Light in the Darkness

Light in the Darkness
Words of Faith 11-4-16
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2016
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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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."

“I AM” was a bold statement for Jesus to make among Jewish people. Why? “I AM” is the name of God!
God told Moses His Name in Exodus 3:13-14, Yahweh. The fuller form of the name may be rendered “I am who I am,” “I will be who I will be,” or even “I cause to be what is.”
It seems that John more than any other Gospel writer was inspired to make sure that we know exactly who Jesus is in the big picture. John records for us a number of I AM statements. The other Gospel writers may not have recorded these because of the particular context into which they wrote, but John brings us the clear claims of Jesus using the actual name of God-- “I AM”-- with specifics. “I am the Light of the world” is one among many wonderful revealing statements of Jesus:

I Am the Messiah (John 4:26).
I Am (It is I); be not afraid (John 6:20).
I Am the Bread of Life (John 6:35).
I Am the Light of the World (John 8:12; John 9:5; John 12:46).
I Am from Above (John 8:23).
I Am before Abraham was, I am (eternal) (John 8:58).
I Am the Door (John 10:7).
I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10:14).
I Am the Son of God (John 10:36).
I Am the Resurrection and Life (John 11:25).
I Am the Lord and Master (John 13:13).
I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
I Am the True Vine (John 15:1).
I Am Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8).
I Am the First and the Last (Rev. 1:17).

"I am the light of the world.” What does this mean? John has already revealed to us that “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” (John 1:4-5). Jesus is Life and Light.
“Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Does this mean that those who are followers of Jesus cannot stumble and fall? Are followers of Jesus never influenced by the darkness? Of course not. We can point to countless examples of failure among believers.
What this means is that those who have “believed”-- trusted with their whole weight in Jesus-- will always have the Light of Life even if they go into dark places. Because of that Light and Life such places are no longer dark and there is no excuse.
Once we are saved we cannot just shake off the Light of Jesus for a temporary stroll in the darkness. The Light and Life of Jesus go with us! Even if we attempt to go into dark places or participate in dark deeds the Light and Life of Jesus will illumine that place.
In short, sin is not “fun” as it used to be. Actually it was never “fun”, but now the Light and Life that are in us reveal sinful acts for what they are: death. The Life of Jesus in us is the constant reminder of who we really are and whose we really are!
Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you belong to Him? Have you trusted in Him by faith? Are you walking in the Light and Life of Jesus? If not, is Jesus drawing you to faith in Him today?

O Lord, let Your Light shine in me! Let Your life be evident in all that I do and say. I place my faith fully in Your completed work for me. Fill my life with Your Light in Jesus’ name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2016
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.