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It's active now through December 31st. To give a special year-end gift, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.
On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress, and wishing you a very Merry Christmas. In our troubled world, many wonder if evil is triumphing over good, and if the darkness has eclipsed the light of Christ's arrival 2,000 years ago. But today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress shares why Jesus remains the true light of the world, and how his light ultimately opens up to the world.
Overcomes all darkness. Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message. Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David. As we begin, let me extend a warm Christmas greeting from the Jeffress home to yours. Merry Christmas.
You know, in my lifetime, I don't know that I've witnessed a year quite like 2024. The world has always been a dark and dangerous place, but in the last 12 months, we've seen the telltale signs of evil, casting a foreboding cloud of darkness over our culture. But when I woke up this Christmas morning, I wasn't dwelling in darkness. As soon as my eyes opened, my thoughts gravitated to that first Christmas morning. Upon the birth of Jesus, God's radiant hope entered our world. The baby Jesus, by his mere presence, exposed the shadowy forces of evil and dispelled the darkness with his light. Later, Jesus would give his followers an assignment.
Remember what he said? Jesus said, you are the light of the world, so let your light shine before men. Our job is to shine his light brightly so that others will see the goodness of God. Well, for this very purpose, a group of light bearers established the Light the Darkness Matching Challenge for Pathway to Victory. Because of their $1.5 million matching challenge, you have the opportunity to multiply your generous year-end gift by two. Twice the amount, twice the impact, but the deadline is coming December 31st, and we're urging you to join us in meeting, even surpassing, this enormous goal. I'm going to say more about the matching challenge in the daily devotional that I want to send you later in today's program.
But right now, let's turn in our Bibles to John chapter 8. I title today's message, When Darkness Overcomes the Light. You may have seen my Fox News Christmas commentary about the fact that Christmas has been canceled in that little village known as Bethlehem. There will be traditional services in some of the churches, but the traditional Christmas tree that is in Major Square won't be there. There will be no Christmas lights illuminated.
The city officials said that such festivities seem out of step with the horrors of war that that area of the world is experiencing. The darkness of death, the darkness of war has overcome the lights of Christmas, or so it seems. By the way, that's not the first time that's happened in Bethlehem.
You remember 2,000 years ago, on a pitch black night, the blackness suddenly gave way to light. As the angel made his announcement to that group of shepherds on a Judean hillside, the angel Gabriel said, Behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And that one angel's voice gave way to a multitude of angels who said loudly, Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace toward men with whom God is well pleased. There is the light of Christ's birth, but that lightness was quickly eclipsed by darkness. Remember, it wasn't too long after that that Herod, hearing the news of Christ's arrival, decided to launch a genocide against the Jewish people, much like we saw just a few months ago.
Herod's order was to kill every Hebrew, every Jewish baby, male baby, two years of age and younger. And that little village that had heard the announcement of Christ's birth suddenly found themselves burying their dead children. The light turned to darkness, and in a sense, we've lived in that darkness for more than 2,000 years.
You see, there's a real tension in the Christmas story. The light of Christ coming, people thought, would erase forever the darkness, but it hasn't done that. Many of you right now are still experiencing the darkness of this world.
Perhaps there's a place at your Christmas table this year that will be empty, that was filled with somebody last year. You've experienced the darkness of death, or perhaps some other darkness has invaded your life, and you're wondering, is Christ coming really on what it was built up to be? Is light the best representation of Christ, considering the darkness we're experiencing now? You see, light used to describe Christ in some of the most well-known passages of Scripture. John uses that metaphor in John 1.
Remember how he introduced Jesus? He said in John 1, 6 through 9, there came a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light that all might believe through him. John was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. There was the true light, which coming into the world enlightens every man. Jesus described himself this way in John 8, 12.
I am the what? The light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. And then in John 12, 46, Jesus said, I have come as light into the world so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. A number of years ago, I read an article by Dr. Robert Russell, and he discussed reasons that light was still an apt description for Jesus Christ. I want to expand on those ideas for just a few moments. Why is Jesus the light of the world?
Well, think about it. Light, first of all, commands our attention, especially light in the darkness has a way of commanding our attention. How many of you remember just a few years ago when our power grid here in Texas failed completely? Remember what that was like for a few days? I don't know what your house was like, but mine was very, very cold, and it was very, very dark. In fact, I remember for those few days, we figured out we better get all of our chores done before the night came. By five o'clock, things would start getting dark, and so we were like pioneer people from Little House on the Prairie, scurrying around to get our chores done before the night came. Because when the night came, it got very, very dark. We were stumbling around our house in the darkness, but we found a candle, let that candle, put it on the kitchen table. Amy and I were drawn like moths to that flame because it provided light.
It provided the warmth that we desired. Light, especially in the darkness, commands our attention. And that's why when Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah 700 years before he came, listen to what he said in Isaiah 9, verse 2. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
On those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned. He was predicting that Jesus, his arrival, would command our attention. It's amazing that the birth of Jesus commanded anybody's attention when you think about it. I mean, he was born to two parents who didn't have two denarii to rub together. He was born in a village so small it wasn't even listed on the registry of Judean cities. He was born not in a hospital, not in a home, but in an animal feeding trough. He was born 1450 years before the printing press, 1900 years before the radio. And yet today, 2000 years later, his birth is the central event in human history. If you don't believe that, if you're skeptical of that claim, just think about this. Why is it when you're writing a check, if you still write checks, you'll use the year, you'll write the date?
Or if you sign a document, what does that mean? It's been 2000 years since the most important event in human history. And everyone who acknowledges time has to acknowledge the one who split time in half, Jesus Christ. He is the focus of human history.
Colossians 1 says, Colossians 1 says, for by him, Jesus, all things were created in heaven and on the earth. Do you remember the CNN talk show host Larry King, the late Larry King? He was Jewish and I remember reading an interview with him one time. Somebody asked him, Larry, if you could interview anybody in the world, whom would you choose?
He didn't hesitate. He said, Jesus Christ. So the interviewer asked him the ultimate follow-up question. He said, well, if you could interview Jesus and you had only one question to ask him, what would you ask him?
And Larry said, I would ask him if he really was born of a virgin. Because to me, the answer to that question defines history. Jesus was born of a virgin.
He was the son of God and he still defines history. And you know, as our church enters into a new year of ministry, a ministry that impacts not only the city of Dallas and not only our nation, but the entire world, let's remember our mission is not to lift up a moral code. Our mission is not to lift up a political philosophy for people to embrace. We are lifting up a person, Jesus Christ, who said, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself. Light commands our attention. Secondly, light reveals our flaws. Now this is a part of light we don't like. It reveals our deficiencies. I mean, think about it. If you're going to have a romantic dinner with somebody, you have that dinner over candlelight, not over a floodlight.
There are certain things you don't want accented. It's the same way, by the way, with criminals. If you're trying to protect your house, what did the police tell you to do? Put lights everywhere because light repels the darkness. Light reveals sinister motives and actions. Jesus is a light. That doesn't appeal to everybody. Have you ever wondered why it is people are turned off, they are repelled by the gospel message and they hate the name of Jesus? In fact, I mean, think about it. Have you ever heard anybody accidentally hit their thumb with a hammer and say, oh my, Benjamin Franklin or Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha. No, there's one name they curse by, Jesus Christ.
Why is that? There are people who are repelled by the light of Jesus. They don't like their flaws being revealed. Jesus is like a perfect straight ruler that reveals how crooked people's lives really are. Jesus predicted that, by the way, that some people would choose to reject him. In John 3, verses 19 and 20, Jesus said, this is the judgment that the light has come into the world and men love the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
Some people are drawn by the light, others are repelled by it. You see that in the Christmas story itself. Turn over to Matthew 2 for just a moment. Here you see two very distinct reactions to the coming of Christ. Matthew 2, verse 1. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, Magi from the east, probably Persia, which is today's Iran, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying, where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and we have come to worship him. And when Herod heard this, he was troubled.
Literally the word is stirred up. He was agitated and all Jerusalem with him. When Herod heard the news that Jesus had been born, it bothered him.
He was paranoid anyway about somebody taking over his kingdom and the idea that another king was on the scene bothered him greatly. And remember what he said to the Magi? He said, you go and find him. And when you find him, let me know where he is so that I might worship him as well.
Right. His purpose in finding the light was to extinguish the light. He had no desire to know the real Jesus and that's why Herod stumbled around in darkness for several years and died without ever finding him.
But contrast that to these Magi, we call them the wise men from the east. Something in them, God stirred up a desire in their heart to know the true God. And their desire was so sincere that God sent a star to eliminate the way and to bring them to Bethlehem to find Jesus.
By the way, God does that for anybody. When God senses a heart that truly wants to know him, God will move heaven and earth to make sure that person finds him. Jeremiah 29 13, God says, and you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all of your heart. If you really want to know God, God will lead you to the same place that he led the wise men to the feet of Jesus Christ.
He is our way to God. And that's why light is so powerful. Light reveals our flaws.
It repels those who don't want to know God, but it draws those who want to know God. There's a third similarity between light and Jesus Christ. Light overpowers our darkness. Yes, there's a time that it seems like darkness overpowers the light, but eventually light overpowers the darkness.
In Ephesians 6 verse 12, Paul gives us an analysis of every problem you're facing in your life right now. Paul says for our struggle, life is a struggle, isn't it? Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. That is, it's not against other people, but it's against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this what? Darkness.
Against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. There's a battle going on right now between the forces of darkness and the forces of light, between the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God. And it seems like at times that darkness is winning out.
Maybe some of you here, some of you watching are having a hard time entering into the festivities of Christmas this year. You've experienced darkness. The darkness of death of a loved one has touched your life this year.
Maybe you have the uncertainty of a financial difficulty you're experiencing or a health concern. Maybe your darkness is due to a child or a grandchild who has wandered away from you and wandered away from God. In the battle between light and darkness, it seems like darkness is winning because darkness is winning for now.
But it won't always be that way. A day comes when the light overcomes the darkness. Just think about the disciples themselves. That Friday afternoon we call Good Friday was a dark, dark day. Jesus had just been crucified, His body placed in the tomb. The disciples' dreams of a kingdom had been dashed.
They had never been lower than they were Friday evening. But three days later, that Easter Sunday began to dawn and an angel appeared. His appearance was like lightning, the Bible says. And the light of that angel's power illuminated the tomb and raised Jesus Christ from the dead. And the darkness of death was eclipsed by the light of God's power. And that same power will rid your life of darkness as well. Light eventually overcomes the darkness. That is the promise for every follower of Jesus Christ. And finally, light offers this direction.
That's why it's such a good description of Jesus. Light offers us direction. Now think about this with me for a moment. Imagine the captain of a giant jumbo jetliner weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds. He's trying to land that airplane in the midst of a driving rainstorm at night. There's only one place he can safely land the plane, that strip of concrete in the darkness. How does he find that place of safety? There are lights on that runway that shine, that blink, motioning for him to come to this place of safety.
It's the same for us. How can we ever navigate successfully through the darkness, the uncertainty of this life, with all kind of surprises that come our way and disappointments? And how can we ever hope to navigate our way through the darkness of eternity? Jesus said, I am the way. I am the way. I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.
We need Jesus to lead us safely through this life and safely into his presence in all of eternity. You probably, some of you, recognize the name of Paul Harvey. Paul Harvey was the most successful radio commentator on the radio, on ABC News. He was also a Christian. He once came and spoke at our church and he said when he talked to our church that many times through the years when his travels brought him to Dallas, he sat on the back row of the old sanctuary of our church and participated in worship. He was a very devoted Christian and every year, every year without fail, on the day closest to Christmas, he would use the same story about the meaning of Christmas. The story was about an old farmer who had become jaded in his Christian faith.
He had isolated himself from his friends and family members. He was all alone one evening. When one raw winter night, the farmer heard an irregular thumping sound against the kitchen storm door. He went to a window and watched as tiny shivering sparrows, attracted to the evident warmth inside, beat in vain against the glass. Touched, the farmer bundled up and trudged through fresh snow to open the barn for the struggling birds.
He turned on the lights, tossed some hay in the corner, and sprinkled a trail of salting crackers to direct them to the barn. But the sparrows, which had scattered in all directions when he emerged from the house, still hid in the darkness, afraid of him. He tried various tactics, circling behind the birds to drive them toward the barn, tossing cracker crumbs in the air toward them, retreating to his house to see if they would flutter into the barn on their own, but nothing worked. He, a huge alien creature, had terrified the birds.
They couldn't understand that he actually wanted to help them. He withdrew to his house and watched the doomed sparrows through a window. As he stared, a thought hit him like a lightning bolt from heaven.
If only I could become a bird, one of them just for a moment, then I wouldn't frighten them so I could show them the way to warmth and safety. At the same moment, another thought dawned on him. He had grasped the whole meaning of the incarnation. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God, he didn't regard his equality with God a thing to be grasped, held onto, but he emptied himself.
And taking on the appearance of a man, he became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Ladies and gentlemen, Jesus Christ did not just point us to the way to God. He is the way to God. I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man comes to the Father except through me. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Christmas 2024 than to submit your life to Jesus Christ for the first time. Allow the light of Christ to fill your life and become the beacon that will light your path in the new year and beyond. Well, this has been a special way to celebrate Christmas Day together. I'm so glad you carved out time to join us for today's Pathway to Victory. Earlier, you heard me describe the wonderful Light the Darkness matching challenge. We're in a race to the deadline on December 31st, asking God to move in the hearts of people like you to join us. Together, as all of us give a generous year-end gift toward the matching challenge, we can meet or even exceed the goal of $1.5 million. And when you share your gift with Pathway to Victory before the deadline on New Year's Eve, I'm going to say thanks by sending you the brand-new 2025 Pathway to Victory daily devotional to your home.
It's thoughtfully written so that you and I can walk together through every season in 2025. John 1 declares, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Jesus calls us to share His light with others. Friends, this is our privilege and responsibility as followers of Christ. Thank you so much for going online to give or sending a gift in by the mail. When you give to support Pathway to Victory, you are fueling this lamp to shine brighter across the nation and around the world, piercing the darkness around us.
David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. Today, when you give a generous year-end gift toward our Light the Darkness matching challenge, we'll say thanks by sending you the brand-new 2025 Pathway to Victory daily devotional. To request your copy, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. And when your gift is $100 or more, we'll also include the teaching series, Reigniting Your Passion for Christ.
You'll get that on DVD video and MP3 format audio discs. Remember, right now, because of our Light the Darkness matching challenge, your gift will be doubled in impact by another generous donor, so request your copy of these resources today. Call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. Now, if you'd prefer to write, just jot down this mailing address, P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. That's P.O.
Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and join us next time for a message called Jesus and the Party Poopers. That's Thursday, here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. And right now, your special year-end gift will be matched and therefore doubled in impact thanks to the Light the Darkness matching challenge. Take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact before the deadline on December 31st. To give toward the matching challenge, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
