You are viewing lesson 13 in the series “Listen To Jesus” which provides 14 lessons taking some of the great sayings of Jesus to which we should listen and pay attention.
In this lesson we consider the words of our Lord Jesus in John 3:18-21. These verses record the last part of what Jesus said to Nicodemus. Jesus spoke about himself as the light of the world and how he exposes and makes manifest the hidden deeds of man.
First observe the bones of what Jesus teaches Nicodemus in these verses...
Now let us examine these four verses to see what Jesus says to Nicodemus and us...
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18 NKJV).
Here Jesus says that they are condemned who do not have faith (belief) in Jesus the Son of God and in his name. That name "is above every name" (Philippians 2:9-11).
In verse 18 there are two "nots" which express the two opposite states of the soul. The question is, in which state is your soul? The two states are...
Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life" (John 8:12 NKJV).
We follow Jesus in faith, and he shines his goodness, truth, and power all about us so we are neither in spiritual darkness nor are we condemned.
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 (John 3:19 NKJV).
Here Jesus speaks about the world's greatest problem.
When verse 19 says that men loved darkness RATHER than light, it shows they were exercising a choice. When the Light of Life shone upon them, they decided which they would RATHER love: the darkness or the light.
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed (John 3:20 NKJV).
Light exposes what darkness hides. Most of the evil that people do is covered up, hidden in the dark, whether that "dark" be literal or figurative. Those who practise evil keep away from the light and its exposure but sooner or later it will shine on them and reveal their wrongdoings.
Wise persons welcome the Light to dispel any darkness in them. Their attitude is as follows...
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:21 NKJV).
The same Light that exposes evil also exposes righteousness and its deeds. In verse 21 Jesus speaks of doing truth. It's not enough to believe it. We have to practise it as well.
The good that someone does may not be manifest; it may go unnoticed by others. But when the doer of truth comes to the Light, the righteousness done is made manifest, especially to God, without the doer making any boast.
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