LIGHT

Jesus addressed the crowd. “He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.”  John 8:12  

The word LIGHT is mentioned 329 times in our Amplified Bible.  It is interesting to me that Einstein made the observation that darkness is not a color, it is only the absence of light.  We often think that black is the opposite of white or light.  In 1970 I put a tract together concerning Light as in the Bible and felt to share it with you tonight.  Over the years I have given away many of these tracts to folks where I felt that there was some of God’s light shining through.  Only twice in all of those years was the tract refused. I am about to run out again.  I have them printed locally for about .10 cents each.  I consider this tract as one of the best investments in the Kingdom that I can make.  If you can encourage a soul to seek God’s Light, then the Holy Spirit will give them the grace to find it.

Let There Be Light
And God said, let there be light and there was light: (1).   Arise, shine: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee (2).    Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light (3). This is the message which we have heard and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (4).   He that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God  (5).   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 (6). This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (7).   For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (8). But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (9).  Thy Light shall break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward (10).  Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (11).  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light (12).  The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb (Jesus) is the Light thereof (13).  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever (14).

1. Gen. 1:3,  2. Isa. 60:1,  3. Eph. 5:14,  4. 1 Jn. 1:5,  5. Jn. 3:21,  6. 1 Jn. 1:17,  7. Jn. 3:19,  8. Jn. 3:20,  
9. 1 Pet. 2:9,   10. Isa. 85:8,  11. Matt. 5:14,  12. Rom. 13:12,  13. Rev. 21:33,  14. Rev. 22:5,  Eph. 4:11-16.

When Jesus called Saul out of his darkness to become a light for the Gentiles it is interesting for me as to what Jesus had to say about it.  Acts 26:16, “But arise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, that I might appoint you to serve as [My] minister and to bear witness both to what you have seen of Me and to that in which I will appear to you, Choosing you out [selecting you for Myself] and delivering you from among this [Jewish] people and the Gentiles to whom I am sending you.    To open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may thus receive forgiveness and release from their sins and a place and portion among those who are consecrated and purified by faith in Me.”      (Paul, testimony before King Agripa.)    So Paul, who wrote much of what we now have today as New Testament Holy Scripture was called of God, while he was on the way to jail and kill Christians.  He was called while in sin,  to save souls, and even Gentiles, at that.  To  open eyes to know the difference between the darkness and choose the light.  And to be forgiven of sin, as purified by faith, and even giving & reserving a place in the Family of God for us.  John 17:20-23.

In the book of Galatians, Paul emphasizes that he received the gospel from Jesus directly and not from the other apostles. As evidence, he offers us the following information in Gal.1:11–20: “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.”

So it seems to me that Paul, rather than Mathias, was really God’s replacement for Judas as per the 12 foundations in New Jerusalem, Rev.21:12. And it would seem that God’s absolute foreknowledge is far more accurate than our speculations as to even our own future.  In this last year I have been really processing John 3:8 and the freedom that Jesus came to give us in HIS light and truth.  And I look back over my life and see how the enemy has tried, in many ways, to put God’s light out for me.  Even in writing this tonight I was getting so congested that I could hardly write.  And then I realized I was under attack, soundly rebuked the enemy in the name of Jesus and it all went away.  But for a while I was into getting all kinds of stuff to help clear the congestion.  So I am finally learning at 93, that there is really a spiritual world out there that want’s to kill me and take me to hell.  And it is totally up to me to go for the LIGHT or not.  Our Creator God has made available to us everything we need in order to find our way to HIM in victory and in HIM is no darkness at all.   1 John 1:5-6, “ And this is the message [the message of promise] which we have heard from Him and now are reporting to you: God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at all, no, not in any way.  So if we say we are partakers together and enjoy fellowship with Him when we live and move and are walking about in darkness, we are speaking falsely and do not live and practice the Truth [which the Gospel presents].  Yours, in HIS great Love and Mercy, Pastor Ken <><   www.OhanaChurch.Life

There is but ONE TRUE Church of Christ Jesus as LORD & Master.
All who Love, Honor & Obey HIM are Eternal Members.