Light for Those In Darkness - Part 2 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lacerre Bradley Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! Thou the rays of my God and King, thou triumphs of his grace! This is Lacerre Bradley Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace.

The shepherds watched their floods by night, all seated on the ground. The angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around. Fear not, said he, for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind. That tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind. O glory be to God on high and to the earth be peace! Good will henceforth from them to men begin and never cease.

While shepherds watched by night. We realize that no one knows exactly the day when Christ was born. But we're thankful at this time of year that special attention is paid to the fact that he was born. And we'll be continuing with the message that we started last Sunday, light for those that sit in darkness. I pray that the day tomorrow will be a special day for you and that we can all rejoice once more in the good news of the Savior's birth. I hope you'll take time to write us.

If you can help us with that special year-end donation, we'll certainly be thankful for it. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. We will glorify the King of Kings, we will glorify the Lamb, we will glorify the Lord of Lords, who is the Great I Am. Lord Jehovah reigns in majesty, we will bow before His throne, we will worship Him in righteousness, we will worship Him alone. He is Lord of heaven, Lord of earth, He is Lord of all who live, He is Lord above the universe, all praise to Him we give. We glorify the Name.

Amen. We continue the message, light for those in darkness. The text is from the book of Matthew chapter 4, verse 16 says, The people which sat in darkness saw great light, and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. We have first considered the state of those in darkness.

Darkness speaks of man's fallen condition. And now we've come to talk about Jesus as the light, the light that is seen at His birth. And oh, how we can rejoice that He today is the light of the world. This, no doubt, was a special star as brightness so often speaks of God Himself, just as the Shekinah glory in the Old Testament was the very essence and presence of God. And where God directed the children of Israel as they traveled through the wilderness with that pillar of fire to guide them at night.

So this star, unique, sent by God, using the star to guide them to the very place where they would go and find Jesus. And so it says, They rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were coming to the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshiped Him. They did not worship His mother.

They did not worship Mary. They worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Because there were three gifts, the assumption has been made that there were three of these wise men that came. There is no biblical confirmation to that.

We don't know the number. We don't know how many came. But here are the gifts that they brought. Yes, it was a time of joy. When Jesus came, He brought light into a darkened world. Oh, how wonderful to read these stories of olden times and to know that it's an actual historical account.

It is something that indeed had occurred. And we therefore have reason today to be here in this assembly to worship this Savior who was born so long ago. He came bringing light and He is the light of the world. John chapter 8 verse 12, Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

I am. This is one of those times that Jesus spoke with this terminology. He spoke with us several times that He said, I am. I am the way, the truth and the life. I am the light of the world.

I am the bread of life. So He says, I am the light of the world. And he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness. Let me tell you that those today who do not know Him walking in His light are in darkness. They do not know it.

They are not aware of their state. They do not recognize that they are in great darkness, but this indeed is the fact. Without Jesus Christ there is darkness.

There is light. Light in His work. According to this earth He came for the specific purpose of going to the cross to redeem a people. He gave Himself when they came to arrest Him. He laid down His life. It was a dark time. Don't you know that it was a terrible ordeal for those faithful followers to see the One that they loved go to the cross.

It said that it would be terrible experience for Mary that she would be as pierced through with a sword just in her own heart to have seen Him suffer and die. It was a dark time when at noontime the sun was shut out. Darkness prevailed as Jesus held on the cross. But weeping may endure for a night, yet joy cometh in the morning.

What a difference! After He was in the tomb for three days and three nights and the women go out there on that morning and the angel said, He is not here, He is risen. See the place where He lay.

What a happy morning that was. They had seen Him die. They had seen Him taken down from the cross. Their hearts were broken. Jesus had told them in advance that the world is going to rejoice.

You're going to be in sorrow, but your sorrow should be turned into joy. So all of the deep grief that they had felt, the sorrow that had overwhelmed them was now turned into the brightness of day because of His resurrection. He's alive.

He lives. Yes, He is the one who brings light and there was light seen in His successful work before He breathed out His last. He said, It is finished. Everything that was given of the Father to do, He was completing it. The price was being paid. The work of redemption was being accomplished.

It was all by Him according to that which was given Him of the Father to do. And then there is light in His message as we bring the gospel. The gospel is a message of light. The philosophies of men are often terribly dark. They come to no positive conclusion.

They come from the wrong source to start with. But when we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, we're preaching a message that originated in heaven. We're bringing the same good news that that host of angels sang about when they sang glory to God in the highest in the book of 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9. Speaking of God who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Life is brought to light. The gospel brings light to those who are in darkness, to those who could not see as the Spirit of God moves upon them and opens their eyes and enables them to see light dawns upon the soul.

We see it in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 4 reading in the fifth verse. But we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We were in darkness. As a matter of fact the scriptures describe those who are apart from Christ not just being in darkness but you were darkness.

You were a part of the darkness. But now we preach Jesus Christ the apostle says and the same God that commanded light to shine out of darkness in the creation of the world hath shined in our hearts to give us light, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. There is light in His message and there is light in His name. His name is Jesus. Matthew 1 21 that shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins. So the name Jesus means Savior. When we realize our ruined condition, when we are made to see that we are sinners, guilty of transgressing the law of God, justly condemned, would be lost forever apart from His mercy.

And then we hear the good news Jesus is the Savior. He is not a Savior who just tries to save but is often disappointed and frustrated. He is a Savior that saves. He laid down His life. He paid the price.

He got what He paid for. Someday He will stand in the presence of the Father and say behold I am the children which thou has given me. They will all be present, not the loss of one. And so when we hear the name Jesus we can say with John Newton how sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear. It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds and drives away his fear. There is light in His name. What light dawns on the darkened soul?

The one who is under conviction, the one who feels wretched and maybe for the moment feels to be hopeless. But then to hear that Jesus came to save sinners, not to reward the worthy but to save the unworthy. Jesus came calling the ungodly, the sinners to Himself. The Old Testament prophetic reference to His coming talked about the gathering of the outcast and that is exactly what Jesus did. The notable religious leaders rejected Him. They despised His message. They wanted no part of His claims but the publicans and the harlots and the outcasts of various stripes gathered to hear the words of Jesus and rejoiced in His great salvation. And just as Jesus came as the light so many years ago, Jesus is the light today.

He is the same. The years have rolled by but the light has not dimmed. Apart from Him, men are still sitting in darkness. Yes, there have been great advancements made, great accomplishments in the medical field.

Technology has gone beyond what anybody could ever have imagined. Times and circumstances have changed but in spite of all of His noble successes, man is still in the dark apart from Jesus Christ. But Jesus is the Son of Righteousness according to the book of Malachi. He said the Son of Righteousness will arise with healing in His wings. So in this dark sinful world there is hope, there is brightness because Jesus Christ has arisen.

He described also in the book of Revelation as being the bright and morning star. Yes, we are talking about one who brings light into darkness. And then we read in the Gospel of John chapter 12, reading the 35th verse, Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

While ye have light, believe in the light that ye may be the children of light. Generally there is a tendency to ignore the idea that there is any urgency to the things we preach about. Somebody may say well, those are some interesting thoughts. I hope that I can implement some of the teaching into my life. But somebody who may be hearing the Gospel preached today and has to admit, I don't know where I stand.

I don't know where I would be a moment after death. Jesus by His own words says there is urgency. While ye have the light, believe in the light that ye may be the children of light. And in verse 46 He says, I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

The question is have you believed on Him? I've come as light that whosoever. I don't know that I'm worthy. Well I can tell you you're not. I don't know that my faith is strong enough.

No, if it's one you've generated it's not. But whosoever. My background is I've got a checkered past. I'm humiliated when I think about some of the things that I've done in my life. But He says whosoever, I am come as a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. He's the light.

And He gives us light through His Word. You may be one of those we've described as reaching a point of hopelessness. You've struggled with temptation. You've struggled with certain sins and you say I just can't make it.

I'm not making any progress. You may be one of those who says my marriage is not what it ought to be and it probably never will be and I've given up hope. No, He gives us light through His Word so that we learn how to deal with temptation. We learn how to deal with conflict. We learn how to resolve problems.

We learn how to do it God's way. Psalm 119 verse 105 says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. You see He provides light. In this corrupt world there is darkness. You listen to the philosophies and opinions of men and you'll remain in darkness. But when you see the value of His Word, His Word is a light for the path that you travel. To direct you in the proper path that you may come to a place of hope and brightness. Now sometimes there's resistance to doing what the Word directs.

A person says I don't know that I can do that or I feel too weak I can't accomplish it. Admittedly we are weak but our strength comes from Him. The apostle said I can do all things through Christ which strengtheth me. We read from 1 John chapter 1 verse 6, If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. Are you walking in the light?

You walk with Him. You have fellowship. You find forgiveness of sin walking through Him. Are you displaying light? By nature we're all a part of the darkness and in the dark. But by grace light has dawned upon our soul and we're following this one who is the light of the world and walking in His light. But at the same time He now because He has transformed us expects that we would display light. Philippians chapter 2 reading in the 14th verse, Do all things without murmurings and disputings that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke in a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights.

If somebody traced your footsteps on a daily basis, listen to your conversation, observe what you read, see how you handle your finances, see how you treat other people. Would they say indeed here is one who is shining as a light in the dark world, holding forth the word of life that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. Do you look to Him as your light?

If you look elsewhere, you become enamored with the professed wisdom of the world it's going to lead to disaster. But if you're looking to Him, no matter what the darkness may be, no matter what the troubles are at the moment, you can find help when you recognize Him as the light. Psalm 27 verse 1, The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Can you say that today? The Lord is my light and my salvation.

How blessed you are if you can say, yes He's mine, by faith I trust Him, He is my light, I don't look elsewhere. There's coming a time when there will be no darkness. Although a child of grace has come to the light, and Jesus Christ the light of the world has shined into his heart, there are some seasons when the clouds hang overhead. And the prophet talked about those who walk in darkness and have no light.

What are they to do? Let him stay himself upon his God. Even if you come to that dark place in the deep valleys from time to time, never can you reach the place of saying, I have no hope because your faith is in the God of hope and He is your hope as much in the depths of the night of darkness as He is in the brilliance of the noonday sun. The Lord is my light. But there's coming a time when there will be no more darkness. Have you ever been sick in the night and felt somehow, I just believe it will be better when morning comes.

Just so much pain, so much discomfort and the blackness of the night seems to accentuate it all. And sure enough, when the sun rises in the morning, this brightness doesn't mean that everything is better, but somehow your spirit is lifted and you're thankful for the brightness of the new day. Well there's coming a time when there will be no more night seasons. Revelation 22 5 says, and there shall be no night there and they shall need no candle, neither light of the sun for the Lord God giveth them light and they shall reign forever and ever. It's going to be the light of that glorious city, Revelation 21 23, and the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof.

This same Jesus where the shepherds came hearing the angelic hosts saying glory to God at the highest, this same Jesus that was visited by the wise men from the east, this same Jesus that Simeon held in his arms and said mine eyes have seen by salvation, this same Jesus is going to be the light of that eternal city. Yes, the people who sat in darkness saw a great light. Jesus Christ is the light of the world and he says whosoever believeth on me shall not abide in darkness.

If you have not believed on him, may you do it today. Come to the light, Jesus Christ, the light of the world. We see much darkness around us in the ungodly world today, but Jesus Christ is still the light. He brings brightness, he brings joy, he brings peace to us. There's no other hope for fallen sinners saved through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He went to the cross, paid the price that we could never pay. And so today if your faith is in the Son of God, you are walking in light and have great joy to anticipate someday being in that city where there is no night, but the light, the brilliant light of the Savior's presence shines forever. We hope that you will write us in until next week at the same time. May the Lord richly bless you all. Please repeat the sounding joy.

No mourn and sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the proud. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love and wonders of his love and wonders, wonders of his love.