JOHN 8:30-32: “As Jesus was saying this, many people believed in him. So Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you live by what I say, you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (GW)
OBSERVATION: “Lights…Camera…Action!” Everyone has heard these three words in a TV Show, Movie, or a Play. Yet, what can these three words tell us about God’s Word and His plan to lead us to freedom in our lives? God did not create us to live a life that is characterized by brokenness and discouragement. Jesus came so we could experience life, and life abundantly. Jesus came so that our life script could have a blessed ending. So how do we achieve this?
LIGHTS! First, we need the proper lighting. I am not speaking from great theatrical experience. My theatre career was all of one short play in high school. Yet, I know the importance of lighting. If you have ever gone to a play, or tried to take a good picture, without the proper lighting, it is all for nought. In life we also need the proper lighting. This is not the lighting of our own understanding, but it is the light of God’s eternal, written, and fully authoritative Word! Jesus did not say – “If you try to live a good life, you will be free.” Rather He said – “If you live by what I say…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” We need the proper lighting in life if we are going to live an abundant life!
CAMERA! We also need the proper camera. As modern technology has continued to make leaps and bounds, now everyone who has a smart phone also has a camera. These cameras continue to improve with the release of each phone upgrade. Yet, a professional photographer still needs a camera that has a multiplicity of lenses so that he can capture his subject, taking full advantage of the lighting, in order to get the proper exposure. As we begin to abide in God’s Word, we need to grow in both wisdom and knowledge. These are the two lenses that will enable us to see the true pathway toward abundant living. The lens of wisdom is learning to see life the way God sees it through His Word. We need to establish a Biblical World View. The lens of knowledge is learning how to apply wisdom in our daily lives. And this leads us to our third word.
ACTION! Without action, a script is merely words on paper. Without action it is lifeless and will never convey the message and purpose of its author. We can have all the wisdom and knowledge in the world, but if we never put it to action, it will never benefit us. Jesus did not exhort His believers to simply “know the truth”, He exhorted them to “live by the truth”. In fact, Jesus exhorts us to live by the truth – even before He exhorts us to know the truth. Why? Because only those who are exercising their faith in active obedience will have the capacity to grow in both wisdom and understanding. Just as a play or a move will never be produced without the action of its cast, so the abundant life will never be realized with out the obedience of the believer.
WE NEED “LIGHTS…CAMERA…ACTION!”
In Jesus Name!
