I would like you to turn your Bibles this morning to John chapter 8 and ask that you follow along
! as we open the scriptures together and begin reading there. John chapter 8 verse
! And again, Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me
will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Let us pray.
Gracious Father, this morning as we take up this word,
we're thankful that you have given us scripture by inspiration,
by the work and ministry of the Spirit, and we are thankful that we who are your people may rely
upon the Spirit to help us understand and apply the Word of God. At the same time, we recognize
the importance of our hearts being humble enough and objective enough to recognize our natural
tendency of not listening carefully and with a tender heart toward the things you have.
And so we ask that you would work and that you would be glorified both in our attention to the
word of God and then our application. And Father, we want to be a people whose lives
display the work of Christ in a world that desperately needs to see the light.
We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, in that we have been away from John for a while, and that goes with, first of all,
having Christmas and then having New Year's and other things associated with that. And then I got
to preach on stewardship, right? You are all looking forward to that. Waiting, waiting, waiting for
a pastor to step on that one and get right to it. And then we had the farewell service for Caleb and
Charity. But we're back to John. And I got to tell you, it's a good book. It happens to be the best
one I know right now. And it is dynamite. As I begin, I'm several weeks ahead in where we are, and I
remember even as I was finishing up details on stewardship and then Caleb and Charity's service,
I was beginning to look back to the passage and refresh my heart in the book of John, and I found
myself just having this surge of affection for this book. It is unbelievable. It really is.
It is a book that opens up the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in a spectacular fashion.
And it's important for us to remember a couple basic details about John. For one, it's completely
different than the other three Gospels. The first three Gospels are descriptive. John's Gospel is more
reflective. The first three Gospels give us...I have a cough. Bear with me.
Lord, help him, please. Frail instrument that he is, help him, okay? That's what you're praying, right?
The first three Gospels give us lots of details, accounts of different things Jesus did.
John only gives us seven miracles, a number of different statements, but very little detail.
On the other hand, John goes out of his way to help us think carefully about who Jesus is.
To put it another way, we could say that the first three Gospels say it this way,
here is what happened. John's Gospel says, this is why it happened. Do you follow that? It's important
to keep that in view. And there is a sense in which John's Gospel, from the very beginning to the end,
stays focused singularly on the person of Christ. Now, you should remember John chapter 20, verse 31,
more or less by heart. How many of you think you could get a rough stab at reciting it without looking
at it? These things are written, what? So that you may know that Jesus is the Christ,
and believing in Him that you may have, what? Everlasting life. I mean, this is all about
knowing Jesus is the Christ. It helps to kind of have the outline in front of you. What I mean by that
is, what's the goal? What's the target? Why is this part here? And it is this singular focus on the deity
and the supremacy of Christ that almost overwhelms us with joy when we open up the book of John,
and we see the evangelist, the Gospel being laid out for us and presented so clearly. Man, I see it.
I see it. Jesus is the Christ. And so as we take up this passage this morning, let me remind you,
for one, it is the second of the seven I Am statements in John. Does that strike you as interesting?
For one, remember when Moses, at the burning bush, a little concerned for the responsibility that he had
or he was being charged with of leading the nation out of the land of Egypt, he said,
and all right, all right, who should I tell him is sending me? And God said, what? You tell him I am
is sending you. And Jesus, second person of the Godhead, fully God, makes it very, very clear that
he indeed is God's son, the second person of the Godhead. And these statements that we find,
the seven I Ams, make it undeniable. So we look here and we find the second of these statements.
You remember Jesus said earlier in John chapter 6, I am the...
Let's try it again slowly. I'll throw it out there kind of like, this is not T-ball. It's a real slow
delivery though, okay? Jesus said in John chapter 6, I am the bread of life. Second one is, I am the light.
And so here's the statement, Jesus is the light. That's what he says. And you have to understand that
this was a stunning statement of his messianic authority, and it was made in the very center
of Israel, namely in the city of Jerusalem and in the court of women in the temple.
Now, we all appreciate light in varying degrees. And light is important. It makes things grow.
It allows us to move. It helps us work. It helps us decide if we can take action with greater assurance.
Many of us here can probably think back to times when we've traveled around in our own home even,
without the benefit of light, and we found out that somebody moved something into our way, and we
wish we had light. Light's important.
But I want you to understand when Jesus said this,
there was more to his statement about I am the light than we may pick up on the surface.
And so, we want to take a minute here and think about
this bottle of water is here for me to try in moments of extreme duress, okay?
Poff drop. Belinda, thank you so much. I had no intention of doing this, but bear with me.
Thank you. Oh, three.
Please thank Belinda for having extras in her purse.
We'll see if it makes any difference.
I know, I know. Illustration of progressive sanctification very slowly taking place.
Okay. Anyway, as we get into this passage, I want us to remember a rule of Bible study is to pay
attention to context. And so, when you look at this passage, and here we are, 21st century,
we have lights, we have electricity. Some of you leave them on all night just because you don't know
that turning them off is an economic decision that you need to make occasionally. You know,
we're all about, we understand light. It's there.
The ancient world did not have that privilege.
And so, when Jesus said, I am the light, it immediately got people's attention.
But remember, it's important for us to think, who was he talking to?
He was talking to Jews for one, who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
It was a phenomenal feast. It was actually of the feast that God expected his nation to participate in,
it was the most celebratory.
It was one that had a number of different rituals in them that really communicated
the ministry of God to his people.
Now, remember, he said this during the Feast of Tabernacles, but he also said it,
well, in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles,
he also said it, in the court of women that was marked out by these large, towering torches,
candelabras of some sense, actually rising according to historical records,
or at least Josephus, etc., up to 75 feet,
that during the Feast of Tabernacles were lit every night.
How many of you have ever been around a gargantuan bonfire?
I mean a big one.
Pretty spectacular.
And so here were these four towering, flaming torches in the court of women,
and they were so powerful, their presence and light,
that all of Jerusalem kind of was affected by the aura and the glow of these torches.
And here is Jesus in that context saying,
I am the light.
But there's something else you need to understand.
When he said, I am the light, he said it in the ears of Jews that had a deep longing for their Messiah,
and they understood that when Jesus said,
I am the light,
he wasn't saying, hey, I'm a pretty bright guy.
He was saying, I am the one.
Let's take these three contextual facts and kind of weave them together so we can understand it a little more fully.
For one thing, he was saying this,
I am God in your presence.
That's what he said.
The nation of Israel, from the day they left the land of Egypt until the day they arrived in the promised land,
and this is something that always kind of befuddles me.
How in the world could Israel be so absolutely brain dead about the presence of God
when every night, what did they have over the camp?
Over the tabernacle was a pillar of fire.
I mean, can you just imagine arguing with God when there's a big cloud over the tent,
and there's a fire,
and you're like, well, I'm not real sure God cares about me.
Just stop and think about it.
In case you're wondering,
they're not the only ones that have been pretty stupid in the presence of information.
But when Jesus said, I'm the light,
he was drawing attention to the fact that God was the light of the nation of Israel.
I think about the psalm that says,
Blessed are the people who hear the joyful sound,
speaking about the word of God.
They shall walk in the light of your countenance.
How many of you can remember what it was to live a disobedient,
God-rejecting life,
and not have the benefit of the light of his presence, right?
Israel said,
You are our light and our salvation.
And here is Jesus standing up and saying,
I want you to know this,
I am the light.
Second thing he was saying in that context is,
I am the one who gives you light to your life.
The Jews who heard him saying this
were standing in the court of women.
It was the largest of the courts.
It was as far as women could go into the temple.
It was large.
And in that place,
there were these four towering candelabras
that were not lit during the daytime
when Jesus were talking,
but they could see these things.
It was a reminder,
I am the one who brings light into your life.
Probably the most significant thing, however,
is that when Jesus said this,
the Jews understood that he was claiming
without question to be the Messiah.
Think with me just a minute,
and let's turn to the passage.
Go back in your Bible.
Keep your finger in Isaiah,
because we're coming back.
But Isaiah chapter 9, verse 2.
Isaiah chapter 9, verse 2.
Boy, that cough drop helps.
Thank you very much, Belinda.
Needed.
Isaiah chapter 9, verse 2.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
The passage is one that around Christmas time
we're pretty familiar with, aren't we?
We recognize that the coming of the Messiah,
the virgin-born Son of God,
referred to clearly as the light of the world.
And so here, when Jesus made this statement,
you can understand that those who heard it
understood Jesus to say this,
I am not a kind of a representative of God
and someone that it might be a good idea
for you to listen to.
You know, how do you like up-talk in town?
It was like, hey, guys, I'm it.
I'm the light.
Get it?
Now, I want you to remember in John chapter 20, verse 31,
that John makes it very clear,
Jesus, all that we have in the book of John
is for this singular purpose
of letting you know that Jesus is the, what?
The Christ.
For what purpose?
So that you may believe on Him
and have everlasting life.
Well, I want you to understand
that there's some practical application
that we need to apply in relationship to this.
For one, following Him means not walking in darkness.
Following Him,
and we'll say this slowly so you get it,
means not walking in darkness.
Now, understand, in primary terms,
walking in darkness refers to the state of the unsaved.
When you walk in the darkness of rebellion and sin,
there are innumerable bumps
and scrapes that happen in the dark.
There are things that take place
that just end up being bruising.
I refer to it as,
and I want you to mark this in your own thinking,
as the unintended consequences of sin.
Everybody look at me and smile
because I want you to follow this.
Let me explain something to you.
When you sin,
when I sin,
my little perverted mind
and your little perverted mind
has thought at the moment
that it was a reasonable thing to do.
How many of you understand that?
Whatever it is.
And then God allows unintended consequences
to come around and give us an epiphany.
It's like, whoa,
I didn't realize that if I did this,
this would happen.
Even though God tells us ahead of time,
how many of you realize
one of the characteristics of God
is He gives you all kinds of information
about that's a bad idea.
And so when the bruises and heartaches of life
strike the wicked,
part of the intention
is God helping the wicked
come to realize
that walking in the darkness
is a miserable state to be in.
But I want you to understand something else.
Now listen to me.
Believers can walk in relative darkness as well.
You can pinch down the candle of your conscience.
And how do you do that?
I don't have to clue any of you in
because all of us here have done it on occasion.
But one of the things you can do
is say willfully,
hey, I'm not going to do that
even though I know that's what God wants.
I think back over the years
of situations where I've counseled individuals
saying, hey, hey,
don't date that unbeliever.
And why not?
Because the Bible says don't do it.
Well, I want to anyway.
She happens to be the best looking girl in the class
and in fact she was actually smiling at me
and that deserves some attention, right?
And then the heartache rolls out
and years later you end up in my office
and you're saying,
I didn't think it would end this way.
Really?
Well, that's why God said don't do it.
When you willingly close your eyes and ears
because you don't want to hear the truth,
you're going to end up with some bumps and scrapes
you didn't count on.
Well, there's another way that believers,
knowing better,
end up walking in the dark
and that's because they end up being seduced
by their own fantasies
and walking in the mirage of what they think
is reasonable rather than the light of Scripture.
I want to appeal to you.
One of the things that should characterize
you as a believer in this present day
is that you weigh all things
against the Word of God.
Do you hear me?
What does God think about that?
Where does that idea appear in Scripture?
What's the context in which I can frame that?
I've got to tell you,
one of the sad tasks of a pastor
who is being faithful to the work
of the Word of God
is that there are occasions
when I have to warn people
when they're intentionally pinching down the light
in their life
and I watch people stumbling towards heartache
and I have to say to them,
listen, no, it's not going to work out.
That's not walking in the light
and the outcome is going to be very hard for you.
Well, I want you to understand
as you look at this passage
going back to John chapter 8,
we find Jesus saying,
I am the light of the world.
I'm it.
I want you to look at a second thing.
How the dark always reacts to the light.
Look at verse 13.
So the Pharisees said to him,
you are bearing witness about yourself.
Your testimony is not true.
He had just finished
making this stunning statement about himself
and you can hear,
you can hear a whining
kind of high-pitched nasal sound
coming from a Pharisee.
You got it?
I mean,
how many of you ever just kind of think to yourself
how stupid they were?
Do you ever do that?
Pharisees?
Ah!
Here is Jesus.
I mean,
what had he done so far
that kind of cast reason?
I mean,
what had he done so far
that gave everybody good idea
of believing that he had the power
to do what he said, right?
I mean,
miracle after miracle.
I mean,
it was all out there.
Nothing secret.
And here he says,
I am the light.
I mean,
he had been dynamite.
And so you can hear
this little nasally sound.
Yeah,
you can't be right
because you're tooting your own horn.
Now,
a general rule in court
is that
a person should not be
the only witness
to bear witness to themselves.
They're saying,
hey,
you can't talk about yourself.
And in Jewish law
and in the general rule of court
is that you want
an independent
and impartial witness
or observer.
But,
I like the way Jesus responds.
What does he say here?
He looks there
and he says,
hey,
even if I do bear witness
about myself,
my testimony is true
for I know where I came from
and where I'm going.
Here's what he's saying.
He had first-hand evidence.
You got it?
Think about it.
I know where I came from
and where I'm going.
He had the supreme right
to speak about heaven
and about the Father.
Why?
He'd been there.
And everything he said
was accurate
and dead on.
How many of you
on occasion
have wanted to retract
something you've said?
I mean,
you know,
regrettably,
there's not a day goes by
that I'd not like
to get a do-over
on things I've said.
That wasn't the case
with Jesus.
Everything he said,
it was like,
bang!
Not only that,
but everybody could research
exactly what he said
in comparison
to Scripture.
Scripture.
If you look at
his Bible lessons,
his sermons,
you will find
the substance
of the Old Testament
laid out for you.
If you look at his prayers,
you will find
the information,
the text of the Old Testament
brought to your attention.
And here he was
speaking about the Father.
He was speaking about heaven.
He was speaking about
the plan of salvation.
And he was speaking
about their need
for salvation.
And he spoke
with authority
because he had come
from heaven.
And he saw the Father
firsthand.
Second thing is
that he had authority
from the Father.
You look there
in verse 15,
he says,
hey,
you judge according
to the flesh,
I judge no one.
And I can hear
the voice in the background
saying,
well,
if Jesus didn't judge,
we shouldn't judge.
How many of you
ever heard that one?
You know what?
How many of you
have a tongue
that can taste food
that's gone stale?
I mean,
some of you rely
on dates
on the thing.
Growing up in India,
I had to rely
on my tongue.
That is not safe.
Just because it was
in the refrigerator,
you know,
refrigerators keep things
for almost
way beyond their due date.
Let's not stop.
Let's stop there.
Okay.
Here's how we know
whether something
is right or wrong.
The Word of God.
The Word of God
helps us determine
what is right and wrong.
And Jesus had authority
given to him
by the Father.
And here's Jesus saying,
even if I do judge,
my judgment is true
for it is not
I alone who judge
but I am the Father
who sent me.
And incidentally,
in the day
when all are judged,
the one who judges
will be the Lord
Jesus Christ
and he who judges
will be the one
who willingly
bore the penalty
of sin
on the cross.
Furthermore,
I want you to recognize
that Jesus had
supportive evidence.
He says,
I am the one
who bears witness,
verse 18,
about myself
and the Father
who sent me
bears witness
about me.
What witness
did the Father
give to Christ?
Well,
for one thing,
but you could bear
with the fact
that not everybody
was there.
At Jesus' baptism,
what took place?
There was a voice
from heaven
that said what?
This is my beloved son
in whom I am
well pleased.
I like the next part
that appears
in one of the Gospels.
Here it is.
Listen to him.
Isn't that nice?
You know,
don't tell me
that Jesus is the Christ.
Everybody look up
because I'm talking
to you.
Don't tell me
that you're all about
being a Christian
but you're not
listening to Jesus.
There's some of you
here
whose lives
are a contradiction
of what you say.
That's not right.
If he's the Christ,
listen to him.
Jesus had supporting evidence.
That's the thing
that I want you
to recognize.
He says,
the Father bears me witness.
What he was pointing to
were,
here's miracles.
I want you to look
at a couple different passages
in relationship to this.
Keep your finger there
in John chapter 8
because we'll come back to it
but turn back
just for a moment
to John chapter 3
verse 2.
Cough while people
are turning.
Note to myself.
Okay.
John chapter 3
verse 2.
This man,
talking about Nicodemus,
came to Jesus by night
and said to him,
Rabbi,
we know that you
are a teacher
come from God.
How come?
For no one
can do these signs
that you do
unless God is with him.
God had confirmed
Christ's task
and ministry
by undeniable miracles.
I want you to look
at another passage
that brings it to us
for the same purpose
but from a completely
different light.
turn to John chapter 9.
The entire chapter
is the account
of the man
who was born blind.
Jesus and the disciples
walking along
and so one of the disciples
poses a theological question.
They look at
the man
who's been born blind
and they kind of
they want to get
the lowdown on this guy
and they say,
Rabbi,
who sinned,
this man or his parents
that he was born blind?
The idea of the Jews
was that,
hey,
a little bit like karma
for the Hindu,
you know,
you do bad things,
bad things happen.
How many are glad
that karma isn't real?
Do you follow
what I'm saying?
Anyway,
you remember
Jesus heals the guy
and then
he ends up
in front of the
Pharisees,
okay,
and the Pharisees
have this ongoing
discussion with him
about,
well,
who did this?
It was on the Sabbath.
There are lots of days
to heal on,
but Jesus really loved
to do it on the Sabbath.
Just like a finger
in the eye
of those poor Pharisees.
They probably sent him
emails saying,
could you do it
on another day?
Anyway,
Sabbath was his day.
I mean,
he just loved
to get after it.
And so now
they're having
this discussion
and remember
they bring the parents
in and what
do the parents say?
I love it.
He's of age,
ask him.
I love it.
That's a good answer.
How many of you
use that with your kids?
You know,
it's like,
don't talk to me,
officer.
Okay.
No,
no,
we won't go there.
Okay,
here.
Look at verse 25.
Okay.
There,
they're saying,
you need to give
God the glory.
I mean,
God is the one
who healed you.
This is pretty spectacular,
we admit it,
but this man's a sinner.
Really?
Verse 25,
he answered,
whether he's a sinner,
I do not know.
One thing I do know,
that though I was blind,
now I see.
Well,
let's kind of speed ahead
a little bit,
go to verse 30
and look at what happens.
The man answered,
why?
This is an amazing thing.
By the way,
he was talking
to the Illuminati
of the Jewish faith.
You follow
what I'm talking?
He was saying,
he was talking
to the guys
who had three PhDs
in Old Testament studies
who could handle
the Old Testament
like,
I mean,
they could do it
slam dunk behind their back,
that kind of thing.
And he says to them,
why?
This is an amazing thing.
You do not know
where he comes from
and yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God
does not listen to sinners
and if anyone
is a worshiper of God
and does his will,
God listens to him.
Never since the world
began
has it been heard
that anyone
opened the eyes
of a man born blind.
If this man
were not from God,
he could do
what?
Nothing.
Is that convincing?
Yeah.
And so here
is Jesus.
These Pharisees
are a little
worked up
over the fact
that he says,
I'm the light
and he says,
back up.
I know where
I come from.
Back up!
The Father
supports my judgment,
the Word.
Back up!
Look at the miracles
I've done.
They prove who I am.
Now let's come
to some practical
application
that we can fit
into our daily lives.
For one,
here's the truth,
there are some
of you here
that have never
come to the light.
You've gone to church.
I'm glad you're here.
But the truth
of the matter is,
you've never
trusted in Christ
as your Savior.
You've never
repented of your sins
and called on Him
to forgive you
and you have never
come with humility
and brokenness
and said,
the truth of the matter
is,
my life is an
absolute mess
and all the chaos
around me
is just the result
of walking
in darkness.
And I need the one
who is the light,
it's Jesus.
the heartache
and the shame,
the fear
that clouds your life
are just signals
of the fact
that you need
the Lord Jesus.
And I've got to tell you
something,
as I was praying
this morning,
I thought about
what hell's going
to be like.
Are you listening
to me?
For one thing,
hell will be a place
of incredible suffering.
But that's not all.
Hell will also be a place
where those who spend
eternity there
will,
with unrelenting bitterness,
angry against God,
resent His authority
to judge.
But that's not all.
For all of eternity,
those who spend
their time in hell
will admit that they
sinned against the light.
they saw the truth,
they heard the truth,
they were convicted
by the Spirit of God,
and they said,
I don't want it,
and you will spend for it.
How many of you know
what it is to regret
bad decisions
that you can never undo?
That's part of what
hell will be.
And there's some of you
here that have never
come to the light.
There's some of you
that have come to the light,
but you're living
in willful disobedience.
There you are.
You can think back
to a time in your own life
where the Spirit of God
got a hold of you
and revealed the darkness
of your soul,
and you cried out
and asked for mercy,
and you repented
of your sins,
and you came to know
the sweetness of faith
and the blessing
of fellowship.
And then you've been
seduced by the world,
drawn away.
And there really is
no substantial difference
between the life
that you're living presently
as you flounder around
in the dark
in the life of a person
who's never known Christ.
You can sprinkle
fancy words all over it
about how you're praying
and about how your feelings
are leading you, etc.,
but Abel,
let me tell you something.
Whipped cream on a cow pie
doesn't make it anything
other than a cow pie.
You need to understand that.
And when you eventually
step in it,
it's just the same.
Now, this is what
blows me away.
I want you to get a hold
of this.
This is the most
stunning thing of all.
Turn in your Bible
to Matthew chapter 5.
It's not the most
stunning thing of all.
Jesus is the most stunning,
but it just blew my socks away.
Hang on.
Matthew chapter 5,
verse 14 through 16.
Here's Jesus kind of
winding up the Beatitudes,
Beatitudes,
and He lets the thunder go.
Listen to me.
Look at me.
You're the light of the world.
I don't know about you,
but it gives me cold chills.
It is sobering.
It is humbling
to realize what Jesus,
who is the light,
said when He said that.
You're the light of the world.
Look at verse 15.
People don't light a lamp
and put it under a basket.
You didn't light yourself.
Do you agree with me?
You didn't light yourself.
You didn't kind of make
an objective decision,
say, you know what?
I think I,
maybe I need to be
a better person,
and you know,
let's do a little bit
of self-improvement here,
and I'm going to let everybody
know how wonderful I am.
Jesus got a hold of you
and your mess,
and He lit your candle.
Well,
why did He do that?
so that other people
may see your good works
and glorify the Father
who's in heaven.
The truth is,
is that Jesus lit my candle
so other people can see Him.
He lit your candle
so other people can see Him.
Does that make sense?
What right do I have
being lit by His grace
to live a life
that makes no difference
in the dark
and miserable corners
in which He puts me?
And God's people said,
yes!
It's right!
I'm a candle
because He lit me,
and I belong in the place
where He put me
for His glory
and His glory alone.
We need to do a better job
of being candles.
Wouldn't you agree with me?
And let me tell you something.
You won't be a better candle
unless you get your eyes
focused on Jesus.
It doesn't happen
just because you walk out of here
and say,
you know what?
I think I need to pray
seven more minutes.
Or maybe I need to stop,
you know, whatever.
Lock your eyes on Jesus.
Be overwhelmed
with the person of Christ.
Fall in love
with the one who loves you.
And the unintended consequences
of that focus
is other people
begin seeing something different
in you
that cannot be attributed
to your self-help program,
but the work
of the Spirit of God
in a broken
and miserable life.
He lights the candle.
Don't put it under a basket.
And the purpose of preaching
is to put God's people
on the spot of doing what?
Saying yes or no
to God.
Let's pray.
Father God,
thank you for Jesus
being the candle,
the light,
supreme and sufficient,
glorious in all things,
the one whose light
will adorn heaven
and satisfy us completely.
we need to have
repentant hearts
because we have been
so easily seduced
by things that don't count.
Our lives are occupied
by activities
that have so little to do
with the one
who is the light.
And only your Spirit
can bring about
genuine repentance
and I plead
that you would do that
in my life
and in the lives
of your people
that Jesus Christ
who is the light
of the world
would be seen
and adored.
Bring genuine repentance
to those who are here
and are sinners
and desperately need
salvation.
Bring humility
and brokenness
to believers
whose lives
are deeply entwined
by ungodliness.
and we ask this
for the glory
of Christ.
Amen.