By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis
Focal Passage: Isaiah 9:1-3; John 1:1-9
John’s gospel does not begin in time, but in eternity. You find Jesus coming into this world as Light from a heavenly perspective.
I. THE PROPHECY OF THE LIGHT (Isaiah 9:1-3) Because Israel was worshiping false gods, God sent Tiglath-Pilesar from Assyria in 733 BC to conquer the “land of Zebulun” and the “land of Naphtali” in the Northern Kingdom (v. 1), later recognized as Lower and Upper Galilee in the New Testament.
The Israelites were encircled by darkness and gloom. Isaiah prophesies in verse 2 that God’s Light will shine on them. He is referring to Jesus who describes Himself as “the Light of the world” (John 8:12). [Read more…]