We live in a world that is turned upside down, where right is wrong and wrong is right, where faith in Jesus is to hate human rights, and where commitment to God is a part-time self-serving aspiration. It would seem that the darkened minds of dogma and the closed hearts that worship God and turn away from evil have lost their battle and a new world order has taken over! If you believe this you are wrong. This is absolutely a false perception! We must remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and that his light will break through and overcome even if the world has some other plan, a plan that will ultimately fail! Just because Jesus is not the fashion of today does that mean that we can turn aside from his precepts? Absolutely not!
Romans 6:1
What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?
Often it is thought that God allows us to continue in our sinful ways with little reaction to us except affording us the grace to continue. On the contrary, God is very grieved by our sin and he never expects that we continue to do it! What he expects is that we walk in a newness of life. Not continuing to sin, but turning away from our old ways of sin to walk in a new way. Sure he is a God of grace and that grace allows us the opportunity to repent and be forgiven of our sins, but it never says that we are to remain in this activity expecting God to overlook it and keep giving while we take! This sin is called darkness and God want us to walk in the light so we don't stumble and fall. This week we will study about his light and how we can walk in it and not walk in darkness.
John 1:1-5
1. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
2. The same was in the beginning with God.
3. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made.
4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
In the beginning what existed?
Where was the word?
Who made all things?
What was the light?
Before we can overcome darkness (sin) we must learn who and what is light. We cannot think that we are able to overcome the darkness (sin) of the world by ourselves and out of our own self-will or will power! Time and time again man is guilty of leaning upon his own understanding and standing upon his own power, as it is written Theres a way that seems right to man, but leads to destruction.
John 1:6-14
6. There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
7. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe.
8. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.
9. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
13. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man.
14. And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
What came into the world?
What power was given to those who believe?
What was the word full of?
Lets face it, whether or not you are a believer in Christ we are looking for answers to todays problems. Thats because we can see many problems in our world, just watch the news or stand in a line somewhere and listen to the people talk. We are really good at pointing out problems and really good at offering solutions that dont work! The world has been full of problems since the time of Adam and Eve and these problems in their various forms have existed always, but so has the only answer! Jesus Christ, the light of the world!
John 8:12-23
12. Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearist record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and where I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come and when I go.
15. Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man.
16. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.
18. I am one that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
19. They said unto him, where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; his hour was not yet come.
21. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go ye cannot come.
22. Then said the Jews; Will he kill himself? because he hath said, whither I go, ye cannot come.
23. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Jesus is what to the world?
If you follow Jesus you will not what?
If you continue in his word then you are what?
How can we know the truth and be set free?
I dont know about you, but always my first reaction to darkness (sin) is, can someone please turn on the lights?!! The problem is I cant see in the dark and if I try to walk in the dark I stumble on something, maybe a chair, or something that is in the way. Thats exactly how it is in life, when you cant see where you are going then you are sure to stumble into sin! Thats why Jesus came, he is the light of the world, and we cant see things right and clear until we put Jesus and his word into our life. So, if Jesus is the light and the one that brings us out of darkness then who or what is the one that we are calling darkness?
The thief:
John 10:1-10
1. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3. To him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
6. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you I am the door of the sheep.
8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.
10. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
What is the way to heaven?
Who is the door of the sheep?
What is a person that tries to enter another way?
What does the thief come to do?
And Jesus what did he come to do?
Jesus came into the world to open the spiritual eyes of all of us, he has brought light into an otherwise darkened world, and his competition the devil desires to sift us and destroy our lives by keeping us in the dark about his schemes. To do battle with the troubles of the world is to recognize that the battle is the Lords and we must go to him so that we can see the traps that are waiting to catch us and destroy us, if we choose to not seek the Lord then we walk in darkness to all the enemys tricks, and the enemy is very subtle.
Genesis 3:1-6
1. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea hath God said; Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,
3. But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God, hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
What question did the serpent ask the woman?
Which tree of the garden was forbidden to eat from and why?
Would they die or would their eyes be opened?
Knowing good and evil does it make us as God?
What does the serpent do here that is found in John 10:10?
Hey! Did you catch that? Wow! The serpent said that in the day that ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened! Wait a minute. Isnt that what Jesus came to do? Open our eyes! Absolutely, he is the light of the world, but the trick is to go to Jesus for that light, not to the serpent that tricks us into believing that if we listen to his voice we will know good and evil. Eve was tricked, everything that God told her was turned upside down, after the devil spoke to her what God said was not true and what the serpent said was. She listened to another voice! Jesus said my sheep heareth my voice and a stranger will they not follow. Yes, Jesus came to open our eyes, and he wants all of us to be like him, to be Sons of God, not to be gods to ourselves, and not to be deceived by the trickster!
Can you think of some ways that the world is being deceived today by the trickster?
In these last passages we see the battle between darkness and light, the serpent or thief rages against the light. Jesus is the truth; Jesus is the light that openeth the eyes of all men to the ways of the devil.
