FOLLOWING IN HIS STEPS BY WALKING IN THE LIGHT

Yeshua came into this world to bring the light of the knowledge of the glory of God to us. "In Him was life and the life was the light of men" John 1: 4

"For it is the God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Yeshua the Messiah" 2 Corinthians 4: 6

Yeshua Himself said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:12 The concept of light is that of a natural force of energy which dispels darkness and illuminates an area or an object so that it may be clearly seen and observed in every detail. His life illumines our hearts with the revelation of the knowledge of Yahweh God's great glory in a form which we can observe it. No man has seen or can see the Father in His ethereal state of existence. But Yeshua coming in the likeness of human flesh has revealed Him to us.

In the light which He has shed upon us, we can make the transition out of the darkness of this world. "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And Him who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." John 12:44-46

The darkness spoken of here, is spiritual darkness which originates from the ruler of this world (Satan) and has it's expression in the influence he exerts over this world in the manner in which the nations of this world walk, "in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts; who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." Ephesians 4:17b-20

He has translated us out of the kingdom of darkness in this world and brought us into the kingdom of His Son, in whose light we are now to walk, casting off the works of darkness and putting on instead the armour of light which will dispel the darkness from our lives (Colossians 1:13; Romans 13:12).

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord" Ephesians 5: 8-10

We were children of darkness who lived according to the pattern of this world, now that we have obtained mercy and have become children of light, we must walk according to this glorious light and knowledge of God which He has shed upon us (1 Peter 2:10).

"Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." John 12:35-36

If we do not respond to the illumination given to us by walking in His ways as new creations in Him, it will not be long before we lose the clarity of the revelation and our perception of Him will become dim and we will return to our old pattern of thinking and slip back into old habits.

Yeshua said, "You are the light of the world"

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" Matthew 5:14a, 16

We are to reflect the glory of God so that the light of the gospel can shine upon those in the world around us. We are to be as a beacon that stands out and shows others the Way of God by the way we live. As we yield our will and walk in the light of His Word, the radiance of the glory of God will shine out through these yet earthen vessels of clay, in which we live, and illuminate the world with the knowledge of God. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us."

The Light comes from Him. We are merely the vessels which contain it and transmit it to the world.

For this reason we must keep our hearts pure, unspotted from this world, "children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life," Philippians 2:15-16a

Yeshua said, "The light of the body is the eye" -- our perspective, our viewpoints affect the way we see things. Therefore if we become contaminated by the values of this world it will affect our motives and we will be controlled by the lusts of this world which will cause us to become filled with the darkness of this world.

"The light of the body is the eye." .. .. .. "But if your eye is evil your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light which is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness" Matthew 6:22-23

You cannot serve two masters. You can't serve God and "Mammon" (Matthew 6:24).

Therefore we are not to be concerned about the things of this world or about the sustenance of our lives as our heavenly Father knows that we need these things for our livelihood in this world, but, instead, we are to have our priority in seeking the things of the kingdom of God, and in appropriating His righteousness in our lives. This will give us sufficient concern in each day. For the rest, we are assured that God will provide for our every need as He does for all His creation (Matthew 6:25-34).

"This is the message that we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua the Messiah His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1: 5-10

If we walk in darkness, our fellowship with God is severed. God's very essence is light. It is the visible manifestation of His glory which radiates through the universe as the principle of life. It is reflected in His nature as holiness and truth.

Therefore it is only as we walk in the light of His Word in holiness and truth that we can have fellowship with Him. This will require being open and honest about our sins to one another and to God by confessing and forsaking them when we become aware of aspects of the sinful nature that have controlled us. When we do this, and acknowledge our sins as sin before a holy God, then the blood of Yeshua, God's Son, completely cleanses us and restores us to fellowship with God.

Walking involves moving forward and progressing onwards toward a goal. If we walk in the light, we will be progressively increasing in the measure of light within us and growing in the knowledge of the truth.

But if we seek to hide our sin and cover it, we are walking in darkness (John 3:19-21).

Fear of exposure keeps us in darkness, "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

But if we walk in the truth, we have confidence that we can come and acknowledge our sins and find forgiveness and cleansing from a gracious and merciful God through the blood of Yeshua His Son (1 John 1: 9)

Likewise if we cover the sins of others, we become a partaker with them in their sinful deeds. We are told to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them" Ephesians 5:11

For this reason we should go to our brother if we see him in sin and seek to restore him (Matt.18:15-17).

"But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light" Eph.5:13

Walking in the light with our brother requires us to confess our faults and seek our brother's forgiveness where we may have caused offence and walk humbly with one another, forbearing and forgiving one another so that we fulfill the command which Yeshua gave us to love one another as He loved us.

Yeshua laid down His life for us and we are called to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16). "He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him." 1 John 2: 9-10