From Clochr Valley in County Tyrone we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you join us as Gospel Minister the Reverend Peter McIntyre is here to let the Bible speak and preach Christ in all his fullness. Good afternoon, today we'll be thinking about Jesus Christ's great statement, I am the light of the world. I wonder are you following that light today? First here's the gospel trio singing a gospel piece. See the sinner in the temple He cannot lift His eyes Burdened down with guilt and shame Listen to His cry He prays, O Lord, have mercy Then He left without His sin For Jesus heard that sinner's cry Gave him peace within He still sings And he's still satisfied And the one who calls for mercy He still justifies Yes, He's still the same today He will never, never change He still saves And He's still satisfied See the thief upon a wooden cross He's hanging there to die But he sees the Holy Lamb of God And to the Lord he cries Remember me He called in faith And the Savior heard his plea He entered paradise that day, justified and free. He still sings, and He's still satisfied. And the One who calls for mercy, He still justifies. Yes, He's still the same today. He will never, never change. He still saves, and He still satisfies. Today I stand forgiven I'm accepted by the Lord For I'm rolled in Jesus' righteousness And I'm washed in His blood I once was lost in the depths of darkness Until my Savior came along my sin and guilt, and left me with a song. He still sings, and he's still satisfied. And the one who calls for mercy, He still justifies. Yes, He's still the same today. He will never, never change. He still saves. He still sings My God still satisfies And the one who calls for mercy He still justifies Yes, He's still the same today Today we're going to think about Christ as the light of the world. In John chapter 8 verse 12 we read, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. This is what we need today. It's what our society needs. It's what our island needs. What our families need. We need light. And where do we find the light? Who is the light? It is Christ. He said, I am the light of the world. The Lord made this statement during the Feast of the Tabernacles. In fact, the Feast had just come to an end. And during the Feast of the Passover, the children of Israel would celebrate the pillar of cloud that became a pillar of fire. This pillar of cloud was always with the children of Israel in the wilderness. It was a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night. The feast of the tabernacles lasted for seven days. On the first night of this seven-day feast, the priests lit two great lanterns on the Temple Mount, which illuminated the night sky. It is said that these lamps could be seen throughout the city. The feast was now over. The lamps had been dimmed for another year, but the Saviour was here. He was present. His light was real. His light would never be dimmed. Therefore, He declared, I am the light of the world. You see the pillar of cloud and fire, it was but a type, a metaphor of the one who is the true cloud, the one who is the true light, that is Jesus Christ himself. And he is the only light in a world of darkness. I am the light of the world, here we have Christ our companion. The cloud which covered Israel in the wilderness was immense. It spread out over two and a half million people. That certainly suggests it was supernatural, particularly as it was in the wilderness. And the wilderness was not a place, it was not an environment where one would see clouds. And to have this immense cloud in such a dry hot environment was a supernatural cloud. The cloud went before the children of Israel to guide them but it also covered them, covered them from the heat of the sun. It was constantly with them. We're told that the cloud also came down into the holy place, into the tabernacle. Whenever Moses entered into the tabernacle in Exodus 40-35 the glory of God filled the tabernacle so this cloud was the very glory of God. The cloud and the fire were continual. In Exodus 40, 38 we are told that the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journey. From the moment they left Egypt to the occasion when they crossed the Jordan into the promised land, the cloud and the fire never left them. Now the cloud and the fire, these were Old Testament appearances of Christ. It was not an ordinary cloud. Every time God reveals himself to man he does so through Christ. And so Christ was present with the children of Israel in the wilderness. And Christ is always referred to as being light. Even at the very beginning of his ministry, John records of Christ in John chapter 1, in him was life and the life was the light of men. Christ is present with us continually. We do not have a physical cloud but we do have the presence of Christ. We do have His light. And every Christian is aware of this that the Lord is one who is with them continually through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to be a Christian. It is to enjoy Christ at all times. It is to have Him within us and around us, always encasing us, always being there for us. So we have Christ as our companion. He is our companion. Let's also think about Christ our protection. When Moses led the children of Israel into the wilderness, he brought them out into one of the harshest environments on earth. He did not bring an army. He brought a nation, he brought women, he brought children, little babies, old people, sick people, he brought a society. Apart from the lack of food in the wilderness and the lack of fresh water, there was the added complication of the climate. During daytime the temperature would soar to 60 degrees Celsius or 140 degrees Fahrenheit. At night time the temperature plummeted to near freezing. In every possible way God provided. He gave them manna when they were hungry and the manna was always there. He gave them water when they were thirsty. He brought water out of the rock and He gave them the cloud to protect the people from the treacherous climate. In Psalm 105 verse 39 we are told He spread a cloud for a covering and fire to give light in the night. In a fearful world with many problems and fears, Christ is our light. He is our companion. The psalmist said in Psalm 27 verse 1, The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Sometimes we refer to the pressures of life as being the heat of the day. Perhaps you're facing pressures, concerns, things are worrying you, things are troubling you. You need to seek the comfort that is found in Christ. Isaiah 32 verse 2 says, And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, as a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Christ is the man who alone can be the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Christ is not only our companion and our protection but he is also our direction. The cloud was the primary means whereby the children of Israel received their directions in the wilderness. There are few landmarks in this place. The haze of the daytime heat produces mirages and can often be misleading. How were the children of Israel to find their way through this terrain? The book of Numbers makes this plain. When the cloud stayed still, the people remained. When the cloud moved, the people moved. they kept close to the light, they had to follow the light. In Joshua 3 verse 4 we read, Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go, for ye have not passed this way heretofore. As we think of the future, we think of a way that we have not passed before. Every step along life's journey, we take a new way. At times the way can be so new it is so dramatic. Someone has to face loneliness for the first time, grief, trial, a person who's not there whom once you depended upon. Decisions have to be made that never had to be made before. Sicknesses faced, sickness that you've never experienced before. So often along life's way we come along a path and we've not been this way before. But yet the children of Israel they had to have a clear space, the cloud had to Go on ahead so they could see clearly the way. And God makes a way for us through the wilderness of this world. He unfolds His plan by providence. Situations take place. It has to be God's will. He has allowed it to happen. Sometimes He gives us personal guidance. Sometimes He reveals so clearly the principles of God's word. We know we have to follow Him. The wilderness was a difficult place. This world is a difficult place. There are many shadows, there are many tears, there are many trials. Yet God has a way for us through the wilderness. The psalmist, he wrote, asked for the Lord. His way is perfect. His way is best. He is described as a shepherd. The shepherd went before the flock, mapping out the route. We need to go the way that the Lord maps out. as you travel through the wilderness of this life with all of its trials and perils. Are you trusting Christ? Are you following the Light? He is the only Light. If you abandon the Light, if you abandon Christ, you're in the darkness. You're in a fierce and terrible environment. You've no help. You've no shepherd. You've no Light. You're in darkness. Well, don't embrace the darkness. Embrace Christ. He said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. I thank you for listening. you've been listening to Let the Bible Speak. If we can be of any further spiritual help, or if you would like to receive some free gospel literature, we invite you to write to us. Our mailing address is Let the Bible Speak, Rev. Peter McIntyre, 13 Willand Crescent, 5 Mile Town, County Tyrone, BT75OQL. That's Let the Bible Speak, Rev. Peter McIntyre, Thirteen, Willand, Crescent, Five Mile Town, County Tyrone, BT75, OQL. You may hear Mr. McIntyre preach each Lord's Day here in Clocker Valley Free Presbyterian Church at 11.30am and 7pm. For further information you may phone us at 028 8952 1611. 028 8952 1611. We assure you of a very warm welcome at all the services and look forward to having you visit with us. Thank you for listening today. May the Lord richly bless you, and don't forget to tune in on this same station at the same time next week, when once again we turn to the scriptures and let the Bible speak.