Jesus Our Everlasting Light
And
behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them,
till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
When they saw
the star,
they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
Matthew 2:9-10
The
wise men had seen the star in the east, and they journeyed all the
way from Asia to Israel. Were they Japanese? Were they Chinese? Were
they Indians? No, they were probably Persians.
They were wise men.
Some said that they were kings. They had seen the star in their own
country, and they followed the star all the way to Jerusalem. It was
a long and tiring journey travelling through deserts, hot
temperatures, rocky hills and rough terrains. But when they saw the
star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy! They forgot about
the heat, their own difficulties and discomfort.
What is
this star in Bethlehem? What star can make people rejoice with
exceedingly great joy? It is
not an ordinary star. It is
an extraordinary
star. It has a glorious light. It is a light from God. It is an
everlasting light. It is a light that has no beginning and no end.
From everlasting to everlasting. It does not run on batteries,
electricity, burning wood or candles.
This everlasting
light is found in Genesis 1:1-5:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth.
The earth was
without form, and void;
and darkness was on the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said,
"Let there be light"; and there was light.
And God saw
the light, that it was good;
and God divided the light from the darkness.
God called the
light Day, and the darkness He called Night.
So the evening and the morning were the first day.
This
everlasting light is very different from those lights listed in
Genesis 1:14-19:
Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament
of the heavens
to divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;
and let them
be for lights in the firmament of the heavens
to give light on the earth"; and it was so.
Then God made
two great lights:
the greater light to rule the day,
and the lesser light to rule the night.
He made the stars also.
God set them
in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,
and to rule
over the day and over the night,
and to divide the light from the darkness.
And God saw that it was good.
So the evening
and the morning were the fourth day.
God created light
on the first day. But He created the stars, the sun and moon, only
on the fourth day. Thus, what was the light on the first day if the
sun and the stars were only being created on the fourth day?
The answer is found
in these two verses:
The sun shall no
longer be your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
but the LORD will be to you an everlasting light,
and your God your glory.
Your sun shall no longer go down,
nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and the days of your mourning shall be ended. (Isaiah 60:19-20)
There shall be no
night there:
They need no lamp nor light of the sun,
for the Lord God gives them light.
And they shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:5)
The Lord never
desires us to substitute anyone or anything or any light for Him. No
sun, moon or stars are required when God Himself is our everlasting
light! He is our eternal God, and He gives us eternal life and
light.
Light is the
opposite of darkness. Light represents God's presence and
righteousness. Before man was created, God created light. This is
not any ordinary light but an everlasting light. That’s the first
thing He created in the first day! Throughout the Bible, light
represents truth, goodness, and God's redemptive work. Darkness, on
the other hand, symbolizes error, evil, and the works of Satan.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
(Psalm 119:105)
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? (Psalm 27:1)
But
mankind has a problem. They loved darkness more than light, doing
evil instead of good. Because of this,
all men sinned
and died.
And this is the
condemnation,
that the light has come into the world,
and men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil.
For everyone practicing evil hates the light
and does not come to the light,
lest his deeds should be exposed.
But he who does the truth comes to the light,
that his deeds may be clearly seen,
that they have been done in God. (John 3:19-21)
"..for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.." (Romans 3:23)
All have sinned,
and as a result, all died. But God did not leave us in that
condition, He gave us life everlasting!
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23)
God gives us
eternal life, and He also gives us eternal light. And this eternal
life and light is found in Jesus Christ our Lord!
For it is the God
who commanded light to shine out of darkness,
who has shone in our hearts
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
Where is this light shining from? It is shining in our hearts!
Jesus is
shining in our hearts. He is our everlasting light!
Then Jesus spoke to
them again, saying,
"I am the light of the world.
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness,
but have the light of life." (John 8:12)
I have come as a light into the world,
that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:46)
When we follow and
abide in Jesus, we will walk in His everlasting light, and will have
the light of life! Jesus is our everlasting light! He shines from
everlasting to everlasting. He is the Alpha and the Omega!
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the
beginning with God.
All things
were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Him was
life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light
shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God,
whose name was John.
This man came
for a witness,
to bear witness of the Light,
that all through him might believe.
He was not
that Light,
but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the
true Light
which gives light to every man coming into the world.
He was in the
world,
and the world was made through Him,
and the world did not know Him.
He came to His
own,
and His own did not receive Him.
But as many as
received Him,
to them He gave the right to become children of God,
to those who believe in His name:
who were born,
not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-14)
If Jesus is our everlasting
light, what are we required to be? We are also called the
sons of God, and we are also called to be the light of the world!
You are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they
light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light
so shine before men,
that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
As God is light, we
can only have fellowship with Him as we walk and live in His
everlasting light! We cannot walk and live in darkness!
This is the message which we have heard from Him and
declare to you,
that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that
we have fellowship with Him,
and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son
cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)
How are we to shine
before God and men? How are we to live in the light of God? What are
we supposed to do?
Again, a new commandment I write to you,
which thing is true in Him and in you,
because the darkness is passing away,
and the true light is already shining.
He who says he
is in the light,
and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
He who loves
his brother abides in the light,
and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
But he who
hates his brother
is in darkness and walks in darkness,
and does not know where he is going,
because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:8-11)
Once our
hearts were full of darkness, now our hearts are full of light from
the Lord, and our behaviors and conducts should show it! Because of
this everlasting light shining within us, we should do only what is
good and right and true.
For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light
for the fruit
of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
finding out
what is acceptable to the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather expose them.
For it is
shameful even to speak of those things
which are done by them in secret.
But all things
that are exposed are made manifest by the light,
for whatever makes manifest is light.
Therefore He
says:
"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light." (Ephesians 5:8-14)
But you, brethren, are not in darkness,
so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
You are all
sons of light and sons of the day.
We are not of the night nor of darkness. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5)
We have been
chosen by God Himself to be priests of the King. As such, we are to
be holy and pure as we have come out of the darkness, and are now
living in His wonderful and everlasting light.
But you are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
His own special people,
that you may proclaim the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
who once were
not a people
but are now the people of God,
who had not obtained mercy
but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
When we do so, we will shine as the stars forever and
ever. We too will have everlasting life! We too will become an
everlasting light!
Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)
Written on:
10 December 2007