August 21, 2025 • 19 mins
Ever felt like something fundamental was missing in your understanding of salvation? That nagging sense that there's more to Jesus being "the life" than we typically grasp?
Pastor Harry Behrens tackles this profound mystery by diving deep into John 1:4-5, where we encounter one of Scripture's most transformative truths: "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
This isn't merely poetic language—it's revolutionary theology that reframes our entire understanding of salvation. Drawing from both John's Gospel and supporting passages in Ephesians, Pastor Harry demonstrates that our natural spiritual state isn't just "broken" or "lost"—it's death itself. We aren't spiritual patients needing medication; we're spiritual corpses needing resurrection.
The implications are staggering. Salvation isn't God enhancing some existing spark within us or simply "wiring the house" so we can choose to flip the switch. It's a divine creative act where God speaks light into existence where there was none—just as He did in Genesis 1. This challenges popular notions about salvation being a cooperative venture between God's offer and our wise choice.
Pastor Harry explains why this distinction matters deeply: it reveals God's ultimate purpose in salvation—His own glory. But far from being divine narcissism, this self-glorification is the most loving thing God could do, because there is nothing better than Himself that He could offer us. Our deepest joy and His highest glory perfectly align when we understand that we were created for Him.
Whether you're struggling with doubt, curious about Christianity's core claims, or a long-time believer wanting deeper theological grounding, this episode offers a refreshing perspective that cuts through cultural confusion about spiritual life. Discover why Jesus didn't come to improve your situation but to bring you from death to life—and how this truth changes everything.
What darkness are you facing today? Take heart—the light still shines, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Please visit www.chosenbydesign.net for more information on Pastor Harry’s new book, "Chosen By Design - God’s Purpose for Your Life."
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
In this episode of the Takeaway, pastor Harry
invites us to reflect on one ofthe most profound truths in
Scripture Jesus is not just thegiver of life, he is life.
Drawing from John, chapter 1,verses 4 and 5, we'll explore
what it means that in him waslife and the life was the light
of men.
This is more than a poeticphrase.
It is the declaration thatJesus holds the very essence of
(00:33):
spiritual life and that hislight breaks through even the
deepest spiritual darkness.
The message calls us to see ourcondition not as merely broken
or lost, but spiritually dead.
Condition not as merely brokenor lost, but spiritually dead,
and to recognize Christ as theone who gives new birth, new
breath and new purpose.
In a world that feels dimmed bychaos and confusion, this
(00:54):
passage offers an unshakablehope.
The light still shines and thedarkness has not overcome it.
Join Pastor Harry as he unpacksthe power and promise of Jesus
the light of life.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Hello, welcome again to the Takeaway.
I'm your host, pastor HarryBehrens, and in today's episode
we're continuing our journeythrough the Gospel of John,
chapter 1, verses 4 through5,exploring Jesus as life.
In our last episode, we openedseason 3 of the Takeaway by
looking at the first threeverses of John's Gospel, where
we encounter Jesus as theeternal Word.
We saw that John doesn't beginwith Bethlehem or the Jordan
(01:39):
River.
He begins with eternity.
In the beginning was the Wordand the Word was with God.
But is God himself eternal,uncreated and divine?
He is the very word throughwhom all things were made and in
whom all things hold together.
(02:01):
We saw that this isn't just atheological concept, it's the
foundation of our faith.
If Jesus is not God, he cannotsave, if he is not eternal, he
cannot create, and if he is notthe word, we are still waiting
for God to speak, but John tellsus that God has spoken and his
(02:22):
name is Jesus.
Now, as we continue in John,chapter 1, we come to verses 4
and 5, where John makes a boldand beautiful statement in him
was life and the life was thelight of men.
The light shines in thedarkness and the darkness has
(02:42):
not overcome it.
In the darkness, and thedarkness has not overcome it.
Today we'll explore what itmeans that Jesus is not only the
eternal word but also thesource of life and light.
What kind of life does he give?
What does his light reveal, andhow does that light still shine
in a world so often filled withdarkness?
(03:03):
Let's turn to John 1, verses 4and 5, and discover together the
hope, power and promise of thelife-giver and light-bearer,
jesus Christ.
Let's begin where life itselfbegins, with a breath.
Think about your own breathingfor a moment, something so
(03:23):
natural we rarely notice it.
Scientists tell us it's one ofthe most intricate systems in
the human body your brainstem,lungs, diaphragm, oxygen sensors
, nerves all working in harmonyto keep you alive.
Now, if just one of those partsstops working, everything stops
(03:44):
.
That's not a random accident,that's design.
Genesis 2, verse 7 says Thenthe Lord, god, formed the man of
dust from the ground andbreathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and the manbecame a living creature.
That breath wasn't just air, itwas a divine spark.
(04:05):
And Acts, chapter 17, verse 25,tells us that God gives to all
mankind life and breath andeverything.
So every breath you take rightnow is a gift.
It belongs to the one whobreathed it into you.
But life is more than breathDeep within.
Let me ask you something haveyou ever seen a sentence write
(04:35):
itself or a book appear withoutan author?
Dna, like all language, pointsto a mind, a creator.
And that creator, john tells us, is the word Jesus.
John writes in him was life,not from him.
In him he doesn't just hand outlife like a distributor, he is
(04:59):
the life.
John, chapter 14, verse 6.
I am the way and the truth andthe life.
Let's take that a step further.
In John 1, in him was life.
The Greek word here for life iszoe.
It's not physical life, bios,but spiritual, eternal life.
(05:23):
This is echoed in Ezekiel 37when God says behold, I will
cause breath to enter you andyou shall live.
And again in Ezekiel 36, I willgive you a new heart and a new
spirit I will put within you.
So this isn't about lungcapacity or heartbeats, it's
(05:44):
about new birth, which brings usto the second half of verse 4,
and the life was the light ofmen.
This light isn't just insight,it's resurrection, it's God
awakening dead hearts.
Paul makes it clear inEphesians, chapter 2, and you
were dead in the trespasses andsins, but God made us alive
(06:07):
together with Christ.
And Colossians 2.13 says youwho were dead in your trespasses
, god made alive.
And Jesus tells Nicodemus inJohn chapter 3, unless one is
born again, he cannot see thekingdom of God.
Jesus didn't come to enhanceyour life, he came to give you
(06:28):
life.
We are not sick in sin, we aredead.
And Jesus raises the dead.
The light shines in the darknessand the darkness has not
overcome it.
In John, chapter 1, verse 5.
That word shines is presenttense.
That means it's still happening.
Jesus still shines.
And the darkness?
(06:48):
Well, that's not just bad times, it's rebellion, blindness, sin
.
Now this Greek word,katalambano, overcome, has a
double meaning.
It can mean to grasp orcomprehend, and it can also mean
to overpower.
So the darkness doesn'tunderstand, grasp or comprehend
(07:11):
the light and it also can'tdefeat or overpower it.
Isaiah, chapter 9, verse 2, saysthe people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light.
Jesus himself said in Johnchapter 8, verse 12, I am the
light of the world.
Whoever follows me will notwalk in darkness but will have
(07:35):
the light of life.
And in 2 Corinthians 4, 6, paulsays For God has shown in our
hearts to give the light of theknowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ.
Listen carefully.
Technically speaking, lightdoesn't shine into darkness or
into light.
I'm sorry.
Light doesn't shine intoexisting light, it shines into
(07:58):
darkness.
When you walk into a dark roomand turn the light on, you are
shining a light into darknessand darkness flees.
There was a light source and itjust needed to be energized for
that to take place.
But let's look at what God does.
In Genesis, chapter 1, God saidlet there be light.
And there was light.
(08:18):
That was a creative act.
There was no light before thatmoment.
God calls light to shine out ofdarkness.
Paul echoes this in 2Corinthians 4, verse 6.
He says God doesn't enhance thelight in us.
(08:44):
He speaks where there is noneand light is born.
He doesn't inform dead hearts,he transforms them.
He doesn't use leftover light,he creates it.
Matthew Henry writes this lightis not of man's kindling, it is
a divine work and gift.
The same almighty power thatmade the world must make the
(09:08):
heart a new creation.
And John Calvin says darkness.
(09:34):
To be clear, what's being saidhere is that you were dead in
sin, full of darkness, and youand I had no light or light
source in us.
There was nothing that could beturned on and there was no way
to add it.
In fact, the reality is wedidn't want it.
As Paul said in Ephesians 2.3,.
We all once lived in thepassions of our flesh, carrying
out the desires of the body andthe mind, and were by nature
(09:56):
children of wrath.
Like the rest of mankind, wedidn't look for light, we didn't
want the light, we didn't evenrealize there was a light.
But Paul doesn't stop here.
He says something profound tofollow up this statement.
In Ephesians, chapter 2, verses4 and 5, he says but God, being
rich in mercy because of thegreat love with which he loved
(10:19):
us even when we were dead in ourtrespasses, he God.
He made us alive together withChrist.
By grace you have been saved.
Deadness and darkness are thesame thing here.
But god, looking at us, just ashe did the world in genesis 1,
and saw the darkness, he saidlet there be light.
(10:42):
And there was light.
The light came from seeminglynowhere.
There was no tangible source orpoint from which it was shown.
It was just there, instantlyand power, and it caused the
darkness to disperse immediately.
It was a creative act that Godspoke into existence prior to
(11:03):
creating the light sources, thesun and the moon.
That is exactly what happenedto you and me when we were born
again.
God saw us and loved us bysaying let there be light in
this one, because he or she ismy chosen vessel that I chose
before the foundation of theworld.
Before God even created thefoundation of the world where
(11:26):
darkness could dwell, he alreadyhad you and me in mind and
desired to shine his light intous.
This is important and atheological fact that believers
get messed up and taught wrongall the time.
We think that God's graceallowed us to choose him or,
another way to say it, that hewired the house and sent power
(11:47):
into it and all we had to do waschoose to turn the lights on,
to see and live for him.
But that's a concept that hasto be worked into scripture.
It's based on the idea that weare made in the image of God and
have the same or similarfreedoms to choose as he does.
But that's not at all what itsays.
The reality is we lived in ahouse that had no wiring, no
(12:15):
lamp, no source of power, andGod walked in and said let there
be light.
Then there was light.
We came alive, not of anythingwe did, but completely by what
he did.
To understand this, you onlyneed to understand God's motive
for doing all he has done.
If asked right now, why do youthink God made the world the way
he did?
Why did he put the tree in thegarden?
(12:36):
Why did he create Satan?
Why does he allow evil if he isall-powerful and all-loving?
This is the question people askall the time and so many don't
know how to answer it.
The most likely answer, youhear, is God loves us so much he
gave us free will to choose tolove him.
But if that were the case,don't you think there would be
(12:58):
scripture that clearly definesthis and removes the argument?
Instead, we find scripture likeEphesians, chapter 1 and 2,
where Paul clarifies God'smotive as well as the process.
He did all that he did for hisglory.
That's his motive Allthroughout scripture.
You see this, for example,isaiah, chapter 43, 7, everyone
(13:20):
who is called by my name, whom Icreated for my glory, whom I
formed and made.
And in Romans, chapter 11,verse 36,.
For from that, the process Godchose to glorify himself was to
(13:42):
choose us and make us alive inChrist to the praise of his
glorious grace in Ephesians,chapter 1.
Then to further clarify, hesays in chapter 2 of Ephesians
that we were dead.
He used the words that shouldremove any doubt about what he
is saying.
You were dead, but God choseyou and made you alive, to the
(14:04):
praise of his glorious grace.
He's shown his light out ofdarkness that was in you to
glorify himself.
The problem people have withthis is that it makes God sound
narcissistic, like he is allabout himself.
The truth is, he is all abouthimself because there is nothing
better than himself.
But this is not narcissistic,because God is perfect and
(14:26):
without sin.
This is where his love comes in.
Back in Ephesians 2, verses 4to 7,.
But God, being rich in mercybecause of the great love with
which he loved us even when wewere dead in our trespasses,
made us alive together withChrist.
By grace, you have been savedand raised us up with him and
seated us with him in theheavenly places in Christ Jesus,
(14:47):
so that in the coming ages hemight show the immeasurable
riches of his grace in kindnesstoward us.
In Christ Jesus.
He revealed and poured out hisperfect love on us by choosing
us, raising us up and thenseating us with Christ in the
heavenly places, so that we caneternally experience the grace
(15:08):
of God which flows from the loveof God.
That perfectly glorifies God.
He is eternally sharing himselfwith us because there's nothing
better he can offer.
And you did nothing to earnthis, nor did you choose it.
You wanted to live for yourself, but God wanted you for him.
Then, to put the nail in thecoffin, if you will, paul goes
(15:31):
on in verses eight and nine tosay For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and this isnot your own doing.
It is the gift of God, not aresult of works, so that no one
may boast, for we are hisworkmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works which Godprepared beforehand that we
should walk in them.
You were created to be and dowhat God created you for, which
(15:54):
is to glorify him.
So how do we glorify him?
We praise him by proclaiminghow great he is for making us
alive and allowing us to partakein him.
And this is only possiblebecause he's shown his light out
of the darkness of our hearts 2Corinthians 4.6 again.
Out of the darkness of ourhearts 2 Corinthians 4, 6 again.
(16:15):
For God has shown in our heartsto give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God inthe face of Jesus Christ.
If that's not clear, I don'tknow what is.
All you need to understand isthat you were made for His glory
, and all the things you arelooking for in this world that
don't satisfy you are all foundin him, because that's your
purpose to glorify him and notyourself.
(16:37):
We're going to see how all thisplays out in greater detail as
we walk through John's gospel.
But remember this Jesus didn'tcome to improve your situation.
He came to bring you from deathto life.
Without him, we are spirituallydead, but in him we are fully
alive.
So let me ask are you alive inChrist today, or are you still
(17:00):
walking in darkness, waiting forthe light?
Only he can shine.
Let's pray, father, god, wethank you for your word.
We thank you for the clarity ofyour word, that we don't have
to redefine your word, that youmake it clear that our position
was dead and dark, that we werenot alive, that we were under
(17:22):
wrath, and that you walked intothe darkness and you said let
there be light, and you broughtus to life and you made us alive
in Jesus, who is the light, allfor your glory.
Not that we would be slavesunder an oppressor, but that we
would be set free and made aliveto praise you and in that
(17:44):
praise of your glorious gracethat you so freely pour out on
us, it gives us the fullness ofjoy that Jesus promised we could
have.
I pray that you would open oureyes and our ears to hear and to
see these truths, that we wouldnot live as oppressed, but that
we would live as free,rejoicing in who you are and the
glory that you've shown intoour lives and into the darkness
(18:07):
of this world.
Father, we love you and wethank you and praise you in
Jesus name.
Amen.
Now as always, I want to thankyou for joining us today and I
hope I really hope this episodehas helped you take a step
closer in your relationship withJesus and that you now have a
deeper understanding of just howmuch God loves you and wants
(18:28):
you to know him.
Before we go, I want toencourage you to send us any
questions or comments you mayhave using the Text Us link in
the episode description.
Your input helps us shapefuture episodes that speak
directly to your needs and helpyou grow in your faith.
It's our desire that thisministry be a tool to reach the
lost and equip the saints for alife that brings glory to God.
(18:49):
Now, in our next episode, we'llturn to John, chapter 1, verses
6 to 13, where we see how theword Jesus is made known to the
world.
What does it mean to trulyreceive him, and why do so many
reject the light?
Join me as we explore themystery of belief, identity and
(19:10):
the power to become children ofGod.
God bless, and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
In this episode of the Takeaway, pastor Harry
invites us to reflect on one ofthe most profound truths in
Scripture Jesus is not just thegiver of life, he is life.
Drawing from John, chapter 1,verses 4 and 5, we'll explore
what it means that in him waslife and the life was the light
of men.
This is more than a poeticphrase.
It is the declaration thatJesus holds the very essence of
(00:33):
spiritual life and that hislight breaks through even the
deepest spiritual darkness.
The message calls us to see ourcondition not as merely broken
or lost, but spiritually dead.
Condition not as merely brokenor lost, but spiritually dead,
and to recognize Christ as theone who gives new birth, new
breath and new purpose.
In a world that feels dimmed bychaos and confusion, this
(00:54):
passage offers an unshakablehope.
The light still shines and thedarkness has not overcome it.
Join Pastor Harry as he unpacksthe power and promise of Jesus
the light of life.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Hello, welcome again to the Takeaway.
I'm your host, pastor HarryBehrens, and in today's episode
we're continuing our journeythrough the Gospel of John,
chapter 1, verses 4 through5,exploring Jesus as life.
In our last episode, we openedseason 3 of the Takeaway by
looking at the first threeverses of John's Gospel, where
we encounter Jesus as theeternal Word.
We saw that John doesn't beginwith Bethlehem or the Jordan
(01:39):
River.
He begins with eternity.
In the beginning was the Wordand the Word was with God.
But is God himself eternal,uncreated and divine?
He is the very word throughwhom all things were made and in
whom all things hold together.
(02:01):
We saw that this isn't just atheological concept, it's the
foundation of our faith.
If Jesus is not God, he cannotsave, if he is not eternal, he
cannot create, and if he is notthe word, we are still waiting
for God to speak, but John tellsus that God has spoken and his
(02:22):
name is Jesus.
Now, as we continue in John,chapter 1, we come to verses 4
and 5, where John makes a boldand beautiful statement in him
was life and the life was thelight of men.
The light shines in thedarkness and the darkness has
(02:42):
not overcome it.
In the darkness, and thedarkness has not overcome it.
Today we'll explore what itmeans that Jesus is not only the
eternal word but also thesource of life and light.
What kind of life does he give?
What does his light reveal, andhow does that light still shine
in a world so often filled withdarkness?
(03:03):
Let's turn to John 1, verses 4and 5, and discover together the
hope, power and promise of thelife-giver and light-bearer,
jesus Christ.
Let's begin where life itselfbegins, with a breath.
Think about your own breathingfor a moment, something so
(03:23):
natural we rarely notice it.
Scientists tell us it's one ofthe most intricate systems in
the human body your brainstem,lungs, diaphragm, oxygen sensors
, nerves all working in harmonyto keep you alive.
Now, if just one of those partsstops working, everything stops
(03:44):
.
That's not a random accident,that's design.
Genesis 2, verse 7 says Thenthe Lord, god, formed the man of
dust from the ground andbreathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and the manbecame a living creature.
That breath wasn't just air, itwas a divine spark.
(04:05):
And Acts, chapter 17, verse 25,tells us that God gives to all
mankind life and breath andeverything.
So every breath you take rightnow is a gift.
It belongs to the one whobreathed it into you.
But life is more than breathDeep within.
Let me ask you something haveyou ever seen a sentence write
(04:35):
itself or a book appear withoutan author?
Dna, like all language, pointsto a mind, a creator.
And that creator, john tells us, is the word Jesus.
John writes in him was life,not from him.
In him he doesn't just hand outlife like a distributor, he is
(04:59):
the life.
John, chapter 14, verse 6.
I am the way and the truth andthe life.
Let's take that a step further.
In John 1, in him was life.
The Greek word here for life iszoe.
It's not physical life, bios,but spiritual, eternal life.
(05:23):
This is echoed in Ezekiel 37when God says behold, I will
cause breath to enter you andyou shall live.
And again in Ezekiel 36, I willgive you a new heart and a new
spirit I will put within you.
So this isn't about lungcapacity or heartbeats, it's
(05:44):
about new birth, which brings usto the second half of verse 4,
and the life was the light ofmen.
This light isn't just insight,it's resurrection, it's God
awakening dead hearts.
Paul makes it clear inEphesians, chapter 2, and you
were dead in the trespasses andsins, but God made us alive
(06:07):
together with Christ.
And Colossians 2.13 says youwho were dead in your trespasses
, god made alive.
And Jesus tells Nicodemus inJohn chapter 3, unless one is
born again, he cannot see thekingdom of God.
Jesus didn't come to enhanceyour life, he came to give you
(06:28):
life.
We are not sick in sin, we aredead.
And Jesus raises the dead.
The light shines in the darknessand the darkness has not
overcome it.
In John, chapter 1, verse 5.
That word shines is presenttense.
That means it's still happening.
Jesus still shines.
And the darkness?
(06:48):
Well, that's not just bad times, it's rebellion, blindness, sin
.
Now this Greek word,katalambano, overcome, has a
double meaning.
It can mean to grasp orcomprehend, and it can also mean
to overpower.
So the darkness doesn'tunderstand, grasp or comprehend
(07:11):
the light and it also can'tdefeat or overpower it.
Isaiah, chapter 9, verse 2, saysthe people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light.
Jesus himself said in Johnchapter 8, verse 12, I am the
light of the world.
Whoever follows me will notwalk in darkness but will have
(07:35):
the light of life.
And in 2 Corinthians 4, 6, paulsays For God has shown in our
hearts to give the light of theknowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ.
Listen carefully.
Technically speaking, lightdoesn't shine into darkness or
into light.
I'm sorry.
Light doesn't shine intoexisting light, it shines into
(07:58):
darkness.
When you walk into a dark roomand turn the light on, you are
shining a light into darknessand darkness flees.
There was a light source and itjust needed to be energized for
that to take place.
But let's look at what God does.
In Genesis, chapter 1, God saidlet there be light.
And there was light.
(08:18):
That was a creative act.
There was no light before thatmoment.
God calls light to shine out ofdarkness.
Paul echoes this in 2Corinthians 4, verse 6.
He says God doesn't enhance thelight in us.
(08:44):
He speaks where there is noneand light is born.
He doesn't inform dead hearts,he transforms them.
He doesn't use leftover light,he creates it.
Matthew Henry writes this lightis not of man's kindling, it is
a divine work and gift.
The same almighty power thatmade the world must make the
(09:08):
heart a new creation.
And John Calvin says darkness.
(09:34):
To be clear, what's being saidhere is that you were dead in
sin, full of darkness, and youand I had no light or light
source in us.
There was nothing that could beturned on and there was no way
to add it.
In fact, the reality is wedidn't want it.
As Paul said in Ephesians 2.3,.
We all once lived in thepassions of our flesh, carrying
out the desires of the body andthe mind, and were by nature
(09:56):
children of wrath.
Like the rest of mankind, wedidn't look for light, we didn't
want the light, we didn't evenrealize there was a light.
But Paul doesn't stop here.
He says something profound tofollow up this statement.
In Ephesians, chapter 2, verses4 and 5, he says but God, being
rich in mercy because of thegreat love with which he loved
(10:19):
us even when we were dead in ourtrespasses, he God.
He made us alive together withChrist.
By grace you have been saved.
Deadness and darkness are thesame thing here.
But god, looking at us, just ashe did the world in genesis 1,
and saw the darkness, he saidlet there be light.
(10:42):
And there was light.
The light came from seeminglynowhere.
There was no tangible source orpoint from which it was shown.
It was just there, instantlyand power, and it caused the
darkness to disperse immediately.
It was a creative act that Godspoke into existence prior to
(11:03):
creating the light sources, thesun and the moon.
That is exactly what happenedto you and me when we were born
again.
God saw us and loved us bysaying let there be light in
this one, because he or she ismy chosen vessel that I chose
before the foundation of theworld.
Before God even created thefoundation of the world where
(11:26):
darkness could dwell, he alreadyhad you and me in mind and
desired to shine his light intous.
This is important and atheological fact that believers
get messed up and taught wrongall the time.
We think that God's graceallowed us to choose him or,
another way to say it, that hewired the house and sent power
(11:47):
into it and all we had to do waschoose to turn the lights on,
to see and live for him.
But that's a concept that hasto be worked into scripture.
It's based on the idea that weare made in the image of God and
have the same or similarfreedoms to choose as he does.
But that's not at all what itsays.
The reality is we lived in ahouse that had no wiring, no
(12:15):
lamp, no source of power, andGod walked in and said let there
be light.
Then there was light.
We came alive, not of anythingwe did, but completely by what
he did.
To understand this, you onlyneed to understand God's motive
for doing all he has done.
If asked right now, why do youthink God made the world the way
he did?
Why did he put the tree in thegarden?
(12:36):
Why did he create Satan?
Why does he allow evil if he isall-powerful and all-loving?
This is the question people askall the time and so many don't
know how to answer it.
The most likely answer, youhear, is God loves us so much he
gave us free will to choose tolove him.
But if that were the case,don't you think there would be
(12:58):
scripture that clearly definesthis and removes the argument?
Instead, we find scripture likeEphesians, chapter 1 and 2,
where Paul clarifies God'smotive as well as the process.
He did all that he did for hisglory.
That's his motive Allthroughout scripture.
You see this, for example,isaiah, chapter 43, 7, everyone
(13:20):
who is called by my name, whom Icreated for my glory, whom I
formed and made.
And in Romans, chapter 11,verse 36,.
For from that, the process Godchose to glorify himself was to
(13:42):
choose us and make us alive inChrist to the praise of his
glorious grace in Ephesians,chapter 1.
Then to further clarify, hesays in chapter 2 of Ephesians
that we were dead.
He used the words that shouldremove any doubt about what he
is saying.
You were dead, but God choseyou and made you alive, to the
(14:04):
praise of his glorious grace.
He's shown his light out ofdarkness that was in you to
glorify himself.
The problem people have withthis is that it makes God sound
narcissistic, like he is allabout himself.
The truth is, he is all abouthimself because there is nothing
better than himself.
But this is not narcissistic,because God is perfect and
(14:26):
without sin.
This is where his love comes in.
Back in Ephesians 2, verses 4to 7,.
But God, being rich in mercybecause of the great love with
which he loved us even when wewere dead in our trespasses,
made us alive together withChrist.
By grace, you have been savedand raised us up with him and
seated us with him in theheavenly places in Christ Jesus,
(14:47):
so that in the coming ages hemight show the immeasurable
riches of his grace in kindnesstoward us.
In Christ Jesus.
He revealed and poured out hisperfect love on us by choosing
us, raising us up and thenseating us with Christ in the
heavenly places, so that we caneternally experience the grace
(15:08):
of God which flows from the loveof God.
That perfectly glorifies God.
He is eternally sharing himselfwith us because there's nothing
better he can offer.
And you did nothing to earnthis, nor did you choose it.
You wanted to live for yourself, but God wanted you for him.
Then, to put the nail in thecoffin, if you will, paul goes
(15:31):
on in verses eight and nine tosay For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and this isnot your own doing.
It is the gift of God, not aresult of works, so that no one
may boast, for we are hisworkmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works which Godprepared beforehand that we
should walk in them.
You were created to be and dowhat God created you for, which
(15:54):
is to glorify him.
So how do we glorify him?
We praise him by proclaiminghow great he is for making us
alive and allowing us to partakein him.
And this is only possiblebecause he's shown his light out
of the darkness of our hearts 2Corinthians 4.6 again.
Out of the darkness of ourhearts 2 Corinthians 4, 6 again.
(16:15):
For God has shown in our heartsto give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God inthe face of Jesus Christ.
If that's not clear, I don'tknow what is.
All you need to understand isthat you were made for His glory
, and all the things you arelooking for in this world that
don't satisfy you are all foundin him, because that's your
purpose to glorify him and notyourself.
(16:37):
We're going to see how all thisplays out in greater detail as
we walk through John's gospel.
But remember this Jesus didn'tcome to improve your situation.
He came to bring you from deathto life.
Without him, we are spirituallydead, but in him we are fully
alive.
So let me ask are you alive inChrist today, or are you still
(17:00):
walking in darkness, waiting forthe light?
Only he can shine.
Let's pray, father, god, wethank you for your word.
We thank you for the clarity ofyour word, that we don't have
to redefine your word, that youmake it clear that our position
was dead and dark, that we werenot alive, that we were under
(17:22):
wrath, and that you walked intothe darkness and you said let
there be light, and you broughtus to life and you made us alive
in Jesus, who is the light, allfor your glory.
Not that we would be slavesunder an oppressor, but that we
would be set free and made aliveto praise you and in that
(17:44):
praise of your glorious gracethat you so freely pour out on
us, it gives us the fullness ofjoy that Jesus promised we could
have.
I pray that you would open oureyes and our ears to hear and to
see these truths, that we wouldnot live as oppressed, but that
we would live as free,rejoicing in who you are and the
glory that you've shown intoour lives and into the darkness
(18:07):
of this world.
Father, we love you and wethank you and praise you in
Jesus name.
Amen.
Now as always, I want to thankyou for joining us today and I
hope I really hope this episodehas helped you take a step
closer in your relationship withJesus and that you now have a
deeper understanding of just howmuch God loves you and wants
(18:28):
you to know him.
Before we go, I want toencourage you to send us any
questions or comments you mayhave using the Text Us link in
the episode description.
Your input helps us shapefuture episodes that speak
directly to your needs and helpyou grow in your faith.
It's our desire that thisministry be a tool to reach the
lost and equip the saints for alife that brings glory to God.
(18:49):
Now, in our next episode, we'llturn to John, chapter 1, verses
6 to 13, where we see how theword Jesus is made known to the
world.
What does it mean to trulyreceive him, and why do so many
reject the light?
Join me as we explore themystery of belief, identity and
(19:10):
the power to become children ofGod.
God bless, and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
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