The Glory of Light

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. . . . He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

JOHN 1:9–14

Let us consider the glory of the light Who is our Savior and Lord, the Child of Bethlehem, Jesus Christ. Again, the apostle John says of Jesus, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). 

Do you know what glory is? It is the outshining of the light of Jesus’ grace and truth. It’s the Shekinah, the glory of God that filled first the tabernacle and then the temple of God in the Old Testament. The glory is the light of God that is in Jesus Christ, Who is Himself fully God. 

I’m sure you know that light is made up of a spectrum of seven colors. The number seven reminds us of the perfections of God. When you put all seven of the colors of the spectrum together, the result is pure light, which speaks of the holiness of the Lord Jesus. Jesus is the One Who makes everything colorful, everything glorious! He is the glory of God. 

Let’s think for a minute about those who refuse the Light. It’s sad, but true, that many say no to the Light. John makes this clear in verses 10–11 of our text. Jesus came to that which was His own, but they refused Him. A person would be foolish to deny the existence of light just because he can’t see it. Some people can’t see the light of Jesus because they don’t want to see it. But we are called to take the light of Christmas to those who walk in the darkness. 

And the good news is that if people without Christ will only look to Him, He will shine His light into their hearts! The Babe of Bethlehem is the Light of the world. He will dispel the darkness with the glory of His presence for anyone who will ask.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Our Final High Priest

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. - Mark 16:19

1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,

2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. - Hebrews 8:1-2

23 If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, 

24 and he is merciful to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; 

25 let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor'; 

26 then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. 

27 He sings before men and says: 'I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. 

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.  - Job 33:23-30

Sinner, Who intercedes for you before God?

Who is the last High Priest of the human race? 

Who alone has the power to be able to pay your ransom?

For God demanded payment!

Sin brings a penalty, it's death!

Who has been found worthy?

There is a great price that was paid! 

That price was death on a cross, the death and resurrection of an innocent man, not a sinner but the Son of God who came in human form!

Christ has satisfied your debt so that Satan can no longer accuse you before God.

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world-he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. - Revelation 12:9-10

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD.

2 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it."

3 And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason."

4 Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.

5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face."

6 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life."

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die."

10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. - Job 2:1-10

What a gift, Christ alone saves the sinner from destruction!

Do you know Christ and His power? 

Trust Him for He is your ransom!

Replacing the Shadows

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. (Hebrews 8:1–2)

The point of the book of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, has not just come to fit into the earthly system of priestly ministry as the best and final human priest, but he has come to fulfill and put an end to that system, and to orient all our attention on himself, ministering for us first on Calvary as our final Sacrifice and then in heaven as our final Priest.

The Old Testament tabernacle and priests and sacrifices were shadows. Now the reality has come, and the shadows pass away.

Here’s an Advent illustration for kids — and those of us who used to be kids and remember what it was like. Suppose you and your mom get separated in the grocery store, and you start to get scared and panic and don’t know which way to go, and you run to the end of an aisle, and just before you start to cry, you see a shadow on the floor at the end of the aisle that looks just like your mom. It makes you really hopeful. But which is better? The hopefulness of seeing the shadow, or having your mom step around the corner and it’s really her?

That’s the way it is when Jesus comes to be our High Priest. That’s what Christmas is. Christmas is the replacement of shadows with the real thing: Mom stepping around the corner of the aisle, and all the relief and joy that gives to a little child.

John Piper 

The Victory of Light

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

MATTHEW 2:13

 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. JOHN 1:5

Here is another truth about the light of Christmas that will bless you this Christmas season. It’s found in John 1:5, where the apostle writes, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” I want to talk with you today about the victory of the light. What does John mean when he says that the darkness could not understand or “comprehend” the light? This word has also been rendered “overcome,” “put out,” or “extinguish.” What John is talking about is the victory of light over darkness. 

All of history is really a battle between light and darkness. We see it even at the birth of Jesus in the account of King Herod’s murderous rampage against the baby boys in Bethlehem. The darkness attempted to extinguish God’s light. But who must win this battle? As surely as day follows night, it is clear that darkness has no power against light! As the hymn says, “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun / Does his successive journeys run.” 

If you’re in a dark room and you want to dispel the darkness, would you take the vacuum cleaner and vacuum the darkness out? Would you take a shovel and shovel it out? Of course not. All you have to do to conquer the darkness is turn on the light. When you do that, the darkness flees. It cannot stay. It is totally powerless against the light. 

The energy produced by our sun is beyond what we can imagine. On the brightest moonlit night, the light of the moon is only one-eight hundred thousandth as bright as the sunshine on an ordinary day. If you look directly into the sun, you will burn your eyes. Yet, for all of its incredible power, the sun is at best only a faint illustration of the Son of God in His brightness. No one can overcome or extinguish the Lord’s light! In Him there is victory, at Christmas and every other season of the year. Let’s release the light of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world this Christmas. Let’s bear witness to the Light!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Why Jesus Came

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

This, I think, is my favorite Advent text because I don’t know any other that expresses so clearly the connection between the beginning and the end of Jesus’s earthly life — between the incarnation and crucifixion. These two verses make clear why Jesus came; namely, to die. They would be great to use with an unbelieving friend or family member to walk them step-by-step through your Christian view of Christmas. It might go something like this, a phrase at a time:

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood . . . ”

The term “children” is taken from the previous verse and refers to the spiritual offspring of Christ, the Messiah (see Isaiah 8:18; 53:10). These are also the “children of God” (John 1:12). In other words, in sending Christ, God has the salvation of his “children” especially in view.

It is true that “God so loved the world, that he gave [Jesus]” (John 3:16). But it is also true that God was especially gathering “the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52). God’s design was to offer Christ to the world, and to effect the salvation of his “children” (see 1 Timothy 4:10). You may experience adoption by receiving Christ (John 1:12).

“ . . . he himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood] . . . ”

This means that Christ existed before the incarnation. He was spirit. He was the eternal Word. He was with God and was God (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9). But he took on flesh and blood, and clothed his deity with humanity. He became fully man and remained fully God. It is a great mystery in many ways. But it is at the heart of our faith — and what the Bible teaches.

“ . . . that through death . . . ”

The reason he became man was to die. As God pure and simple, he could not die for sinners. But as man he could. His aim was to die. Therefore he had to be born human. He was born to die. Good Friday is the purpose of Christmas. This is what most people today need to hear about the meaning of Christmas.

“ . . . he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil . . . ”

In dying, Christ de-fanged the devil. How? By covering all our sin. This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33) — on what grounds does he justify? Through the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9).

Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon of the devil — the one mortal weapon that he has — is taken out of his hand. He cannot make a case for our death penalty, because the Judge has acquitted us by the death of his Son!

“ . . . and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

So, we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the Now.

If we do not need to fear our last and greatest enemy, death, then we do not need to fear anything. We can be free. Free for joy. Free for others.

What a great Christmas present from God to us! And from us to the world!

John Piper 

The Vitality of the Light

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

JOHN 1:4

 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 JOHN 5:11

John 1:4 says of Jesus, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” Here is the vitality of the light. Light and life are inextricably interwoven. You cannot have life without light. When God wanted to bring life out of chaos in creation, He said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). When the light appeared, the seas began to swarm with life. The seeds of earth began to bud and blossom. 

I’ve always loved natural science. I can remember that the first big word I ever really locked in on was photosynthesis. I remember being enthralled as my teacher explained the meaning and process of photosynthesis. She told us, “The word photo means ‘light,’ and the word synthesis means ‘to put together.’ Green plants produce food by putting chemicals together with light.” It is light that causes these plants to produce food, and the whole life chain of animals and humans depends on this process.

 Life itself is built on sunlight. Without sunlight, our world would become cold and dark and dead. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He came to give us life. When the Holy Spirit shined the light of the gospel into our hearts, a divine photosynthesis took place producing life where before there was only death. “The entrance of Your words gives light,” says the psalmist (Psalm 119:130). 

Jesus is the Light. Do you know that life followed Jesus everywhere He went during His earthly  ministry? Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). 

No matter how cold and dark your world may seem, it can be brought back to life when the glorious light of the Son of God shines into your heart. There is no life without light. The life and the light went out of Adam’s race when he sinned in the Garden of Eden. But when we come to Christ, the Lord comes back in, turns on the light, and life begins again. Jesus is the Light of the world. That little Babe in Bethlehem turned on the light and gave us eternal life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Indifference Or Hostility

What is your attitude toward Christ?

Is it that the thought of Who Christ is, just never enters your mind?

Or maybe you are just one of those people who just flat out deny that Christ is Lord and King, believing He never existed although you only have to look at creation to see God's power! 

Can man create sky?

Where did air come from?

Precious water, did it just appear?

The solar system, infinite space, One Son who conquered death to rise after 3 days, these aren't man made!

Look at the human body, the detail of its design, the molecules, the DNA, and the dividing cells, not man made but God made!

You must choose, there is no in between, Choosing Christ leads to eternal life and the other choice of denial of His power is death.

Brothers and sisters, when someone trust and turns to Christ, they have a new beginning. The past stays in the past, but people often judge others by their past.

Just remember, you are also being judged by God. 

He has forgiven your past.

God said people will be know by their fruit!

So let God judge and you pray that no one enters into temptation!

There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? - James 4:12

1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.

3 Do you suppose, O man-you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself-that you will escape the judgment of God?

4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

6 He will render to each one according to his works: - Romans 2:1-6

1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.

3 Do you suppose, O man-you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself-that you will escape the judgment of God?

4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

6 He will render to each one according to his works: - Romans 2:1-6

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. - Romans 1:19-21

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  - Psalm 19:1

4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 

5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. 

6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. 

7 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.  - Ecclesiastes 1:4-7