Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20130428.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
John: Believing On The Christ, The Son Of God, For Eternal Life
Part II: Believing On Christ As God's Light By His Life
(John 1:4 with Isaiah 8:19-9:2, 6)
  1. Introduction
    1. John's Gospel was written so that its readers might "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name," John 20:31 KJV.
    2. Evidence that Jesus is the Christ and Son of God was given in His earthly life, a life that exposed God's truth in Christ in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 8:19-9:2, 6. We view this truth for our edification:
  2. Believing On Christ As God's Light By His Life, John 1:4 with Isaiah 8:19-9:2, 6.
    1. In John 1:4, the Apostle John wrote that Jesus Christ (John 1:17) as the "Word" (John 1:1-2) possessed within Himself "life," and that this "life" was the "light" of men.
    2. To understand what John meant by this verse, we recall that he was called into discipleship by Jesus from his occupation as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18-22), which event in part was involved in the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2 (cf. Matthew 4:12-22) in reference to Jesus being God's "Great Light:"
      1. Jesus left His hometown of Nazareth and moved to Capernaum in the region of the Hebrew tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, a region Isaiah 9:1 predicted would be in great darkness, Matthew 4:12-16a.
      2. However, those people would see a "Great Light," Christ in His earthly ministry, Matt. 4:16b; Isa. 9:2.
      3. Thus, John who witnessed Jesus as the "Great Light" of Isaiah 9:1-2 testified of his recognizing his exposure to Christ in John 1:4, observing that the "life" that was in Jesus was that "Great Light."
    3. We thus view the context of Isaiah 9:1-2 to discern HOW Christ's life was this "Great Light" as follows:
      1. In ancient Israel, the people had turned away from the written Old Testament Scriptures to seek spiritual guidance from mediums and necromancers who chirped and muttered, Isaiah 8:19 ESV.
      2. This apostasy left them without edifying truth, without spiritual "light," for since the people gave up heeding written Scripture, they had no hope of the light of even spiritual dawn in them, Isa. 8:20 ESV.
      3. This darkness led to a desperate situation: the apostate people could not acquire truth, so they became distressed, spiritually hungry, enraged and depressed, and in rejecting Scripture, they vainly looked "upward" for guidance from kings and God and even "to the earth," to subordinates, Isa. 8:21-22 ESV.
      4. However, in grace, to those in the tribal lands of Zebulun and Naphtali who had come under the most intense darkness (Isa. 9:1a), God would shine a "Great Light," making their area glorious, Isaiah 9:2.
      5. This "Great Light," the earthly life of Jesus (cf. Matthew 4:12-22), is explained in Isaiah 9:6:
        1. Christ is the Isaiah 9:6 child that was born, the Son that was given to Israel, Whose titles are Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace , Isa. 9:6 ESV, NIV.
        2. In the Isaiah 8:19-9:2 context, then, these titles reveal the ways Jesus functioned as Israel's "Great Light": (1) Opposite deceptive, misleading, fruitless guidance by mediums and necromancers (Isaiah 8:19) that led to distress, spiritual hunger, rage and depression (Isaiah 8:21a), Jesus was the Wonderful Counselor Who spoke God's truth that calmed, fed and edified Israel's troubled people! (2) Opposite mental anguish from abandoning their exposure to Old Testament Scripture (Isaiah 8:20, 21b), Israel was cheered by the revelation of Jesus as the Mighty God, the Son of God, revealed in His miraculous works and words, Matthew 4:23-25. (3) Opposite Israel's desperate search for edifying leadership amid her departure from Old Testament Scripture that had produced her desperate, apostate search for leadership from godless kings, God and even subordinates (Isa. 8:21c-22a), Jesus was Israel's Father of Eternity, shepherding, loving and comforting Israel's people as her eternal father figure, Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, 1974, v. I, p. 338-339. (4) Opposite Israel's depression in apostasy due to a lack of hope (Isaiah 8:22b), Jesus as the Prince of Peace offered the promise of reigning in Israel's future as King of a coming, blessed Kingdom, Matt hew 4:17; Isaiah 9:7.
Lesson: Jesus as God's "Great Light" in His earthly life in grace revealed God's counsel, deity, fatherly leadership and hope of peace to an Israel that hurt from deserting God's edifying Scripture "light."

Application: May we believe in Christ and cleave to His written Word, God's "light" for blessing today!