love him or hate him, it's almost impossible to ignore him.
Mr. Trump is so out there in the things he says and the things he does
that he just polarizes people.
It seems like, I don't know whether he means to do it or not,
but he certainly manages to do it.
This week, for instance, he disagreed completely
with the predictions of the American Reserve Bank.
And he said this,
they're making a mistake because I have a gut.
He means a gut feeling.
I have a gut and my gut tells me more sometimes
than anybody else's brain can ever tell me.
That was a pretty big statement.
Put in different words, it goes like this.
What Mr. Trump feels and believes will determine his actions.
Even if that means ignoring the statistics presented by a panel of experts like the Reserve Bank,
he'll bag himself.
Now, most people would express horror at such self-confidence.
They'd see it as reckless, arrogant.
But the uncomfortable truth is that we're actually quite like Mr. Trump
at so many points in our lives.
For example, in relational conflict,
we're so quick to back ourselves.
We're right, others are wrong,
even in spite of the evidence at times.
Why is it like that?
Well, because, I think it's because we're driven by an incredibly powerful,
but hidden desire to be right,
to be in control of any given situation.
Dare I say even,
to be God-like in any situation,
to have the final say.
In the words of John Paul Sartre,
French existential philosopher,
he says,
man is the being
whose project is to be God.
So, it's a proper statement, isn't it?
You might not agree with anything else, he says,
but you could agree with that one.
And we feel the impact of that
every single day.
Again, for example,
we often lament in society
people who reject authority.
Well, I actually think that's not quite right.
It's not that people reject authority,
it's that people actually want to be the authority
speaking into the lives of others
rather than recognize and live under an external authority.
We want to control our own lives.
We want to set our own destiny.
We want to run our own agenda.
We want to answer to no one but ourselves.
And surprise, surprise,
when we answer to ourselves,
we try and convince ourselves that we're right.
And even as the evidence of our internal brokenness
tells us we can't really achieve
the personal sovereignty we long for,
we redouble our efforts to convince ourselves
and convince others that we can.
It's a matter of sovereignty.
Whose sovereignty will be sovereign?
In the same way,
when we look into these passages in John,
we've seen week after week
an increase in pressure.
Jesus is polarizing people.
People loved him or they hated him,
but they couldn't ignore him
because of his radical words,
his radical actions.
And again, it was a battle for sovereignty,
pitting personal feelings,
a desire to be right,
a desire to keep control
on the part of the Jewish religious leaders
against the challenge
of coming under the sovereignty of Jesus.
And the clash,
as we move into verse 12 here,
is a very familiar pattern.
Jesus declares his sovereignty
in the words,
I am light and life.
Now, we've got to remember the context.
Jesus is in Jerusalem
for the Feast of Booths.
That was an important seven days
of thanksgiving for God's blessing,
especially God's blessing
in the wilderness time
after the Exodus.
And that two key pictures
dominated that week-long celebration.
A picture of water,
and Bo took us through that
a couple of weeks ago,
celebrating the fact
that God provided for his people
in the wilderness
life-saving water.
And we saw that Jesus
had already claimed that,
chapter 7, verse 31.
He said,
that which you're celebrating
now in this feast,
that's about me.
I am the thirst-quenching water
that will fill the wells of your soul.
And equally,
through the Feast of the Booths,
there was another ritual,
each evening,
after the sun had set,
four huge lampstands were lit
in the outer courts of the temple,
a place called the Treasury,
which is where Jesus is teaching
in this particular section.
It was called the Treasury
because there was 13
trumpet-shaped money boxes
in that area
where people,
as they were part of the celebration,
would actually put money in
as a gift to God
in thankfulness
for what he has done.
And the light,
these huge lampstands
symbolized
the pillar of cloud and fire
that was a picture
of God's glory,
of God's presence with them
in the period
of the wilderness wanderings.
And therefore,
it became to them
a picture of the guarantee
that in their lostness,
the Lord would lead them through
into the life and the land
that he had promised to give them.
It was presence and deliverance.
And people then,
each evening of this week
of feasting and celebrating,
they would come along,
each also holding burning torches,
and they would dance
into the evening.
They would sing praises.
They'd give money
in thankfulness to the Lord.
And it's said by those
who lived in the time
and recorded it
that such was the light
around the temple
that illuminated
the whole city of Jerusalem.
And we can understand that
because there was no street light.
So once you moved away from that,
you were in pitch darkness,
essentially.
So with that background,
and remember,
Jesus is there.
Those big lampstands
would have been in the background
even as Jesus was teaching.
We can sense something
of the impact
of Jesus' words
when he says,
I am the light
celebrated in the festival.
I am God's presence with you.
I have come into your world
which is darkened by sin
to illuminate it,
to dispel darkness,
to dispel sin,
and transform you
into the bright,
beautiful thing
you were created to be
in relationship with God.
And so,
as we move into this story,
the festival is over
for another year.
The lights have gone out.
Once again,
darkness settles heavily
on Jerusalem.
Jesus says,
I am the light.
currently you're
stumbling around
in the dark,
totally lost,
unable to find
your way home.
I am the light
to light your way.
I am the light
that will be with you
and surround you
as you walk that way.
I will show you
the way home.
I will take you home.
But notice what Jesus
actually says.
He says,
you can have the light.
You can have me,
says Jesus.
It's not just something
you use out there
like a torch
on the end of your arm.
You have me.
You have the light.
I am the light
for life.
Only I can give
light for life.
So,
I think Jesus is saying,
come to me
and my divine light
will stream
into your heart,
into your soul,
dispelling the darkness
of sin
and misery
and transform you
from the inside out.
Enlighten you
from the inside out.
And so,
we see,
I hope you can see,
it's a matter
of sovereignty.
Jesus is saying,
either
back your own sovereignty,
verse 12,
looking for light
and life
as you've been doing
in a renewed
national Israel,
a return
to the great days
of Moses
or in a lifetime
of sincere
religious actions.
He said,
you can
maintain
and follow
your own sovereignty
and says Jesus,
it will end badly.
You'll experience
darkness and death.
Or,
come under
my sovereignty,
says Jesus,
believing it's me
who connects
God's people
into God's presence,
into relationship
with God,
into blessing
and heaven.
If you do that,
says Jesus,
then you will
actually have,
not just experience,
you will have
light and life
forever.
So,
the response
isn't surprising.
Verses 13 to 20.
Essentially,
these guys
are just saying,
why should we
listen
or believe
in you,
Jesus?
Now,
I believe
the response
is full of anger.
They actually
hate the challenge
to their sovereignty.
So,
verse 13,
how are they going
to get out
from under
this direct challenge
as Jesus ramps it up
and leaves them
less and less
wriggle room?
Well,
they do what
they're so good
at doing
and they've done
it before
in earlier chapters.
They plead
a technical,
a legal technicality.
Jesus,
we don't have to
listen to what
you're saying
because,
technically,
your testimony
isn't valid.
You're testifying
about yourself.
You see what
they're doing?
We'll dismiss
everything
on the basis
of a technicality.
What you're saying,
Jesus,
doesn't meet
the legally
accepted
truth standards
of our society,
so we reject it.
When Jesus pushes
back hard again,
verse 14,
he said,
you know,
if you guys
even had the
slightest idea
who I am,
truth would not
even be an issue.
We wouldn't be
having this conversation.
verse 15,
if you only talk
about what's
legally accepted,
it's your words
which have no
legal worth,
says Jesus,
because your words
are coming
out of prejudice.
Your judgments
are being formed
on the basis
of untruth
and your own
feelings.
And he goes on
in verse 15,
16,
17,
18,
and I'm just
going to touch
very,
very briefly on it,
and he's really
saying,
look,
in actual fact,
if you only argue
legal technicalities,
I'm telling you now
that all legal
requirements for truth
have been met.
And it goes
something like this.
I've just said
that I'm light.
By virtue of
that statement,
light doesn't
need to be proved.
It just shines.
You just see it.
it proves itself
by dispelling
darkness.
You understand
the argument?
You don't have to say,
well,
possibly there's
light in this room.
Well,
we know there's
light in this room
because there's
not darkness.
And more than
that,
says Jesus,
I've told you
before that it's
the Father of
himself who
corroborates me
as a witness.
So they
counterattack again.
Tempting to
discredit Jesus
as not being
of suitable
character to
claim any
authority by
reminding Jesus
that in their
eyes he was
illegitimate.
Verse 18,
oh,
verse 19,
they said to
him,
therefore,
where is your
father?
You see what
they're doing?
They're finding
a way to get
out from under
the burden that
Jesus is loading
on them.
So they're
suggesting in
there,
oh,
yes,
let's just
talk about
your father
for a minute
or two,
Jesus.
Actually,
hmm,
you don't even
know who
your father
is,
really,
do you?
Jesus pushed
back again.
Listen,
you guys,
it's you
who are not
of suitable
character to
make judgments
rejecting me.
Why?
because you
guys don't
know me
or the
father.
And so
in verse 20,
we feel
something of
how Jesus
has them
boxed in.
They're
absolutely
robable
with Jesus.
They can
feel that
Jesus is
snatching away
their sovereignty.
And what's
their only
option?
Either to
give up
their sovereignty
or to
do what
they've
done.
To go
back to
the other
option for
protecting
personal
sovereignty,
and that
is getting
rid of
the person
who challenges
it.
And so
in their
hearts,
at least,
they're thinking,
jeepers,
we really do
need to get
in and kill
this bloke.
That's the
only way
we're going
to silence
them and
take the
pressure off,
remove his
challenge.
But then
verse 21,
Jesus continues
to push
them, and
he pushes
them really
hard.
He says
to them
effectively,
reject me
and you
will die
in your
sin.
There's
consequences,
says Jesus,
for continued
unbelief.
I am
God's
king.
I am
God's
savior.
The one
you have
been seeking
all along,
the one
you search
the scriptures
for daily.
Let me
tell you,
says Jesus,
soon I
will return
to heaven
having
completed
my
salvation
mission.
And if
you reject
me,
continuing
to seek
and search
for a
Messiah who
sits
comfortably
with your
expectations
and your
understanding
of what
Messiah would
look like
and what
Messiah would
do,
then I'm
telling you
now,
says Jesus,
you will
die in
your sin.
You'll be
excluded from
heaven.
You won't be
able to go
where I'm
going to
in spite of
a lifetime
of sincere
religious actions.
Verse 22,
what do they do
in response
again?
they mock
Jesus.
Will he
kill
himself?
They defend
their sovereignty
again by
mocking Jesus.
See,
these are
guys who
were the
professors of
Old Testament
Scripture.
They would
have known
the dozens
and dozens
of verses
that described
Messiah as
the suffering
servant who
would die
for the sins
of God's
people.
What do they
do?
They choose
to take
Jesus' words
as a suggestion
of suicide.
Now,
in their eyes,
in the eyes of
the law,
anybody that
committed suicide
would go to
hell because
they were guilty
of the sin
of self-murder.
So,
what they're
doing to
Jesus is
saying,
listen,
Jesus,
you're
talking about
us going
to hell.
Let me
tell you
in response,
you're the
one that's
going to
go to
hell.
It's
amazing
stuff,
I reckon,
if I'm
writing the
way I'm
reading the
text.
And Jesus
pushes back
again,
verses 23
and 24.
He really
is pushing
deep into
them now,
saying,
look,
he's exposing
their lack
of self-awareness.
Verse 23
and 24.
He said
to them,
you are
from below,
I am from
above.
You are of
this world,
I am not
of this
world.
I told
you that
you would
die in
your sins,
for unless
you believe
that I
am he,
that I
am Messiah,
you will
die in
your sins.
What's
Jesus
saying?
Well,
Jesus
saying,
look at
the divide
that's
opening up
between
us.
I am
from the
realm of
God
himself.
And so
says Jesus
in effect,
he says,
I deal
in truth.
I deal
in concern
for God's
glory and
honor.
I am on
a mission
given me
by the
Father,
the mission
of salvation.
salvation.
But you
guys,
you're
ignorant of
your own
nature,
a nature
that means
you're
hardwired to
move away
from truth,
to reject
God.
You're
committed to
your own
sovereignty.
You're on
a mission
too,
but it's a
self-salvation
mission,
to make
yourself God,
to be your
own life and
light through
your own
resources.
Jesus,
we're
poles apart,
says Jesus.
And if
you're going
to hear me,
you'll need to
be polarized,
because my
message is a
polarizing
message.
But let me
tell you,
says Jesus,
interpreting his
words here,
it's going to
end really
badly if
you continue
to act
unaware of
your earthbound
nature.
It's going to
end really
badly,
because you
will one day
face the full
force of
God's justice
for your
sins,
every one of
them.
You can
check through
the reference
of verse 21.
Sin is
singular,
which means
the sin of
unbelief,
but this
time sin
is plural.
It's
reflecting the
idea of
God's
justice
falling on
people who
are so
culpable,
guilty before
him.
A dreadful
picture.
Their
response
again?
Verse 25.
Who are
you?
Now, I
don't think
that was a
genuine
question of
we need
more information.
It's more
of a
sneering.
You are a
nobody,
and we do
reject you.
It's a good
question.
Who are you?
It's a right
question.
It's the
question that
every single
person needs
to ask of
Jesus.
But these
guys ask it
with a
sarcastic,
unbelieving
attitude,
effectively saying,
who are you
to instruct
us, the
professors of
religion, in
things of
salvation and
heaven and
hell?
Who are you to
suggest that we
are blinded by
prejudice and
hardwired to
reject God and
anything offered
to us by God?
You can hear
them saying,
we're God's
people.
We're steeped in
the traditions of
the Old Testament
scripture.
We've spent our
lives doing
religious things to
honor God and
protect his name.
And nothing you
have said thus
far, Jesus, will
make us change our
view, make us
change our
position.
You are nobody
in our eyes.
And we reject
you and your
stated pathway to
forgiveness and
heaven.
And Jesus comes
back again.
Very generously
comes back.
I will die for
sin as I am
lifted up,
verses 26 through
29.
And again,
it's as if Jesus
is saying to
these guys,
what more can I
say?
I have
consistently,
verse 26,
I have consistently
and repeatedly
told you the
truth my father
sent me to tell
you.
But you have
deliberately chosen
not to understand,
not even to try
and understand.
Why not?
Because you've
not liked what
you've heard.
And you're
backing your
own sovereignty.
Jesus then
goes on to
give them
the final
warning,
but it's also
laced with
hope and
generosity.
Verses 28 and
29.
Jesus said to
them,
they will
eventually be
forced to
see what
they choose
now not to
see.
I will die,
says Jesus,
but not
because I
commit suicide
from a
sense of
defeat and
failure.
Rather,
I will die
because I
will be
lifted up
onto the
cross and
die as a
means of
securing your
forgiveness and
new life with
God.
And again,
Jesus
polarizes.
your glory,
the end
point of
your
determination to
keep your
sovereignty,
to be God,
to set your
own agenda for
acceptance with
God,
your glory will
be the shame
of crucifying
the Lord of
glory.
Jesus' glory,
by contrast,
would be the
pathway of
suffering,
rejection,
death,
resurrection,
ascension,
to be with
his father
forever.
And his
shame and
death would
be the means
of removing
shame,
darkness,
and death
from his
people.
His
death would
be the
light dispelling
darkness.
It would be
the light of
his life
shining deeply
into our
souls through
his Holy
Spirit.
It's quite
amazing that
in spite of
repeated
unbelief,
repeated
attempts by
these guys
to squirm
away from
what they
genuinely see
to be the
challenge against
their sovereignty
by Jesus,
Jesus keeps
on being
generous to
them.
He keeps
on offering
them hope
in spite of
their unbelief.
And it's as if
he's saying
here,
look,
you can
come to
me for
light and
life now,
or you
can pursue
your own
sovereignty and
self-salvation
and then you'll
find out the
truth about me
down the track
of it,
but it
will be
too late
to benefit
from the
truth.
And the
final word
in this
offensive message
from Jesus,
John tells
us,
it's almost
understated in
the verse
30 here,
many believed,
many believed.
In spite of
persistent unbelief
on the part of
high-profile
individuals,
many find
Jesus so
compelling,
so freeing,
that they
believed,
they gave up
their personal
sovereignty to
experience the
life-changing
light he offers
freely to
anyone who
will come
under his
sovereignty.
So it
says in the
front of
the bulletin,
let's not
hang back,
let's not
hold back
from the
light of
Jesus,
because his
light shows
up our
dirtiness and
brokenness.
Let's not
stay in the
dark, just
sort of nursing
that brokenness
and dirtiness,
sort of
comfortable with
ourselves and
yet miserable
in ourselves.
Let's not
do that,
let's come
to the
light and
have all
that misery
dispelled.
Because apart
from believing
in Jesus,
there is only
darkness.
What is
darkness?
Well,
darkness by
definition is
the absence
of light.
No matter
how real,
how sincere
your religious
actions might
be,
unless you
have light
and Jesus'
light is
total,
then you're
in darkness.
Through
chapter 6
and 7
and now
to chapter
8,
Jesus has
been saying
this over
and over
again.
He said,
I am the
bread of
life.
I am the
thirst quenching
water you
long for.
I am the
light of
life you
in your
lost state
so desperately
need.
I am
everything you
need.
Give up
your sovereignty
and come
under my
sovereignty
to experience
all of that.
Final
sentence,
for those of
us who are
already committed
to living under
the sovereignty
of Jesus,
then each
one of us
needs to be
looking into
our own
hearts and
exposing those
areas where
they will be
there,
where we are
still determined
to maintain
our own
sovereignty
against the
sovereignty of
Jesus.
Those areas
where we keep
them to
ourselves and
we don't
want the
gospel to
shine in
them,
those areas
of darkness
and sin
because we
still like
them,
we still
want to
dabble in
them
rather than
living in
the light
and life
of Jesus.
let me
pray.
Lord,
burn these
strong,
offensive
words deeply
into our
hearts.
We don't
like the
notion of
giving up
sovereignty.
We are
hardwired to
make ourselves
sovereign.
So help us,
Lord, to give
up our
sovereignty,
give up that
which has
failed us
ultimately,
for a
sovereignty
that will
never fail
us but
will feed
us and
quench our
thirst and
give us
light to
find our
way home
to heaven.
Amen.