Let's turn together to the gospel of John chapter 12. The gospel of John chapter 12, and let's read verses 34 through 36 of this chapter 12. The last of Jesus' public ministry, as it were, certainly is public teaching. John 12 verse 34 through 36, listen for it is God who speaks to us. So the crowd answered him, we have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? So Jesus said to them, the light is among you for a little while longer, walk while you have the light, less darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. Now the Lord bless the reading of His Word to His own glory and for the edification and sanctification of His people. In this political season which we are in, you will often hear politicians when they are accused of this or that in propriety or this statement or that statement. They will often deflect blame from themselves to those around them, to perhaps their staff. And you might hear them say from time to time that they were completely in the dark on this issue or that their staff kept them in the dark about this. And they are saying essentially that they had a lack of knowledge or a lack of awareness about a particular issue, that they didn't understand the issues of the day or they didn't understand because they didn't have information that was necessary for them to be able to make a right decision. We certainly have heard in the days leading up to the war in Iraq how the President and his staff and the Secretary of State made the case before the UN and to Congress, and since that time when most of Congress voted to go to war, we have all heard them disavow that saying that somehow or another they were in the dark on these issues, that they didn't have an awareness or it wasn't visible to them the information that was necessary for them to make an appropriate decision, that they made their decision in the dark. So we understand by our own common usage that darkness often is used to describe a lack of awareness, a lack of information or ignorance about a particular area or perhaps in general. One can say you have a certain darkness of mind and that means that there is a general ignorance that you might have about life and the things concerning life. Whereas we have heard terms like enlightenment to convey the idea of awareness or to convey the idea of intelligence or to convey the idea of progress. It was during the enlightenment period that we came to know the philosophers, Descartes and Diderot, who became great men of their day in this age of rationalism or age of reason as it is sometimes called between 1600 or 1600 and 1700 AD. We saw in that period the emergence of anatomy and science and chemistry and math compared to what is often called the dark ages which was around 400 to 900 AD. These dark ages were considered a time of stagnant culture, a time where the masses by and large were considered to be ignorant and also a time where all of the learning of Greece was essentially lost and that which Rome had brought to all society, the philosophy and the democracy and the world of politics was only kept alive by the monasteries and by the cathedrals and by the palace schools of the day. The masses became more and more illiterate, more and more ignorant in their understanding and so the wives tales or the great grandiose tales of fiction whether it be of dragons or whether it be of gods all came to be believed as being true as people become more and more ignorant. They are more and more susceptible to believe superstition as truth. It was in those days in these dark ages when the theology of the church went awry and it was after that because of the theology that was laid during the dark ages built primarily on superstition. It was from that that the reformation which we now are the fruit product and the fruit of was born. The book of John features the idea of light prominently, prominently in the book of John. The first word which would feature prominently in describing Christ of course is where John begins when he says that Jesus is the word, the word of God which was existing in all eternity with God and was God and then secondly we would see the term life where Jesus is described as life but then third light, the light. Jesus is the light. In fact in chapter 1 verses 4 through 10, listen and count as I read these verses how many times John uses the word light. Speaking of Christ in him was life and the light was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light but that all that all might believe through him. He was not the light but came to bear witness about the light. The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world and the world was made through him yet. The world did not know him. Six times, six times in those short passages of Scripture John brings forward the idea of Christ being light to enlighten those who would be in Christ. The incarnation is complemented by descriptions of word and light. The incarnation is the revelation of God and flesh and to help us to understand that words like the living word, the logos of God, the word of God which was made flesh and also light are used. But here when we talk about light, which both word and light communicate revelation, disclosure or knowledge, we find uniquely in the passage today it's not just light in the sense of that which brings light into a dark room for example in the purely physical sense. But there is an article before the word light, that article V. And because the word V appears before light, here it is made personal and it is assigning the qualities of light to Christ. Perhaps that's why we would read in the beginning of Jesus' ministry in Matthew 416 that there was a people dwelling in darkness but they have seen a great light. And for those dwelling in the region and the shadow of death, on them a light has dawned. This quotation from Isaiah 9-2 was a promise from ages before that God would send a light to show people truth. And this last public teaching of Jesus he refers to himself as light. He assigns this illuminating characteristic, this illuminating quality, this revelatory quality to himself, that knowledge awareness, understanding which are the opposite of being in the darkness will come through him as the light. Last words are important and these are the words of the last public teaching of Christ. The public teaching being what I mean there is that people would gather not by invitation but just because he's out in public. And they would gather there and he begins to teach them. This is the last public address. There would be some teaching to the disciples which is to follow that we will study but this is the last words of Christ in his public ministry to the people. James Montgomery Boyce recalls the importance and the weight of last words and he recalls General Douglas MacArthur's farewell address after he had been relieved from command. This was a speech which Boyce had had to memorize as a schoolboy and had to recite. And so he remembers very clearly the weight of last words. Speaking to Congress MacArthur referred to an old military ballot. He said, old soldiers never die they just fade away. But then he added his own thoughts to that. He said, and likely old soldier of that ballot I now fade away. A soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye. Imagine the weight that speech in Congress, the weight of these last words. Now in these few days before the crucifixion though it will take us a while longer to work our way through John chronologically in the life of Christ we are now days before the crucifixion. And remember as we've studied how that is ever present before the eyes of Christ in his mind's eye he sees the crucifixion as imminent and upon him. And now in the days just before the crucifixion Jesus is issuing these final public excertations. It's interesting to note that he doesn't even really answer their question. You remember the question when they ask him about the son of man they wanted to see this son of man. They wanted to know who is this son of man? Just what sort of son of man is this they're asking. Now they're understanding of the son of man where told comes from the law and the law could have been possibly readings from Psalm 110 or Isaiah 9. I'll read just a couple of these for you out of Isaiah 9.7 of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end. On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this or perhaps in Ezekiel 37, 25, they shall dwell in the land that I gave my servant Jacob where your fathers lived and they and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever and David my servant shall be their prince forever or perhaps most telling I think would be in Daniel 7, 14, to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples nations and languages should serve him and listen to this is their idea of Christ ministry if he is in fact the son of man which they understand he is assigned that title to himself which is a messianic title so they understand this one who is claiming to be son of man is also claiming to be Messiah and this is how they have it in their mind. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed and so there is we would understand with our ears of flesh some confusion in their mind as Jesus is now describing the son of man being lifted up and we very clearly discovered that he meant on the cross and that was to be understood lifted up from the earth on the cross and so they said well just what kind of son of man is this anyway their question is saying this is not the son of man that we've learned from the law of God from the Scriptures what is this son of man what kind of man are you describing to us? Jesus doesn't answer them for he knows what Paul has taught us in 1 Corinthians 2 14 that natural man can never discern the things of God. Jesus knows that those who are able will understand and those who are wise only in the categories of the world will never grasp what it is that he's trying to say those who dwell in darkness are those who are limited by a trust in their own understanding. It amazes me how comfortable people become with their own mind, with their own finite experience and learning. They decide that in their own mind are all the answers that they ever need and then they decide to be comfortable with that. Not that there's any evidence that they should in fact all evidence points to the contrary but yet they decide for perhaps their own peace that they have enough in their own mind to be sufficient. Such is the dwelling in darkness for in darkness you cannot see around you to see what it is that you might be missing. All you have is your own thoughts. 1 Corinthians 126 we understand that this is not where the calling of God is to be discovered however for consider Paul says you're calling brothers that not many of you were wise according to worldly standards not many of you are powerful again we would understand according to the worldly standards and not many of you are from any noble birth. Those who are worldly wise those who are powerful and influential in this world those who are affluent in this world consider themselves pretty smart consider themselves pretty capable and independent but they are dwelling in darkness Ephesians 4 Paul says don't walk as other Gentiles do in the vanity of their own mind what tragedy is there for those who are in the vanity of their own mind but so puffed with pride they cannot understand how poor and depraved their own thinking is. We understand when they open their mouths we usually can discern how poverty stricken their thinking is but in their own mind dwelling in darkness as they are they consider themselves wise powerful affluent and influential. Jesus does not speak of those who are dwelling in the darkness as being those who would understand Jesus instead of talking about the darkness he uses light and he ascribes it to himself to identify himself first of all as eternal because light is used to refer to God in Psalm 271 the Lord is my light and my salvation so when Jesus ascries light to himself the first thing we who are in Christ understand is that he is suggesting that he himself is the revelation of God he himself is the revelation of truth and that all other pursuits are dead in roads unless we are taking Christ as our understanding of life. Second Corinthians 4 6 for God who said let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is found nowhere except in the incarnation and the ministry and the word of God and the life of Christ. There are many who are engaged in thinking sciences today. They are on quest which are not bad quest they seek to understand justice. They seek beauty in life they want to understand love and yet when they limit themselves to a fallen created order and they limit themselves to their own finite mind and they don't turn to the one who created the very concepts which they seek ultimately in their lives they come up empty without the illumination of the mind. Men will dwell in darkness ignorant of God and estranged. There is a story of William Wilberforce perhaps you are familiar with it William Wilberforce was a man from England who was who was well known for the abolishment of slavery. He was was instrumental in the passing of the slavery abolition act of 1833 died shortly after his passage. He is buried at Westminster Abbey along with a close friend of his William Pitt. William Pitt ended up being prime minister in England and was known as a great man with a sharp mind a political mind and a great and wonderful leader one of the greatest that England has enjoyed. William Wilberforce was a devout believer and follower of Christ. William Pitt was a professing Christian but was a nominal Christian at best very rarely actually applying his own faith to life. William Wilberforce each lords day thrilled to go and listen to a pastor Richard Cecil and Richard Cecil each week would proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and William Wilberforce fed on the Word of God and he left with his spirits lifted up and his feet almost off the ground and joy because he had communed with God in his word and he asked his friend William Pitt to come to him with him to church each and every week. William Pitt of course was a man very busy in government and so he never was able to but there was one time after a period of time that he carved out an opportunity to accompany his friend Wilberforce to church. They went to church together and Cecil preached in top form. He preached the gospel and all the while Wilberforce prayed that the spirit of God would move in his friend William Pitt's life that he would hear and understand and that his life would be transformed by the power of God in Christ through the preaching of the Word. After the service was over they left together and Wilberforce was walking on air as he describes it because that had been one of the most profound and clear presentations of the love of God and Christ that he had heard and he was thrilled in his own soul because of it but he was thrilled that his friend had been there to hear it and as they walked along in silence with Wilberforce rejoicing his friend William Pitt finally turned to him and said you know I have the slightest idea what that man has been talking about such is the darkness that those outside of Christ are made to dwell in Ephesians 417 through 19 certainly worth reading later in the day. Now this I say and testify in the Lord that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their minds they are darkened in their understanding alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart they have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality greed to practice every kind of impurity a dark and understanding an alienated life from God the late 1700s brought another thinker I've always pronounced it as goeth but I believe it is actually goeth tea I guess like the beard that you might try to grow as a young young teenage man he left from 1749 to 1832 his thinking is so profound that it influenced Darwinism because of his own studies on plant morphology as he studied the sciences perhaps you've heard of his two part play the Faust which also was famous and many will have to read it in high school or college he inspired music and drama and poetry he was a German philosopher par excellence but on his deathbed this great philosopher brilliant as he was said simply more light more light his thinking was at least developed enough to recognize that he lacked light Greek philosophy and the Greeks who had approached Jesus had access to this salt justice and beauty and meaning to life but just as Solomon discovered in Ecclesiastes goeth discovered also in his deathbed that he needed more light that the answers would always elude him that the answers of the source and the purpose of justice and what made beauty what made love all of these are only found in Christ justice at the cross love in God as he gave his only son for those who would believe in him beauty in the salvation which even the angels marvel at how God is working with his people again 2 Corinthians 4 6 God has given the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and so what this tells us is that man knows God by revelation man knows God by the incarnation of Christ man is reconciled to God and his mind is made aware by the light of Christ which shines in him Jesus assigns to himself this title light but then he goes further and he says walk in the light walk while you have the light Jesus is calling on those who have believed to begin living the life of a disciple 2 Corinthians 5 17 talks about the transformed life as does Colossians 3 if anyone's in Christ he's a new creation the old is passed away behold the new has come Colossians 3 5 and 9 put to death therefore what is earthly in new put off the old self put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator Jesus doesn't just say what we are to be but how we are to be it like the Jews who were liberated from in the Exodus from Egypt there was a pillar of light that guided them through the darkness through the dangers of a dark wilderness in Psalm 119 die word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path the word of God the scriptures are that which illumines to us the will in the way of God and John chapter 1 as I've already mentioned he taught that the word of God became flesh and the incarnation of Christ and then finally in John 812 Jesus said I am the light of the world and whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life perhaps it's these very concepts which inspired that beloved him which we have most of us some most of our lives when we walk with the Lord in the light of his word what a glory sheds on our way while we do his good will he abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey Jesus is calling them to commit to walk with him is to commit to walk with him not to ascribe some romantic notion of perhaps one day having a devotional quality to our life he's not calling them to a devotional feeling he's calling them to walk with him and a transform to life to journey with him where he will lead not simply to feel warm about Christ or not simply to express love and words for we know the scripture teaches though they honor me with their lips their heart is far away from me and we know also in that dark day of judgment which Amos was describing that there will be those who say Lord Lord but we have prophesied in your name and we have served you and that Christ will say I never knew you and so simply saying we have a devotional quality to our life is not enough we must be transformed and give ourselves to Christ in life not to think about it but to do it identification with Christ means imitation of Christ and it means living in service to Christ that's trusting and obeying a life that cannot be surrendered to Christ is a life that has not trusted that Christ will keep that life and to not be able to identify with Christ the imitation in service is to falter at the finish line and to remain in darkness Jesus is warning here is grave he uses the most explicit terms of darkness of darkness overwhelming them not only will they remain in darkness but and the darkness will surround them and the veil will cover their eyes and remains there it seems that this darkness will thicken and it will intensify for those who falter for those who stop their understanding of any spiritual truth perhaps any insight that they might be journeying towards will be a retrievally lost and the darkness will close in about them the Pharisees of Jesus' day demonstrate spiritual blindness there are a number of opportunities the most recent one would be of course the raising of Lazarus as they dealt with the facts of Lazarus' resurrection they turned right around and denied the truth that it testified of and plotted to kill the Son of glory and even Lazarus himself they wanted to send back to the graves all they could do in response to the revelation of God was to plot murder what an example of a religious people who dwell in darkness let's ask this question in your own life have you moved from faith to faith in your own life or do the wonders of God's grace remain an enigma to you or you confound it in your reason by the operations of God is your faith your own strength and your own thinking or is living as Christ a handicap to your earthly fleshly pursuits do you find serving Christ and identifying with Christ to be somewhat of a handicap and something that slows down your progress and the life that you've charted for yourself those who walk in faith with Christ need not fear the darkness of spiritual ignorance but we also need to keep in mind that those who dwell in that darkness will understand not a wit of what it is that motivates us and drives us in our life with Christ John taught that the darkness cannot overcome the light and those who are in the light of Christ they need not fear being overwhelmed Isaiah 60 these wonderful verses of promise Isaiah 61 through 3 arise shine for your light has come and the Lord of the glory of the Lord has risen upon you for behold darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the people but the Lord will arise upon you and nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising the glory of God and of Christ church is the nations gathered to the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the light of salvation it is the light of understanding and outside of that there is only darkness and a way of thinking that to the Christian is irrational the light is done on the hearts of God's people and the nations are gathering to it our salvation is come and Christ has shown it to us so the time to walk is now if you are transformed in Christ the time for your walking with Christ is now it will not be easier tomorrow just as Christ speaking to them was essentially saying don't think if you won't walk with me now it will be any easier after the crucifixion as I'm hanging on the cross it doesn't get any easier now is the time of decision to turn back now is to invite the confusion of the darkness of the darkest night and so Jesus is simply issuing an invitation and his invitation has come and walk with me come and walk by faith and not by sight come to Christ