Let Light Shine Out Of Darkness

2 Corinthians 4:4-6 - The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.


2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Application:

· Is the light in my life the knowledge of the glory of God?
· Am I being gloriously transformed into the image of God?
· My redemption, effected by the power of the Spirit, is the beginning of the new creation destined to come


All Scripture verses taken from NIV

A New Command

1 John 2:8 - Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

John 13:34 - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Romans 13:12 - The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 - You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

Conclusions:

• In a sense a new command was an old one, but for Christ’s disciples it was new, because it was the mark of their brotherhood, created by Christ’s great love for them
• Our standard is Christ’s love for us
• The night is the present evil age
• “Is nearly over; the day is almost here” is a clear example of the New Testament teaching of the nearness of the end times
• These texts do not mean that the early Christians believed that Jesus would return within a few years.
• The early Christians regarded the death and resurrection of Christ as the crucial events of history that began the last days
• Since the next great event in God’s redemptive plan is the second coming of Jesus Christ, the night, no matter how long chronologically it may last, is nearly over
• The day is the appearing of Jesus Christ, which ushers in the consummation of the kingdom
• In Semitic languages, to be the “son of” a quality meant to be characterized by that quality
• Christians do not simply live in the light; they are characterized by the light

Application:

• Is your standard Christ's love for you?
• Have you put aside the deeds of darkness?
• Are you characterized by light?

All scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Darkness

1 John 1:4-8 - We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

John 8:12 - When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Hebrews 9:14 - How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Proverbs 20:9 - Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?

John 8:44 - You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Conclusions:

• It is also true that God is light
• And as Jesus followers reflect the light that comes from Him, they too are the light of the world
• Darkness is both the darkness of the world and that of Satan
• God is light; but Jesus is also the light from God that lights the way for life—as the pillar of fire lighted the way for the Israelites
• He was the one who offered the sacrifice, and He was the sacrifice itself
• Christ was unblemished in the entirety of His being, not just superficially
• To cleanse our consciences means to remove sin’s defilement from the very core of our being
• No one is without sin—but those whose sins have been forgiven have clean hands and a pure heart
• The Jews relationship to Satan was stated explicitly
• Jesus clearly excluded the idea of the universal fatherhood of God
• The Jews problem was basically spiritual, not intellectual
• Being oriented toward Satan, the Jews were bent on murder and eventually would succeed
• Truth is foreign to Satan and those who are his

Application:

• Do you reflect the light that comes from Jesus?
• Have you removed sin's defilement from the very core of your being?
• Do you have clean hands and a pure heart?
• Do you have spiritual problems?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Darkness

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 - Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

Romans 13:11 - And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Acts 24:25 - As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you."

Conclusions:

• In the Old Testament the day of the Lord is a time when God will come and intervene with judgment and/or blessing
• In the New Testament the thought of judgment continues, but it is also the day of redemption; the day of God, or of Christ; and the last day, the great day or simply the day
• The day of the Lord is the consummation of all things
• There will be some preliminary signs, but the coming of the Lord will be as unexpected as that of a thief in the night
• In Semitic languages to be the “son of” a quality meant to be characterized by that quality
• Christians do not simply live in the light, they are characterized by light
• The present time is the time of salvation, the closing period of the present age, before the consummation of the kingdom
• The hour is the time for action
• Our salvation is the full realization of salvation at the second coming of Jesus Christ
• Every day brings us closer to the second advent of Christ
• Hearing of righteousness, self-control and judgment, Felix looked at his past life and was filled with fear
• Felix had a spark of sincerity and concern
• Lust, pride, greed and selfish ambition made it continually inconvenient for Felix to change

Application:

• Are you ready for the Lord's coming?
• Are you characterized by light?
• Are you slumbering?
• Is their lust, pride, greed and selfish ambition in your life making it inconvenient to change?

All Scripture verses from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible