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THE KING’ S BUSINESS
right to say that. And pf what is He the light? “ O f the world.” Not merely the light o f a nation, nor o f the church, but o f the world. Rays o f light went out from Him even before His incarnation (John 1 :4, 5; 8 :56). But by His incarnation the light was embodied in a form that all could •see, and the incarnate Jesui became the light o f the world. Not some races alone, but ultimately all races shall receive light from Him, not merely from His words, but from His person; not from what He says merely, but from what He is (Luke 1:78, 79; Isa. 42:6, 7; 49:6; 60:1, 2 ). Because Jesus is the light it necessarily fol lows that every one who follows Him “ shall not walk in darkness.” Get away from Him, turn your back upon Him, and it will soon be dark enough, as many a Chris tian is aware. But keep close to Him by the utter renunciation o f self, and cross bearing (Matt. 16:24) and there will be no darkness, but perpetual day, constant sunshine. You “ shall have the light of life,” i. e., the light that brings life, the light that is life (John 17:3). Are you in the dark just now? Then somewhere you are not following Him. Ask God to show you wherein it is that you are not follow ing Him. Monday, June 5 . John 8 : 21 - 24 . The twenty-first and the twenty-fourth verses are among the most solemn that ever fell from Jesus’ lips. In the twenty-fourth verse He tells us that the one who does not believe that He is the Christ, the Son o f God, will die in his sins (cf. ch. 20:31). It is awful to live in sin, but there is a peculiar solemnity about dying in our sins and passing into eternity and the presence o f God in our sins, and here we are dis tinctly told that there is only one way to escape this appalling destiny, and that is by believing in Jesus Christ (cf. ch. 3:26). But the 21st verse adds something still more solemn, and that is, if one does die in his sins, whither Christ goes he cannot go. In other words, the Lord here tells us there is not the shadow o f a hope o f probation
to His first mission, and the condemnation referred to is the outward punishment and not the moral guilt. As to her moral guilt He did tell her that she was a sinner, but commanded her to go and sin no more. Sunday, June 4 . John 8 : 12 - 20 . Time and again Jesus had .spoken unto them the most evident and most marvelous truth, yet they would not hear. Still He did not give them u p : “Again therefore Jesus spake unto them.” W e may well learn from our Lord Jesus’ patience in .dealing with men. What He spake at this time is one o f the most precious utterances that ever fell from the lips o f Him who spake “as never man spake.” First o f all He declares, “ I am the light o f the' world.” What is more beneficent than light? It illumines, reveals, cheers, brings life and health and happiness, and Jesus Himself brings all these things. Only by the nat ural light can we see naturally, only by Jesus can we see spiritually. Without light there is no vision, without Jesus there is no spiritual vision. Without light we know not whither we are going; without Jesus we grope in utter darkness. Every ray o f light, o f truth, o f holiness, comes from Him. “ God is light, and in Him is no darkness, at all” (1 John 1:5) : in Jesus this light has become incarnate, and from Him as He lived among men, stream forth rays o f truth and goodness. If you would see what absolute truth is, absolute good ness, perfect holiness, just look at Him, He is “ the light.” Can we believe in the face o f such a statement as this that Jesus was merely a good man? I f He were only a man, even the best o f men, this utterance would be incredible. He who has a right to say, He who says truly, “ I am the light ,” must be Divine, and eighteen centuries o f history have demon strated that Jesus had a right to say, “I am the/light.” Note carefully that He did not say “I bring light,” or “ I give light.” Many a man could say that. What He says is vastly more meaningful than that, He says, “I am the light.” Only God has a
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