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 the light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. – John 12:35-36 We live in interesting times there are many voices that are trying to claim our attention. How do we stay focused on living for Christ and being relevant to a lost and dieing world? How do we refrain from being consumed with all that is going on around us and being as Jesus warned “salt that has lost its savor.”? This text in John chapter twelve occurs after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus talks to his disciples about his impending death then speaks about bringing glory to His Father. The Father responds by speaking from heaven the crowd hears it. Jesus then speaks to the to the Passover crowd and shares two thoughts for both them and us today to consider. The thoughts are believe and become. To have a relationship with Christ we first believe that He is the savior of the world and has come and died on the cross for our sins. He then sealed the deal by being raised from the tomb on the third day. Before we came to Christ Jesus says that we are walking in darkness. He has declared Himself to the light of the world. The darkness that we are walking in is because of sin. When Jesus comes into our lives He removes the darkness of sin and as long as we are with Him we walk in the light. People who do not have Christ are lost because they are in the darkness of sin, just as those in darkness do not know where they are going in the darkness the opposite is true of those who walk with Christ. In Jesus’ day He spoke to those who were in His presence as only having the light of His earthly presence. When He was be gone they would again be walking in spiritual darkness. We must first believe that Jesus is the light of the world and then we came become followers of Him. Serving Christ does not 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 the light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. – John 12:35-36 We live in interesting times there are many voices that are trying to claim our attention. How do we stay focused on living for Christ and being relevant to a lost and dieing world? How do we refrain from being consumed with all that is going on around us and being as Jesus warned “salt that has lost its savor.”? This text in John chapter twelve occurs after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus talks to his disciples about his impending death then speaks about bringing glory to His Father. The Father responds by speaking from heaven the crowd hears it. Jesus then speaks to the to the Passover crowd and shares two thoughts for both them and us today to consider. The thoughts are believe and become. To have a relationship with Christ we first believe that He is the savior of the world and has come and died on the cross for our sins. He then sealed the deal by being raised from the tomb on the third day. Before we came to Christ Jesus says that we are walking in darkness. He has declared Himself to the light of the world. The darkness that we are walking in is because of sin. When Jesus comes into our lives He removes the darkness of sin and as long as we are with Him we walk in the light. People who do not have Christ are lost because they are in the darkness of sin, just as those in darkness do not know where they are going in the darkness the opposite is true of those who walk with Christ. In Jesus’ day He spoke to those who were in His presence as only having the light of His earthly presence. When He was be gone they would again be walking in spiritual darkness. We must first believe that Jesus is the light of the world and then we came become followers of Him. Serving Christ does not mean it is a one-time transaction. If we truly become followers it is something that we will continue to do. Jesus spoke of a seed being planted in the ground that must die before it brings forth life. We must be willing to die to self in order to live for Christ. As crazy as the world is Jesus is both the answer and the pattern for how to live in today’s world.
H. Scott Latimer