WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.200 Please take your Bibles and open them up to the book of John chapter 8. 00:00:08.199 --> 00:00:14.120 Our text this morning is John chapter 8 verses 12 through 30 and I ask that if you are able, 00:00:14.280 --> 00:00:18.480 would you please stand for the reading of God's Word. Do you know why we do this? 00:00:19.379 --> 00:00:23.539 A couple of reasons why we do this. One, we're about to sit for a while and I'm asking you to 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:29.580 stay awake and listen as the Word of God is preached, but two, we stand in reverence for 00:00:29.579 --> 00:00:34.600 the Word of God as it's read. So if you would, let's stand. Please follow along with me as I read 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:47.480 John chapter 8 verses 12 through 30. Again, Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. 00:00:48.239 --> 00:00:56.179 Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. So the Pharisees said 00:00:56.179 --> 00:01:03.179 to him, you are bearing witness about yourself. Your testimony is not true. Jesus answered, 00:01:03.700 --> 00:01:10.819 even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true for I know where I came from and where I am 00:01:10.819 --> 00:01:17.700 going, but you do not know where I come from or where I'm going. You judge according to the flesh. 00:01:17.700 --> 00:01:26.299 I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true for it is not I alone who judge, but I and 00:01:26.299 --> 00:01:33.379 the Father who sent me. In your law, it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the 00:01:33.379 --> 00:01:40.219 one who bears witness about myself and the Father who sent me bears witness about me. They said to him, 00:01:40.219 --> 00:01:48.539 therefore, where is your father? Jesus answered, you know neither me nor my father. If you knew me, 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:55.340 you would know my father also. These words he spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple, but no one 00:01:55.340 --> 00:02:02.500 arrested him because his hour had not yet come. So he said to them again, I am going away and you will 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:10.639 seek me and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. So the Jews said, will he kill 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:18.740 himself since he says where I am going, you cannot come? He said to them, you are from below. I am from 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:27.680 above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins for 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:37.659 unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. So they said to him, who are you? 00:02:38.700 --> 00:02:44.200 Jesus said to them, just what I've been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about 00:02:44.200 --> 00:02:50.840 you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true. And I declared to the world what I have heard from 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:56.480 him. They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the father. So Jesus said to 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:03.199 them, when you have lifted up the son of man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:10.539 on my own authority, but speak just as the father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not 00:03:10.539 --> 00:03:17.339 left me alone for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. As he was saying these things, 00:03:17.340 --> 00:03:29.659 many believed in him. This is God's holy, perfect, true, inspired word. Let's be seated and pray once 00:03:29.659 --> 00:03:38.199 more. Father, your word is a lamp to our feet and it's a light to our path. And so we pray now that 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:45.699 you would help us to see the glory of Christ clearly in it. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:57.299 Are you following the light or are you walking in darkness? Somehow this week, don't ask me how, 00:03:57.419 --> 00:04:04.060 I found myself reading up on the seven wonders of the ancient world. I knew some of them. I could have 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:10.640 named the pyramid. I could have named the gardens of Babylon, but for the first time I did a little 00:04:10.640 --> 00:04:19.399 bit of reading on the lighthouse of Alexandria. For years in the ancient world, the lighthouse of 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:29.420 Alexandria was the brightest light. It was built around 280 BC out of limestone and granite. It stood 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:36.500 approximately 330 feet tall, which just for point of reference is taller than the Statue of Liberty. 00:04:37.140 --> 00:04:43.379 It's twice as tall as the Cape Romain lighthouses down the road here. It's just a massive structure 00:04:43.379 --> 00:04:51.120 built without any modern technology made entirely by hand. It had three sections to it. On the inside of 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:57.300 the lighthouse, there is a pulley system, an elevator system, kind of a dumbwaiter type system that would 00:04:57.300 --> 00:05:04.300 be used to deliver piles and piles and piles of lumber and wood all the way up to the top of the 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:11.160 lighthouse where there was a furnace that would be used to burn an enormous fire up at the top. But what 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:20.160 was really impressive to me was at the very top of the lighthouse was a curved giant mirror that would 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:26.460 be used to reflect the light of the fire during the night and it would be used to reflect the light of 00:05:26.459 --> 00:05:35.500 the sun during the day. So anytime, day or night, anyone within 35 miles of this giant lighthouse could 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:43.979 see the light of the lighthouse of Alexandria shining as far as 35 miles away, which if you're geographically 00:05:43.979 --> 00:05:51.679 challenged like me, again, just for point of reference, that's as far as Georgetown this way or as far as 00:05:51.680 --> 00:06:01.800 I think it was Somerville High School, this way. Just an enormously bright light. Sailors know the 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:08.759 benefit of a lighthouse. If you're sailing in the dark, they know just how beneficial a lighthouse can 00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:14.180 be. It warns them of the dangers of the darkness. It protects them in the middle of the night. It guides 00:06:14.180 --> 00:06:20.480 them safely into port for any who are sailing through the night and how much more so in 280 BC, 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:27.080 before the advances of modern technology, before the advances in technology of lights and ships and 00:06:27.080 --> 00:06:34.819 onboard navigation. Those who followed the light were alerted to the dangers of the darkness. 00:06:36.140 --> 00:06:41.480 And given the choice between sailing under the light or sailing without the light, I would be willing 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:48.540 to bet 10 out of 10 sailors would agree that sailing under the light would be much better. Let me follow 00:06:48.540 --> 00:06:57.200 the light. How foolish would it be if the light was shining down, the light was offering to guide your path 00:06:57.200 --> 00:07:06.259 for any sailor to say, you know what? Turn that thing off. I prefer to remain in the darkness. We recognize, 00:07:06.400 --> 00:07:14.860 don't we? That's foolishness. But that's exactly what we see happening here in John chapter 8. 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:26.520 Here in John chapter 8, we see that Jesus is the light of the world. To reject him, to refuse to 00:07:26.520 --> 00:07:35.520 follow the light is infinitely foolish, but to follow him and to live in his light is infinitely wise. 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:41.139 That's the big idea of our passage this morning. And we're going to see that unfold by asking three 00:07:41.139 --> 00:07:49.199 questions this morning. Three questions this morning. First, what is Jesus claiming about himself here? 00:07:50.139 --> 00:07:57.019 What is Jesus claiming about himself here in verse 12? Look there again with me. Look what it says. 00:07:58.099 --> 00:08:04.740 Jesus says, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:11.720 light of life. What does this mean? Well, Jesus, again, he's teaching us a lesson about himself that's 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:20.079 based on everyday experiences, everyday interactions with everyday objects. We all know the benefits of 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:28.759 light. We need light in order to see. And the light, it shines in the darkness. It illuminates our path. 00:08:28.900 --> 00:08:34.019 The light is there to defeat the darkness. It conquers the darkness. When the light comes on, 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:40.600 there's no question that it is there to overcome the darkness and to guide our steps. Well, all of 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:47.059 that was just as true for the Jews listening to Jesus's words as it is for us here and now. But 00:08:47.059 --> 00:08:52.600 there's an extra layer of context here in John chapter 8 that I think would be helpful for us to 00:08:52.600 --> 00:09:00.199 understand. This conversation, we should remember, is taking place at the Feast of Booths. The Feast of 00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:06.160 Booths. Now, if you remember from the past several weeks during this context of the Feast of Booths, this was 00:09:06.160 --> 00:09:12.960 one of the major Jewish festivals and feasts where all the Jews were required to come gather together to 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:20.640 celebrate the harvest and to remember their years of wilderness wonderings. Forty years after they were 00:09:20.640 --> 00:09:28.020 delivered from slavery where they wandered through the wilderness being led by the Lord. And so they remembered this 00:09:28.019 --> 00:09:34.600 wilderness wondering by reenacting several of the elements of their time in the wilderness. So for 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:41.439 example, Feast of Booths, they lived in temporary shelters throughout the week to remind them of the 00:09:41.439 --> 00:09:48.460 time when they lived in temporary shelters in their wilderness wonderings. They poured out water on top of 00:09:48.460 --> 00:09:55.360 the altar to remember, to remind them of water flowing out of the rock as God provided miraculously 00:09:55.360 --> 00:10:01.960 water for them in the wilderness. That's when Jesus said, out of your heart will flow rivers of living 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:09.740 water for any who believe in me. Now, in the evenings during the feast, the Jews celebrated by lighting 00:10:09.740 --> 00:10:17.740 large lamps in the court of women in the temple as large as the temple walls, which may have reminded 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:24.340 them of the way the Lord went before them in a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud 00:10:24.340 --> 00:10:32.399 by the day. They followed the light of the Lord. So these Jews would would light these lamps and then 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:39.480 individually they would take torches and they would all through the night, they would dance and sing and 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:46.000 celebrate and rejoice and remember the ways that the Lord led them through the wilderness. They would 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:54.379 celebrate under the illumination of the light and it's here in this context at this moment of the feast 00:10:54.379 --> 00:11:04.860 that Jesus says, I am the light of the world. And the way that this light illuminates the darkness, the way 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:11.259 that that this light gives you clarity of sight, all of the the joy, all of the celebration, all of the 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:17.659 happiness that you feel right now dancing and and rejoicing and singing under this light is ultimately 00:11:17.659 --> 00:11:30.200 and only found in me. I am the light and I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me, just as the 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:34.980 Israelites followed that pillar of fire through the wilderness, just as they followed the the pillar of 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:41.039 cloud during the cloud during the day. Whoever follows me, not just the Jews, but any who follow 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:49.759 me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of light. In fact, this is a better offer than 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:54.720 what the Jews had in the wilderness. The pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud, they went before them, 00:11:54.779 --> 00:12:00.300 they led them, they followed them for 40 years in the wilderness. It led them outside of them. 00:12:00.299 --> 00:12:11.019 But Jesus says, whoever follows my light will have the light of life, will possess the light of life. 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:17.719 He says, follow me and you will not only see by the light, you will have the light of life in you. It 00:12:17.719 --> 00:12:28.719 will guide you and enliven you and lead you and enthrall you from within. What a claim that Jesus is making 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:36.200 here. Oh, what a, what an offer that he's, he's making here. Do you realize that this is an offer of 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:45.680 everything that all of us desperately want and desperately need? All of us want joy. All of us 00:12:45.680 --> 00:12:55.560 want and crave leadership. All of us want and crave illumination. All of us want and crave guidance. All of us 00:12:55.559 --> 00:13:05.279 want and crave life. And Jesus says, all of this is ultimately and only found in me. How can he say 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:14.819 this? Yeah, no ordinary man can honestly say the things that Jesus is saying here. You know, this 00:13:14.819 --> 00:13:21.639 claim to be the light of the world, we need to understand it's a claim to be God himself. And we've 00:13:21.639 --> 00:13:27.539 mentioned before that in the gospel of John, Jesus makes several I am statements. And these are 00:13:27.539 --> 00:13:33.980 statements that are direct claims to divinity. Jesus is claiming to be the I am of the old 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:41.080 Testament. He's claiming equality with Yahweh himself. And so we saw in John chapter six, he said, I am the 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:48.200 bread of life. And now here in John chapter eight, he's saying the same thing. He says, I am the light of 00:13:48.200 --> 00:13:56.500 the world. In me, you find joy. In me, you find guidance. In me, you find life itself because I am 00:13:56.500 --> 00:14:04.580 God in the flesh. Come down to you. So come. The invitation is, is come follow me and you will not 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:11.280 walk in darkness, which leads to death. Come follow me and you will have the light of life. This is a 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:19.159 remarkable claim, isn't it? And it, it seems remarkably simple, which makes the way that the 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:25.759 Pharisees respond here that much more shocking, doesn't it? He offers them life and, and light in 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:32.819 the simplest terms possible. And they don't even entertain what he just said. They say, your testimony 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:43.800 is not true. We should look at this and realize how, how foolish of a response this is. It is eternally, 00:14:44.400 --> 00:14:52.280 infinitely foolish to reject the light. So question number two, why would anyone reject the light? 00:14:53.660 --> 00:15:02.680 Why would anyone reject the light? This offer is so simple and the stakes are, are so high, 00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:08.120 why would anyone say no? I mean, you might, you might wonder if you've been walking with the Lord 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:14.259 for a while, you may wonder, how could anybody reject him? And maybe you've forgotten what it was 00:15:14.259 --> 00:15:19.899 like before the Lord by his grace saved you. You forgot what your rebellion against the Lord was like. 00:15:20.199 --> 00:15:25.419 And so you just look around at the darkness around us and you wonder, how could they possibly live that 00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:32.319 way? How could they possibly think that way? How could anybody reject what Jesus simply offers to you 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:39.200 by faith? And we just want to shake our non-believing friends and family and say, just, why can't you just 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:47.040 see it? Why can't you get it? Why can't you just believe? I can think of four reasons here. There's 00:15:47.040 --> 00:15:53.480 more, but I see four reasons here in this passage. Reason number one, why anyone would reject the light. 00:15:53.940 --> 00:16:01.180 They're misinformed about the light. They're misinformed about the light. These Jews, they say in verse 13, 00:16:01.179 --> 00:16:07.859 you're bearing witness about yourself, your testimony is not true. This is a callback to Jesus' 00:16:08.059 --> 00:16:16.299 own words in chapter 5, verse 31, where he said, if I alone bear witness about myself, then my testimony 00:16:16.299 --> 00:16:23.939 is not true. See, they remember that, but they misunderstood what he said and they turn it and 00:16:23.939 --> 00:16:29.979 twist it against him. Apparently, they forgot the four witnesses that Jesus listed and mentioned in John 00:16:29.980 --> 00:16:36.519 chapter 5. John the Baptist bore witness to his glory. The works of Christ bore witness to his glory. 00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:41.960 The scriptures themselves bore witness to his glory. And here's where he decides to go in this interaction. 00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:48.620 The Father himself bore witness to the glory of Christ. Jesus says to these Pharisees in verse 14, 00:16:48.620 --> 00:16:58.460 you don't really know as much as you think you do. You think you understand God. You think you understand 00:16:58.460 --> 00:17:06.339 the scriptures. You think you know about me. You don't know as much as you think. I know where I am. 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:12.319 I know who I am. I know where I've come from. I know where I'm going. You don't even know where I've come 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:21.460 from. And you don't even know where I'm going. You know, it is shocking how much misinformation there is 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:30.179 out there about who Jesus is. And the fact is, many of the people who reject him honestly don't know much 00:17:30.179 --> 00:17:37.740 about him. And that's why it's so important for us as we share the gospel with our friends to ask them, 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:44.779 well, have you actually ever read the gospel? Have you actually ever read some of these accounts 00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:50.519 of Jesus' life? I understand what you've heard. I understand what you're saying. But that's not 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:55.480 what the Bible says. Have you ever actually listened and read the words of Jesus? Have you ever actually 00:17:55.480 --> 00:18:00.500 considered what the Bible says about who Jesus is and what he's done, his death on the cross, his 00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:07.200 resurrection from the grave? It could be that they reject the light because they misunderstand it. 00:18:07.740 --> 00:18:15.039 But we should know it's much deeper than that. Which is reason number two, why anyone rejects the 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:25.240 light is they simply can't see the light. Reason number two, they simply can't see the light. They are blind. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:34.339 They cannot see the glory of God. This is what Jesus means in verse 15 when he says, 00:18:34.339 --> 00:18:43.579 they are saying these things because, he says, you judge according, what? To the flesh. They are 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:52.980 seeing with flesh eyes. They are hearing his words with flesh ears. They do not have the spiritual sight 00:18:52.980 --> 00:18:59.799 that's required in order for you to spiritually perceive the truth about God and the truth of Christ. 00:18:59.799 --> 00:19:08.059 If you judge by the flesh, live by the flesh, see by the flesh, if you do not have spiritual sight, 00:19:08.139 --> 00:19:16.659 then you are blind and cannot see the light. If you and I sit in a dark room and the lights come on, 00:19:16.700 --> 00:19:24.039 all of us see it, right? Well, that assumes that we have the capability of seeing. We have sight. We can 00:19:24.039 --> 00:19:32.159 see when the light comes on in the room. The curse of sin under which we all are in our natural state 00:19:32.159 --> 00:19:40.079 is as if we're all in a dark room. The lights are off and there's blindfolds, thick blinding blindfolds 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:45.879 over our eyes, so thick and so heavy and so dark that even if the lights are turned on, none of us can 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:54.800 see it. Unless someone comes and takes the blindfold off, we are blind and unable to see the light. 00:19:54.920 --> 00:20:01.740 Jesus says to these Pharisees, you are, you're blind. You still, you judge according to the flesh. I judge 00:20:01.740 --> 00:20:11.700 no one, meaning not like you. I judge no one according to the flesh. Yet even if my, even if I do judge, 00:20:11.700 --> 00:20:19.240 my judgment is true. Why? For it is not I alone who judges, but I and the Father who sent me. So he 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:25.200 points them to their own law. Says, your law says the testimony of two people is true. So let's, let's 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:33.380 count them up. Me, I bear witness about myself, number one. And number two, my Father who sent me. 00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:39.860 Their problem was they could only see one and him not even clearly. 00:20:39.859 --> 00:20:49.399 We need to know that fundamentally the problem with those who reject Christ is not evidence. 00:20:50.679 --> 00:20:57.479 The Pharisees had all the evidence they could have possibly needed. The problem fundamentally with 00:20:57.479 --> 00:21:03.899 those who reject Christ is not proximity. They were face to face with Jesus Christ himself. 00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:12.360 The problem with those who reject Christ is they are blind. They need to be given eyes to see the truth. 00:21:13.700 --> 00:21:19.180 But it goes even deeper than that. Third reason why anyone would reject the light, 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:28.680 they love the darkness and they hate the light. They love the darkness and they hate the light. 00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:35.380 And they hate the light. You know, sometimes in the morning, maybe you have a similar experience. 00:21:36.180 --> 00:21:41.460 I will get up early in the morning. I will go into the kitchen and I'll start making breakfast. 00:21:41.460 --> 00:21:46.100 And then Amanda will come in behind me and she'll do something terrible. 00:21:47.120 --> 00:21:54.299 She will open up the blinds and turn on the light. And she'll say something like, well, why is it so 00:21:54.299 --> 00:21:59.880 dark in here? Turn on the lights. We can't see anything. Let some sunlight in. But I'm not ready for that 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:06.579 early in the morning. I prefer to live in the darkness that early in the morning. I do not want the light to 00:22:06.579 --> 00:22:15.740 shine that early in the morning. I reject the light because I prefer the darkness. That's how it is 00:22:15.740 --> 00:22:23.379 with those who reject Christ. People reject the light because they simply don't want the light. They 00:22:23.379 --> 00:22:33.119 prefer darkness. It is deeper than just an issue of sight. It is an issue of the heart. It's an issue of 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:44.139 love. We love the darkness and we hate the light. The most famous passage in the gospel of John, maybe the 00:22:44.139 --> 00:22:53.500 most famous passage in the whole Bible. What is it? John 3 16, which says, for God so loved the world that he gave 00:22:53.500 --> 00:23:02.839 his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. That sounds familiar, doesn't it? 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:10.979 To what Jesus has just said in John chapter 8. John 3 16, whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:19.319 John 8, whoever follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life. They're saying the same thing 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:26.959 here. It is an offer of eternal life for any who would come to Christ in faith. Why would anyone reject 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:36.920 this offer? John 3 19 gives us an explanation. It's a few verses later in John 3 19. He says this, 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:46.180 this is the judgment. The light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the 00:23:46.180 --> 00:23:56.059 light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not 00:23:56.059 --> 00:24:17.159 come to the light. The light exposes the foolishness of our idols. The light exposes the ugliness of our 00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:27.340 our depravity. And we don't want what we love to be exposed as infinitely foolish and empty. 00:24:27.339 --> 00:24:39.899 But the time is coming soon when all will be exposed. And we have a choice presented to us here. 00:24:40.039 --> 00:24:49.599 Jesus says, come to me. Come into the light and have your sinfulness exposed right now and you will be 00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:57.539 welcomed and and you will be purified and you will be forgiven. He says, come to me. Come into the light 00:24:57.539 --> 00:25:04.419 with all your sin. Bring it to me. I came to to heal the sick. I came to save sinners. I came to give sight 00:25:04.419 --> 00:25:11.519 to the blind. I came to heal the ugliest sinner in the room. Come to me now while this offer of forgiveness 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:21.859 still stands. Or remain in the darkness of your sin until the time of judgment when everything will be 00:25:21.859 --> 00:25:31.420 exposed and it will be too late. See, we shouldn't mistake Jesus's words here when he says, I judge no one 00:25:31.420 --> 00:25:39.759 to mean that he doesn't judge at all. Of course he does. The time is coming soon when Christ will return 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:46.619 us judge of all the earth and we will all give an account of ourselves before the Lord. 00:25:48.140 --> 00:25:56.319 Those who walk in darkness fear that day. Those who follow the light have nothing to fear. 00:25:57.420 --> 00:26:06.980 Because we belong to Jesus. Which is the fourth, the final reason why this offer is rejected. Reason number four, 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:14.079 we reject the light because they belong to the darkness, not to the light. 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:28.319 These Jews were so certain, so confident that they belonged to God. That they were children of Abraham 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:34.000 because of their blood, because of their lineage, because of the promise made to their forefathers, 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:43.319 that they belonged to God. And yet, Jesus says, you don't even know him. Look at verse 19. 00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:51.220 Jesus says, my father bears witness about me. And they said, well, where is he? Bring him here. Let's 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:59.440 hear from him. But Jesus says, you know neither me nor my father. If you knew me, you would know my 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:05.940 father also. He said these words in the treasury as he taught in the temple. But no one arrested him 00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:13.000 because his hour had not yet come. And down in verse 23, if you look there, verse 23, he says, you are 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:20.480 from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. He's illustrating to them. 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:29.059 There is a complete, utter distinction between them and him. They do not belong to God because 00:27:29.059 --> 00:27:42.980 they don't know him. Why? Because they have rejected Christ Jesus. Now, this is unbelievably offensive. 00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:56.539 And it is incredibly, completely true. This is a uniquely Christian claim, isn't it? If you do not 00:27:56.539 --> 00:28:07.839 know Jesus, meaning if you do not see him and trust him and love him as God himself, then you do not 00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:15.759 belong to God. You may know a lot about him. You may love what he provides. You may live a very 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:26.039 religious and upright life. But if you do not know Jesus and receive him as he is, he says, you do not 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:37.759 know God. We need to be crystal clear here, church. Crystal clear. Because 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:47.279 more and more and more and more pressure is going to be put on you, Christian, by your friends, by your 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:54.299 family, by your co-workers and your places of work, by society all around us to say, well, can we just 00:28:54.299 --> 00:29:05.859 loosen up a bit here? And we need to know that we cannot budge an inch here. We believe that Jesus is 00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:18.379 the light of the world. Not Muhammad, not Buddha, not Joseph Smith, not the false Jesus Christ of 00:29:18.379 --> 00:29:23.959 Mormonism or Jehovah's Witness who would claim and tell you that they're Christian, they are not. 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:32.679 If you do not know and receive and trust and love the Jesus Christ of this book, you do not know God and 00:29:32.680 --> 00:29:40.980 you do not belong to God. You can't claim God if you don't worship Christ. 00:29:42.340 --> 00:29:50.960 So many in our world want to claim God. They want to claim that they they belong to God. They truly they 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:58.360 believe deeply that they belong to him, but they don't know him because they reject Christ. Can we just 00:29:58.359 --> 00:30:01.859 can we just think about the consequence of this for a minute? 00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:10.459 Look what he says in verse 21. 00:30:15.099 --> 00:30:21.619 He said to them again, I am going away and you will seek me and you will die in your sin. 00:30:21.619 --> 00:30:26.399 Where I am going, you cannot come. 00:30:27.899 --> 00:30:33.879 And the Jews, again, they they didn't understand. And so the Jews said to him, is he is he going to kill 00:30:33.879 --> 00:30:39.959 himself? He said, where I'm going, you cannot come. He said to them, you are from below. I am from above. 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:48.439 You are of this world. I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins for unless you 00:30:48.440 --> 00:31:01.440 believe that I am he. You will die in your sins. Unless you believe that I am he. You cannot go where I am 00:31:01.440 --> 00:31:11.320 going and you will die in your sins and the wrath of God will be against you for the rest of eternity. 00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:12.799 Is there anything worse than this? 00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:23.579 Do we see how how rejecting the light of the world is infinitely foolish? Does your heart break over this? 00:31:25.579 --> 00:31:28.539 Do you want some motivation for evangelism this morning? 00:31:30.139 --> 00:31:36.039 There are over three billion souls in the world who have never even heard this invitation of Christ. 00:31:36.039 --> 00:31:42.960 Christ, come to me and live. Come to me and live. And this is what awaits them. 00:31:44.220 --> 00:31:50.460 And this is what awaits the the billions of people who have heard and have rejected him. 00:31:50.579 --> 00:31:58.980 One point eight billion Muslims in the world. One billion Hindus in the world. Five hundred million 00:31:58.980 --> 00:32:07.180 Buddhists in the world. Fourteen million Jews in the world. One point one billion who claim no religion at all. 00:32:07.319 --> 00:32:08.400 Does your heart break for them? 00:32:10.940 --> 00:32:12.440 How many in Mount Pleasant? 00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:16.779 How many in Allendahl? 00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:20.000 How many in Hugee? 00:32:20.839 --> 00:32:22.420 How many in McClellanville? 00:32:22.420 --> 00:32:29.160 How many in our own neighborhoods are rejecting the light of Christ? 00:32:30.700 --> 00:32:36.039 They will die in their sins and be separated from the light of Christ forever. 00:32:37.340 --> 00:32:38.100 Unless. 00:32:40.180 --> 00:32:40.860 Unless. 00:32:42.320 --> 00:32:46.100 They hear this invitation of Christ. 00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:48.560 Follow me. Believe in me. 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:50.740 Trust me. Love me. 00:32:50.740 --> 00:32:55.220 And by the grace of God they come into the light. 00:32:56.920 --> 00:33:01.279 There is an eternity of hope in that word unless. 00:33:02.220 --> 00:33:02.819 You see it? 00:33:04.359 --> 00:33:10.759 What it means is that if you still have breath in your lungs and the Lord has not yet returned, 00:33:11.180 --> 00:33:12.519 the offer still stands. 00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:15.220 If you will believe, 00:33:15.819 --> 00:33:17.599 if you will trust, 00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:19.539 if you will turn to Christ, 00:33:19.639 --> 00:33:21.439 you will not die in your sins. 00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:23.559 He will die for your sins 00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:27.699 and you will have the light of life now and into eternity. 00:33:29.419 --> 00:33:30.799 So my final question 00:33:30.799 --> 00:33:32.799 for us this morning. 00:33:34.459 --> 00:33:36.219 How do we receive the light? 00:33:36.220 --> 00:33:40.000 How do we receive the light? 00:33:40.079 --> 00:33:41.180 Look there to verse 25. 00:33:42.059 --> 00:33:44.720 The Jews still didn't get it. 00:33:44.759 --> 00:33:45.480 So they said to him, 00:33:45.559 --> 00:33:46.720 Who are you? 00:33:46.819 --> 00:33:47.460 Jesus said, 00:33:48.180 --> 00:33:50.860 This is just what I've been telling you from the beginning. 00:33:51.860 --> 00:33:55.120 I have much to say about you and much to judge, 00:33:55.240 --> 00:33:57.160 but he who sent me is true. 00:33:57.279 --> 00:34:00.000 And I declare to the world what I've heard from him. 00:34:00.500 --> 00:34:03.339 They didn't understand he had been speaking to them about the Father. 00:34:03.339 --> 00:34:04.779 So Jesus said to them, 00:34:05.779 --> 00:34:08.380 When you have lifted up the Son of Man, 00:34:09.179 --> 00:34:11.679 then you will know that I am he. 00:34:12.679 --> 00:34:14.759 And that I do nothing on my own authority, 00:34:14.880 --> 00:34:17.159 but speak just as the Father taught me. 00:34:17.619 --> 00:34:19.619 And he who sent me is with me. 00:34:19.719 --> 00:34:20.840 He's not left me alone, 00:34:20.940 --> 00:34:24.119 for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. 00:34:24.980 --> 00:34:25.779 Verse 30, 00:34:25.860 --> 00:34:28.119 As he was saying these things, 00:34:28.340 --> 00:34:31.039 many believed in him. 00:34:31.039 --> 00:34:33.059 See, 00:34:33.139 --> 00:34:35.239 what these Jews needed, 00:34:35.579 --> 00:34:36.460 and what we, 00:34:36.619 --> 00:34:36.920 Christian, 00:34:37.019 --> 00:34:39.579 what we needed before we knew the Lord, 00:34:39.699 --> 00:34:40.880 what our lost, 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:43.539 unbelieving friends and family and co-workers need, 00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:44.279 what the lost, 00:34:44.679 --> 00:34:46.619 dark world needs, 00:34:47.159 --> 00:34:52.179 is for the grace of God to come and to give us a new heart. 00:34:52.179 --> 00:34:56.379 A new heart that has the scales removed, 00:34:56.519 --> 00:35:01.819 so we can see the light of the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:35:02.559 --> 00:35:08.119 A new heart that now loves Christ Jesus and hates our sin, 00:35:08.219 --> 00:35:11.359 where before we hated Christ and loved our sin. 00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:11.799 We need, 00:35:11.899 --> 00:35:13.000 by the grace of God, 00:35:13.219 --> 00:35:16.599 to be given a new heart that belongs to the kingdom of light, 00:35:16.719 --> 00:35:19.839 no longer to the kingdom of darkness. 00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:22.380 And how is that grace extended? 00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:26.640 It's through the cross of Jesus Christ. 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:30.720 When you have lifted up the Son of Man, 00:35:30.820 --> 00:35:31.680 then you will know. 00:35:32.240 --> 00:35:33.500 That's where you'll see. 00:35:36.140 --> 00:35:36.820 Ironically, 00:35:37.180 --> 00:35:40.559 the place where we see the light of Christ shine most clearly, 00:35:40.800 --> 00:35:43.579 is in the darkest moment of human history. 00:35:43.579 --> 00:35:49.360 where the Son of God Himself hung upon the tree, 00:35:50.440 --> 00:35:51.759 in the place of sinners. 00:35:53.360 --> 00:35:54.980 The whole land went dark, 00:35:56.380 --> 00:36:01.139 and for days it seemed as if the light had been taken out of the world. 00:36:01.139 --> 00:36:04.819 We're told on Sunday morning, 00:36:05.519 --> 00:36:06.940 when the sun came up, 00:36:07.539 --> 00:36:09.239 the light shone, 00:36:10.099 --> 00:36:12.460 Christ Jesus rose from the grave, 00:36:13.460 --> 00:36:16.980 to conquer the darkness of sin and death, 00:36:17.359 --> 00:36:23.000 and to offer that victory to any who would turn to Him in faith, 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:27.559 and trust that He is who He claims to be. 00:36:28.079 --> 00:36:29.199 The Son of God, 00:36:29.659 --> 00:36:31.019 the light of the world. 00:36:32.619 --> 00:36:34.400 How do you receive Him? 00:36:35.219 --> 00:36:37.860 Look to Christ on the cross. 00:36:39.139 --> 00:36:42.519 Ask God for the grace to see Him clearly, 00:36:42.719 --> 00:36:44.159 to trust His words, 00:36:44.300 --> 00:36:46.300 to receive His provision, 00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:47.219 His sacrifice, 00:36:47.460 --> 00:36:48.400 His victory, 00:36:48.539 --> 00:36:50.199 to trust Him completely, 00:36:50.199 --> 00:36:51.780 to save you from your sin. 00:36:51.780 --> 00:36:53.980 Look to Him at the cross, 00:36:54.120 --> 00:36:58.140 and trust Him to rescue you from the domain of darkness. 00:36:58.300 --> 00:37:00.200 If you want to see Him, 00:37:00.500 --> 00:37:01.660 and believe in Him, 00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:03.700 pray something like this, 00:37:03.800 --> 00:37:06.720 Lord, show me the glory of the cross. 00:37:08.220 --> 00:37:10.240 Lord, show me my sin, 00:37:10.740 --> 00:37:12.960 paid for by Christ's death. 00:37:13.900 --> 00:37:16.000 Lord, show me His righteousness, 00:37:16.519 --> 00:37:18.480 given undeservedly to me, 00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:20.080 by Your grace alone. 00:37:20.079 --> 00:37:23.980 Lord, give me faith in this risen Savior, 00:37:24.179 --> 00:37:25.360 and then help me, Lord, 00:37:25.440 --> 00:37:28.360 to follow Him all the days of my life. 00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:31.400 John tells us, 00:37:31.699 --> 00:37:34.519 at the end of our passage in verse 30, 00:37:34.719 --> 00:37:38.059 that as Jesus spoke these words, 00:37:38.579 --> 00:37:40.759 many believed in Him. 00:37:40.760 --> 00:37:45.180 they were called out of darkness, 00:37:45.780 --> 00:37:48.480 and into His marvelous light. 00:37:49.220 --> 00:37:50.720 It happened for them. 00:37:51.880 --> 00:37:53.280 It can happen for you, 00:37:53.620 --> 00:37:54.260 non-believer. 00:37:55.440 --> 00:37:57.520 It can happen for your neighbors, 00:37:58.420 --> 00:37:59.280 your co-workers, 00:37:59.960 --> 00:38:00.940 your family members, 00:38:01.040 --> 00:38:01.520 your friends, 00:38:01.620 --> 00:38:03.780 those who you think are so far gone, 00:38:03.940 --> 00:38:06.040 nothing could ever call them back. 00:38:06.039 --> 00:38:10.219 It will happen by the grace of God, 00:38:10.259 --> 00:38:11.920 as we, the church, 00:38:12.599 --> 00:38:14.639 shine forth the light of Christ, 00:38:15.920 --> 00:38:17.039 and proclaim the gospel. 00:38:17.259 --> 00:38:19.119 You know, the darkness around us 00:38:19.119 --> 00:38:21.539 is not a reason to run and hide. 00:38:22.900 --> 00:38:24.940 The darkness around us, 00:38:24.980 --> 00:38:26.559 anywhere we see darkness, 00:38:27.380 --> 00:38:30.279 is an opportunity to shine the light of Christ, 00:38:30.280 --> 00:38:31.420 for the glory of God, 00:38:31.500 --> 00:38:34.440 and pray that He would work 00:38:34.440 --> 00:38:37.160 His wonders of grace through us, 00:38:37.400 --> 00:38:38.200 for His glory. 00:38:39.460 --> 00:38:40.220 Let's pray. 00:38:46.300 --> 00:38:48.140 Lord, what a privilege it is 00:38:48.140 --> 00:38:51.920 to be called into Your light, 00:38:52.920 --> 00:38:55.360 to walk as children of the light. 00:38:55.360 --> 00:38:56.000 Lord, 00:38:56.000 --> 00:39:00.300 we all once belonged to darkness, 00:39:01.039 --> 00:39:02.800 lived in it, 00:39:02.880 --> 00:39:03.660 and loved it, 00:39:04.260 --> 00:39:05.720 but it leads to death. 00:39:07.019 --> 00:39:08.460 And by Your grace, Lord, 00:39:08.519 --> 00:39:09.579 You have called us out 00:39:09.579 --> 00:39:11.860 and called us to belong to You 00:39:11.860 --> 00:39:15.280 through the atoning blood of Jesus. 00:39:16.400 --> 00:39:17.800 We pray now, Father, 00:39:17.880 --> 00:39:19.280 would You help us 00:39:19.280 --> 00:39:22.140 to live and follow Your light, 00:39:23.120 --> 00:39:24.700 God, and to proclaim it, 00:39:25.360 --> 00:39:26.860 We pray, Father, 00:39:26.980 --> 00:39:28.800 that those who still walk 00:39:28.800 --> 00:39:29.940 in darkness around us 00:39:29.940 --> 00:39:31.599 would come to faith in Christ 00:39:31.599 --> 00:39:32.860 as we proclaim the gospel. 00:39:33.039 --> 00:39:34.019 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:35.240 Amen.