341-Following Jesus Means Not Walking in Darkness#
341 - Following Jesus Means Not Walking in Darkness
(JP Text Group - Organized by Life Like an Eagle)
The topic of sharing is: Following Jesus Means Not Walking in Darkness
John 8:3-12,
3 The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center. 10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank You and praise You for starting our new week of life. Renew us and supply us through such words; we are nourished by Your words, which are full of power and the food we need. Grant me faith through these words, so that I may have hope in everything in life. I am a child of light, and as I live in this world, may others see the glory of Jesus in me. Give me strength, and may the Holy Spirit help renew every brother and sister seeking You. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray! Amen!
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord!
Look at today’s text: Following Jesus means not walking in darkness.
What is darkness? It may be the low points you are currently facing, difficulties, and setbacks that have left you in despair. It may be problems in your family, children, marriage, etc.; this is your darkness. Or it may be that life lacks direction; all of these can be called darkness.
In darkness, we do not need others to give us a lot of money or a high position; what we need is light, because when we see the light, our hearts no longer wander, and we are no longer afraid. What I want to tell you, brothers and sisters, is that when you are in darkness, Jesus is your way out.
When we did not know Jesus, we were constantly turning in darkness, desperately trying to find the way, but without light, we did not know where the path was. When you arrive at a place you have never been to, and everything around you is pitch black, you will not easily take a step because you do not know what you are facing. Perhaps you do not know how to do business, or how to maintain a relationship; today, come before Jesus, He is your way out, He is the light, and He will illuminate all darkness. It is not your effort to drive away the darkness; when His light comes in, the darkness disappears.
The first point to share: Meeting Jesus in darkness is the way out.
As mentioned earlier, when we encounter problems, that is our darkness, and we need a way out. In today’s text, we read about a woman who was caught in adultery. According to Moses' law, this person should be stoned to death. It can be said that this woman was in darkness; if she had not met Jesus, the outcome would have been truly tragic, with only death as her fate. But she met Jesus, and Jesus became her way out. Amen!
Look at verse 5 of today’s text. When this woman was caught by the scribes and Pharisees, they began to use this situation to create trouble. What were they doing? They came to disrupt Jesus while He was preaching. In verse 2 of this chapter, we can see that while Jesus was speaking to the crowd, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and threw her before Jesus, asking Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery; what do You say?”
Actually, there was already an answer. In verse 5, Moses' law commanded us to stone such women; what do you say I should do? Brothers and sisters, did they have a conclusion? Yes! Since you have a conclusion and know that this woman deserves to die, just stone her directly. Why bring her before Jesus?
Here, I want to explain the background. At that time, Jerusalem was under Roman control because the nation of Israel had been destroyed; they were a colony of others. The scribes and Pharisees had two sets of laws: one was Moses' commandments, which are the Ten Commandments, but did the Romans recognize this Ten Commandments? No. The Romans had their own laws, and they did not care what gods you believed in or what laws you had. Even if your law says that this woman caught in adultery should be stoned to death, if my law does not have this provision, you cannot kill her.
But they were also under Roman law, and if they violated Roman law, they would also face consequences. The problem now is that they caught this woman, and according to Roman law, this person should not die; yet they brought her before Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what should we do with this woman?” This actually posed a dilemma for Jesus. If Jesus said, “This woman deserves to die; we must uphold God's law and stone her,” do you know what the consequence would be? The Romans would not spare Jesus, and at the same time, the grace that Jesus preached would be completely lost; this is a fact.
Now I want to ask everyone: Is it a fact that this woman sinned? Yes, Jesus never denied that this woman had sinned; she indeed committed a sin, and sin must bear its consequences. What is the wage of sin? Death. This woman deserved to die, but Jesus faced a dilemma: how to deal with this woman?
If she were stoned to death according to Moses' law, the Romans would not spare you. This is why the Jewish scribes and Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus several times but did not dare to. They particularly wanted to kill Jesus; wouldn’t it be easy to stone Him to death? The Bible also mentions that several times they wanted to push Jesus off a cliff; why didn’t they do it? Because according to Roman law, Jesus had not sinned, and they had no way to kill Him. They wanted to kill Jesus, but the only way was to use Roman law to do it because they did not have the authority to kill.
If Jesus said to this woman, “It’s okay, you’ve sinned, but it doesn’t matter because I preach grace; sin doesn’t matter, God won’t remember your sins,” wouldn’t that contradict what Jesus preached? Right? Then Jesus, you say you are the Son of God, but you have not abolished God’s law; you say you fulfill God’s law, but this woman clearly sinned, and you say it doesn’t matter; you cannot claim to be the Son of God. This is a dilemma. This is a difficult problem, but Jesus is wise; He can always see the way out of the problem.
I want to tell you, brothers and sisters, if you encounter darkness and problems in life, there is always a way out in Jesus. Jesus is the one who fulfills the law; He has the authority to judge. What I want to say is that the Jewish leaders, the scribes and Pharisees, came to catch Jesus in a trap.
You see in verse 6 that they said this to test Jesus, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger.
I want to ask everyone a question: What was Jesus writing? Faced with such a dilemma, this group of people kept asking Him, and the method Jesus initially used was to ignore them, which is very wise.
Knowing that the enemy is testing and attacking you, the first thing to do is to ignore them. But now this group of people kept asking and asking, so at this time, Jesus stood up, and the first half of verse 7 says, “They kept on asking Him.” It seems they would not give up until they had accused Jesus, so at this point, Jesus stood up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He stooped down again and wrote on the ground.
We do not need to care about what Jesus was writing. I just want to tell you that in front of the Jerusalem temple, everything was made of stone because the Jerusalem temple was built on a mountain, that is, built on stone. Now, is Jesus God? Yes, is He the essence of God? Indeed, God’s finger wrote on stone. Do you remember where it says this in the Bible? The Ten Commandments, on two stone tablets. God wrote on those two stone tablets, and now Jesus stoops down and writes on the stone with His finger. Regardless of what He wrote, when He stood up, He began to use the law against these people, right?
When Moses came down from the mountain with the two stone tablets, there were words written by God’s finger on them, which were judgment, Moses' law. What were the people doing at that time? They were worshiping the golden calf. When Moses was halfway down the mountain, he shattered the two stone tablets. Why didn’t he take the two tablets down to the people? Because if he did, all the people would die. In front of the Ten Commandments, no one could survive because the wage of sin is death. Amen!
Now, when Jesus stood up straight, He first told this group of scribes and Pharisees who wanted to judge others: “Okay, if you are without sin, you can throw the first stone at her.” Brothers and sisters, God has never given us the authority to judge or condemn others. You can read the Bible; when has God given you the authority to condemn others or attack others? Has He? No!
As Christians, our purpose in coming to this world is not to condemn people, not to kill, but to bring salvation to others like Jesus. When Jesus stood up for the first time, He gave them the law, saying: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” What did those people do? When they saw this, they realized they could not do it because they also had sin, and one by one, from the oldest to the youngest, they left.
Have you ever thought about why it was from the oldest to the youngest? The older ones, who have believed for a long time, are more aware of their sins; this is a fact, brothers and sisters! If the years of believing in the Lord increase, our awareness of sin increases, which can be a troublesome thing! That is no longer called the gospel; perhaps you have believed for decades, and when you look back, you realize how many sins you have committed! If the focus is on sin, it is indeed terrifying.
When we were under the law, we all hoped to be like newborn babies. Many people particularly envy those who have just believed in the Lord because their prayers seem to be heard by God! What does it represent when they say this? It seems that God does not listen to their prayers anymore. Many people may have had this experience; when they first believed in the Lord, they prayed directly about everything without many other thoughts. But after three to five years, as they hear more teachings, they find that this prayer does not align with God’s heart; this is a vain request; this is because I have sinned, so God does not listen. The awareness of sin increases. I can tell you that this is living under the law.
Under the law, they think that God will judge them, and God focuses on their sins, so their faith becomes smaller and smaller because they receive the law and often look through the lens of the law: “He has problems; you have problems!” What they see is all condemnation. This is not the fault of the law because the law itself is meant to make people aware of sin; the law is a mirror. When you stand in front of the mirror, it reflects your appearance. You cannot blame the mirror and say that the person in it is ugly! That is not the mirror’s fault.
In front of the law, we only see countless sins; this is a fact. But the law has a second effect: the law is our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Under the law, we have no hope, no expectation, and do not know how to solve problems. What we receive is constant condemnation. Now the law cannot help you; it can point out your sins and say, “Go find that one; Jesus can help you!”
Just like this woman who indeed committed a sin. Except for Jesus, no one under the law could help her; everyone condemned her and wanted to put her to death. What I want to say is that this woman met Jesus today, and Jesus is her way out. Amen! You are the same; no matter how big the problems you encounter in life, no matter how others treat you, when you come before Jesus, He is always your way out. Hallelujah!
As I mentioned earlier, the first time Jesus stood up, He said: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When Jesus continued to write, you can imagine that the first time Moses shattered the two stone tablets. Not long after, God told Moses to come up the mountain again, didn’t He give him two new stone tablets? Great! What did God tell Moses on that mountain for 40 days? Do you know what He was doing? If God spent 40 days on the mountain writing two stone tablets, then God’s work efficiency is really too low! How long does it take to copy the Ten Commandments? About 5 minutes, right?
So why did God take 40 days? Was God chiseling with a hammer? That would not have been too much trouble! So what was He doing for 40 days? You will find that after Exodus 23, God used 40 days to tell Moses how to build the tabernacle. When Moses came down the mountain, he found various skilled craftsmen to start building the tabernacle. One phrase often appears: “Build according to the pattern I showed you on the mountain.” That is, do not build it randomly; build the tabernacle exactly as I said.
The tabernacle was built; where did the two stone tablets go? They were placed under the Ark of the Covenant, covered with a lid called the mercy seat. What does this represent?
The second time Jesus stood up, He no longer spoke to the people as a lawgiver but as a giver of grace. Because the two stone tablets are placed under the mercy seat, we cannot see the two stone tablets inside the Ark, but we can see the mercy seat, just as today you can see Jesus. There is no need to think about where those two stone tablets went. If you dig all over the world to find those two stone tablets, whoever finds them will die! So you cannot find them. What did Jesus say to this woman the second time?
Look at John 8:10, Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” The woman said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on, sin no more.”
The first time, He faced that group of people and gave them the law, saying: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” The second time He stood up and said: “I do not condemn you either.” Isn’t that a completely different tone?
What I want to tell you is that the second time Moses came down with the two stone tablets and placed them under the mercy seat, every year the high priest had one opportunity to bring the blood of bulls and goats into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. God, through the blood of the sacrifice, looks at the people and says: “I will remember their sins no more.” Because of this blood, God no longer judges the people by the law; this is the only way for the people to escape judgment.
Some might say, “That’s not right; the Israelites were still struck by God many times!” If you look closely, every time the Israelites were struck, it was because they no longer worshiped God, no longer offered sacrifices, sometimes even closing the doors of the temple and driving out the priests; then God began to discipline them.
Why? Because in the Old Testament, the blood of the sacrifice only had a one-year effect; sacrifices had to be made every year. They drove the high priest out of the temple and did not go into the temple themselves, so God could no longer see them through the blood, and all the sins of the people were exposed before the world, which was very dangerous. God could only deal with the people through the law. Do you understand?
Through all this, what do I want to tell you? Jesus is our sin offering before God; the blood of Jesus is on the mercy seat. How long is the effect of Jesus' blood? Forever! Our God, when He looks at you through the blood of Jesus, says: “I will remember your sins no more; you are precious in My eyes, you are loved by Me.” This is the reason. Amen! This guarantees one thing: God will no longer condemn you. Hallelujah!
The blood of Jesus never expires, so we can boldly approach Him in prayer. This is why when we pray, we must always say, “In the name of the Lord Jesus,” because this phrase represents how God sees you through Jesus; God no longer remembers your sins because your sins have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah!
If you say, “I don’t know if God will listen when I pray to the Father through Jesus,” you should know that even though we have problems and sometimes still sin, when our God looks at you through the blood of Jesus, you are no longer called a sinner. God will listen to your prayers. This is what Jesus did today; He looked at this woman through Himself.
This woman indeed sinned, but Jesus knew that soon He would bear her sins and sacrifice for her sins. He also said, “I do not condemn you; go, and from now on, sin no more.”
Brothers and sisters, look at the people around you; if they are all legalists, these legalists include the first type of unbelievers. Unbelievers are filled with all kinds of laws in their hearts, but they do not realize they are legalists! When you have no money, others look down on you; what is the reason? Because there is self-righteousness and law inside them, that is why they look down on you! When you are weak and sin, the people around you all attack you; have you ever thought about why? It is because they feel they have not sinned, so they attack others, right?
Why do we not attack each other under grace? Because we know we are all a group of people forgiven by Jesus, and we have no right to condemn or judge others. Under the law, it is like this! When someone achieves more, they boast about their achievements to belittle you. When you truly encounter suffering, they will abandon you, and that is how betrayal happens!
There is also a second type of person living under the law who is also a legalist. If all the people around you are like this, where is the way out? You need to focus your eyes on Jesus. Amen! If the people around you are all under grace, all centered on Jesus, congratulations! You are blessed!
You can feel it today; I feel more at ease in the church. This is why many people feel at peace when they come to church and sit down. Because what kind of people are around them? They are under grace. Amen! These people have the mindset of Jesus; they do not need to worry about scheming against each other, nor do they need to worry about how others see them.
What I want to say is that no matter what status or identity you have in this world, no matter how great your achievements are, when you come to church today, you are just like me, a beloved child of God, loved by Jesus; we are equal. There is no need to worry that he is richer than me, and I cannot sit with him. It is like this in the world! But when you come here, we are equal! Hallelujah! Just like now, Jesus looks at this woman and says: “I do not condemn you; go!”
Brothers and sisters, the people around you determine your mood. If everyone around you is a legalist, do not lose heart; do not accept their condemnation because they cannot give you a correct conclusion about who you are, what identity you have, and what you can do. It is not the people around you who can decide; it is Jesus who decides. How He sees you is what matters; you should look at yourself through Jesus’ eyes, and everything will turn around. You will no longer feel guilty, ashamed, or lack confidence because you know that in the Father’s eyes, you are precious! Hallelujah!
Jesus saw this woman; He is the only one qualified and able to condemn her, but Jesus said, “I do not condemn you; go, and from now on, sin no more.” Many people’s views are the opposite; they always say that as long as you do not sin, then you will not be condemned. If that were the case, we would always be in condemnation. Who dares to say they will never sin again?
If someone makes a small mistake, and you keep bringing up that small mistake every day, is that person trying to live? If a group of people keeps bringing up a small mistake from the past, that person will lose interest in the world; they do not want to be treated like that. You should treat yourself and others differently! Amen! Our Lord’s view is: “I do not condemn you; from now on, you will not sin.”
In parenting, this is also crucial. If you always tell your child, “Why are you so stupid? Last time you scored 60, and this time you scored 50; are you preparing to score 40 next time? Your brain is like a pig; you will definitely be useless in the future; prison is your destination!” You can declare this over them every day. I want to tell you that if you often say this to your child, one day it will come true.
You might say, “You don’t know how he is!” I know; how could I not know? I have children too! Many parents, especially sisters, are often driven to the point of wanting to hit their children, and many are even driven to tears. What is the reason? They hope their child is like that, but unexpectedly, the child in their eyes is like this, and the more they nag, the more rebellious the child becomes. What is the reason?
A rebellious child is formed by nagging. Everyone must remember this! So what should we do? The same thing: do not condemn them. If you want them to become a certain way, speak out what you want them to be. This is what I often teach everyone. Now, if they scored 60, how much do you hope they will score next time? Some say 70. Okay, then say, “Child, I believe you will definitely score 70 next time! You are the best in my eyes! You will definitely score 70!”
If you tell them this every day, they will definitely exceed 70 next time, right? This is what Jesus gave to that woman when He said: “I do not condemn you; go, and from now on, sin no more.” Because this woman accepted Jesus’ encouragement, she really did not continue to mess around with other men; she became a servant following Jesus.
Still, I want to say: hope your employees, your family, and your children become what you want them to be; just speak out the good results with faith! What does Jesus hope? Jesus hopes that this woman will not sin anymore, and only Jesus gives her a chance to stand up and live again. A large group of people under the law all wanted to stone her to death, but only Jesus wanted to give her a chance to stand up and live.
I want to ask all parents and dear brothers and sisters, please give your children and friends a chance to stand up again; do not push them to a dead end. Do not say, “I will praise you when you score 100.” You are wrong; can we turn it around first? First, see in your mind that your child is already the best, and then they will be able to score well.
My child has changed like this. Sometimes when she does not score well, I encourage her and say, “It’s okay; as long as you did your best, that’s fine. I believe you will do even better next time.”
A few days ago, she came back and said, “Dad, do you know how much I scored this time?”
I said, “How much?”
You have to act surprised, okay?
Actually, I already knew the answer.
She said, “I scored 99 in math and 98 in language arts.”
I said, “That’s great! You see, isn’t that a bit of a tone? That’s great!”
She then said, “I checked everything from start to finish and didn’t find that small mistake.”
I said, “That’s okay; you will definitely see it next time!”
Then she chased me up the stairs and told me, “Do you know why I lost 2 points in language arts?”
I said, “That’s okay; those 2 points don’t matter.”
With such encouragement, she will become more and more careful. Otherwise, you might ask, “Why did you only score 99? How did you lose that 1 point?” Isn’t that condemnation?
If we change our focus, children will receive immense encouragement. Hallelujah! Our Heavenly Father treats us like this. Have you ever thought about how great our God is? Our God knows everything! Did Jesus say, “Don’t you know everything? Let’s debate.” Does God need to debate with you? What doesn’t He know? But our God pretends not to know anything and says, “It’s okay; tell me; I really like to listen!” This is our prayer.
When you open your mouth to pray to our Heavenly Father, our Father says, “I really like to hear you speak!” Because He loves you! Hallelujah! Because He loves you, even if you make mistakes, our Father says it’s okay; I will give you strength; I do not condemn you; you can stand up and overcome this sin! Hallelujah! This is grace, the grace that Jesus gives us!
Brothers and sisters, this woman was in darkness at that time. No matter what the reason was, perhaps the social environment at that time led to such a life for the woman, or perhaps she lost someone in her family, or as a single woman without parents, she could only mess around with men to meet her living needs; there was no other way. But no one cared about her reasons; people only saw the result.
Our Lord cares deeply about you; He knows all your reasons and wants to give you a chance. Amen! He says, “It’s okay in your darkness; are you willing to accept My light?” If you are willing, My light will shine on you, and from now on, you will no longer have to grope in darkness. God hopes you will live in His light. Amen! We preach the message of no condemnation and what Jesus accomplished on the cross, which gives people the ability not to sin anymore. This is actually very simple.
Some say, “You can’t say that; if you say that, people will sin without restraint.” That is just a hypothesis. How could a billionaire be willing to give that up and live a life of a commoner who can’t even eat enough every day? If he has a choice, he will definitely choose the better way, right? The way Jesus gives us is the best way to live. It is just that too many people have not tasted the sweetness of the Lord’s grace and are willing to keep groping in darkness. We have a responsibility to testify about the grace we have tasted from the Lord; these people will definitely be attracted and will not want to return to darkness! Hallelujah! It’s that simple!
If there is a thatched hut and a villa, which one would you choose? Don’t tell me, “I just like the thatched hut.” Now try it; let’s see if you would choose that thatched hut in the middle of winter! If you have lived in it, you would never choose that terrible place! This woman was loved by Jesus today, accepted by Jesus, and gained the strength to stand up and live a new life. This strength is something she could never come up with on her own; Jesus is your way out! Hallelujah!
1 Peter 3:18: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.
What does this mean? It does not mean that Jesus denied the sins of this woman; Jesus means to take your sins and soon He will be crucified for your sins. He suffered once for sins… Jesus did not sin; He does not know what sin is, but He took our sins upon Himself for what purpose? To bring us to God.
We come to God through Jesus, boldly approaching the Father in prayer. If no one dares to approach God privately, that is only a dead end! Now it is different; because of Jesus, we can boldly bring our problems and our original selves before God. Amen! Because He took your sins. The wage of sin is death; Jesus has already died on the cross for our sins. Hallelujah! So I believe this woman understood why Jesus could accept her. After she left, it wasn’t long before she followed Jesus to serve Him.
The second point to share: Following Jesus means walking in the light, not in darkness.
John 8:12, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Actually, this is a conclusion. Many people read this passage and only read up to verse 11, but verse 12 is what is given to us. In verse 11, He said to the woman, “Go, and sin no more.” Verse 12 is for us; He said to the crowd: “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” When you believe in Jesus, He says you are no longer in darkness. Because why did Jesus come to the world? Look at John 12:46-47:
46 “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
Jesus is the essence of light. When you believe in Jesus, He says you do not abide in darkness. Some might say, “I don’t believe in Him.” What would Jesus say? “I do not judge you.” Our Lord’s heart is so broad! If you do not believe in Me, that’s okay; I do not judge you.
When Jesus was on earth, during His first physical ministry, those people insulted Him, condemned Him, and slandered Him. Did Jesus retaliate? No! Why? Jesus said, “I do not judge you.” If at that time Jesus had retaliated and said, “Dare to insult me, and I will let you die!” do you know what the consequence would be? That person would die on the spot, perhaps leaving not a trace! Isn’t that so? Jesus did not judge him; why? It is clearly stated here: “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
We are Christians, disciples of Christ, which means that just as Jesus does not judge people, we should not judge the world either. Amen! Those who judge others are actually taking God’s place, already replacing God’s position!
Because now there are too many people who particularly want to sit in God’s position to judge this and condemn that. I just want to tell you that God does not remember such things. We should do things that God remembers because that does not benefit us at all. When the heart is filled with the law, it will condemn others. If the heart is filled with the light of Christ, wherever you go, you will bring warmth to others! Hallelujah!
People in this world need encouragement, warmth, and light because countless people are groping in darkness! Living in darkness, but you are different; you have believed in Jesus. Our God says that those who believe in Him do not abide in darkness.
Look at Colossians 1:13-14,
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
This is your current state. Jesus did not come to preach condemnation but to preach the way of forgiveness; this is the light that the world needs. No matter what problems they encounter, when they know they are forgiven, they have the strength to find a way out. They will seek Jesus, and Jesus will surely guide them on a bright path in life. Hallelujah! Be assured that you are forgiven by God; at any time, God does not judge you based on your good or bad behavior. You are His child. Hallelujah! So whenever there is a problem or doubt, you can seek Jesus; He is your light. Amen! How can we spread that light?
Look at a passage, John 12:32-36,
32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die. 34 The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
An important point in this passage is that Jesus being lifted up will draw all people to Him. However, when preaching the message of condemnation, it is exactly the opposite; when you condemn, you are under the control of some legalistic things. For example, someone might say, “Believe in Jesus! Believe in Jesus to go to heaven; if you don’t believe in Jesus, you will go to hell!” God uses a thousand methods to force you to believe in Him. It sounds terrifying. After the 911 incident in the United States, churches were filled with people, but after a few months, people returned to their original state. Why? Because this kind of scare tactic is only temporary.
Let me tell you about parenting; many people do not understand this. Using condemnation does not work at all. The first time you yell at your child, they cry and listen to you for a few words. The second time you find that the yelling is getting louder, but the effect is getting smaller. In the end, you might yell like a donkey, and they will not budge! You are angry and immediately escalate, grabbing something to hit them! Have you noticed? We look like clowns jumping around, and they just sit there unmoved. Why? Because fear is only temporary.
If the people around you preach the gospel saying, “If you don’t believe in Jesus, you will go to hell,” are you scared? Many people are no longer scared; in the past, I knew a brother from the Korean ethnic group. There are many bathhouses in Korea, with steam rooms at over 70 degrees. He said, “Isn’t the temperature in hell higher than that of the steam room?” People are not afraid of going to hell at all; do you know why? Because they have never been there, and when you scare them, they are not afraid at all.
What truly leads people to repent and come out of darkness? The Son of Man must be lifted up to draw all people to Him. Why? Being lifted up refers to His crucifixion. He shed blood and sacrificed for us on the cross; that is not to scare us, but His love is laid bare. When you see the love of Jesus, you are willing to obey Him and follow Him.
And this love, once ignited in you, is lasting. Just like two people getting married, it is not one being scared into marriage by the other; such a life will not last long. But if they love each other, that love is enduring. So when we see Jesus on the cross, we see God’s love for us. We are willing to leave darkness, knowing that what God gives us is the best. What did Jesus say?
Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.” He was referring to Himself.
Brothers and sisters, do you know that after you believe in the Lord, you can live your life in your own way, or you can choose to live according to Jesus’ words. But those who follow Jesus walk in the light, and there is no darkness at all. We do not strive to drive away darkness; if you don’t believe it, try it. When you get home at night, turn off the lights and start cursing the darkness. Will the darkness disappear? Or how about fasting and praying? See how long you can fast to drive away the darkness in your home? Is it a lack of faith? No, the method is wrong. The method is very simple. Just turn on the switch and let the light in, and the darkness will disappear. How simple is that? Every believer can do it. Amen!
If there is darkness in your heart, if you hate someone, let Jesus in, and the hate will disappear. If your career is at a low point and you don’t know what to do, let Jesus in, and you will have inspiration and methods. If you don’t know how to educate your child, let Jesus in, and you will see that your child will change because of your love. This is the light in darkness. Amen! So every brother and sister should follow Jesus, and when you follow Him, you will not walk in darkness.
Do not focus on the darkness because the more you look at it, the more it increases. But when the light comes out, the darkness immediately disappears. Just like I am standing in the light now, the darkness on me will completely disappear because of this light, right? You just need to follow Jesus, and Jesus will clear the obstacles in front of you. Darkness cannot approach you or bind you because when Jesus’ light comes out, the darkness disappears.
Verse 36 says, “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” Jesus said this and departed and was hidden from them.
Are you sons of light? So you should tell yourself, “I am a son of light!” But we have no light inside us, just like the moon does not emit light. What should we do? How can we emit light? It is the reflection of the sun. Brothers and sisters, we do not have the source of light within us, but when Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwell within us, you let this light shine, and your problems will be solved. Let this light shine, and the world will see the fragrance of Jesus in you. Hallelujah! Because you are always filled with Jesus’ love, wisdom, and power; that is what Jesus gives you. May every brother and sister remember that you are sons of light.
Finally, let’s look at a passage, John 3:16-21,
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Many people can recite this passage: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Many people can recite this verse very clearly. Have you ever thought about changing it? This “world” refers to you. God loves you; how did He do it? He sent His only begotten Son to this world. What did Jesus come to do? Let’s look at this: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” This is the reason Jesus came to the world.
Jesus came knowing all your sins, but He does not condemn you. The reason is simple: He knows that all people live in sin, knowing we have weaknesses, problems, will fall, and will complain. But it does not matter; what is important? He can save you. Hallelujah! I hope everyone can follow Jesus, the true light, and you will not have darkness around you.
If our hearts are filled with the words of Jesus, our hearts will be filled with sunshine, filled with the light of Christ, letting your family, your work, and any place be filled with the light of Jesus. Wherever you go, you will be a person full of positive energy, a sunny person! Amen! Because there is the light of God within you, nothing can make you feel depressed because you know that God is your helper! As long as you believe in Jesus, you will no longer be condemned.
What does verse 19 say? “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
Do not hate this world because there is darkness around you, and do not hate the existence of Jesus. Focus your eyes on Jesus, and you will see the light of Jesus shining on you; He will guide you on the path ahead. Amen! Even if the people of this world are in darkness, our Lord has the power to bring you out of darkness and let you live in the light! Hallelujah! Just like at any time and place, there is a spotlight above your head, always guiding your path ahead, so you will no longer fear darkness.
In the wilderness, there were no lights or charging devices. How did the Israelites spend the nights? Above them was the pillar of fire from God, which would guide them on the path ahead. So they did not know how to enter Canaan; it did not matter; our God was guiding them in front. They just needed to follow the pillar of fire ahead, and that was enough. The pillar of fire existed there, so everything around was illuminated; they were not people living in darkness! Hallelujah!
So I want to tell you, you are a person of hope. If you are willing, come to this light, bring all your problems, and seek Jesus. You say, “Lord, I am willing to follow You!” Walking in God, everything in you will be illuminated by God’s light, and you will be filled with power, inspiration, and God’s wisdom. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You for giving us such words. When we follow Jesus, we do not walk in darkness. We are Your disciples; You do not want us to condemn or judge the world but hope we bring salvation to the world, as the world needs to hear the good news. Just like this woman, when she was condemned by those around her, Jesus gave her the good news, saying, “I do not condemn you.” Today I also know that You see me this way. In my darkness, You will extend the light to me, and I am willing to walk in Your light.
As the new week begins, Your words will become the light on my path ahead, guiding my steps. I am a child of light, a child of the day; I will no longer walk in darkness. It is not my effort to drive away darkness, but because I am in Your light, darkness cannot overcome the light. My focus is not on the devil but on Jesus; it is not on those legalists but on You, Jesus. Because You bring me the grace of forgiveness, You bring me eternal hope and light. I thank You for this!
As the new week begins, I believe Your glory shines on me, becoming strength within me. I will also be a help to those around me, illuminating them, providing a good testimony, and leading them into the light of Christ. All glory belongs to You! In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray! Amen!