Men Loved Darkness Rather Than Light
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not
believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 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.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to
the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may
be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
As I was watering my plants this morning, I noticed something
very amazing and wonderful. All of the leaves were leaning towards
the sunlight. As the light came in from an angle, the plants would
curve toward it to get better access to the light so that they could
grow. These natural pulses of the plants were created by God so that
they would bend toward the light, and not toward the darkness!
God loved the world so much that He gave us His Only Son. Whoever
believes in Christ may not be lost, but has eternal life. God did
not send His Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to
save the world through Him. He who believes in Jesus is not judged
guilty. He who does not believe has already been judged guilty,
because he has not believed in God’s Son.
People are judged by this very fact. Jesus is the Light from God
that has come into the world. But men did not want the Light. They
wanted darkness because they were doing evil things. Everyone who
does evil hates the Light. They will not come to the Light because
it will show and expose all the evil things they have done. But those who
follow the True Way come to the Light. Then the Light will show them
that the things they have done, and whether these deeds were done in
God or not.
As we have come to the Light, we must continue to walk in the Light,
and live in the Light. The plants need the sunlight every day so
that they will grow. Without the sunlight, they will perish quickly
and easily!
1 John 1:5-7
5 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.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in
darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 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.
God is light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all. So, if we
say that we have fellowship with God, but we continue to live in
darkness, then we are liars. We do not follow the truth.
God is in the light. We should live in the light too. If we live in
the light, we share fellowship with each other. And when we live in
the light, the blood of the death of Jesus, God’s Son, will cleanse
us from every sin.
How do we live and walk in the Light? Loving God and loving others!
1 John 2:7-11
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old
commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old
commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
8 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.
9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is
in darkness until now.
10 He who loves his brother abides in the light,
and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
11 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 4:7-11
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has
sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through Him.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that
He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another.
How do we avoid moving back into the darkness again?
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is
of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he
who does the will of God abides forever.
How do we know whether we are now living in the light or
darkness? Our own hearts will tell. Do we love God or the world? Are
we seeking to do our own will or the will of God? Do we love others
as we love ourselves? What are the treasures in our hearts? What are
we seeking and pursuing daily?
Sadly, believers or non-believers, men and women still love darkness
rather than light, because their deeds are evil.
Therefore, we need to learn how to lean and bend towards the Light
in order to live in the Light!
Written on 4 June 2022