"Jesus Christ, the Light of the World" Advent 2015 "Dispeller of Darkness" Text: John 1:4-5, 10-13

Transcription

1 "Jesus Christ, the Light of the World" Advent 2015 "Dispeller of Darkness" Text: John 1:4-5, May the love of God the Father fill you with wonder, may the sacrifice of God the Son fill you with gratitude, and may the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit in your heart fill you with faith, hope, and confidence. Amen. Dear Fellow Christians, during our three midweek Advent services this year we are focusing on the theme, "Jesus Christ, the Light of the World." In examining light itself, we gain insights into the concept of Jesus Christ as the Light that has come into our sin-darkened world. This evening, however, we will attempt to learn more about light (and thus about our Lord Jesus) by examining not light, but the absence of light darkness. It is in understanding the darkness that plagued us that we begin to appreciate the Light that we have been given in Jesus Christ. Our subtheme for this evening is, simply, "Jesus Christ, Dispeller of Darkness." The text that will guide our mediation is found in John chapter 1: John 1:4-5, In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. These are the holy words of our perfect God. These words truly are "a lamp to our feet and a light to our path." With the confidence that the Holy Spirit, who has already been at work in our hearts, would continue to work in us through the hearing and study of these words, so we pray, Sanctify us by Your truth, O Lord. Your Word is truth! Amen. By way of review and introduction, last week you may recall that we took some time to examine the blessing that is this gift we know as light, together with the complexity of both light itself and of our God-given ability to perceive light with our eyes and to have meaningful images registered in our brains. The point, again, was to glorify God for two reasons: first, to praise him for his incredible creation, and, second, to gain a better appreciation of why our Savior is often compared to light. To better understand light is therefore to better understand our Savior, for as complex and wonderful as light obviously is, so also we are to learn that our Savior-God is infinitely more complex and amazing. He himself represents a gift even greater than something as sublime as the gift of light itself. This evening we seek to learn more about "Jesus, the Light of the World" by examining the benefits of what light itself accomplishes for us recognizing again that Jesus does much the same, only on a much grander scale and in a much more spiritually significant way. To begin to understand how important light is, we probably first need to experience, at least for a time, the absence of light. I wonder how many have actually experienced the disorientation and panic that can result from suddenly finding yourself in absolute darkness. If you have, you have probably also experienced the blissful relief wrought by even a single, tiny beam of illumination that springs from a small penlight, for from a single struck match. Even a tiny shaft of light almost miraculously rights everything, and almost instantly. It confirms that you are not dead but alive, that you have not been struck blind, it orients you, reminds you where you are, and instantly restores the normal sense of well-being. In fact if you have never experienced something like that, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for you to realize just how much you take light for granted. It's usually not until light is taken away that it becomes just about the most precious thing in our existence. If you've never experienced the confusion and disorientation of finding yourself unexpectedly in total darkness, all of this might sound a little overly dramatic. If you've been there, you get it. In fact that sort of experience will without question leave you with a much better appreciation of both light and darkness, which in turn will give you insights into our particular focus for this evening: Jesus Christ, the Dispeller of Darkness. Pretty safe to say that most of us today don't have the same appreciation for light and darkness that the folks in days gone by possessed. Nearly all of us live in a world of yard lights, streetlights and "city glow." When we awaken in the night, light filters in at the windows, and lighted clocks and microwave keypads glow faintly in the dark. We also have instant access to light. All of us can easily swipe a cell

2 phone, or hop up and, with the flick of a switch, bathe ourselves in instant light. Even on those rare occasions when the power is out, we have flashlights, matches, candles, and lanterns to drive back the darkness. Not so in former times. Think back to the days of Jesus, for example. When they awakened in the middle of a dark and moonless night, they had absolutely no recourse if their fires had burned out. They had no matches they could strike, certainly no flashlights or propane lanterns. They did not, in other words, possess the means to instantly beat back the darkness. They had to learn to live with the darkness and await the dawn. And that wait can seem interminable and, at times, terrifying. The Bible reminds of what it was like in former times to have to just wait patiently and helplessly for the break of dawn, and for the sun to beat back the darkness. In the poignant words of the holy writer in Psalm 130:1-6 we read, "Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! 2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! 3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning." We in our day really have no point of reference to such times and such conditions. It would, therefore, probably be good for every one of us to experience total darkness for more than just a moment or two. And more than just darkness. Darkness in unfamiliar surroundings is what we need. In itself the darkness is nothing; it's the disorientation, confusion, and fear. Perhaps if we could all experience such things for more than just a few seconds we could all relate more realistically, more personally, to the transition we now make from the physical (or material) to the spiritual. The transition from physical darkness to spiritual darkness is certainly not difficult to make, but it is essential that we do that very thing if we are to fully appreciate what it is that our God has done for us by sending his Son into our dark world. Spiritual darkness is like physical darkness, only on a much grander scale and at a much deeper level. Spiritual darkness leaves human beings spiritually disoriented and unable to gain their spiritual bearings. Not that God wants it to be like that. Paul said in Acts 17:26-27, "God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." God does not want to remain hidden. He wants all men to find him, come to know him, and believe in him. Man, however, insists not on finding the one true God (as that God chooses to reveal himself) but in creating gods according to their own intelligence and understanding. The natural result is that we grope about until we latch onto this or that idea, explore the idea with the limited intellect and ability available to us, and then proudly pronounce that we have found enlightenment. "Here are your gods, O Israel!" Perhaps the greatest example is eastern mysticism. This term represents a family of rather ancient religions that developed through this same human introspection and contemplation which is always a recipe for disaster. If man desires to grope about in the darkness in search of self-enlightenment, Satan is more than willing to place a few choice delusions near at hand. Mankind then latches onto these demonic lies and comes to believe that he has made some rather profound discoveries. Sort of like the little girl who proudly presents to her mommy the stray kitty she has found and asks if she can keep it the black kitty with the white stripe down its back. The problem here goes even deeper. It is not just that mankind, when blanketed in spiritual darkness, has a difficult time finding anything truly good. The problem is that even when he comes across something truly good and worthwhile, he immediately rejects it as worthless like a man groping about in a cave whose hand falls to a huge, uncut diamond worth millions of dollars, but who tosses it away as just another rock. This is the sort of thing mentioned by John in our text for this evening. "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (The NKJ use of "comprehend" here is a better translation that the 's "overcome.") He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive Him." This was and is the great dilemma in which natural man finds himself. He sits in utter spiritual darkness, has no means or opportunity to create his own light, and therefore has no hope for finding the path to God. I wonder if you and I can ever really appreciate the horror and the hopelessness of such a situation. Thanks and praise to God, we will never again have to. When Jesus Christ entered our world, he shattered the darkness with his perfect, holy light. With it, he brought hope, comfort, and joy. Isaiah prophesied of this tremendous relief in Isaiah 9:2, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great

3 light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." We celebrate Christmas with so many lights to emphasize the importance of Jesus Christ as the Light of the world. This evening we praise and honor him not just for what he has done, but for what he has undone. Not only has he brought us into the light of salvation, he has rescued us from the black ignorance of sin and unbelief. Where once we wandered, lost, ignorant, and fearful totally without hope Jesus has now come to bathe us in the comforting light of his eternal presence. He did this not only by dying to pay for our sins, but by revealing to us, through the working of the Holy Spirit, that light by which we can now see clearly. Hymns: 56, 20, 775 (2 & 5), 375 (1,2 & 5) And there is more. We were no different than any other blind pagans when confronted with the light of Jesus Christ. We had no way of knowing or accepting that Jesus represented the true light, the one true path to heaven. So also our text included us when it said, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him." Our text, however, goes on, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." And just to make sure that no one could twist his words to mean that we bring ourselves to faith by "making our decision for Christ" John went on to explain what he meant by "all who did receive him" with these clear and unmistakable words: "who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Far from diminishing Christ and crediting man with bringing himself to faith, these words again give all glory to God alone, and magnify all that Jesus has done for us. Lost and helpless, with no way to find the right path or to save ourselves, Jesus shattered the darkness of our despair by entering our sinful world. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we stand holy and righteous in his sight, forgiven of all our sins. This gift (in the words of our text) is the personal possession of all "who believe in his name." This truth is the light that has illuminated also our hearts, our existence. Think on that when you see the lights of Christmas, remembering always with thanksgiving the darkness from which Jesus has rescued us, and the light of truth to which he has called us. Amen.

4 ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 2510 E. Divide Ave, Bismarck, ND Office: (701) Cell: (701) Visit Our Website Michael McEnroe, President Eileen McEnroe, Head Organist Michael Roehl, Pastor Midweek Advent Services 2015 The Opening Prayer by the Pastor The Opening Hymn (Posted on the Hymn Board) Liturgy A Service of the Word (Supplement page 22) The Scripture Reading for the Day (December 2) John 3:16-21 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (December 9) Ephesians 5:1-16 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (December 16) John 12:42-50 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. 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." The Confession of Faith (The Christmas Creed) I believe in God the Father Almighty, Who sent His Son to be my Savior; I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, my Lord, the longpromised Messiah, Who came as foretold, being conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, announced by the angels, worshipped by the shepherds, adored by the Wise Men, Who lived to suffer, die, and rise again, To free me from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil; And I believe in the Holy Spirit, Who has brought me to faith in my Savior, And by whose continuous work in my heart, I rejoice in my salvation, Walk in Christ, Show forth His praises, And will one day live and reign with Him in all eternity. Amen. The Pre-Sermon Hymn (Posted on the Hymn Board) The Sermon Theme "Jesus Christ Light of the World" Dec. 2: Creator of Light (John1:1-4) Dec. 9: Dispeller of Darkness (John 1:4-5, 10-13) Dec. 16: Revealer of Truth (John 1:6-9) The Offertory [Sung by All] Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen. The Post Sermon Hymn (Posted on the Hymn Board) The Offering The Collect for Peace Pastor: The Lord will bless His people. Congregation: The Lord will bless His people with peace. Pastor: Lord God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed, give unto Your servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be prepared to obey

5 Your commandments, and also that we, being defended by You from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in peace and quietness. This we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Congregation: Amen. The Prayers of the Day The Lord's Prayer Advent 2015 The Benediction (Spoken by the Pastor) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Congregation: (Sung) Amen. The Closing Hymn (Posted on the Hymn Board) Father and the Silent Prayer ********************* Sermon Texts: John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4-5, In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:6-9 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. Jesus Christ Light of the World St. Paul Lutheran Church Bismarck, ND - Please Return This Bulletin to the Entry Table to be Used Next Week -