Around Jesus were a few different groups. Some acknowledged Jesus and followed Him. Others were genuinely curious about who Jesus was and trying to learn from Him. There were also the scribes, who denied Jesus as the Messiah despite seeing all the miraculous signs and hearing His teachings. Jesus is God incarnate, who came to earth as fully God and fully man displaying power and teaching the truth. Jesus called the scribes and their group a wicked generation. He tells them they are spiritually blind and full of darkness.
Jesus uses a lamp as a metaphor for Himself. He is the light in the darkness (Luke 1:33). Similarly the eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is clear your whole body is full of light. A clear eye means you love Jesus and see Him as Your Savior and Lord. Christians see by faith, therefore If your faith is clear then your life and actions will also be faithful. Before being saved, Apostle Paul had no idea who Jesus was, and in fact, he hated Jesus and persecuted the church. After encountering the light of Jesus on the road to Damascus, Apostle Paul was completely transformed (Galatians 2:20). Because Apostle Paul saw the light, he lived a faithful life.
“But when it is bad, your body is also full of darkness” – Luke 11:34 If your body is full of darkness then your new nature has not been formed yet. These are the people who just put on the religious uniform. There is no change on the inside. They claim to know Jesus and act like they know Jesus but do not possess Jesus. They are full of darkness. Notice how there is no middle ground. You are either in the light or in darkness. What is the reason people cannot see? Why do they still remain in sin? Jesus states it is because their eyes are bad.
What is darkness? Our darkness is not earned but inherited. As a sinner, everyone is born in the darkness. The darkness is our depraved sinful nature. Jesus is the light that is stronger than the sun. He came to earth to shine in the darkness, yet the people could not see (John 1:5,10). How do we know people live in darkness? They have evil thoughts and commit shameless sins (Mark 7:20-21, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 4:18). Just look at the world around us. Everything that man is involved with is full of sin and foolishness.
Why is this message important? Because people say that they have the light. However, Jesus says their light is darkness. So many claim to be Christian or good people or morally right but their light is actually darkness (Proverbs 14:12). This is why people don’t change. If they were truly in the light of Jesus then there would be a transformation from the inside and out. It is not the profession of faith but the possession of faith that saves. Do not be deceived, even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). So many believe they are being led by the light when they remain in darkness. In fact, everyone is led by some set of beliefs that they believe is right. This is Christ’s strong warning to everyone. He is the only true light. The wicked are like bugs flying towards the light of a bug zapper. They are deceived and follow the light to their death (Romans 10:2-3).
Pastor met two Mormon missionaries in his neighborhood. They follow the King James Bible and the Book of Mormon. They are very devoted and sacrifice greatly for their false faith. Churchgoers also fall under this category of false light. The Bible says there are many who profess faith and do deeds in the name of Jesus but Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23). This warning highlights the importance of repentance and sanctification as true signs of salvation because it is not easy to discern who is truly in the light of Jesus merely by their actions.
How do you know if you are being led by the false light? If you are ignorant of God. If you don’t know God then this is your primary problem. Do you know God wholly and completely according to the whole counsel of Scripture? Not just God is love but also God is justice. A skewed and false understanding of God misunderstands the gospel. All heresies begin with a wrong understanding of God. Do you know God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Do you know God whose name is holy and not to be taken in vain? Do you know the God who knows all things, made all things, is eternal, and does not change? Do you know Jesus who lived a sinless life and came to suffer and die and rose again from the dead? Do you know Jesus as Savior and Lord? Do you love another gospel? Is the true gospel not enough? Do you need prosperity, Christian Nationalism, social justice, Islam, or psychology? These all lead to hatred and violence. True change is not behavior modification but an inner transformation by the life of Jesus Christ. People tend to focus on outward change. A mere outward change will not last and its true colors will reveal itself in the end(Luke 11:54).
Follow the true light, the true gospel of Jesus, and the Word of God. As Christians, if you are not changing, then your Jesus is fake and false. You need the real Jesus with the true light. Make sure the light in you is not darkness. (Luke 11:35) How can you make sure you are not entangled by the false light? Jesus says “Watch out”. To watch out is to ask yourself, “Is Christ in your heart? Is Jesus enough for you, are you satisfied in Him alone?” Guard your heart. Pray and meditate on God’s word daily. Listen to what others say about our spiritual life. Live with sound doctrine. This is how to guard your heart and follow the true light. Ask yourself if Jesus is your light? If so, then the Bible is actively working to shine the light in the darkness of our hearts.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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