#DailyDevotion The Baptist Points Us To The Light Of The World
John 16A man came — God sent him — his name was John. 7He came to tell the truth about the Light so that through him everyone might believe. 8He was not the Light but came to tell the truth about the Light.
John the Baptist as seen last week is the messenger to prepare the way for the LORD. We see here, he came to bear witness about the Light. That Light is introduced to us a few verses before these, 4“In Him was life, and the Life was the Light of men. 5The Light is shining in the dark, and the darkness has not put it out.” This Light is the Word who was with God and Is God. The Baptist came to tell the truth about this Light that through him (that is the Baptist) everyone might believe. Faith comes by hearing. John bears witness, Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Light we are to believe in.
Jesus tells Nicodemas, 19“This is why people are condemned: The Light came into the world, but people have loved darkness instead of the Light because they have been doing wrong. 20Everyone who does wrong hates the Light and will not come to the Light — he doesn’t want his works to be seen in the light. 21But anyone who lives in the truth comes to the Light so that his works may be seen to have been done in God.”` It’s not so much the wrong we do that condemns us. It is loving the darkness that condemns us. Adam and Eve when they sinned, they hid from the Light. They didn’t want their sin to be seen or known. But God knows all our sins. You can’t hide from him. Even darkness is light to God. Better to come into the Light to be purged of our sins and have them forgiven. Trust in the Light and he will save you. This Light is Jesus.
Jesus says in John 8:12, “I am the Light of the world. Follow Me, and you will never wander in the dark but will have the Light of Life.” In John 12 Jesus says, 35“The Light will be with you just a little longer. Walk while you have the Light, or darkness will overtake you. If you walk in the dark, you don’t know where you’re going. 36While you have the Light, believe in the Light in order to become enlightened people…46I have come as a light into the world so that anyone who believes in Me will not have to stay in the dark.” People who walk in darkness, i.e. without faith in Jesus don’t know where they are going. They don’t want to know. They are deceived by the devil. When you come to faith in the Light, Jesus Christ, you can see where you were going and where you are going now. When we believe in Jesus we don’t have to stay in the darkness of our sins anymore. We can confess them and be forgiven of them. Jesus will be our advocate before the Father and defend us. Trusting in Jesus makes us enlightened people. We become enlightened to the fact that God our Father loves us and wants to save us. Believing in Jesus we can come out from behind the bushes as Jesus clothes the nakedness of our sins with his Light of righteousness.
On top of this, having come to faith in the Light, Jesus, he comes to live and dwell in us so that we now become light and do the works of light. We live in and participate in the Light and Life who is Jesus Christ.
Heavenly Father, enlighten our hearts and minds so we may come out of the darkness of our sins, believe in your Light Jesus Christ and become living communicants of the Light of your Son Jesus Christ our LORD and live in this Light forever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.