The Light of Christmas Drives Out Darkness

“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

JOHN 1:5

 

PONDER THIS

If you’re in a dark room, and you want to get the darkness out, how would you get the darkness out? Could you take a vacuum cleaner and suck it out? Could you take a shovel and shovel it out? How would you get the darkness out of that room? Turn on the light! When you turn on the light, where does the darkness go? It flees. It goes out. It cannot stay. It is totally powerless against the light.

The sun is incredibly bright. The energy from the sun is indescribable. The sun radiates more energy in one second than Man has ever used or will ever use in the history of civilization.

Yet every now and then, we say, “Well, the sun didn’t shine today.” That’s a lie, isn’t it? If you’ve ever ridden in an airplane, you have seen that. It’s an overcast, foggy, clammy, cold, day, but you get on a plane, and suddenly it’s bright! Down beneath are all the clouds. The sun’s been shining. I want to tell you something: You can block out the light, but you can’t put it out. Rather than praying so much against the powers of darkness, what we need to be doing is realizing the power of light. We need to release the light of the Lord Jesus Christ and bear witness to that light.

How has Jesus pushed darkness out of your life? How often do you reflect on and celebrate this?

What are the areas of darkness in your life or in the world around you? Have you invited Christ’s light into those areas? Why or why not?

PRACTICE THIS

Celebrate the Light of the world today and ask others how they have seen Christ’s light in their lives.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Christmas Light that Restores the Soul

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” JOHN 1:4

 

PONDER THIS

When you think about Jesus as the Light of the world, you see His constancy. There’s one thing about light: It is constant. The first two verses of John tell us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Now Jesus is God, and being God, He never changes. God cannot change. How could God change? He couldn’t get better, and He won’t get worse. He’s unchangeable. He says, “I’m the Lord. I change not.” Light is constant. Light does not change.

I heard a preacher say, “You can’t make God nervous.” I love that. There’s no panic in Heaven. He does not change, and He sees the beginning from the end. When Jesus came into the world, in Him was life, and that life was the light of Man! That’s the vitality of this life. You want your life put back together? It’ll be put back together with light. There is a divine photosynthesis when Jesus brings light to your life. Your cold, dark, dead, clammy world will be put back together when the glorious light of the Son of God shines into your heart. Thank God there is a sunrise for the soul.

How has Jesus been a light in your life?

What are some ways you have seen Jesus’ light through other people? How did that impact you?

PRACTICE THIS

Recall and reflect upon a testimony from someone else about how Jesus has changed that person’s life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Light Beyond the Light

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1–2)

Jesus Christ is refreshing. So, seek the things that are above. Don’t replace Christ this summer with trifles. Flight from Christ into Christless leisure makes the soul parched.

At first it may feel like freedom and fun to skimp on prayer and neglect the word. But then we pay: shallowness, powerlessness, vulnerability to sin, preoccupation with trifles, superficial relationships, and a frightening loss of interest in worship and the things of the Spirit.

Don’t let the coming of summer make your soul shrivel. God made summer as a foretaste of heaven, not a substitute.

If the mailman brings you a love letter from your fiancé, don’t fall in love with the mailman. Don’t fall in love with the video preview and find yourself unable to love the coming reality.

Jesus Christ is the refreshing center of summer. He is preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:18), including vacations and picnics and softball and long walks and cookouts. He invites us this summer, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Do we want it? That is the question. Christ gives himself to us in proportion to how much we want his refreshment. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Peter’s word to us about this is, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19–20). Repentance is not just turning away from sin, but also turning toward the Lord with hearts open and expectant and submissive.

What sort of summer mindset is this? It is the mindset of Colossians 3:1–2, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

It is God’s earth! It is a video preview to the reality of what the eternal summer will be like when “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).

The summer sun is a mere pointer to the sun that will be: the glory of God. Summer is for seeing and showing that. Do you want to have eyes to see? Lord, let us see the light beyond the light.

John Piper 

Shining Your Light in the Darkness

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” EPHESIANS 5:8

 

PONDER THIS

This is who you are called to be as a follower of Christ: You are to take your light and put it on a candlestick. Lift it up so that it will give light to all that are in the house. You may say, “But Pastor, you don’t know where I work. I work with a lot of pagans. Hey, Pastor, if you only knew the dirty jokes, the things that are said and shared around our office. If you only knew the gossip. If you only knew the blasphemy. You’d understand why I want to get another job. I want to get out of this place. I’m just so oppressed there. There’s nobody who is saved where I am. I want to go to an office that’s full of Christians.”

The workplace can be hard. Even at home, we all know not everyone acts like Christians all the time. But when you are looking for only Christian community, you're just wanting to light the light. You’re just wanting to salt the salt. Why do you think God put you where He did? Why do you think you’re in that place? You are to be a light in the darkness. You are to season your workplace with God’s grace when it is dark, and you are to love in your home, even when it is chaotic. We are to shine as lights in a dark world. That’s why we’re there.

Where have you been placed to be a light for God’s glory?

What makes this difficult in daily life?

PRACTICE THIS

This week, seek practical ways to live as a light in the places God has settled you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Light Beyond the Light

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1–2)

Jesus Christ is refreshing. So, seek the things that are above. Don’t replace Christ this summer with trifles. Flight from Christ into Christless leisure makes the soul parched.

At first it may feel like freedom and fun to skimp on prayer and neglect the word. But then we pay: shallowness, powerlessness, vulnerability to sin, preoccupation with trifles, superficial relationships, and a frightening loss of interest in worship and the things of the Spirit.

Don’t let the coming of summer make your soul shrivel. God made summer as a foretaste of heaven, not a substitute.

If the mailman brings you a love letter from your fiancé, don’t fall in love with the mailman. Don’t fall in love with the video preview and find yourself unable to love the coming reality.

Jesus Christ is the refreshing center of summer. He is preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:18), including vacations and picnics and softball and long walks and cookouts. He invites us this summer, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Do we want it? That is the question. Christ gives himself to us in proportion to how much we want his refreshment. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Peter’s word to us about this is, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19–20). Repentance is not just turning away from sin, but also turning toward the Lord with hearts open and expectant and submissive.

What sort of summer mindset is this? It is the mindset of Colossians 3:1–2, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

It is God’s earth! It is a video preview to the reality of what the eternal summer will be like when “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).

The summer sun is a mere pointer to the sun that will be: the glory of God. Summer is for seeing and showing that. Do you want to have eyes to see? Lord, let us see the light beyond the light.

John Piper 

God Help Me See Your Light

John 6:35-40

[35] Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. [36] But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. [37] All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. [38] For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. [39] And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. [40] For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 12:44-50

Jesus Came to Save the World

[44] And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. [45] And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. [46] I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. [47] If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. [48] The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. [49] For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. [50] And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

You are not blind.

You are able to see.

You see trees, sky, people etc.

Sight is more than seeing. 

There must be light to see.

Physical light and spiritual light.

There must be understanding to determine what you see.

You are human and spirit.

Your eye sees as a human sees.

Your spirit sees as God imparts His pearls of wisdom through His word.

Understanding is revealed divinely, by God's powerful word.

Faith in knowing that God is sovereign. 

There is no other.

Christ Alone!

Ephesians 1:20-23

[20] that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Colossians 1:15-20

The Preeminence of Christ

[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Are You Spiritually Blind?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.”

Psalm 51:5

 

PONDER THIS

Did you know we are all born blind? Spiritually speaking, we are all born blind. This verse reminds me I was a sinner at conception. I was born—even conceived—with a sinful nature. Even your precious little one, believe it or not, has a sinful nature. We all need to be saved.

The blind need more than light to see. A blind man may not see the light, but he would be foolish to deny the light just simply because he cannot see it. Those who are blind need more than light, they need sight.

I have visited Carlsbad Caverns, and there is a deep cave. At one point the guide had the people turn out all the lights and the darkness was so deep that you could almost slice it.

Even if you have 20/20 vision, you can’t see a thing because there’s no sight without light. Those born in sin need sight from God, but they also need to see God’s light in us. Both are important components in stepping out of spiritual blindness to see clearly.

Who in your life needs sight from God?

How is your life a reflection of God’s light?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a list of those you know who are spiritually blind and pray that they might gain sight from God.

 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers