The Kingdom of Light
I asked my former colleague, pastor Susan Watson, if I could use her sermon from last Sunday…and she agreed! Susan is a gifted preacher and leader and I am proud that she and my friend Tom Clegg are doing such a great job in leading Westview Church. Westview is the church I helped to start 18 years ago. They are my sending church in this mission to Portland. Susan’s message is quoted in full below. Light and Christmas go together don’t they?
We are living in the 1st chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians this Christmas season. Today we are looking at verses 9-14 to see what we learn about Jesus.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you & asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom & understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord & may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance & patience, & joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness & brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Paul says that as followers of Jesus Christ, we live in his kingdom. He is the King, & we are saints … subjects in his kingdom.
Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah prophecies this in a familiar Christmas passage:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, & the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government & peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne & over his kingdom, establishing & upholding it with justice & righteousness from that time on & forever. (Is. 9:6-7) Isaiah foretells of a king who will be born & a kingdom that will be established.
It’s not a king or kingdom as we might think of it in modern times. When I think of a king or kingdom, I think of the British Empire. It comprises the colonies & territories that are ruled by the United Kingdom. At 1 time the British Empire was the largest empire in history, encompassing ¼ of the world’s population. At its peak it was said that “the sun never sets on the British Empire” because its span across the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least 1 of its numerous territories.
Eventually, most of the territories were granted independence, including the 13 colonies in N. Am. 14 territories, though, remain under British rule. If you live in 1 of those territories, your Head of State is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, & you are considered a subject of the British Empire.
The kingdom of God is not like that. It is not a physical or geographic place. There is no location on this planet that we can designate as “the kingdom of God”. Jesus says this when he begins his earthly ministry: “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk. 1:15)
The kingdom of God is present in the person, ministry & miracles of Jesus. When he is present, the kingdom is present. The kingdom is not a visible, political, geographic place or territory. It is wherever Jesus is present … wherever he rules & reigns.
The kingdom of God has come to this earth with the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the king from the line of David. He came in the 1st century & established his kingdom. But there is a part of his kingdom that is yet to come. Jesus taught his disciples in the Lord’s Prayer to pray “your kingdom come”. There is a “not yet” aspect to his kingdom. It is here now, but has not been fully realized. At some point in the future, Jesus will return to this earth and his kingdom will be established forever. He will set up a new heaven & a new earth. All things will be set right, & everything will be made new.
Now … I want to go back to our passage in Colossians 1, because Paul gives us on interesting description of the kingdom. Of all the ways he could have referred to the kingdom, he chooses to call it a “kingdom of light”. That phrase will be our focus for the remainder of this morning. Jesus came as a king and his kingdom is a kingdom of light. Light & darkness. Powerful themes that run throughout Scripture. They are present in the opening verses of Genesis:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning – the 1st day.
Light & darkness … in the beginning. In the Gospel of John in the NT, we get another version of the creation account. Listen. In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, & the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 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. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
In the Genesis account, we learn that the light is good. In John, we learn that the light is God. God himself, in the person of Jesus, enters this world as the light. The birth story of Jesus is surrounded by light. The passage that I read earlier from Isaiah … for to us a child is born … has this just a few verses prior. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
The Magi or wisemen were ones that saw that great light. Matthew records that they traveled to Bethlehem and asked: Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. The shepherds, too, saw the great light. An angel of the Lord appeared to them & the glory of the Lord shone around them. Jesus enters this world as the world’s light.
It was not just the events of his birth that were associated with light. Jesus’ ministry was marked by light. In fact, he uses light to describe & define himself. In John 8 there is a record of a special holiday called the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, and Jesus like everyone else in those days went up to the temple. The Feast of Tabernacles occurred in the late autumn & celebrated the harvest. There were water ceremonies that recalled the need for water in the dry autumn. There were also light ceremonies, marking the end of the long summer days. The Mishnah, a collection of Jewish instructions, gives lavish descriptions of the water & light ceremonies. In regards to the light, there were 4 large stands that each held 4 golden bowls. These were placed in the heavily used Court of Women in the temple. These 16 bowls were reachable only by ladder, & they were filled with oil. Now … I am not making this up … the wicks in the oil were made from the used undergarments of the priests. They must have thought they were sanctified. Thankfully, no such practice occurs here at Westview! When they were lit at night, all Jerusalem was said to be illuminated. In a world that did not have public lighting after dark, it must have been quite an impressive sight. People would dance in the streets, carrying torches & singing hymns. On the last day of the Feast, Jesus is in the temple in the very court where this ceremony takes place. He is standing under these 16 bowls, & he says this: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Not only is he the true light of Jerusalem, but of the entire world.
Later in his ministry, Jesus goes up on a high mountain with 3 of his disciples (Peter, James & John). While they were there, Scripture records that There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. The disciples are given a glimpse of his glory … the glory that someday will be revealed to all. Jesus is the light of this world.
What does it mean that Jesus is the light of the world? I want to look at 3 functions of light with you & discuss the implications of following a king who is light & the implications of living in a kingdom that is characterized by light.
1st: Light Exposes. Look at John 3:19-20. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. Light exposes. I mentioned to you a few weeks ago that in November, my mom, sister & I traveled to Spokane for a family wedding. The hotel where we stayed had a makeup mirror in the bathroom attached to the wall. It was backlit & had quite a bit of magnification. At home, I am just used to using the regular mirror in the morning to get ready & put on my makeup.
Well, the 1st morning in Spokane, I used this makeup mirror in the hotel. Was I shocked when I looked at my face in the light & magnification. There are blemishes & wrinkles & spots I never knew I had. The mirror with the lights & magnification exposed them. It revealed things that I didn’t want to see. If fact, I announced to my mom & sister that I wasn’t using that mirror again … & I didn’t. I didn’t want to know the truth. I didn’t want to see reality.
Light exposes reality. It shows us the truth. Evil deeds … darkness … are revealed. And Scripture says that men & women don’t want their sin & dark stuff revealed, so we hide from the light … we avoid it. Yet, we are intended to live in the light. If we want to follow the king who is light & live in his kingdom, then we must come into the light. See darkness & light can’t co-exist. Even the smallest of light will illuminate a dark place. You can’t have both darkness & light.
John in his opening chapter links life & light. In him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. If you want to know the fullness of life that God has for you … if you want to know life eternal, then you must come into the light. You must acknowledge your sin & turn from your sin & turn toward the light. That is what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Don’t hide from the light. There is healing & wholeness & life to be found in the light.
Anyone know of someone afraid of the dark? Many of us as children are afraid of the dark? Afraid of what might be under the bed or in the closet or around the corner. What about the light? Are any of you afraid of the light … afraid of what you might see … afraid of what might be revealed? Allow the light of God to penetrate your lives & reveal areas of your life that are in darkness. Come into the light & the life that God has for you.
What else does light do? Light Illumines. It guides us. In the OT, while the Israelites were in the wilderness, God guided them with a cloud by day & a pillar of fire by night. The light illuminated their path. In the NT, the Magi saw the star … the bright light, & it guided their journey. Jesus Christ, the light of the world, guides his people. He is, in the words of the Psalmist, a lamp to our feet & a light for our path.
Are you following the light? That is what it means to be a Christian … a disciple of Jesus Christ. It isn’t enough to simply believe. Even the devil believes Jesus is the son of God. Christians are those who have chosen to follow … who allow the light to expose sin in their life … who turn from that sin … & allow the light to illumine their path … who look to God for guidance & direction.
One area that the light illuminates for us is Scripture. The Bible is the very words of God. It is our text book for teaching us who God is & how we are to live. God’s Spirit inspired the authors of Scripture to write it, & the Spirit illuminates our minds & hearts to read it & understand it. Paul in our text in Colossians prays that the readers might be filled with all spiritual wisdom & understanding. It is the light of God that illuminates our hearts & minds.
There is another sense in which light illumines. Look again at John 3:21.But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. Light illumines good deeds. It highlights them, so people will know they were done through God. It gives him the glory and points people to Jesus. Light exposes evil, & it illumines good. Things are drawn to light. Plants grow toward the light. Bugs fly to a light. Humans, particularly when they are lost or in darkness, will seek out light. Come into the light. Live in the light that people may see your good deeds & praise your Father in heaven.
Light also Transforms. In the presence of light things change. Seeds germinate. Snow melts. Water boils. Fruit forms & grows.
Light is productive. In fact, Scripture teaches that light produces fruit. Eph. 5:9 says the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness & truth. It is set in contrast with the fruitless deeds of darkness. Paul, in Galatians, calls that fruit … the fruit of the Spirit. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Gal. 5:22.
The more time we spend in the light … walking in the light … living in the light … basking in the light, the more our lives will be transformed … the more our lives will be characterized by love, joy, peace, etc. As the light of Christ shines on us, we begin to be transformed into what he is.
This is what really struck me this week in my studies. God is light. We, as his followers, live in the kingdom of light. We, in turn, become agents … conduits of light in this world. But … it’s not just that we hold a mirror refracting God’s light into the world. It’s not just that we have reflectors attached to us bouncing his light off of us. There is a real sense in which we, ourselves, are being transformed into light. Jesus taught his followers that he was the light of the world. And at one point, he looks at them & tells them what must have been astonishing to them. He said, You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Mt. 5:14-16.
It’s not just that we are reflecting God’s light. We are light. Paul tells Timothy that there is a flame in him. It is as if when we become a follower of Jesus Christ, a pilot light is lit within us. As we grow as a Christ follower, that light becomes brighter & more beautiful.
We are to take that light wherever we go. We take it with us to the grocery store … when we ride the bus … in the classroom if we teach or are a student … to the coffee shop … the office. And that light will do what light does. If we choose not to hide it, it will expose darkness. It will illumine our world & show it a better way. It will transform things with which it comes into contact.
We are light in this dark world, & we need to let it shine. Paul in Philippians says that we are to “shine like stars in the universe” … that is our job description as a follower of Jesus Christ.
The message of Christmas is that Jesus came as the light of the world. He took all sin & darkness on himself on the cross, so that we might be able to stand blameless before him & live in the light. He has given us the gift of light & the ministry of light. We are to be servants of the light of Christ in the dark corners of this world … until that day when darkness will be no more.
We looked at the opening verses in Genesis when light entered this world. The final verses of Revelation give us a glimpse of the light we will enjoy for eternity. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
As you ponder the light of the world this Christmas season, may you be drawn to him … may you be transformed by him … and may you shine like stars in the world around you.
