Series: When God Moves In Advent Sermon: There is Light Scripture: John 1:1-18 Intro First Sunday of Advent. Advent means coming, arrival. There is no command in the Bible to practice a season of Advent, however, historically it is something that has been practiced in some form in the Christian Church since the 4 th Century. The current practice of observing 4 weeks of Advent began in the 6 th Century. For centuries, Advent was a celebration of looking forward to the return/2 nd coming/arrival of Jesus, and then it wasn t until the 1500 s when Advent began to include a focus on the anticipation before Christ's birth. At Harbor, we are celebrating and observing the practice of Advent, because we believe that we need to be reminded! In everyday life, it is easy for us to continue the daily grind without taking time to remember key moments in our lives, key moments in history. If we don t take time to stop, remember and celebrate, then the importance and meaning of those times slowly faeds. The same is true when it comes to the most significant moment in all history, the birth of Jesus, God becoming man, the Incarnation, God in the flesh. And so we want to take time each year to stop, remember and celebrate the importance and the meaning of Jesus birth and of His future return. It is a season to look BACK, to look AHEAD, and also a time to look INWARD this is a season when you/i are almost forced to deal with the story/life of Jesus, of what it means to have God move in to the world He created, and what it means to have Him move in our lives. Advent Series: When God Moves In What does it mean that God has moved in time and history? What difference does it make to us? Today, When God moves in There is Light. Look at 3 Things about the LIGHT of God: It is a Divine Light, it is a Physical Light, and it is a Powerful Light I. The Divine Light (1-5) A. Connection between Light and Word. 1. Text Work backwards: v9 (true light), v5 (light shines), v4 (the light is from him ), v3 (through him all things were made), v2 (this him was with God in the beginning), v1 (this him was the Word ). a. This light of God is the Word of God the logos 2. Logos Grk word used to describe the expression of a thought, or the sharing of a message the Light of God is the expression or the communication of God; the Light of God is the logos of God, God s communication to us! a. Greek philosophy logos has to do with reason/thinking: the reason created by the gods and used by the gods to keep creation from a state of chaos, to keep creation in order. HOWEVER b. Jews would immediately think of the words/speech of God: His commands; His laws; His words that invoke promises, blessings, curses. Logos was an action, something spoken. 3. John shocks them both and says logos wasn t created and is not something merely spoken by God. John says that this logos/light of God is B. The Divine Light is Eternal
1. In the beginning If you ve ever read the beginning of the Bible, Genesis, this phrase should jog your memory; it s the first three words of the Bible. In the beginning. John is saying, before time began, before anything was created there existed this Word, this logos. 2. Eternal means: The logos is not a created thing (In 4 th century there was an Alexandrian priest, Arius, who held the view of the logos being created; Arianism was declared heretical in 4 th Century if you ever run across someone who says that the Light of God was a created being, created by God, you can remind them that that understanding has been heretical for over 1900 years!). John, the Light of God is eternal; there is never a time when it did not exist; it has always existed. C. The Divine Light is Creative 1. This eternal Person created everything! Nothing exists now (or ever) that has not been created by Him. Without Him, there is nothing created. D. The Divine Light is Transcendent 1. Verse 4 The light of men. Deep in the heart of every person there is some kind of knowledge that there is something greater than the self, something that we long to be in touch with. God has created us that way: we all have some sort of knowledge that there is a God. 2. Verse 5 Problem: We naturally do not understand the Light. 3. Illustration: Deep Thoughts (Jack Handey) Isn't it funny how we'll look out the window at the moon, and then we notice it's not the moon but a streetlight? Also what's funny is how we do this every night. Meant to be humorous, but it s also quite telling (what a prophet this Handey is!) we stare at the moon, but it turns out that it s a streetlight, every time a. Why do we give our attention to the streetlight? Because we think that the streetlight is the real thing, the true thing. 4. This is our problem, the human condition: We think we know what true light is, but in reality we re staring at a streetlight! a. We give ourselves to streetlights ; we look for true light in many different places and ways: In others, in ourselves, in scientific method, in economics, in politics we give our time, energy, money, mental focus, emotional life We think that if we can just have these things then everything will be all right, that we can feel satisfied, then life will make sense, then the world will be at peace, then we will be content. b. BUT at some point, they will always prove to be a disappointment: you will be disappointed by others, you will be disappointed with your own life performance, you will be disappointed with the politicians, the scientists and the money. These things will always prove themselves to be streetlights, not the moon that you thought they were, not the moon that you were giving your life to. 4. Questions: What is it in your life that you continually look to for light/truth? What do you tend to spend your resources on, give your heart to? a. Bible s message there is a solution to all this; to know that F. The Divine Light is a Person 1. True Light is found in a Divine Person John points us to a person He was with God, He was God. a. There is an interesting close relationship described here: Word/Light was with God : the Light is in relationship with God. And, at the same time b. Logos was God not a god (as JW s say). There is a special arrangement of Greek syntax in order to emphasize that God was the Word.
c. The him/he is Jesus Christ the Divine Person II. The Physical Light (READ v14) A. The Divine Light/Word became flesh. 1. Mysterious we can t fully understand it, that something eternal would become flesh, taking on a finite body. This blows my mind because it s completely contrary to natural life. How could this happen? I don t know. I don t think any of us will really understand HOW God did this, how it happened, BUT we can ask a. Why? Why would God become flesh, become physical? 2. To identify with us. This is the only way that God could fully identify with us in every way: only if He became human, only if He understood what it meant to live, breath, think, act, feel as a human being; but also so that God would experientially know what it meant to experience a. Weakness/temptation Hebrews 4:15-17: Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses because even He was tempted just as we are. He had to experience having a human body so that He would know what it was like to be human, to be tempted, to suffer. To identify means that He would know exactly what we are going through; God, in the person of Jesus, knows exactly what you are going through! b. Hard to understand, isn t it? We think, Jesus, didn t go through what I ve gone through (ie. Divorce, struggle in school, uncertainty of income, demands of work). How can you say that He did? c. To have flesh/body means that we will suffer and go through struggles and Jesus identifies with us in every way and says, I know what it s like. I know what you re going through. I know it s tough, BUT, I can save you from all of it! I am the Light of the world; I can bring you my Light! 3. To Save Us - He did all of those things: lost heaven, became physical, became flesh and suffered in order to identify with us so that He could save us. a. You see, it is Light that saves you from yourself, saves you from the darkness inside of you, and the darkness all around you. d. Jesus - I can bring you the Light of God because I am the Light of God; I have brought you the Light of God, and I will continue to be the Light of God in you, the light of men. This is when we begin to see that the Light of God is also powerful. III. The Powerful Light A. Power to Expose 1. What happens when a Dark room becomes light? It exposes things. You see things that you didn t know were there, or things you were trying to hide. Once the light turns on, all the rats in the cellar try to scatter. Once you turn on the light, you see just what a terrible mess and deadly traps are waiting for you in the kid s room! 2. Light exposes things Light exposes things in our lives 3. Is this not why we tend to stay away from Jesus? To have Jesus in your life is to have the Light shine on and reveal things; not only the surface things: a. I Cor 4:5 He will bring to light everything that is hidden even the motives of men s hearts. b. The Light of Jesus not only exposes the rats in the cellar, but exposes the reason for the rats to have Jesus is to be exposed for who we truly are
4. This exposure is NOT comforting because a. It causes us to see the real problem with the world, the real reason for darkness in the world: it s not out there, but actually within us! b. We love to point out others as the problem with the world: liberals, It s the conservatives ; conservatives, It s the liberals c. BUT the problem is inherent to every one of us: the problem is us! We lust, we covet, we crave, we lie, we desire power, we are far more interested in self-preservation than other s preservation. The real problem is within! 5. This is why we prefer to live in darkness a. Illustration: A website called the "Experience Project" readers were asked to respond to the following statement: "I prefer darkness over light." A young woman going by the screen name "Beyond Repair" offered a particularly honest and insightful response: I prefer darkness over light. The darkness allows me to hide who I am and what I truly feel. In the light all things have a chance to be revealed. Darkness makes it easier to hide. In the dark you cannot see what is coming next. The darkness is a place where you can lose yourself. Lost in the dark is a great place to be because then you are free from what you were and can be what you want. The darkness is bliss. b. Why do we prefer to live in darkness? Why is the darkness bliss? Because in darkness we can hid, we can be ourselves and not have anyone judge us, and we find it exhilarating because the darkness keeps us on our toes: we can t see what s coming next. Darkness allow us to not be exposed for who we truly are and this is exactly why we have the problems we have: personally, culturally, socially, spiritually 5. BUT the light is actually a good thing because the Light also has B. Power to Change 1. Jesus, the True Light, changes us through His Spirit. He changes you, 2. Vs 12 He changes you into a child who loves the Light. 3. Vs 13 Changes us not because of our goodness, or because we have a speck of light in our life, or because we decided to follow Him, but because of God s will. You become a child of God because of His work in you! He works in you to change your heart and make it a heart that chooses Him. 4. Jesus says, All that darkness in your life, all the dumb things you do, and all the hurt you re experiencing, all the hurt you ve caused, all the times you continue to look at the street light instead of the moon I want you to know something: you are clean, you are washed, you are new, you are my child and I love you NOT because of what you ve done but because of the Light that has come into the world to change you. Transition When you get this about the Advent message, when you see how Jesus has changed you, how He has made you new, made you God s child, then you will being to see that the Light also has the C. Power to Move You 1. Light Guides Us. in the dark we stumble around, but when there is light, we see the way, the obstacles we need to avoid; the light guides us 2. BUT, you and I must WANT to live in the light if you want the Light to move in you, you must WANT to live in the light. You must have the desire: a. Illustration - If you want the light in your house to do its work, you must connect the wiring and flip the switch. If you want God s light to do its work, if
you want to see His change in your life, to see His light giving you life, you must do something; connect to Him, flip the switches. 3. What does this look like? a. Cease from dark living - 1 John 1:6, If we claim to have fellowship with God yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. What things in your life do you know that are contrary to God s will? What things do you need to set aside in order to let the Light shine through? And don t just focus on your actions, identify your dark motives: What motives do you need changed? pray for these things; take actions in order to keep from doing these things. Pray for a heart change, for greater and greater light to shine in to the dark places of your heart. b. Engage with the Light - Psalm 119 God s Word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path. God s Word is light. A working use of the Bible, God s Word, is essential if you want to grow in Light because in His Word you learn who God is and what He desires of you. If you don t know what God desires, then you can t expect to live His light. Makes sense right? Read it, study it, pray with it. Maybe even start this Advent season with a small Reading Plan (I am using YouVersion Bible App on phone). Or ask me for some resources that will help you get into the Bible this season. Do you find God s truth a delight? Are your choices being informed by Scripture? c. Let your light shine Matthew 5 Jesus, if you are a disciple of his, You are the light of the world let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. How will you live as Light so that others will praise God? How will you live as light to the neighbors in your neighborhood of SD (Mira Mesa, Del Cerro, North Park, Pt. Loma, Rancho Penasquitos, Scripps Ranch, Carmel Valley, Clairemont, etc)? How will we, Harbor, live together as light? We are about to move into our new worship facility at Standley Middle School; how will we live as light for that school, for the neighbors of that neighborhood? d. If non-xn It is definitely a bold statement for me to say that Jesus is the Light of the world, the only Light of the World. But I think that you will find Jesus to be Light the more you look at Him, the more you hear from Him in the Bible. I would encourage you to maybe begin by reading through this book of John, maybe try and finish it before Christmas. I think that as you read of Him, you may find Him to be full of Light. Engage with the Light. Conclusion When God moves in there is light. Look back to Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection. Look forward to His glorious return. Look inward to see God at work. In His light you will see light, the True Light.