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Preaching Gospel of John last nearly 3 years in on and off series. This is message #60. We will
stop for a while - The Truth Project, church health, spirituality, Christmas. Next section is
chapters 13-17 - Personal Ministry to the Disciples in the Upper Room Discourse. Then another final
series 18-21 The Passion of Christ.
INTRODUCTION
ILLUS: In our family we joke about Georgia - we northerners and Jeannette’s family became
southerners down there. A couple of popular folk songs about Georgia - “The Devil went down to
Georgia” by Charlie Daniels Band in 1979. In 1993 a sequel “The Devil Comes back to
Georgia” - Johnny Cash performed in that one. My son says no one ever wrote a song that the
devil ever left Georgia.
But back in 1972 Bobby Russell wrote and Vicki Lawrence sang “The Night the Lights went out in
Georgia.” Reba McIntire did a music video in 1991. Tragic song. Theme is immorality, murder,
injustice, corruption. 2 people dead, and an innocent man lynched - “that’s the night
that the lights went out in Georgia, thats the night that they hung an innocent man, Don’t
trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer, cos the judge in the town’s got bloodstains
on his hands.”
Our text today is where Jesus ends His public ministry and we see the lights going out in Palestine.
In the next week, spiritual blindness and political corruption, will nail Jesus to a cross - crucify
an innocent man. So many people had blood stains on their hands - even Pilate tried to wash it off.
We need to understand that the spiritual light for us to see God clearly and ourselves honestly will
not always be on, the lights someday will go out. People often make decisions to reject Christ as
Savior, or ignore Him, or postpone their decision until hopefully the last moment. But in a flash of
unexpected time, the lights all go out - all hope is gone.
If you have never accepted Christ, there will be a night in Georgia, or Iowa, or wherever you are
that the lights will go out, but you will not be an innocent man - guilty of the eternally damning
sin of unbelief in Christ. Listen to John 3:32-50
1. While you have the Light, believe in the Light vs. 32-36a
- Jesus offers a public invitation to the people one more time. His love for Jews and
Gentiles was evident in His continual offer of eternal life in spite of their
questionings, doubts, or outright rejection of Him.
- Theme of John: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, who brings us
light, love and life. He is light - John 8:12
- The light was still shining for a little while longer - soon He will be visibly gone and
darkness will engulf them again.
ILLUS: Hard for us to imagine, but in the days before gas and electric lights most
people didn’t go out at night. Only in the daylight could they clearly see and
walk safely. Darkness closes the outside world.
- The only way to avoid spiritual darkness was to believe in the light while it was still
light, so we can become sons of light - 1 John 1:5-7
- The light is still on in our culture, though darkness is getting darker. We live in a
post-Christian/post-modern world - tonight’s topic - its dark…
- Jesus is the Light, invites us. But someday it will be too late - 2 Cor. 6:2
ILLUS: India’s Gandhi’s just before his death wrote: “All about me
is darkness; I am praying for light.”
2. When you harden your heart, God blinds you to the light vs. 36b-50
- God had been so patient with His people in the OT, time and time again He called them to
Himself, and time and time again they rejected Him.
QUOTE: The sobering truth is that when sinners persistently reject Him, God may
ultimately remove His grace and judge them... Those who reject Jesus Christ, never
embracing Him in saving faith, will inevitably face God’s vengeance, wrath,
and judgment in eternal punishment.” (MacArthur, 51)
- If you continue to live without Christ, each day you live is one day closer to spending
eternity in hell... You don’t have any time to loose.
- The rest of the chapter is John’s commentary and reminder of the theme of
Jesus’ 3 years of public testimony. The light was going out because:
- The people did not believe the Signs. vs. 36b-37
- Miracles are not guarantees people will come to their senses and believe.
Sometimes miracles do the opposite - raise unbelief.
- His “so many signs before them” - nature (calm storms),
hunger (multiplied loafs and fish), over disease (heal the sick), death
(raised 3 people), was plenty of evidence, but unbelief cannot see truth
before their very eyes. Up to this point 32 recorded miracles in Bible,
- His opponents, unlike modern skeptics, never denied that reality of the
miracles, but they denied the miracle maker - to them God couldn’t
become a man and live among us to die for our sins.
- The people did not believe their own Scriptures. vs. 38-43
- v. 41 Isaiah saw the Lord 700 years before - Isaiah 6 - magnificent
glory “Holy, Holy, Holy,” but predicted their response
6:10 - v. 40
- v. 38 is a quote from Isaiah 53 - Suffering chapter - Israel heard,
would Israel believe? v. 39 Continual unbelief hardens the heart so
people can’t believe any longer. The light of revelation goes out.
- Israel’s rejection of Jesus was a culmination of centuries of rebellion,
misused privileges, and forsaking divine truth.
- Two quotes to Isaiah 53:1 end of the book, 6:10 beginning of
the book attributed to Isaiah verify that Isaiah wrote the whole book - people
question Isaiah’s authorship - Jesus affirmed Isaiah wrote all.
- Isaiah 55:6 “seek the Lord while He is near” They
didn’t, do we?
- vs. 42-43 - some rulers tried to have the best of both worlds - but
ultimately couldn’t have Christ. Nicodemus did publicly declare.
- Public affirmation is still important, invitations, and Baptism.
- The people did not believe Jesus’ Speaking. vs.44-50
- 3 years of public teaching - sermons, illustrations, parables,
explaining the OT and how He fulfilled the prophecies, speaking on
behalf of the Father, 3 times Father audibly spoke: after all that:
- They didn’t believe the Father sent to seek and save lost
- They didn’t believe He was the Light, the Messiah
- They didn’t obey
- All that was left was for them to be judged v. 48 - Hebrews 12:25
- Hard hearts close the door to salvation. I hope you don’t have a
hard heart. If you have neglected God’s word and prayer, if you
have quenched the Holy Spirit, if you have not obeyed where you know you
should have then the light in you is going dim. Run to the light before
it goes out.
- The importance of evangelism to children and youth - less sin to harden
their heart. Why we stress family ministry, youth ministry, camp
ministry.
Before 12 - 90% of accepting Christ
12 - 16 - 1 in a 1,000
16 - 25 - 1 in 10,000
25 - 50 - 1 in 100,000
50+ - 1 in 1,000,000 REASON: Sin hardens the heart.
- Even in adult evangelism - statistics show takes 8-9 personal contacts
to break through to an adults heart. It can happen, I have had the
privilege.
CONCLUSION
God is a creative God. We are blessed today with so many tools to see Christ, the light. There are
more resources available than we could ever use here in USA. Here is some bright light - Video -
The Truth Project. Plan to be a part of this great tool to see more light.
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