Posts by Yong Joo Park:
Following the light of the world, Jesus
John 8:12 (NKJV)
“I Am the Light of the World”
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Message
I. The light of the world, Jesus
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” in John 9:5 (NJKV) as well. John 1:4 (NKJV) says, “In Him was life, and the life is the light of men.” John 1:9 (NLT) says, “The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” ‘Jesus is the light’ is repeated in these verses.
II. Eternal life in Jesus
‘the light’ is the ‘life in Him’ (John 1:4). Here the ‘life’ is ‘eternal life’. ‘eternal life’ is defined in John 17:3 and is ‘the experiential relationship with the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.’
III. Following Jesus
‘He who follows Me’: what is ‘following Jesus’? We can learn His teachings from the four (4) Books of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). The Book of Acts show the works of His followers. The twenty-one (21) Books of the Letters (from Romans to Jude in the New Testaments) assist in understanding and applying His teachings. The Book of Revelation is a special book that contains revelations from God. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29) consists of three chapters and shows many key teachings of Jesus to follow. Matthew 16:24 (NLT) says,
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”
This is also written in Mark 8:34, 10:21, and Luke 9:23. To write some of His teachings that I personally select for this section, there are ‘How to become a good neighbour’ (Luke 10:30-37), ‘Duty to care for the poor (food, clothes, housing)’ (Luke 16:19-31), ‘Serving to become great among followers’ (Matthew 20:25-28, Mark 10:42-45), ‘Forgiving and praying for followers (their mistakes and faults)’ (John 13:4-17), etc.
IV. Darkness – the result of not following Jesus
‘darkness’ is ‘death’. ‘death’ is defined in Romans 8:6a (NIV). ‘the mind governed by the flesh (=sinful nature)’ is ‘death’.
‘walk in darkness’ is ‘live in the mind governed by one’s sinful nature’.
V. Light – the result of following Jesus
‘have the light of life’ is ‘have the mind governed by the Spirit' (Romans 8:6b NIV) and ‘have the experiential relationship with God’ (John 17:3).
He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first
John 7:53–8:11 (NKJV) 53 And everyone went to his own house. A Woman is Caught in Adultery 8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees […]
Jesus: the Resurrection and the Life
John 11:1–48 (NKJV) Christ Raises Lazarus 1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom […]
Jesus – the Only Man who spoke like no other
John 7:45–52 (NKJV) The Sanhedrin is Confused Over Christ 45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” 46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” 47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or the […]
Some recognised, some doubted, and some wanted to take Jesus
John 7:40–44 (NKJV) Israel is Divided over Christ 40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and […]
Jesus Invites Anyone who Thirsts to Come and Drink
John 7:35–39 (NKJV) 35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am […]
Believing the Works of God done by Jesus and Only Believers will be in Heaven
John 7:31–34 (NKJV) 31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?” Christ’s Departure to the Father 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take […]
Boldness in His time, Gracious Speech, and His Origin and Mission from God
John 7:25–30 (NKJV) Christ’s Origin from the Father 25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? 27 However, we know where this Man is from; but […]
The Doctrine of Jesus that Glorifies God and Their Wrong Judgment
John 7:15-24 [1] 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” 16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether […]
Wisdom to Wait for the Right Time
John 7:1-14 [1] Christ’s Brothers Do Not Believe 7 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that […]
