Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.
7 sermons cite this verse
… any of it. Okay, okay, calm down. But why do they react that way? Jesus gave us the answer in John 3.20. He says, they hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished. The reason they don't like what you are saying is you are a bright light in a dark place. Think about when you are asleep. You have all the shades drawn. And maybe your mom and dad time to wake up. The sad thing is you're in your 40s. So your mom opens up the light and the light comes. Oh man, you put your pillow over your head. You're not ready for the light. That's how people are when we talk about Jesus. But I love how it says Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. Listen, when you're obeying God, he'll fill you with the Holy Spirit. God doesn't pour his Spirit on us just for the fun of it. …
… John 3.19 says, this is the verdict. Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. They don't want to change. They want things left the way they are. And now we need to understand something. In the same way that the world oppose Jesus, the world opposes you. In the same way that the devil opposed Jesus, the devil will also oppose you. You need to recognize you will experience persecution and trials and tribulation in this world. Some of you have gotten saved and you're following Jesus and you're saying, man, I don't know what's going on, pastor. Ever since I gave my life to Jesus, it just feels like The devil's after me. It feels like I'm being attacked. I feel like so much has gone wrong ever since I gave my life to Jesus. What gives? …
… because he says here, everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be clearly seen that they have been done in God. Look, that day that I walked down on the field at the Harvest Crusade, I said, I'm done hiding. I'm done with my sin. I'm done living a life contrary to you. And I'm going to tell you this right now. I don't regret one second of that decision. Not one second. Life is so much better. He came to give life and that more abundantly. Satan is a thief and a robber, John 10. He's come to steal, kill, and destroy. Look at what he's doing in the world around us. He's doing a great job of it, isn't he? Just in the state of California, look at what he's doing in the state of California. Do you feel oppressed in the state of California? You are oppressed in the state of California. In the same way other states are? No, a different way. There is a spiritual oppression in California. …
… because they love their sin. This is John chapter three, verses 19 and 20. And this is the judgment. The light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light lest his works should be exposed. Why do people hate and reject Jesus? Because they secretly love darkness. They love their sin. And so they hide their sin. And they stay in bed with their sin. And Jesus went around exposing people's sin and telling them that they must repent. And so they tried to kill him. their secret sin kept them from seeing the Messiah who would save them from their sin. But they didn't want to be saved from their sin. They didn't want to face the wrath of God. No. And they didn't want to have their sin exposed to others. That's why they're hiding in darkness. But they also didn't want to leave their sin behind either. No, they didn't love Jesus because they loved their sin and no one, no one can serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Second, they don't believe because they lived to please man. They lived for the praise and approval of other people. This is John chapter 5, verses 43 to 44. …
… in the name of God's one and only son. This is the verdict. Light has come into the world, but people love darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be plainly seen that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. We were just over here, so loved the world that he gave his only son. And just a sentence or two later, we're in the light, living in the light, sanctified, becoming set apart and made into all of what God has put in us at salvation. We looked at this text last week in Titus, Paul speaking to one of his protégés. At one time, we too were foolish, But look at verse four. When the kindness of God, our Savior, appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. …
… attached to their sin that they did not want to give it up. In fact, he says in the next verse, everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear his deeds will be exposed. He doesn't want his sin exposed and he doesn't want his sin exchanged for righteousness. Why don't people come? Because they don't want to exchange their sin for righteousness. So what is repentance? It's saying, I don't want my sin, I want righteousness. I turn from my sin. That's why the prophets ask, why will you die? Why they say, turn, turn, turn. Why will you die? This is the message the world needs to hear. You're not going to hear it in many places, even in many churches. Most I'm afraid, they're afraid to preach judgment because it might push somebody away. You would want to think that you would preach judgment because it might push somebody toward Christ. God provided sacrifice in Christ so that we do not need to die in our sins in any age and be sent to the lake of fire. …
… And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. he who has ears to hear the word of God let them hear shall we pray Father, as we continue to give our attention to this discussion that Jesus had with a member of the Sanhedrin, we ask that what is there for our instruction may pierce our souls and our hearts. We ask these things in Jesus' name, amen. Last week I spoke briefly on chapter 3, verses 10 following, ending at verse 13, No one has ascended into heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is the Son of Man, who is in heaven. Now Jesus, in this discussion with Nicodemus, uses this title, which is his favorite title for self-description, the title Son of Man. …