Night is Coming
John- major theme- Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word.
He is God- He left heaven/took on- body of a man.
He who was all God became all man-remained all God
Jesus- made seven statements that speak of who He is-
I AM the Bread of life
I AM the Light of the world
I AM the Door of the sheep
I AM the Good Shepherd
I AM the Resurrection and the Life
I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life
I AM the true Vine
Jesus did not come merely to-
give bread- He said, I am the Bread
shed light, He said, I am the Light
talk about resurrection-He said I am resurrection
Jesus made it clear that He was God.
The Light of the world
Immediately after- story- women caught in adultery-
Jn 8:12
Shortly after saying this- stops to engage a blind man-
Jn 9:1-3
Interesting- the disciples- focused on placing blame.
The Jews connected suffering/sin- they believed-
wherever there was suffering- there was sin.
Something happens to someone- ever wonder why?
Some Jews believed a man could sin in the womb.
Others believed- man’s affliction-due to-sin of-parents.
Ex 20:5-6 … I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations
One thing we can say- no man lives/dies to himself.
Sin sets in motion a train of events that has no end-
sin is not private- it affects those around you.
In this story, Jesus does not try to explain the connection between sin and suffering.
His focus- making the man whole- not placing blame.
I do not believe- man was- guinea pig waiting for God.
John- works of God- signs of the glory/power of God.
Other Gospels- miracles- demonstration of God’s love.
Suffering, disappointment, loss- opportunities-
for the love/power of God to be demonstrated.
Two things we can see in this-
First- when Christians experience difficulties it is an opportunity to display the love/power of God.
How do we respond to difficulties in our lives?
When an elderly believer was dying, he sent for his family and said, “Come and see how a Christian can die.”
Second, when we help those suffering, we have an opportunity to demonstrate the love/power of God.
Christ, who is the Way, living in us- and we become the way for Him to demonstrate His love/power.
Jn 9:4
Jesus knew that the night of the cross was coming and He had to press on while it was still day and do the work God the Father had called Him to.
The same is true for each of us.
Our time here is limited, our night will come when it is no longer possible to demonstrate the glory of God.
Engraving under a sundial-
Take thought of the time before time is ended.
Have you ever discovered it was too late to do something you knew you should have done?
Jn 9:5
He was not saying that the time of His ability to work was limited, but that-
our opportunity to lay hold of Him is limited.
Everyday-faced w/opportunities to-take hold of Christ-
some thought/situation/circumstance.
If we do not seize God then- it may never come back.
Heb 3:13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
God is saying to us- now is the time, today is the day.
We are called to be light
We are called to be light in a world- has lost its way.
Jesus had a passion to help those- lost and suffering.
Mtt 18:11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
Lk 15- (Christine Caine)- lost- sheep, coin, son.
Lost sheep- did not start out his day wanting to be lost.
He was preoccupied with eating, his head was down, and he did not realize the flock had moved on.
Many today are preoccupied with life- trying to hold themselves and their families together.
Lost coin- the coin did not get lost on its own.
The women was careless and misplaced the coin.
Today we have a generation of people that are careless about the way they live their lives- they are lost.
Perhaps your parents were careless about the way they lived their lives- never introduced you to Christ.
Many are lost, not because- want to be but because-
-of their own carelessness or
-someone else’s carelessness.
Lost son- the son made his decision to take his father’s inheritance and go live his life on his own.
He did not take the inheritance with the thought of losing it and eating food with the pigs.
He miscalculated his life and failed.
He thought life without the father would be better than life with the father.
Many are lost today who- have been preoccupied and distracted,
careless about life/treated carelessly by others, miscalculated and made bad decisions.
They all need the Light of the world.- lost, in darkness.
The problem for the church
Often-describe ourselves/world by-external behavior.
Christianity does not begin w/external, but w/internal.
The problem for many is that when we came out of the world, we brought US with us-
we never allowed God to change the inside.
We cannot be a light to the world if we are still the same substance as the world-
even if we look better on the outside.
We are called to be light as He is- Light of the world.
1 Jn 1:5-7
The end of the story
Jesus does go on and heal the man.
The man not only sees the light of day, but has an encounter with the Light and Life of the world-
-I want to be a source of light/life to people
-I want to glorify God in my response to life
-I want to be “the way” through which Christ can demonstrate His way to a dark world.
When I walk into a room, do I bring light/life to that room, or do I suck light/life out of the room?
In the middle of difficulties, what do we demonstrate to the world concerning the life/light of God?
I do not want-world to be focused on me/my problems.
I want to learn to represent Christ well
-even in of my own need for comfort.
That is what the cross of Jesus Christ is all about- resurrected life comes out of death.
Am I willing to die so others around me might live?
