12″Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
John 8:12
And this is the verdict of condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 3:19
The Son is the effulgence of the Father’s glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Hebrews 1:3
“You are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:12
Christmas speaks of numerous realities. We have seen some of those as we have preached Christ in His saving offices during this Advent season. In all honesty we could spend a year preaching on the anticipated coming of Christ. All year long could be a Advent preaching series.
Not only might we preach on Jesus the Christ promised coming to fill the office of Prophet, Priest, and King to save His people we could preach on a multitude of redemptive-historical themes. We could preach on the anticipation of Jesus coming as the lamb of God to be the sin-bearer of God’s people. We could preach on Jesus coming as the desire of the nations. We could preach on Jesus the God-Man. We could preach on the anti-types of Christ in the OT that Christ fulfilled as the type. We could preach on the Old Testament Scriptures and references to Christ that are used in the New Testament by New Testament writers to illumine the presence of Christ in the OT and to declare Him present in the 1st century. We could pick up on the unfolding of the Covenant of Grace in the OT that finds its climax in the New and Better covenant in the coming of Christ. One covenant coming to full maturity with the arrival and work of Christ — a covenant that bespeaks unity in diversity … continuity over discontinuity.
These and many other are reasonable advent themes could well make for a year long preaching on the Advent, Incarnation and arrival of Jesus the Christ.
However, as is our custom here we complete Advent by speaking of Christ as “The Light of the World,” combined with His instructions that we also, are the light of the World who are to let our light so shine before men that they might see our good works, and glorify our Father in heaven.
The great premise of Advent is the fall of mankind into darkness. The Old Covenant speaks of a coming light and indeed that coming light is in the Old Covenant for those with eyes to see. With the arrival of the Christ though the darkness is dispelled.
The Hymn “O Holy Night” captures some of this w/ the lyrics,
Till he appeared.”
Christ comes as the light of the world but John tells us that men loved the darkness because their deeds were evil.
But the light has come and it can not be quenched. The light shines forth and so we have great hope as bearers of the light. The darkness continues to seek to overcome the light but the light overcomes the darkness and wins out, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.
This Christmas season then proclaims Christ as the light of the world and His people as little refracting points of Christ the great light. Because we are refracting of a light that continues to shine we do not despair. We understand that the greater the darkness the more powerful the light to roll back that darkness.
During this Advent season we are reminded that Christ is the light of the World. As being the light of the world He will not leave Himself without witness. He will continue to provide illuminating power to a world that struggles to remain in the darkness.
This is the problem with pessimistic eschatologies. They one and all teach that the darkness finally wins out in the end in this time and on this planet. However, we believe that the light will never be snuffed out … even temporarily. We believe that the light will continue to overcome darkness until that day that He who is the light returns in glorious triumph.