In The Beginning Let There Be Light And

In The Beginning: Let There Be Light • And so the gospel message begins… at the beginning. Gen. 1: 1 -5 • Divine words (Logos) express life into a dark world. V. 3 • While Genesis clearly accounts for creation’s beginning, we gain the first glimpse into a shadowy introduction to Jesus Christ.

The Shadowy Law • It served as a shadow pointing to Jesus. Heb. 10: 1; Gal. 3: 23 -24 • And so we see another glimpse of Jesus in the Law. Cp. Dt. 16: 13 -16 (Jn. 7: 2, 8: 12)

Jesus and Sukkot (Booths) During Sukkot, two important ceremonies took place. The Hebrew people carried torches around the temple, illuminating bright candelabrum along the walls of the temple to demonstrate that the Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles. Also, the priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam and carry it to the temple where it was poured into a silver basin beside the altar. The priest would call upon the Lord to provide heavenly water in the form of rain for their supply. During this ceremony the people looked forward to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Some records reference the day spoken of by the prophet Joel.

Jesus and Sukkot (Booths) cont. In the New Testament, Jesus attended the Feast of Tabernacles and spoke these amazing words on the last and greatest day of the Feast: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. " (John 7: 37 -38 NIV) The next morning, while the torches were still burning Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. " (John 8: 12 NIV)

John’s Gospel • Unlike the other gospels, John focuses solely on Jesus as the Savior. • He wanted the world to know that Jesus referred Himself as the “light of the world”… • That He is linked directly to and the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan from “the beginning. ”

John 1: 1– 5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (Gn. 1: 3). In Him was life, and the life was the light of men (Jn. 8: 12). And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. ”

John 1: 6– 10 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ”

John 1: 11– 13 “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ”

Now, Spread the Gospel • Reflect the light of Jesus through your life. Matt. 5: 14 -16; 1 Jn. 1: 5 -7 “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, you shine as lights in the world holding fast the word of life…” (Php 2: 14– 16).