The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.
6 sermons cite this verse
… The light is shining in the darkness And the darkness has not overcome it There came a man sent from God His name was John. He came as a witness to the light so that all people would trust, would believe through him. He himself was not the light. He only came as a witness to the light. The true light who gives light to all people was coming into the world. He was in the world. And though the world was made through him, the world did not know him. He came to his own people, but his own people did not receive him. but to those who did receive him, to those who are trusting in his name, he gave them the authority to become children of God. Children born not in a natural way, not of a human decision, not of a husband's will, but children born of God. And the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son sent from the father, full of grace and truth, full of steadfast love and faithfulness. …
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light of Jesus, it shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. If you want to read the Bible wisely, Remember that Jesus is king. Every page and every passage points to him, and that context is everything. That's what helps us understand what we are actually reading. Now, all of that, I never would have seen or learned if 10 years ago I didn't make a decision to read the Bible more days than I don't. All of that I only ever saw because I learned what the goal of reading the Bible is. And I found some really helpful guides along the way. And so for you, if you want to experience the power of God in a different way, in a new way, in the new year, commit to read the Bible more days than you don't. And if you want to make Bible reading more sustainable, I think one of the best things you can do is make it more enjoyable. …
… and the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. The question we have is, is that worth the wait? Like, is what God has done, is that worth the wait? Because think about this, from the beginning of the story, from the actually very first story. Here's Genesis chapter one and two, chapter three, everything falls apart. But in the midst of Genesis chapter three, Genesis chapter three, verse 15, God promises, he promises that there is going to be one who crushes the head of the serpent. There is gonna be one who restores all things. And then the whole rest of the story is people waiting from Abraham to Isaac, to Jacob, to the judges, to the kings, to the divided kingdom, to the civil war, to exile, through all the whole entire story, all the way to Jesus. is that worth the wait? I was thinking about, you know, this, think of right now, Christmas Day. I think a lot of us, we get really excited. …
Speak to the parched corners of our souls. Bolster our hearts and guide our steps this Advent. This we pray in the name of Jesus the Christ, the light who awaits us, nestled in the straw. Amen. This year on our Advent journey, we are paying close attention to tabletop mangers and nativity scenes. We're asking how did the diverse characters around the creche get there? How did all these folk make their way to Christmas? This morning, as Natalie mentioned, is Gaudete Sunday. Today, Christians all over the world light the candle of joy. And we've been gifted by our boisterous, rascally, and still touchingly reverent children with a joyful creche. Part of the joy comes from the fact that Christmas pageants emphasize the presence of animals at the nativity. And it makes sense. Jesus was born in a barn. Barns are homes to all sorts of critters. Animals must have looked down on the newborn king. Not so fast, say biblical scholars. They point out that the Gospels make no mention of animals when describing Christ's birth. …
… In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Now, there's no passage in all of Scripture that more clearly affirms the deity of Christ than the prologue of John's gospel that says of the second person, the Logos, that He was with God in the beginning and that He was God, and that He is also the Creator of all things, that nothing comes to be except through the power of the Logos. And it says, in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And this is the light now that shines in the darkness as the Logos Himself, the ultimate light source, comes to this world, the great light that comes into the midst of the darkness is not comprehended by the people of darkness. And John goes on to say, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. He's referring to John the Baptist. …
… who is the fountain of all truth. And the light shines in the darkness. But the darkness did not comprehend it. And He introduces John and says, John came for a witness, to bear witness to the light. He wasn't the light, but He was the witness to the light, the light that was the true light that gives light to every man that comes into the world. And again, this awful judgment. He was in the world. The world was made through Him, but the world didn't even know Him. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. Many years ago, I was being interviewed by Dr. James Montgomery Boyce in Philadelphia for his radio program. And we were talking about John 3.16. Everybody knows what that says. God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. Whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jim goes on to say to me, he says, R.C., everybody knows John 3.16. He says, what's John 3.17 say? …