Step Into Son-Light - Part A

The first words God Creator ever said, let there be light. Let there be light, and light was the Bible tells us, and when David looked up into the sky with the sun, moon and stars said the heavens declare the glory of God. When I look at the starlight in the moonlight and the sun shining me of God's glory and magnificence to critically Skip weekend division. The light we received from the sun is really a form of electromagnetic radiation. In fact, the light we see actually makes up only a small portion of the energy the sun puts out both the visible and invisible properties of sunlight are necessary for life to flourish hereunder. Skip Heitzig explores how both seen and unseen properties of a different kind of sunlight SOM life are also important for our spiritual lives to flourish. But before we get started with that I want to remind you that if you enjoyed listening to these studies by Pastor Skip.

You'll find plenty more of them to listen to online when you visit connectwithskip.com so what are some of the properties of SOM life. We need to thrive in our Christian walk. If you open your Bibles to John chapter 1 will get to the study started as Skip Heitzig tells us which state is really the sunshine state state of New Mexico enjoys 310 days of sunlight every year. Now I know that Florida on the license plate says the sunshine state, but but with all due respect, Floridians need to know that we beat them.

In fact, there are five other states that have more sunshine in Florida and in order they are Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and then Florida so I just want to set the record straight, and we are a sunshine state except for today will be have a little bit coming out now, but chances are, in our state. Almost any data you go outside you can enjoy sunlight and sunlight. Even though the sun is 93 million miles away from the earth.

It provides all that we need. We absolutely need that sunlight for us to function upon planet Earth. Now I heard about three at Nassau scientists were getting together and they were trying to figure out this is at the height of the space program they wanted to figure out how they were to spend the $10 billion allocated by the federal government to their program.

So the first guy said the Eisai wheat we get very ambitious and we put our man on Mars, not the moon and Mars. Second, I said let's really good. I think we should go further Venus put our man on Venus and he set the bar high in the third guy said, I think it's good to go all the way go for broke. I say we put our man on the sun and they looked at him like are you an idiot and then they said to him, are you an idiot and he said no no no I got it all figured out, go at night okay that will work. We can't go to the sun but we can certainly enjoy its effect upon planet Earth and what effect it has one source that I read stated, sunlight is the fuel of life. It's energy maintains everything upon the earth. Think about it from the photosynthesis and plant life to the vitamin D that our bodies enjoy because of its rays to the reflection off of objects that enables visual perception to the enormous gravitational field that keeps Earth tethered, so to speak, in its rotation around the sun, but the term sun can be spelled two different ways in our language ass UN and ass oh and and even as son asked you and light is needed for physical well-being. So sun ass. Oh, and John would say, the son of God. His life is absolutely needed for spiritual life and that becomes the theme of the paragraph are about to read beginning in verse six, all the way down to verse 13 stepping into sun light. John would say. Now let's see how often he uses that little term I'm to begin for context sake to start in verse four.

Let's look at it together in him. And Christ was life and the life was the light of men. There's the first time it's used and the light shines in darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe he was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.

That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

He was in the world and the world was made through him in the world did not know him.

He came to his own and his own did not receive them. But as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Just by way of reminder of the first 18 verses of the Gospel of John, our introductory it's a prologue in those 18 verses John gives us the entire theme of the entire gospel. I think of it as a briefing briefing before you get into the details of the whole story of the life of Christ. Here is the briefing of who he is, who were dealing with the plan of his life, and then I'll tell you the whole story in detail. And that's what John does so in verses one through five, the apostle John considers the deity of Christ is the word he was with God he was God.

He created everything. He's the source of light is the source of life and now John shows us the reaction of this world generally and specifically to the light coming into the world so John the Baptist comes in he represents or introduces Jesus as the first few verses of our paragraph beginning in verse six and then the world.

By and large, didn't recognize and they reject him, but there are some who will receive him.

So John represented the light the world rejected the light but some receive. The light was the three brushes or strokes that the apostle gives us in this paragraph now something about John. You already know it's a simple book. In fact, isn't this the first book we tell young brand-new believers to read. Typically, this week we tell them to read the Bible, start with John's Gospel.

It's it's the best place to start.

We don't say hey your brand-new Christian read the book of Hebrews or Romans or Galatians or hey, how about Leviticus that that's your first one but the Gospel of John.

It's simple, straightforward Christ exulting some else you may not know in the original Greek language.

It's also the simplest.

In fact, when you take Greek writings of John are the first place you begin because his words are so easy to understand.

So when we graduated from our great class. We took the writings of John in this case. First John and had to translate it all from Greek and English and parse every single word and I was okay because it was easy, but though his language is simple, easy, straightforward, the concepts are pretty profound, pretty deep, and what John does is paint these vast portraits of Christ using metaphor, we have it here he talks about light. He talks about life and he talks about birth and is using them in spiritual terminology and what John shows us today is that there are basically two responses into only to Christ. One reject him to you receive them. So here's a question for you. Are you living in sunlight or are you living in shadowland. Are you walking living in the sunlight of Christ. Are you still hiding in the shadows look with me at verse six through eight.

How the light was represented by John. There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe he was not that light, but he was sent to bear witness of that light is one of the first things you notice, and just reading through chapter 1 in verse six we have an abrupt change. John is been dealing with everything heaven word the deity of Christ this man. The word Christ is God was with God, but was also God himself created everything, is the source of all life and is in fact the light of the world. Now there's a change after dealing with all of that goes there was a man now is not dealing with God is dealing with a man is not dealing with them. Man, the son of God is dealing with a man sent from God whose name was John know he's talking about, not himself, but John the Baptist, John the Baptist, John the apostle never mentions himself in this book, and that interest you never says oh by the way, I John one of the friends of Jesus he doesn't call himself by name. The only reference we have to him in this whole book is he calls himself get this, the disciple whom Jesus loved you my thoughts can Americanism it now I think it's beautiful because Jesus loves everyone, but he personalizes it all by the way, the guy Jesus loves to, but he is here speaking about John the Baptist. And since John the Baptist was from Judeo down south. I guess technically he was a southern Baptist, but nonetheless this is John the Baptist way before the denomination he baptize people and this is what the apostle says about the Baptist. There was a man sent from God. If ever there was somebody sent from God.

It was the sky he was predicted twice in the Old Testament once in Isaiah chapter 40 where he is called the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. John the Baptist will apply that text to himself. In this chapter. Also, the Old Testament closes with the prediction of an Elijah -like forerunner, who would come behold the prophet said. God said to the prophet, I send my messenger, who will go before me and prepare the way before me in this is that God sent by God and then the birth of John the Baptist also proved that he was sent by God because he had a miraculous birth that he not member the story about his mom, Elizabeth and his dad Zacharias. They were old they were way past the ability to have children. In fact, Elizabeth was barren could never have a child.

Suddenly she turns up pregnant by natural means. Her and her husband, but it was a miraculous pregnancy and a miraculous birth.

In fact, Zacharias is standing in the temple one day doing his priestly duty and an angel of the Lord appears to him and said Zacharias your wife Elizabeth is pregnant. You guys are going to have a child, and here's what you call him John and he will be the forerunner of my Messiah and spills out the whole story to him right there and so John is born and John comes but he's just a man sent by God or semiauto. No, even though John was just a man. Did you know he was the greatest person who ever lived up until his time up until Christ is the greatest person who ever lived said by what basis do you say that on what Jesus said in Matthew 1111 Jesus said, I assure you of all who have ever lived. None is greater than John the Baptist iniquitous statement is greater than Abraham is greater than Abraham is greater than Moses. Yet greater than Moses greater than Moses greater than David greater than Isaiah greater than no Jeremiah. Why is that because he performed the greatest task announcing for the first time, publicly introducing Jesus Christ as the son of God, the Savior of the world which will read about in a few weeks.

So, for God to do the most important task.

The greatest task of all.

He gets the greatest man who ever lived until his time. Verse seven is his mission. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe. That's why he existed 2.2 sunlight to to bring the message of sunlight.

Hey, step out into sunlight. Here is the son of God. He was a witness. That's a technical term.

It's a courtroom term. A witness is somebody who testifies to the truth goes to court and tells what he is seen and what is heard and John the Baptist was that he came to the world, to testify of the truth of who Jesus really was. It sort of like this is like John the apostle puts all of humanity into one large courtroom and he says now I have a message I want to write to you this Jesus the Messiah is God in human flesh. He is the creator of all things that exist is the source of light and life and I want to call my first witness to the stand in his name is John the Baptist. He'll tell you he saw him, he heard, and John is the first witness came to bear witness note. Watch out for that term because John the Baptist is first of eight witnesses in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist is the first there will be more but he will call witnesses to the stand and John is the first witness to come to the whole purpose of John's life is to bear witness of the light okay when he uses the term light to refer to Christ.

He's using a metaphor right me doesn't mean the Jesus literally wherever he walked, glowed, that you did need to light a candle, when he came in the room at night. Jesus is here.

He is the light bill just for the glow-in-the-dark like a holy card show immunity at the halo and is glowing that Doe don't picture that it's a metaphor in the Bible uses the term light to speak of a few things.

Number one light physically speaks of the glory of God the glory of God over the first words God the Creator ever said, let there be light. Let there be light, and light was the Bible tells us, and when David looked up into the sky were the sun, moon and stars were shining.

He said the heavens declare the glory of God. When I look at the starlight in the moonlight and the sun shining. It speaks to me of God's glory and magnificence. In fact, in the book of Revelation in the new Jerusalem were told there is no Saunders no moon that shine in it for the glory of God will illuminate it so physically like speaks of the glory of God. So for John to say Jesus is the light is to say, Jesus embodies the glory of God in human form.

Hebrews 1.

The author says Jesus is the brightness of God's glory is the second way it's used intellectually light speaks of the knowledge of God, you know, theologians call God omniscient, which means he knows everything. He's the ultimate knower.

He never learns that he just knows it. Now you history buffs know that there was a time of history called the dark ages where it was said that people lived without the light of knowledge and then came the next age. The Enlightenment, when suddenly there was a Renaissance of learning and knowledge, and art. God is the ultimate knower to say that Jesus is the light means that he is the ultimately enlightened one boy was it. Did you know that it was dangerous to be around Jesus as he would know what you're thinking right member. We walk up to be bungled. Why is it that your thinking evil thoughts right now in your heart, and how did you know that because he's enlightened ultimately enlightened.

He knew so much that he predicted his own betrayal. His own death and the future events of the world up to his second coming is 1/3 way.

The term light is used morally it speaks of God's holiness is holiness light is pure and light is brilliant and to say God is light of Jesus is like speaks of purity and holiness. It says in first Timothy chapter 6 God alone is immortal and dwells in on approachable light. Another way to put it is. There is no flaw at all in God's character is perfect.

No flaw, no indiscretion. You may have heard of the book may affect some of you may have read it. The book is been out a long time ago but it was called when bad things happen to good people, by Rabbi Harold Kushner and the good Rabbi in the book encourages you and I to forgive God forgive God because he says you know God really can't be in control of this thing called the University. There's a lot of things that happen outside of his control or knowledge. They just happen and he'd like to help you, but he can't. So would you please forgive God what I want to tell the good Rabbi. You don't need to forgive God there's nothing to forgive God for he is absolutely flawless and perfect in his character, so he is light and to say Jesus is light is to say he is pure and holy and he is perfect and there's no flaw in his character.

In fact, Jesus will ask the religious leaders. This very penetrating question, which one of you can convict me of sin answer. No one out there something implied in all this. If Jesus Christ is light, that means that when we follow him. We step out of what darkness so to say I'm a Christian. I follow Christ means you have stepped out of moral darkness and are walking in the holy light of Christ demeanor perfect because you're not. I'm not perfect.

None of us were growing were were becoming as we follow. He is the light well the fact that God is so perfect to make them a little intimidated. After all, why would a perfect God want to have anything to do with imperfect creatures such as ourselves. Yet Jesus Christ God in the flesh, still perfect and holy shows is that God very much wants to have a lot to do with us. Matter fact he wants to be a part of our lives if we let it. That's all the time we have for today before we go. Let's find out more about this much connect with Skip resource offer people find comfort in the status quo. Others just can't wait to challenge it. If this were a recovery meeting, I would begin by saying my name is Skip and I'm a nonconformist year with the flow swim against the current truth is going against the status quo can be difficult. Finally, Jesus requires that Daniel showed one person's willingness to I like to think of it this way when the ways of life came crashing down. Daniel decided to go surfing, to write these waves if these waves are the will of God for my life to learn how to master these things and I'm in a get propelled forward to similar the status quo thinks the normal way of saying thanks for your gift of $35 and more to help connect more for the God's part will also include the booklet 100 and I here for requiring these two resources will help you stand out from the crowd for God's glory connectwithskip.com/comfort to get online securely today or call 800 9218.

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Learn more about that when you call us at 1-800-922-1880 will continue to explore what we all need a little sunlight in our lives, so be sure to join us next year and connect with Skip weekend edition presentation of connection