John 8:12 A world without Christ
It is an amazing feeling to stand up here. It feels so powerful and humbling at the same time. If I say let’s all stand everyone will stand. If I say let’s all sit down, everyone will sit down. If I say let’s sing a hymn, everyone will sing. I am so tempted to say wash my car.
Honestly, it is powerful, because God’s word is powerful. It is so powerful that it has changed the world forever. It is humbling because I feel so inadequate to present it.
John 8:12
12Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
Jesus says he is the light of the world. What a dark world we would live in if Jesus had not come! I know that in my life I had no direction or real purpose in life until I met him. So many parts of the world have no purpose or direction. If they only knew him what a difference, it would make.
14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
I am the light of the world. You are the light of the world. Over the years, I have met a few people who didn’t understand how both these statements were true.
He is like the pillar of fire that led the way for the nation of Israel in the wilderness. The fire made the light and the light led the way.
In Mathew Jesus says we are the light. What he means is we are the lamp. Jesus is the fire. The lamp contains the light and makes it available to all.
The lamp of Jesus day looked a lot different from what we use today. The closest thing would be a hurricane lamp. They work on the same principle. There is oil in a reservoir in the bottom. A wick has one end in the oil. The other is set on fire. The lamp enables us to take the fire any place needed. An oil lamp takes a serious bit of adjustment. You don’t just stick the wick in and light the fire. A proper ratio must be achieved. Hurricane lamps have an adjustment mechanism just for this purpose. If the wick stays too deep in the oil, only a dim light will be seen. If too much is sticking out the light will be erratic and the wick will burn.
I don’t know if Jesus meant an additional lesson here but this is how I apply it to my life. If I keep myself immersed too deeply in the Word and my Christian community very little of my light will shine. If I extend myself too far out in the world and have little depth, I will be erratic and possibly burn out. It is this perfect balance that allows out light to shine brightly.
The words of one man Jesus Christ changed the world. Only three years of his life were recorded. One small life affected billions of others. There are six and one half billion people on the Earth today. Not all believe in him but everyone’s life has been affected by him. Over the last 2000 years, the total number of affected lives must number hundreds of billions. That is a lot of power for a humble man born in a humble town.
A few months ago, I was teaching a mid-week Bible study. The book we were working out of had a two-page topic called “The world without Christ.” It was a depressing thought, a haunting thought. I could not get it out of my head. This thought doesn’t just occupy my mind, but many others as well. For me it is a disturbing thought but for them it is a goal. How long now have we been hearing “separation of Church and state?” They want God out of public institutions. I suspect what they really want is God out of public view. “We don’t need God” they say we do just fine on our own. These people do not have a clue what they are asking for. There is no truth, there is no morality, and there would be no prosperity without Christ.
How dark would the world be without the light of Jesus Christ? If Jesus never came what would our lives be like?
In this country our justice system, our laws, our morals are based on the teaching of Jesus Christ. Non-Christians if they want to admit it or not base their ideas of right and wrong on the teachings of Jesus.
Jesus said in Mathew 5:14-16
14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Our forefathers let their light shine. The house they shone in was this nation among others. They shone so brightly that non-Christians saw the truth of Jesus and made it tier own. They may not have accepted the Lord as their savior, but they have accepted the truth of his word as a standard of behavior in their lives. When non-Christians live close to the standards of Christ, I call this reflected light. Christians shine the light for Christ and non-Christians reflect it back.
If we were to imagine a world without Christ, we need only to look to areas of the world with very small Christian populations. A small amount of light would mean little reflected light.
In 1978, The Lord called me to be a missionary to one of the darkest areas of the world, Israel. It is sad for me to think that the place that received the light of Christ first, is such a dark place today. I worked among the Jewish population, but I had some interaction with Arabs as well.
Today Jerusalem is a dark place. You may be surprised to learn that daily, bodies are cleaned up off the streets. Eye for an eye, life for a life is still taken literally. If someone is killed accidentally but a family member feels that some malice was intended, the rival family will feel retribution is necessary. Life for a life.
This was the practice in Old Testament times.
Numbers 35:22-28 says;
22But if someone pushes another suddenly without enmity, or hurls any object without lying in wait, 23or, while handling any stone that could cause death, unintentionally drops it on another and death ensues, though they were not enemies, and no harm was intended, 24then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these ordinances; 25and the congregation shall rescue the slayer from the avenger of blood. Then the congregation shall send the slayer back to the original city of refuge. The slayer shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26But if the slayer shall at any time go outside the bounds of the original city of refuge, 27and is found by the avenger of blood outside the bounds of the city of refuge, and is killed by the avenger, no blood guilt shall be incurred. 28For the slayer must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; but after the death of the high priest the slayer may return home.
This remains the practice of many Arabs today. I do not know if they have cities of refuge. This often ends up a cycle. Retribution leads to more retribution. The cycle goes on.
The bodies of women are also found. Death is the punishment for women suspected of sexual promiscuity. Family members feel they must kill their own daughters to restore family honor.
Despite being in same land with the same rules, this is not practiced in Israeli society.
A few weeks ago, there was a terrorist attack in the city of Tel Aviv. A sharp-eyed Israeli soldier saved the day. He was wounded in the attack as was one terrorist survivor. The solder was rushed to Hadassah hospital for treatment. What do you suppose happened to the terrorist? He was also rushed to Hadassah hospital for treatment. He was placed in a room across the hall from the hero. It would seem that according to their scripture the remedy to the situation would be simple. Throw the perpetrator in a ditch and forget about him. This did not happen because of Jesus Christ.
Jews showing the love of Christ? Yes!
In 78 AD, Rome destroyed Jerusalem. The Jews were scattered all over the world. They no longer lived in a segregated society. They lived and interacted with Christians. They learned from our forefathers, who shone the light of Jesus on the Jews. Those who did not accept him as savior did learn compassion and forgiveness.
Math 5:43-45
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
Eye for an Eye was no longer the best way to handle things. I am gratified to know that the Jews may not have accepted Jesus as Messiah, but they did recognize the righteousness of his words.
Some seem to believe that good morals and a sense of right and wrong come naturally to our country. They fail to realize that we are all affected by the fall of man. Being born here doesn’t make us any better.
God and Satin. Light and dark, there is no better way to describe it. In a pitch black cave one match can drive back the darkness. That small light can be seen from far away. Wherever we carry it, the dark must retreat. The dark is ever diligent. Anywhere the light recedes, darkness is always ready to take its place.
If a true separation of church and state were to come, darkness would quickly fill the void. Imagine without Christian temperance how anger, vendettas, and grudges would be handled. Christian and Christian reflected societies haven’t mastered these problems. Turning the other cheek is as hard today as when Jesus first said it.
In the light of Jesus Christ, we don’t fight our battles with our most precious resource, our children. Our forefathers taught the world the words of Jesus in Math 18:5-6
. 5Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
6“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.
I have heard many a foolish man on radio or television say that we can’t judge these actions. After all, they say, you have not lived under oppression. How do you know how you would act? Rest assured my friends Palestinian Christians don’t sacrifice their children in hatred!
I don’t mean single out one society. This and equally atrocious things occur all over the world.
I turned on the TV the other day and a documentary was on. It looked interesting and I decided to watch a little bit to see what is was about. The scene was a pretty little street in a Far East city at night. The shop windows were large glass panes brightly lit. It had my attention. I was anxious to see what the shop windows contained. My interest was soon turned to dismay. This was a red light district. The bright windows were to display their offerings. Young girls, some as young as 12 years old. They were sent to work at these establishments by their own parents.
Math 7:11
Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
The context of this verse doesn’t directly address this issue, but there is some things we have learned from beyond it’s face value. Jesus compares the relationship between God and man to the relationship between parent and child. God gives good things to his children. In fact, God considers this relationship so precious that he gave the life of his Son just for us. In a Christian reflected society, it is a rare parent that would not give his own life for his child. In my first draft, I wrote it is a dark society that expects children to sacrifice themselves for the parent. My second time through I realized that statement was wrong. It is an evil society that expects it’s children to make such sacrifices for the parent. There is nothing so precious to a western society that it’s children.
Pastor Rick and Becky have a beautiful child. She is not a child any longer but a woman. She just left to do mission service. She will be back home in a year or two. It might soon be time to think about marriage. I wonder if Rick has set his bride price yet? There might be a few young men in this congregation who might want to know just how many goats it might take to buy her. Since we are talking about a world without Christ, maybe I might be interested in a second wife. It would make no difference that I am old and bald. If I have enough goats, I could be in the running.
In a Christian reflected society, women cannot be bought for any price. They are priceless. In our society women are the full worth of a man. Perhaps we honor them just a bit higher. Men often put women first. After all, we don’t put men and children in the lifeboats first. I heard of an incident where life boats were filled with middle eastern men only, women and children were left to die.
In many societies, including Old Testament times, the testimony of a woman was considered worthless. The courts of the time believed women could not be trusted. Jesus changed all that when he entrusted to women the most important testimony ever given.
Math 28:8
8So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
The women witnessed the empty tomb. They saw Jesus. They were the ones to bring this news to the world. They weren’t believed at first. I don’t know if it was because they were women or that the news was so incredible.
You are the light of the world. How powerful is the light? That light conquered an empire. Rome conquered so many lands that it was said “The sun never set on the Roman Empire.” The sun of Rome was no match for the light of Christ.
I had the pleasure of attending the second ever Promise Keepers conference. 17,000 men filled a stadium in Boulder Colorado to see the light of Jesus shine. It has grown over the years to fill stadiums across our nation. This wasn’t the first time people fill an arena to see the light of Christ shine. The first spectators came to what they thought would be the end of Christianity. The sacrifice of lives for entertainment was an art form in Rome. First the gladiators, then Christians made up the entertainment. The light conquered the largest empire the world had ever seen. In the year 312, Constantine emperor of Rome accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. It took just a few hundred years from arena floor to ruler of the greatest nation on Earth. Our forefathers in great adversity let their light shine. Life would never again be considered so cheap that it could be sacrificed for entertainment.
Last week pastor touched on how slavery was practiced in the Roman Empire. There is no slavery in Rome now. Unfortunately, slavery is not vanquished from the Earth. It happens in many places, most notably in Sudan. These people are not suffering because they are from other countries or have skin another color. They are targeted because they are Christians.
In our country, it was the light of believers that put an end to slavery. Christians practiced the principles they learned in
Phil 2:1-7
1If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.
The light of Christ crushed slavery in our country. Forced labor, deplorable conditions and restricted freedom were endured. The worst of it was the destruction of families. Children were torn from their mother’s arms, husbands and wives were sold apart. Slaves were encouraged to become Christians because slaveholders believed it would make them more compliant.
I am 51 years old and I hate to say that until last week I had not read Uncle Tom’s cabin. Harriett Beecher Stowe felt that Christianity and slavery could not co-exist. She felt that the light of Christ to be the only thing powerful enough to defeat it. She was right and her book was an influential factor.
Her characters were fiction but the views of Christian and slave were accurately portrayed. Uncle Tom has become a symbol of betrayal to black people today. I think it unlikely that any of those who use that term derogatorily have ever read the book. If Uncle Tom were a real person, he would be my hero. He was humble and compliant, not because he had no backbone, but because he let his light shine before men. Every character white or black benefited from Tom’s wisdom and humility. To Uncle Tom it was more important to let his light shine than to be free. The author wrote the story to show that Christ can free both the body and Spirit.
We look at the evils of the world and thank God that those things don’t occur here. Those who went before us were faithful. They let their light shine so brightly the structure of our country was built on it. Because of them, we think of slavery and say never again. Child prostitution is unthinkable.
As time passes and we go to our reward, would it not be wonderful if future generations would think of “Abortion” and say never again. Same sex marriage, Unthinkable. Because that those who came before them were faithful.
