4/13/14 PARABLES OF JESUS
He Is The Light
Why did Jesus come to the world? Jesus Came for Our MessA story of a family as they traveled. My family was staying at a hotel in Nigeria, West Africa, when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and found a smiling Nigerian gentleman ready to clean our room.
I was so embarrassed! My family had travel bags, curling irons, and crumpled clothing sprawled across our unmade beds. Wet towels were all over the bathroom floor. I apologized profusely, but the young man replied graciously, “No problem, sir. For this reason I have come, to put your things in order.”
The Bible says this is exactly what Jesus Christ came to do for us. To put our lives in order! He doesn’t demand that we first straighten up our mess. Instead, He offers to clean up for us.
Mike Silva, “Would You Like Fries With That?” (Word Publishing, 2005), p. 42
Jesus came to the world to give us what we can’t do ourselves. At the end of His life on earth we see the dramatic events that happened. The Easter Season includes what we call Palm Sunday.
What do we think about, what mental pictures come to our thinking about Palm Sunday? The Triumphal Entry.
The picture is Jesus riding down the hill from the Mount of Olives, down the path towards Jerusalem. The crowd was excited. Luke records these words of the people joyfully praising God for all the miracles they had seen.
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:38 NIV
The people were excited and Jesus received the accolades. He was worthy to receive all the praise. Up to this time He wasn’t seeking the adoration of the crowds. It was time for this to happen. Shortly, the crowds would turn against Him.
As Jesus approached the city He wept over it, for He knew what judgement was coming. We see His great compassion for people.
Jesus knew what was coming. He knew the arrest, the mockery of a trial and the crucifixion that was before Him. People were blinded to the truth back then. People are still blinded to the truth. Because of this, one of the parables Jesus taught was about light and darkness.
Matthew 6:22-23 NIV
22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Luke 11:33-36 NIV
33 No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.
The theme here. When we turn on the lights, we don’t hide them. We use them to let us see where we are, where we are going and what we are doing. When we read we want good light.
***Light overcomes darkness. When we enter a room at night and hit the switch, the light always wins over the darkness. Our eyes bring the light to the body and we can function. When our eyes work, we can see. A blind person can’t see because their eyes are not working.
What is the spiritual application here? Jesus is the light. When we have our spiritual eyes open we see what God has for us and we follow. If our spiritual eyes are impaired and evil, we won’t receive the light of Jesus. The light of Jesus is sufficient to give us life and hope.
Your eyes are your body’s gateway to light and images. This is both physically and spiritually. Healthy eyes allow you to see and identify the image is that you see. Healthy spiritual eyes see God’s way.
What are the implications of this teaching?
Be careful what you decide to look at take in through your eyes. We only take in what we expose ourselves to. If the images and ideas we see are ungodly and evil, they will corrupt and fog our minds and keep us from following and obeying Jesus.
****When our spiritual eyes, and this is expressed in our attitudes, desires and motives, are focused on God and His purposes, then God’s light revealed in His Word comes in to our lives and results in the blessings, benefits, character traits and outward evidence of salvation and our devotion to God. The opposite is also true. When our desires are not focused on the things of God, then God’s light and truth are concealed.
Another important key: Each individual is responsible for their own spiritual condition. We must examine our hearts and be sure that our spiritual eyes are open and clear so the Bible can impact us as God planned. It will purify and transform our lives inside and out. If we have darkness in our lives, we must confess our sins, open our hearts to God, turning from our own way and follow God’s light and purposes. As our spiritual eyes are opened, we see that there is no room for compromise.
The people who were praising Jesus as He rode a donkey to the city of Jerusalem soon forgot their praise and excitement. I wonder how open their spiritual eyes were. How quickly the crowds turned from --
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
-- to “Crucify Him”.
Many spiritually blind people today are doing all they can to get Jesus out of life. They hate Him. They hate what He taught. They hate what Jesus stands for. We must understand that, for there is an intense spiritual battle.
II Corinthians 4:1-6 NIV
1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 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 the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Important personal questions to ask:
***Am I going to accept the message of the light that God has given to us? You already did? Great!!
***Am I going to ask God to open the eyes of my heart to I can see Him. You already did? Great!!
***Am I going to live a life of spiritual blindness? Why would I want to do that?
***Am I applying the Bible truths to my life so they impact my daily life? You already are? Great!!
***How do I step from darkness to light?
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household.”
Acts 16:29-31 NIV
This awesome truth is for everyone, personally. Accept and apply it.
