Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20050424.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING IN JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part II: Trusting In Jesus As God To Withstand The World's Darkness
(John 1:4-12)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

It is easy to be tempted to feel depressed over the way spiritual darkness seems to be encroaching upon the spiritual light around us:

(1) This past week in the secular realm, our legislature and Governor made Connecticut the first State in the history of the United States of America to legalize the civil unions of gays and lesbians; this law is now being tested in the courts, and they have tended to advance the cause of gays and lesbians opposite what Scripture teaches!

(3) Spiritual darkness is advancing in Christian circles also:

(a) When my wife and I have gone on vacations, we have tried to visit other churches "of like precious faith". Yet, several years ago, one church we often used to visit changed its worship format due to an influx of Arminian (theology) based "seeker friendly" beliefs so that, for conscience sake, we felt we had to walk out of the service!

Thus, we visited another Bible teaching church. Yet, the pastor of that church began to rule his congregation in a dictatorial way in accord with his strong Calvinistic (theology) background, prompting the pastor from the first church we had left along with other influential area evangelical pastors and a lawyer from the second church to meet with the second church's pastor to try to correct him. In the end, the second church's pastor resigned that pastorate and left to start another church with some followers so he could function in his dictatorial way!

Now, my wife and I know Christ strongly criticized and threatened to remove His blessing from both Calvinist and Arminian wings in today's Evangelical churches, a fact we note from our current Sunday evening lessons out of Revelation 3:14-22, so we have ceased trying to visit churches in either theological wing!

(b) Closer to home, this past week, I spoke with a parent in our church about his efforts to counter artificial spirituality or false doctrine caused by both Calvinist and Arminian errors that have very negatively afflicted his children or others they know due to their exposure to other Christian groups and their teachings and ways!



When we see spiritual DARKNESS seeming to encroach upon the LIGHT of God's BIBLICAL TRUTH around us, how are we to RESPOND to it all in a PRODUCTIVE, JOYFUL manner?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "It is easy to get DISCOURAGED over the rising tide of spiritual DARKNESS that seems to sweep across our world. What is the most effective, edifying RESPONSE to it all?!"
  1. When John wrote in John 1:4 that Jesus had God's life in Him, and that it was the "light of men," he recalled Isaiah 8:19-9:2 where Messiah was foretold to be God's GREAT LIGHT of TRUTH to ILLUMINE men like himself who were in DARKNESS in Galilee:
    1. John's word in John 1:4 that Jesus had "life" and that it was the "light of men" was made in reference to Jesus' ministry to him in Galilee:
      1. The Apostle John was called by Jesus to follow Him as John fished by the Sea of Galilee in Northern Israel, cf. Matthew 4:18-22.
      2. This region was predicted in Isaiah 9:1-2 of the Old Testament to be the scene of the revelation of Messiah as God's "Great Light" to those who were in great spiritual darkness, Matt hew 4:13-16.
    2. Well, those in that region had turned from God's Word to witchcraft only to sink into deep spiritual darkness and depression, Isa. 8:19-22.
    3. So in response to this horrific need, God graciously promised in Isaiah 9:1-2 to send His Word into Galilee so that His truth might be CLEARLY EVIDENT to Galilee's folk in darkness, and John 1:4 reports this was marvelously fulfilled in Jesus' life and ministry!
  2. Now, John reported that WHEN Isaiah 8:19-9:2 was FULFILLED in Christ's ministry, that GREAT LIGHT in JESUS had NOT been OVERCOME by the DARKNESS of Galilee, John 1:4-5:
    1. The last phrase in John 1:5 is rendered "comprehended it not" in the KJV and "not understood it" in the NIV.
    2. Yet, it should read: "the darkness did not overcome it [the Light]":
      1. The last verb in John 1:5, katalambano is used in John's Gospel in the same context where spiritual darkness is related to God's spiritual light elsewhere ONLY in John 12:35, cf. Moulton and Geden, Concordance to the Greek Testament, p. 535.
      2. In John 12:35, Jesus urged listeners to order their lives ("walk") in accord with the Light of God's truth in His ministry, and to do so "lest darkness come upon you" in overcoming their spiritual light.
      3. Thus, several authorities on the New Testament hold the word, katalambano in John 1:5 is bettered rendered as "overpower" or overtake" cf. Theol. Dict. of the N. T. , vol. IV, p. 10; Moulton & Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Grk. N. T., p. 328; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to John 1:4-5; Bible Knowledge Commentary, N. T. , p. 272 [where Edwin A. Blum writes: "Darkness is almost personified in this verse: darkness is unable to overpower light. By this, John summarized his Gospel record: (a) Light will invade the dominion of darkness. (b) Satan the ruler and his subjects will resist the light, but they will be unable to frustrate its power. (c) The Word will be victorious in spite of opposition."]
      4. Thus, a better rendering for John 1:5b is, and we paraphrase for clarification: "the spiritual darkness did not overcome the Great Light in Jesus Christ that God sent into Galilee."
  3. Indeed, John wrote God took that GREAT LIGHT, and, against the DARKNESS of the WHOLE WORLD had ADVANCED His cause so ANYONE on EARTH could become a son of God, 1:6-12:
    1. John revealed how God had used the ministry of Messiah's Forerunner in John the Baptizer to prepare the way for Messiah Jesus, God's promised LIGHT unto Israel, John 1:6-8.
    2. In fact, John revealed that, right now [through the Holy Spirit's world wide convicting ministry of John 16:7-11], Jesus Christ, God's true LIGHT convicts all men in the dark world of key truths, John 1:9!
    3. Now, as did the people of Israel, men throughout the world have generally failed to accept Jesus Christ, John 1:10-11.
    4. Yet, as many in the world as receive Christ by faith as Savior from sin (John 3:16), God makes them His spiritual sons, John 1:12!
  4. The fact that God's GREAT LIGHT in Jesus WAS NOT overcome by the DARK WORLD also complies with Christ's claim that He would build His Church against ALL evil opposition, Matt. 16:18!
Application: (1) May we TRUST in Christ as personal Savior from sin to become a child of God, John 1:12. (2) As a believer, if facing a rising tide of deep spiritual darkness in the world that tempts us to be dismayed, recall God sent His Son into apostate Galilee, a move that has born fruit ever since and WILL continue to DO so as Jesus is GOD come in the FLESH, John 1:14; Matthew 16:18! (3) Thus armed, may we keep serving the Lord, EXPECTING His Light to shine forth in the evil of OUR times!

Lesson: God sent His Son, the Creator God, Jesus into the deep spiritual darkness of Galilee as the "Great Light" of His truth; though those to whom He came largely did not receive Him, His TRUTH was not overcome by that darkness, but even CONVICTS ALL people in the WORLD so ANYONE who NOW trusts in Him becomes a son of God!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 At Nepaug Church, we have OFTEN seen visible evidences of Christ's power as the Light of God to overcome the darkness of the depressing evil we face, and it happened again in just the last 8 days.

On Saturday, April 16th, at 8 o'clock a. m., my wife dropped me off at the Church on our Church Work Day before she drove off to work at another location. Being the only worker here at the time, I took out my shovel, rake and two five gallon buckets from our car trunk to start to try removing the dirt piles left from the snow plows that lined the Church parking lot border with our neighbors to the west.

When I took my first look at the piles, I wondered how much of a dent I could possibly make that day. I try not to use too much energy on Saturday work days to leave room to minister the Word three times on Sunday, so I planned to move just the higher piles of the dirt. That way I could show our neighbors we were at least considerate of them.

As I started to work, God brought Tim and Brian Terwilliger, Rob Pombar and one of their friends to help out. That way the borders not only to our west but also to the south were mended in 2 1/2 hours!

I then went to work on our gardens, beginning to clean away dead vegetation with Tim's help when I made the passing comment: "It would be nice to put some red cedar mulch on these garden patches."

I returned on Monday to clean up the dirt piles at our border with the Sedgwicks' yard to the east. Mike Terwilliger spotted my car as he went by and stopped to say, "I heard you wanted some mulch!" That led to Tuesday's supply of a truckload of red cedar mulch and tools and helpers to do the job. In the end, we not only mulched our own gardens to an extent not done before, but we had even shared some of the mulch with our neighbors to our west, the family I was first concerned might be offended if I didn't try to clean up the dirt piles between our lot and their home on April 16th; they ended up putting the mulch on their plots all around their front yard patches!

I was amazed! What had started out to be a staggering task on April 16th had turned out to be a wonderful success and blessing!

If GOD AIDED that fledgling initial effort on April 16th to be a good testimony turn into a great blessing, He will equip all the other ministry efforts we do that are in HIS will to be a LIGHT in the world's DARKNESS. OUR part is to FOLLOW His lead and to TRUST Him in the process as we SERVE Him in His will!