Catch the Light Jesus says in John 12:35, "The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going." This seems to be a pretty clear statement, really pretty obvious to all when we think in terms of day and night. Indeed knows where he or she is going on the darkest of nights? Especially stumbling through the woods? Imagine this same person after one night in the woods, two nights, three nights in the woods. Would he or she be considered lost? Wouldn't a search party be sent out, people numbering in the hundreds? Wouldn't equipment be freed up, equipment like trucks, mobile kitchens, helicopters and bloodhounds - all in an effort to find this lost person? Into the fourth night, suppose a helicopter passed over him with a spotlight? Would this person want to be rescued? Wouldn't he or she catch the light?
In the spiritiual sense, however, when someone walks in the dark for ten years is there a rescue party sent out to find him or her? Are the same numbers of people, the same quantities of equipment, the helicopters and such releasesd to locate this lost soul. What about after twenty, thirty or fifty years, would the search party still be seeking. Wouldn't this person, beyond all doubt, be more lost the greater number of years in the spiritual darkness? Are their not search parties afoot to save these souls from eternal darkness?
How old are you today? Ten, twenty, fifty, seventy plus tax? If you do not know Jesus Christ today, you have been walking in the dark that same length of time and you do not know where you are going. No, you do not know where you are going spiritually. The longer you have lived the longer you have been lost. Statistics reveal that the older you are the less likely you are to respond to the hand of God in your life. Today you can change all of that. Today you can be 1 in a million or 1 in 5 million. Today you can catch the light. Today you can take your first walk in the light of eternity. Today you can say good-bye to the darkness forever.
What is the light, you ask? The light, my friend, is a deposit in you made by God. Listen to Ephesians 1:13-14 which says, "...having believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession..." In other words, if you do not have the Holy Spirit you do not have the light nor do you walk in the light. If you do not know Jesus, you do not have the Spirit. In truth, No Jesus equals no Spirit equals no light. This is your day to catch the light.
Christians are told in Matthew 5:14 that they "...are the light of the world. Christians are either the bright light, the mediocre light or barely visible light. Those who have not come to know Christ have not caught the light yet and thus have no light at all. Of course, there would be varying degrees of light from super bright to extremely dim to almost no light at all. That only makes sense. For anybody who has caught the light, the individual brightness is determined by him or her. When Jesus said in John 12:26, "Whoever serves me must follow me. My Father will honor the one who serves me." he knew that some would follow him more steadfastly than others, some would shine brighter than others, isome would love him more than others, and some would be peoople after God's own heart, just like David. When we serve Lord we serve him as the light of the world. We at some point caught the light and have remained, therefore, are carriers of the light.
When Jesus predicted his death, he said, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light before darkness overtakes you. The person who walks in the dark is the one without Christ who does not know where he is going. Spiritual darkness blinds us to the flames of that most unpopular place named hell, compliments of Satan. For those who catch the light these same flames are revealed to be true as the veil has been removed from their eyes in order to see.
You have not yet caught the light if you scoff and mock at these remarks. You do not know Jesus and he does not know you. But you can change that today. You can get out of the heavy traffic on the road to hell. Put your trust in the light while you have it as Jesus said you are going to have it for a little while longer so that you may become sons and daughters of light. The light is still with us in the form iof the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to each one of us. And we must be mindful that the Holy Spirit will not strive with man forever. While iwe still have the light with us, decide today to catch the light.
Predicting his death, Jesus said that the light (which is himself, the son of man, the truth, the way and the life) would be with his followers but for a little while longer. Jesus directed them to walk (meaning to follow him) while they have him, the light, and to do so before darkness (the enemy, satan) overtakes them.
When we put our trust in the light who is Jesus Christ we can become sons and daughteres of light. Whereupon we have done that, placed our trust in Jesus, we we catch the light; we catch the Holy Spirit, so to speak as he come to dwell within us. The brightness of that light is determined by us in as much as the receiving of the light was. Never forget, for those who have asked the light, the Holy Spirit, into their lives have caught the light. This statement is verified in Luke 11:13 which states that God "...will give the Holy Spirit for those who ask him." As you ask Jesus into your life today, you will catch the light.
All of the foregoing becomes clearer in John12:44-46 when Jesus says, "When a man or woman believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me." Jesus goes on to say, "I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." Isn't it marvellous, that at the instant the Holy Spirit first enables to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, that we rise out of darkness.
Those who catch the light in their service to the Lord are to stand as examples, models, or paragons to those in our nearness. Their light is to shine. The overall purpose of this is to lead souls to Christ. You who are the first in your household to catch the light, illuminate the way for others in your family, others who are unsaved. There stands the model for the household, which becomes the household plan for salvation.
Listen to Josuah 15:24 where Josuah says what each person needs to say to those who refuse the light. It reads, "Choose for yourself whom you will serve." Later he says, "...but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Today you can do likewise. You can choose to catch the light and show with their light the way to eternal life. Any Bible believing church will preach salvation through Jesus Christ, and when it does you should be able to catch the light. Any church which does not know Jesus Christ and can't lead you to the cross is a club. If you do not know anybody else who has the light, you walk in an area of darkness. Get out. Even though more churches today are not serving the Lord, it is no wonder that countless households today than not are not catching the light, and are not serving the Lord. Don't ever forget that despite what new winds of doctrine say about a zillion ways to heaven, it's unscriptural and the greatest deception of all time. Don't fall for it. Your decision to catch the light and to do it right can be the greatest decision not only for those who surround you today but for generations and generations to come.
In order that the light be in us, Acts 26:19 mentions that we should repent and turn to God followed by proof of our repentance by our deeds. Let us take a look at Jeremiah 17:10 to see what the Lord says about deeds which are the fruit of the light that works in us. The Lord says, "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." In the event that the good deed is performed by a pure heart, thereinafter accumulates the reward to one in accordance with his conduct. Thus, the man/woman is rewarded in accordance to that state of the heart and mind. Hence good deeds guarantee good rewards.
Isaiah also says in 3:10 to "Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds." What greater promise of rewards for those who perform good deeds. All the while keep in mind that these good deeds are proof that you have the Light, you are a son or a daughter of the Light. Thus it would be proof positive that you caught the light.
Jeremiah says in 32:19 of the Lord"...your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve." As recorded in 1 Samuel 2:3 "...The Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. This is a truth about how God weighs the punishment to match the deed.
Now let us return to the Light and read from John 3:19: "This is the verdict. Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. You catch the light when you accept Christ as your Lord and Saviour. This may be plainly seen when you do what you do through God.
As we approach the conclusion of this message, John 12:48 states "There is ia judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words. In John 12:5 Jesus says "...whatever I say is just what the father has told me to say." Jesus came as the light. When he left he promised to Send the Holy Spirit, his light. Those of us who accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, either carry the light in varying degrees of intensity. Those who have not accepted Christ may never catch the light.
In Romans 2:6 we can read the following: "God will give to each person according to what he has done..." In Romans 2:7 we read, "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life.
As we now prepare to close, we look to Ezekiel 18:30 which reads, "Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit. For those who at this time who have not caught the light, ask for the Holy Spirit now and begin to carry the light. Come out of the darkness and shine. For those of you who are already carrying the light, return to recharge your batteries. Accept Jesus today: Catch the light.
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