Certain Eternity Part 9 – Light and Life
1 John 1:5 October 20, 2024
Introduction and Recap
1 John 1:1-5 “1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which
we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our
hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have
seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the
Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we
proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our
fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing
these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have
heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness
at all.”
Light and Glory—starts “In the beginning” Genesis 1:1, John 1:1, and 1 John
1:1
o Difference between day 1 light in creation and Day 4 light in creation is
substantive: the shekinah “dwelling” glory of God as opposed to emanation
of the visible spectrum of light
His glory is his weightiness and incomparable value.
God’s power and presence manifests in this material reality as light.
God IS light and light IS good (which goes against the gnostic
heresy that material is evil.)
Three glorious aspects of God’s light are life, holiness, and truth.
Darkness = death, sin, and deception
Bioluminescence = the emission of light from living organisms
o Some of the coolest organisms on the planet have bioluminescence
Even in complete darkness, their very being emits light to allow them
to live and flourish in even the darkest environment
o Examples: glow worms (cave in New Zealand), dinoflagellate (in the ocean
with algae blooms), fungi, angler fish…and many more fish, insects, plants,
etc.
Light and Life
Jesus is Light
o Messianic prophecy in Isaiah:
Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great
light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light
shone.”
Isaiah 49:6 “… I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
o Three times Jesus refers to Himself as light in John’s gospel:
While restoring sight to a blind man, Jesus stated in John 9:5, “While
I am in the world, I am the light of the world”.
John 12:46 “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who
believes in me should stay in darkness”
John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the
light of life.””
Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot) which just ended this year,
during ceremony called Illumination of the Temple, 4 massive
torches lit to commemorate 1) God’s pillar of cloud and fire in
wilderness, 2) the glory of God that used to rest on the
tabernacle, and 3) the coming light that would be light to the
nations.
o The torches were lit in Court of Women where Jesus was
teaching….would have been at dusk during feast and is
said to have been so bright that it lit up every courtyard in
Jerusalem. It is quite likely that these shining pillars of
light were being lit or already shining forth when Jesus
spoke these words.
o Jesus is saying 1) He fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah and
2) that He is the glory of God incarnate in man.
Note that in Ezekiel 10, the prophet saw a vision of
the Shekinah glory of God leaving the temple. Now,
after 400 or so years, Jesus is proclaiming that
God’s glory has returned in Him.
to follow Jesus is to trust in Him and submit to His leading of
your life.
o When we follow Him – we receive guidance from the true
light who gives us life.
Apart from the light of Christ, there is only darkness
and only in Christ is true light…we must be wary of
all counterfeit “light”.
Remember the angler fish that uses its
bioluminescent lure to attract and draw in
unwary prey?
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 “13 For such men are
false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising
themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no
wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as
an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his
servants, also, disguise themselves as
servants of righteousness. Their end will
correspond to their deeds.”
o OT connections of light and life
Job 33:28-30 [Elihu reminding Job of God’s goodness] “28 He has
redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look
upon the light.’ 29 “Behold, God does all these things, twice, three
times, with a man, 30 to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may
be lighted with the light of life.”
Psalm 36:9 “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we
see light.”
Psalm 56:13 “For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my
feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
Proverbs 16:15 “In the light of a king’s face there is life, and his favor
is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.”
Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24-26 reflects this “face to
shine upon you”
o 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of
darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Jesus is Life (talked about this at length in “Word of Life” sermon a couple weeks
back…go back and listen)
o Word of Life (v1) = Jesus
o ‘Life’ (Gk -zoe)
In biblical usage, Zoe is active and vigorous, real and genuine living
existence. Zoe is the absolute fullness of life, both substantively and
morally, which belongs fully to God
o When we think about the necessary components to sustain life the primary
three are water, food, and light. Interestingly, scripture shows us that Jesus
is the source of each. He is the giver of “living water” (John 4:10; 7:37-39),
the “bread of life” (John 6:48), the “light of the world” (John 8:12), and the
One who supplies us with the very “breath of life” (Genesis 2:7; John 3:8;
20:22).
Cool parallels – in wilderness, the Lord provided mana to feed, water
from the rock to quench thirst, and the pillar of fire for light – Jesus is
all three and the Spirit is the breath of life.
o John 1:1-5, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things
were made through 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 The light shines
in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Notice that life is not just made through Jesus, it is only found IN
Jesus.
o John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life.””
Much like living waters and bread of life, Jesus is living light and is
offering His illumination to the world.
Life existed before creation in the Godhead and was
manifested into creation through God’s glorious light.
o Christ, the life and the light, then Himself incarnated into
creation bringing with Him the answer to sin, death, and
darkness, and presenting the way for eternal truth and
eternal life to the whole world.
o John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me.”
Exclusive way to life
o John 11:25-26 “25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone
who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?””
Right before raising Lazarus from the dead.
Life that overcomes death and promises eternal life with the God
John MacArthur “John is writing that life and light cannot be separated. They
are essentially the same, with the idea of light emphasizing the manifestation of
the divine life. The life was the Light is the same construction as “the Word was
God” (Jn 1:1). As God is not separate from the Word, but the same in essence,
so life and light share the same essential properties. The light combines with life
in a metaphor for the purpose of clarity and contrast. God’s life is true and holy.
Light is that truth and holiness manifest against the darkness of lies and sin.”
So how are we to apply this truth of light and life?
The Application
Walk in the Light of Christ
o Being in the light and walking in the light only possible in Christ
o Henry Blackaby flashlight illustration – a flashlight with no batteries is
useless
Holy Spirit is your battery, Jesus shines you wherever He pleases to
share His life, truth, and love with those around you
o We will remain in darkness unless we turn to Jesus. Once we turn to Jesus,
we will have the eternal light of life shining upon us, through us, and Holy
Spirit will transform us to be children of light that we may walk in the light
1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 “4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for
that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light,
children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”
o According to a recent study from the Cleveland Clinic (Seasonal
Depression (Seasonal Affective Disorder) (clevelandclinic.org)), 5% of
adults struggle with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) while another 10%-
20% experience a milder “winter blues”. SAD affects women more than
men, though researchers have yet to determine why that is.
When winter comes and the daylight fades, many folks struggle with
sadness and depression. Apart from the fact that we know that
sunlight produces vitamin D which affects your serotonin levels, the
lack of sunlight can also affect your biological clock and melatonin
levels, healthy brain function.
Isn’t it interesting that these physiological, emotional, and
psychological aspects of our lives are so impacted by a lack of
sunlight in the same way that every part of our lives is also unhealthy
apart from Jesus Christ?
If we think that seasonal affective disorder is bad, the reality is
that we all struggle with sin (sin affective disorder?) and apart
from Christ our lives – which may look good on the outside –
will only suffer from decay and ultimately end in death if we are
not in the light and life of Christ
John Piper observes “if the life of the Son of God IS the light that shines in the
darkness, then there are at least four things we can say about this light. First, the
light of life has energy and power because the life of the Son has energy and
power. Second, the light of life has purpose and motion. It is not static like a
lamppost or a lighthouse on the shore. It plans and moves. It shines now here,
now there. It is alive with the life of the Son. Third, the light of life grows and
expands. That is the way the life of the Son of God is. His life is a fountain of life
[Ed. Note: we Psalm 36:9 read earlier]. Once the rays start coming out of this
light, they extend farther and farther and farther. Fourth, the light of life begets
offspring. John 12:36, “Believe in the light, that you may become sons of the
light.”
o 1) filled with the power – Holy Spirit power
o 2) pursuit of purpose – we all have a specific calling
o 3) radiance of life
We are the light of the world, shine/radiate and extend the truth of the
Kingdom
Speak life, proclaim life, exemplify life
o 4) Make disciples
Conclusion
What is the state insect of PA? = The firefly (or lightning bugs). More than 2000
species of Fireflies in the world – most well-known example of bioluminescence.
In his excellent documentary on light on earth, David Attenborough share some
amazing facts about a particular species of firefly that lives right here in
Pennsylvania in the Alleghany National Forest.
o Watch clip
Synchronization of fireflies was just discovered in 2012….almost like the beating
of a heart.
o Shining in the darkest places…emitting the effervescent light of
life…shining together as one in the darkness.
I’m describing what Christians are called to be, not fireflies.
Matthew 5:14-16 “14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be
hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand,
and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine
before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your
Father who is in heaven.”
Amen. Amen.