Chapter Five Light vs. Darkness
Primary Message: “And the light shined in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." John 1:5
Worldview: To be a believer in Christ, is to have a closed and otherwise darkened mind.
Evangelistic Emphasis: “And this is the condemnation, that light came into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light." John 3:19
We live in a world that is turned upside down, where right is wrong and wrong is right, where faith in Jesus is to hate human rights, and where committment to God is a part-time self serving aspiration. It would seem that the darkened minds of dogma and the closed hearts that worship God and turn away from evil have lost their battle and a new world order has taken over!
If you believe this you are wrong. This is absolutely a false perception! We must remember that “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever” and that his light will break through and overcome even if the world has some other plan, a plan that will ultimately fail! Just because Jesus is not the fashion of today does that mean that we can turn aside from his precepts? Absolutely not!
Romans 6:1 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?”
Often it is thought that God allows us to continue in our sinful ways with little reaction to us except affording us the grace to continue. On the contrary, God is very grieved by our sin and he never expects that we continue to do it! What he expects is that we walk in a newness of life. Not continuing to sin, but turning away from our old ways of sin to walk in a new way. Sure he is a God of grace and that grace allows us the opportunity to repent and be forgiven of our sins, but it never says that we are to remain in this activity expecting God to overlook it and keep giving while we take! This sin is called darkness and God want us to walk in the light so we don't stumble and fall. This week we will study about his light and how we can walk in it and not walk in darkness.
John 1:1-5
1. “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
2. The same was in the beginning with God.
3. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made.
4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: In the beginning what existed? Where was the word? Who made all things? What was the light?
Before we can overcome darkness (sin) we must learn who and what is light. We cannot think that we are able to overcome the darkness (sin) of the world by ourselves and out of our own self-will or will power! Time and time again man is guilty of leaning upon his own understanding and standing upon his own power, as it is written “There’s a way that seems right to man, but leads to destruction.”
John 1:6-14
6. “There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
7. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe.
8. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.
9. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
13. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man.
14. And the word was made 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.” After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
What came into the world?
What power was given to those who believe?
What was the word full of?
Let’s face it, whether or not you are a believer in Christ we are looking for answers to today’s problems. That’s because we can see many problems in our world, just watch the news or stand in a line somewhere and listen to the people talk. We are really good at pointing out problems and really good at offering solutions that don’t work! The world has been full of problems since the time of Adam and Eve and these problems in their various forms have existed always, but so has the only answer! Jesus Christ, the light of the world!
John 8:12-23
12. “Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearist record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and where I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come and when I go.
15. Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man.
16. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.
18. I am one that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
19. They said unto him, where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; his hour was not yet come.
21. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go ye cannot come.
22. Then said the Jews; Will he kill himself? because he hath said, whither I go, ye cannot come.
23. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.”
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Jesus is what to the world?
If you follow Jesus you will not what?
If you continue in his word then you are what?
How can we know the truth and be set free?
I don’t know about you, but always my first reaction to darkness (sin) is, can someone please turn on the lights?!! The problem is I can’t see in the dark and if I try to walk in the dark I stumble on something, maybe a chair, or something that is in the way. That’s exactly how it is in life, when you can’t see where you are going then you are sure to stumble into sin! That’s why Jesus came, he is the light of the world, and we can’t see things right and clear until we put Jesus and his word
into our life. So, if Jesus is the light and the one that brings us out of darkness then who or what is the one that we are calling darkness? The thief…
John 10:1-10
1. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3. To him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
6. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you I am the door of the sheep.
8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.
10. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
What is the way to heaven?
Who is the door of the sheep?
What is a person that tries to enter another way?
What does the thief come to do?
And Jesus what did he come to do?
Jesus came into the world to open the spiritual eyes of all of us, he has brought light into an otherwise darkened world, and his competition the devil desires to sift us and destroy our lives by keeping us in the dark about his schemes. To do battle with the troubles of the world is to recognize that the battle is the Lord’s and we must go to him so that we can see the traps that are waiting to catch us and destroy us, if we choose to not seek the Lord then we walk in darkness to all the enemy’s tricks, and the enemy is very subtle.
Genesis 3:1-6
1. “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea hath God said; Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,
3. But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God, hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
What question did the serpent ask the woman?
Which tree of the garden was forbidden to eat from and why?
Would they die or would their eyes be opened?
Knowing good and evil does it make us as God? What does the serpent do here that is found in John 10:10?
Hey! Did you catch that? Wow! The serpent said that in the day that ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened!
Wait a minute. Isn’t that what Jesus came to do? Open our eyes! Absolutely, he is the light of the world, but the trick is to go to Jesus for that light, not to the serpent that tricks us into believing that if we listen to his voice we will know good and evil. Eve was tricked, everything that God told her was turned upside down, after the devil spoke to her what God said was not true and what the serpent said was. She listened to another voice! Jesus said “my sheep heareth my voice and a stranger will they not follow.” Yes, Jesus came to open our eyes, and he wants all of us to be like him, to be Sons of God, not to be gods to ourselves, and not to be deceived by the trickster!
Can you think of some ways that the world is being deceived today by the trickster?
In these last passages we see the battle between darkness and light, the serpent or thief rages against the light. Jesus is the truth; Jesus is the light that openeth the eyes of all men to the ways of the devil.
LIGHT VS. DARKNESS
Lights speak to us in words. For example a traffic light is used to speak to us: Red=stop, Green=go, and Yellow=proceed with caution. Light speaks words and words speak light. Words such as compliments, encouragement, kindness, hope, and love. These types carry meaning that bring life.
John 1:1-5 In Him was life and the life was the light of men.”
“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; Without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
Why do we need light? His light? Because light, His light, lifts us from gloom & doom to a position of life full of peace, joy, and happiness. Before there was any beginning, the word was and this word was God’s words. God’s words have been with us from the beginning and will always be.
Mathew 13:16
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears for they hear.”
In Genesis 1:2 we read about how there was nothing in the beginning. No light, the earth was void and full of darkness.
Today we can hear and see many things. Jesus says: “blessed are your eyes, for they see” He isn’t addressing us about our physical eyes, whether they are 20/20 vision or not. What Jesus is talking about is our spiritual eyes. When we spiritually see life then we are no longer void, our mind is not empty, and our heart is removed from darkness.
Here’s how it works: His words of life hit our ears, drop to our hearts and opens our eyes to the truth. The truth can be seen. Is the light red, yellow, or green, this can be seen with our physical eyes and the true color is revealed through seeing, but truth also can be heard and processed into what we can see with our spiritual eyes, this is
the light that Jesus reflects, the light that must be heard and processed into what we can see with our spiritual eyes.
John 1:9-14
9. “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.
11. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him,
12. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name.
13. He gave the right to become children of God, not children born of natural decent, nor of human decision or husbands will, but born of God.
14. The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Take note of verse 13. “But born of God” The right to become born-again of God and not of natural decent. John chapter 3 tells us: “Ye must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God.” In other words you must come out of darkness and into the light of Jesus. To be born of God is to walk with God, to be recreated, returning again into His image and likeness, taking on a renewed mind that mirrors the mind of Christ and living a new
life that mirrors the life of Jesus. Grace and truth, renewed minds, and His image and likeness come through Jesus.
John 1:17
“For the law was given through Moses; but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus is truth, wouldn’t the world be a nice place if we had only truth in the world, but unfortunately this is not the case. The truth is there are many lies in this world that oppose God’s truth.
John 10:10
“The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
How is it that the devil (thief) will carry out his plan to steal, kill, and destroy? The first thing he will do is hide the truth, and when that isn’t working he will distort the truth by allowing partial truth to come mixed with a small lie, and when that doesn’t work he will flood your mind with worldly desire. The devil is crafty, but he is the loser! The answer against this opposition is get the truth! Get wisdom, get understanding, know God’s truth, and expose the devils lie!
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him. “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my Disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31,32
Continue in God’s word and you will continue to have light,
and you will continue to have victory over your troubles!
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 with God in the beginning.
3. Through Him all things were made; Without Him nothing was made that has been made.
4. In Him was life and that life was the light of men.
5. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
There is a constant battle that rages between light and darkness and the truth and lies, between Jesus and the devil, between life and death, and between right and wrong. In this struggle many are deceived. How can we avoid this deception? The truth! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life! John 14:6 To defeat death choose life, choose Jesus. To defeat wrong choose right, choose Jesus. To defeat darkness choose light, choose Jesus.
1 John 1:5, 6
5. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” We can’t have it both ways; we can’t live a life with a little of Jesus and a little bit of our own way. It’s all Jesus or no Jesus! God knows our struggles and our heart. He wants so much that all come to Him.
1 John 1:7
“But 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 cleanses us from all sin.”
My friends, you are not alone. All the power of God’s kingdom is on your side, but it is your choice to love Jesus and accept His truth that will determine the outcome in your life. Resist the lie of the devil and resist the darkness that wars with God for your soul and remember that “greater is Jesus’ truth that is in you than the lies of the devil that is in this world!
