Jesus Christ The Light Of The World

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;

for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways.

To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission

of their sins. Through the tender mercy of our God, which with

the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light

to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to

guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:76-79

            Zaccharias gave this prophecy in regard to John the Baptist and I have quoted it in part to give to us what this prophecy means to us. The way of the coming of Jesus Christ was foretold and accomplished by John the Baptist preparing the people to change their ways, to accept the Messiah for the Messiah was the Light of the world lighting the darkness bringing salvation for God’s people by the remission of their sins: “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. There was a man sent from God, whose name is John. This man came as a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:4–9). John the Baptist was that witness but not the only witness of the Light for all of God’s children are to bear witness to the true Light, Jesus Christ:  “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). As an Authentic Biblical Christian you are a witness for our Saviour Jesus Christ and that witness is to teach, preach, and demonstrate the life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, the Gospel of Jesus Christ: “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4). Are you a witness for Christ? Are you willing to live for Him, to die for Him? Are there other priorities in you lives that are above you destroying your witness for Christ? Is your wealth, your position, what you own your priorities? Are you seeking some sort of fame, celebrity, to have some sort of approval of man? Or is Jesus Christ the healer for your sins, the Light of the world whereby His children can be saved and live with Him for eternity the priority of your life? True Christians are called the Bride of Christ and we are His body, His arms, His legs, His mouth, and His witness for as long as we live on this earth. We are to lay aside all things that are not becoming of a Christian. Many Christian have placed things, actions that are not Scriptural but have some semblance to Christianity at least in their opinion and act as if they are the “haves” and others are the “have nots” with rituals that are not of Christianity but rather are found to be added to the Church. Some preach a prosperity Gospel as thought this is what God wants for His people: GOD DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR POSITION IN THIS LIFE: WHAT GOD CARES FOR IS YOUR POSITION WITH HIM! The Wisdom of God forgo His position with the Father and became incarnated, lived with man whom He created, died for them and shows us the way to our eternal home, a home with Him. What mercy, what tenderness, and grace that God would allow His Son to be crucified for our everlasting health and to remove the stern decrees that barred the door against our return.

            Jesus Christ gave the Church the keys that whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven and whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven, that is to say, that whosoever in the Church should not believe that his sins are remitted, they should not be remitted to him; but that whosoever should believe, and should repent, and turn from his sins, should be saved by the same faith and repentance on the ground of which he is received into the bosom of the Church. The Church does not save you and just belonging to, or attending a Church saves a person, it is repentance, true repentance which is a turning away from your sins and become a true Son of God, a child of God, and the Bride of Christ. The object of our faith is Jesus Christ. There must be a sort of death to the soul which is a putting away former habits and former ways of life, and this comes through repentance. There must be a dissolving of those former things which were against God. Here is where the rubber meets the road: Now he whose soul does not die to this world and begin here to be conformed to the truth, falls when the body dies into a more terrible death, and shall never revive, to endure forever the penalty for his sins. But true faith clings to the assurance, that the soul will not be extinguished. God’s children are healed, healed from the disease of sin, now, for God’s children are now in Christ legally in heaven and await for our eternal home actually, and until then we will live as a witness for Christ and place Jesus Christ as our highest object for our faith, our worship, and devotion.

Salvation is far from the wicked,

            For they do not seek your statutes.

Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD;

            Revive me according to Your

Judgments…..According to Your lovingkindness.

                                    Psalm 119: 155–156; 159b

The Lord Will Preserve Your Soul: Look To Him

Richard L. Crumb