Picture in your mind for a moment a sunrise. Sun rays bursting forth, beautiful color, incredible potential, hope for a new day. The sun, the source of unbelievable and, for all practical purposes, virtually unlimited power. The sun, the focus of our existence as the earth revolves around it. Without the sun, life as we know it would be non-existent. The sun is the source of light and power for our entire planetary system.
Without the sun, we would be in complete darkness. Night and day are determined by the sunrise and sunset. The sun gives us illumination that scatters the darkness so we can see and observe by the natural eye the things that are hidden without its light. How confining life would be without it’s light!
The rays of the sun provide warmth, light, and power. Without the sun, we would have no plant life or food to sustain us. Without the sun, life on earth would not exist.
Jesus Christ, God’s Son
A little more than 2,000 years ago, God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared in this world and “broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality” (2 Timothy 1:10). This was a big deal! In fact, it is the most important event in history!
Jesus, the Son of God, entered our world, bringing light and life and hope. The Son illumines for us the only way to God, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Without Jesus in our lives, we live in darkness, spiritual darkness.
Jesus came to bring us a new way of life. This new life includes his power working in and through us. We don’t need good deeds or self-sacrifice in order to make ourselves acceptable to God. Only Jesus can do that. It is because of his sacrifice on the cross that not only are we justified before God, we also have the gift of eternal life.
‘Most assuredly, I say you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.’
—John 6:47, NKJV
Just as the sun is the source of life for the earth, we find that Jesus is the source of our relationship with God. Jesus’ payment for our sin debt provides the way for us to come to the Father. Jesus is the only source of eternal life. Just as the earth cannot recreate what the sun provides, we cannot recreate for ourselves salvation, eternal life, or the power we need to live our lives for God’s purposes. We need Jesus’ power in order to live in harmony with God’s will for our lives. Only Jesus’ divine power and precious promises enable us to tap into the supernatural power God offers us.
As believers, our life is to revolve around the Son. The apostle Paul wrote, “He [Jesus] died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them” (2 Corinthians 5:15). Jesus Christ is to be the center of our life, he is the source of our power which is enabled within us through the work of the Holy Spirit. As we grow in our relationship with God and as Jesus becomes more and more central to our lives, he causes us to bring everything into conformance with God’s will and purposes. As we rotate our lives around the Son, we become more sensitive to his authority over us. As we live in a proper relationship to God through Jesus Christ, we submit to his life-giving power. Jesus, the Son illuminates to us the way of life both for this world and the world to come.
Son Power
The sun provides a broad range of energy, including all the energy that is vital for life on Earth. In order for the Earth to receive its many benefits from the sun, scientific research has discovered that the relationship between the earth and the sun is critical. Not only is the earth positioned in just the right place to receive all the benefits of the sun without being destroyed by it, its precise position allows for correct gravitational pull between the two entities. The earth receives essential power because of its precise proximity with the sun.
Believers who have their hearts properly positioned in relationship to God are renewed and empowered daily by the Son. As we study God’s Word, we learn to trust Christ as he lives his life in us and through us by his Holy Spirit. Jesus, God’s Son, beams God’s power to us just as the sun beams its power to the earth. Paul wrote to the Colossians in the New Testament, “Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory” (Colossians 1:27). We are talking about real power here—God’s power given to us by his Son.
But to those called by God to salvation … Christ is the
power of God and the wisdom of God.
—1 Corinthians 1:24
The power of the Son is accessible to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. This begins when we trust in Jesus as our Savior. In the book of Acts, we read these words, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (2:38, emphasis added). It is the Holy Spirit who enlightens us, empowers us, convicts us when we need correction, and transforms us into the likeness of Christ.
For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has
given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
—Romans 5:5
Just as the earth revolves around the sun, absorbing light and life, we receive light and spiritual life through the Son. This is true Son Power; the saving work of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, working in and through us.
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