Origins of Faith: The Light of the World
Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser, HRC Cape Town, March 2023

Scripture Reading
Joh 12:26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Joh 12:27 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
Joh 12:28 Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."
Joh 12:29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."
Joh 12:30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
Joh 12:33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
Joh 12:34 The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"
Joh 12:35 Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.

Here are the processes that release the light of salvation:
1. Behold the light.
2. Believe the light.
3. Become sons of light.

1. Behold the Light

When God said, “let there be light” it energized all the building blocks of creation down to the tiniest quanta. A definition of light is difficult to summarize, but Britannica.com gives a good summary:
“Through the sense of sight, light is a primary tool for perceiving the world and communicating within it. Light from the Sun warms the Earth, drives global weather patterns, and initiates the life-sustaining process of photosynthesis. On the grandest scale, light’s interactions with matter have helped shape the structure of the universe. Indeed, light provides a window on the universe, from cosmological to atomic scales.”

This phrase particularly caught my attention: “light’s interactions with matter have helped shape the structure of the universe.” How has the Light of Jesus shaped your life so far?

Gen 1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

When God says: “Let there be” he is calling something into existence and establishing it. It comes to pass and continues. (Hebrew word hâyâh from Strong’s H1961.)

He we read about Jesus’ life being the light of men, shining like a beacon, a light house in the dark storms of life:
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

2. Believe the Light
Here is the key, we have to believe when we are enlightened about Jesus’ life. We have to receive His light in our darkness to become children of God.
Joh 1:9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Joh 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Psalms 119:130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

3. Become sons of light.
Joh 8:12 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."
While Jesus was on earth, He was the light of the world, He proved this when he gave the man born blind the light of vision again:
Jesus gives a warning to those who do not receive the light and choose to remain in darkness of sin:
Joh 8:24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
He also gives a key to the process of releasing light: to always do the things that please our Father God:
Joh 8:28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
Joh 8:29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."

Mat 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Mat 5:15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

When God told me to make my sound, I thought it was just a frequency. Later I learnt that radio astronomy gives us a clearer picture of light! You can see past the dust and stellar debris into the spectrum of light that is not even visible to the eye. You can see through galaxies and focus on a source of light from the earliest parts of creation.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Let there be light in your life, your walk of faith, you daily challenges, your entire existence.
As you wait on the Lord, allowing for the entrance of his word to give you light, you are energized, positioned and shaped, informed and equipped for every good work, so that your Father of lights can rejoice in you living out your calling to be the light of the world.