Title: Faith Like a Jewel
Gospel of John (3) Faith like a jewel (John 1:4-9)
< Life, Light and Love >
There are three major terms that best describe the person of Jesus. It is ‘3L’ in English. 3L stands for Life, Light, and Love. First, the concept of life is in verse 4. “In him was life.” Second, the concept of light is also in verse 4. “This life is the Light of men.” Third, the concept of love is in verse 9. “There was the true light, a light that came into the world and gave light to every man.” Live always remembering that the Lord is life, light, and love through these verses.
I was preparing the sermon the other day, but I was not well prepared and I was tired. At that time, while returning home late at night, I muttered the words of verse 4 with my mouth hundreds of times. “In him was life, and this life was the light of men.” At that time, these words moved me so much that I continued to mumble even when I was lying at home. There is no special or clever meaning or interpretation of those words, but when you meditate on them deeply and digest them, you feel a tremendous power springing up in your heart.
When I see the sunlight sprinkling fresh light in the morning, I sometimes get this admiration. “Today is a new day!” Such morning sunlight gives you a feeling of new life, but while feeling that vitality, remember that the Lord is the true light. The fact that the Lord is the true light contains the bright promise of a new day of dawn. No matter how difficult the situation, there is hope in the life of the saints because of the belief that the Lord is the true light.
The light of the Lord and the light of the world are different. In Genesis 1, on the first day of creation, God said, “Let there be light!” The light created on the first day of creation is not physical light, but implies the ‘true light’ in verse 9 of the text. Because the physical light that people currently perceive comes from sunlight, moonlight, and starlight, God created the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day of creation. As such, recognize the difference between ‘true light’ and just ‘physical light’ and always remember that the Lord is the true light.
< Faith like a jewel >
Even when the light shines, the darkness does not go away quickly. See verse 5 of the text. “The light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it.” The phrase “darkness did not understand” in this verse means “darkness did not disappear” in the original meaning. People think that darkness naturally disappears when light shines on it, but when there is bright light, if there is an object blocking the light, the shadow behind the object becomes more distinct. Then don't be too embarrassed by the distinct shadows. Then show your brilliant faith.
How does a gemologist differentiate between real diamonds and fake diamonds? The easy way is to put it in the water. Then the real thing will shine brightly even in the water, and the fake will lose its light the moment you put it in the water. When we have faith like a jewel that shines in adversity and speaks a strong light that does not waver even in the dark clouds of life, storms and rain and wind that threaten our survival, the Lord will be pleased with that faith and will be with us as blessings.
If you know that the Lord is life and light, go further and do your best to testify of that fact like John the Baptist (verses 7-8). Why do people become unhappy? The biggest reason is that they know they are the light. How can I be the happiest? Like John the Baptist, we become the happiest when we acknowledge that only the Lord is light and reflect that light and live.
Forgive, love, and reconcile with the light of the Lord. If you have received God's great love, share that love. Time spent without expressing gratitude for grace and without sharing makes people the most empty. Give each other many expressions of warm love, and have the generosity to empty your pockets for the missionaries. Then, even if your bankbook becomes negative, your mind will always be in a positive state.
God gave Jesus as the gift of the world (Ephesians 3:7). Give yourself, like the Lord, as the “gift of the world.” You don't have to make a desperate decision to live as a 'gift of the world'. There are many gifts that can be given, even the ordinary ones. Kind words, warm touches, bright smiles and smiles, and a word of prayer for our neighbors in need are also precious gifts. When we try to become a gift to the world with such a belief like a jewel, the world becomes a 'world of life', not a 'world of groaning'.