene in The Return of the King when Sam, who is, you know, some say he is the real hero in it, you know, um. He comes to rescue his friend, and he is worn out. He goes, Frodo, main character gets taken by the orcs. He's up in the tower. Sam comes to the rescue, gets him out of there, and he's just dragging him along because Frodo has got no power on his own. And, he gets him to a safe place, and his buddy falls asleep and Sam sitting there, and he's exhausted. And this is what Tolkien writes. "In the West, the night sky was dim and pale, and there, peeping among the cloud rack above a dark tower high up in the mountains, Sam saw a bright star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart. What a good word! As he looked up out of the forsaken land. And hope returned to him. For like a shaft clear and cold, the thought pierced him, that in the end the shadow is only a small and passing thing. There was a light and high beauty forever beyond its reach. His song in the tower had been defiance rather than hope. For then he was thinking of himself." Isn't that the problem with all of us that Tolkin perfectly captures in a story. You know, we really lose sight of it when we're thinking too much on ourself. And then in this picture, you see something that you say, yeah, the darkness and shadow is just a small and passing thing. There's a light and beauty forever beyond its reach. That was what John understood about Jesus, both the writer and the Baptist, that he was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. And anybody that's going to use their days to work while we have the light. John 9:4, Jesus admonishes followers of his that while we have the light, we need to work. We must work the works of him who sent me as long as it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. You know a faithful witness both understands the right relationship they stand to the Savior, but they also are motivated, knowing that we are on a clock. Our own life...we don't know how much longer we have. The lives of the people around us, we don't know how much longer they have. And that, I think, motivates us to any season in life to be at the task of sharing the gospel. And that's something that I mean, if I preach that every week, week by week, why? Because every week has opportunity within itself, just like, you know, the holiday season. It's always amazing to me. Each Christmas we get all revved up for it again and we bring out the same decorations and as if it's totally something new and it's not. We did the same thing, what, 12 months ago? And we're all pumped up and fired up for it.  And it's just repeating the thing we already did.  We know exactly the way it lays out. We know most of the events we're going to go to, most of the people we're going to see, and we just get all into it and all excited for it. And so it should be this season with Christ. To be excited for him when you look back not at the traditions and the trappings around Christmas, but the source of it all, the light behind it all, you know, the Lord Jesus Christ. And wouldn't it be wonderful for that person you love who bugs...to know him too? That's what it is to be a faithful witness, a person of the enlightenment. Your witness. Verses 6 to 8 shines.
  Now where is that hope we have? That hope we spoke of in the life of Sam Gamgee, faithful friend of Frodo. What is the hope we have? It's there in verse nine, and it's our final section. It's the purpose of the enlightenment. It's why we come to the light. It's because we know our God, the true light, who came into the world enlightens every man. He's the one who does the work. Our God does save. The light works. It wins over the darkness. And it wins us to him. And then we win others to him. God saves. He's the light that came into the world to enlighten every man. Back to verse 7. Why were this witness? Why we testify is right there in verse 7. Really, this whole section hinges on that second part of verse 7. We do this so that all might believe through him. That's why we do it. That's why we're witnesses, because we really believe that our God saves, and that people that look at our life and are attracted by the way we live, the joy we have, particularly this season, will want to come to Christ themselves when they hear the good news preached. That's what keeps us motivated. The light comes for a reason, so that all might come to the knowledge of the truth and believe in Jesus. The reason God handpicks a man like John or any of us is to empower him and us in our lives for the purpose of testifying. Verse 7, so that others would come to the light. To let a Christmas season come and go, to celebrate the incarnation, to be in awe of it. God coming to us so we can come to him to have all this opportunity for the gospel right in front of us, brothers and sisters, and to not speak of Christ, to proclaim His excellencies with just this, this season would ring hollow. A jingle bell with no bell inside. I mean, it truly would. It would be a gift with no present inside. It's all there on the outside and the surface. But to leave Christ out of it, because it says there in verse 7, all of it, the light coming into the world is so others would believe in him. So my encouragement today is ending on this. If our God saves then be a soul winner this holiday. Be on the hunt for conversions. Listen to the words of C.H. Spurgeon. He equates it with a hunter looking for the hunted. He says, "The genuine soul winner has his inward directions and follows the guidance of the Spirit of God. Here, there, anywhere, everywhere he goes where the hope of conversions tempt him. When a sportsman goes after game, he does not know which way he will go. Neither does he bind himself in that matter. If he is deer stalking, he may have to go up the mountainside or down the glen, across the burn, or away among the bushes. Where his sport leads him he follows. And so it is with the genuine soul winner. He leaves himself free to follow his one object. He does not know where he is going all the time, but he does know what he is going after. He lays himself out for the winning of souls to Jesus." I hope this passage today, the encouragement to know that the darkness will not overcome the light, and that you can be a witness up there on the...truthfully, I, you know, left this out, but now that comes back to me. Matthew 11:11 you say, maybe you know, John the Baptist was this great guy and this really empowered prophet, you know, but I'm just me. No you're not. Jesus says in Matthew 11:11, truly I say to you, among those born of women there is not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet, the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Huh? John the Baptist, who came after 400 years of silence, who came with an angelic messenger preceding him, who came to a mother who was barren. Jesus says there's not anybody up until this point that's been greater than him. All the prophets of old. What made him so much better? What made him so different? He didn't do the miracles that we saw done through Elijah or Moses. He wasn't as great of a king as David. Well, you got to think it's not about the messenger. It's about the message. And so John the Baptist comes along, and he's not just a prophet saying, here, this guy is coming. He actually is most blessed among those born because he actually gets to be right alongside of him. He didn't just get to say it. He saw it. And so his message is validated in a way that it never has been before. Here is the Messiah. Here is the Lamb of God taking away the sins of the world. That's what Jesus is saying here...among those born of women, so far, nobody's been greater than him because nobody has had the privilege and opportunity to both proclaim it and then say, and there he is right now go follow him. So you say, yeah, and I don't get to do that when I proclaim Christ. Well, you're the one who, least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he. Because with the arrival of Christ comes the kingdom of heaven amongst them. Now John the Baptist didn't get to see him go to the cross. You get to look into the gospel and see it and say it. He didn't have the testimony of Christ rising from the dead with his very own eyes to give an account for...you have it right here. He didn't get to see how the church was going to be that small mustard seed that grows into the what?...the largest tree in the whole forest. But you've seen it, haven't you? You've got 2000 years of church history to look back on and say, wow, look at everything that started when the Son of God came into the world. You are greater, though least in the kingdom of heaven, John the Baptist. You're greater than him. Do you believe that about the message you have? You get to tell the full gospel story to people in a way that John only had it in part. That's the point Christ is making here. You who think you're the least...Greater than him. And it's not about a prideful being greater. It's saying, I can't believe the message that I'm stewarded with. I don't care what age you are. 12 years old in here to 102. We got them all. You have the greatest message to tell people this Christmas season. Our God saves. It puts you in a category right up there with the greatest prophets of old. Do you feel that privilege? Does that get you excited? I hope it does.  
  I do want to say this. If you are not in Christ this morning. You're not in a safe place staying in the dark, or thinking you're maybe hanging on the edges of it. Don't believe me, believe Jesus. John 12:35. He says this, Jesus said to this crowd for a little while longer, the light is among you. He was speaking of himself right then and there. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness will not overtake you. So there was people there that he was saying, look, this light isn't going to be around forever. And if you think you can hang on the fringes of unbelief, you know, kind of in the shadow. But maybe putting my toe into the light, he says, if you think the darkness, the evil, the evil one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy is just kind of sitting back passively watching your life go by, that's not the way it works. If you don't respond to the light while it's in front of you, while you're hearing it proclaimed, beware that that darkness can overtake you. As in, you're lost and you're lost for good. And you don't know when that shadow completely eclipses your life. You don't play with that. That's why the urgency is today is the day of salvation. Because the night is coming and those shadows can come completely. And it's a total blackout at that point. That's the stark warning Jesus has for anyone. Then in sitting here today, 2000 years later, that it's not okay to say, you know, I got these desires, I got this stuff I'm doing in my life. And I know that it's sin, but I don't want to give it up. So I'm just going to kind of dally a little bit longer. Young people sometimes say, I just want to live a little bit longer, enjoy what I want to enjoy, and then I'll come to Christ. And he says, beware that while the light is there, while you're sitting under the preaching of the gospel, even right now in your seat, that you don't wait a moment more where the darkness completely overcomes you and it's too late. You don't get to determine when that is because the enemy who comes for you, who comes around like a prowling lion seeking someone to devour. He has been plotting and scheming with his workers in Ephesians 6, and we don't want to be unaware of the enemy's schemes, 2 Corinthians. He has exactly his plan for when to overcome you with darkness, where you would never be able to get out, but you can't play around with when that time is. Just saying, I have this. I just kind of want to live for my sinful desires right now, before the sinful desires overwhelm you and you can never find your way out...but by the grace of God. And he brings the gospel to you this morning and says, come to me. And in fact, you who struggle with feeling like you have something really big to give up because you want to live your life the way you want to live it. You know what Jesus says to you? I have come to give life, life to the full, not life to the fool...the fool though that is true. He's saying life to the max, life to the fullness. Whatever it is you think is so great that you're into that you can't possibly turn away from to come to Christ. He has more. He has eternal life. Perfect love for you right where you are. Because you might. Maybe it's not the desire, it's the despair. You say, he couldn't forgive me. I'm too far gone. I could never be saved. I've sinned too much. And yet Christ says, he who comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. You may say, I don't feel like I want to even live anymore. It's that bad. Life's that hard. I just want to be done. And he says to you this morning, come to me, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What excuse would you have left after that? Every desire, any despair, even death itself. Christ says come to me and I'll give you life. Because I gave my life for you. What more could I give? What greater gift could I give to you than coming down out of heaven if that wasn't enough, and living a life that he knows every temptation and trial that we could possibly go through. Yet never sinned so that he could give you his perfect life and you could give him your sinful life. And by faith in him you can be born again. What would keep you back from giving your life to Christ today? Responding to his call. He's that good. He's that loving. He's that merciful. He's that majestic as we have seen. Come to Christ today. Let's pray.
  Father, we thank you for your goodness to us in Jesus. We thank you that he is the light that has come into the world to save sinners, of whom we are all the worst. And only the light of your gospel penetrates the darkness of our hearts to show us just how bad we are, and if it was left to us, we'd have no hope. But in the darkness shines the light of the gospel, of the glory of Christ. That out of the darkness you say, there is the light, and we walk towards it. So any in here who don't know you, who hear you calling them to come to him, that they would not hesitate and give their life to you now as Savior and Lord of all. For any of us that are just in here discouraged today, may we be encouraged that the light is not overcome by darkness. There's no lie in our life that can't be overcome by the truth. There is no evil in our life that cannot be overcome by your goodness. We thank you as your children. We can hope in those promises today and even now sing with full hearts, thankful for the grace of the Gospel of Jesus. It's in his name we pray. Amen.