Living in the Light

Intro: following????

I. The Light of the World

Jesus spoke these words in the Temple in the court of women the first day after the feast of Tabernacles ended. This is a 7 day long feast that commemorated the goodness and faithfulness of God as He provided, protected, and guided them in the wilderness as they wandered around for 40 years because of their sin. During this feast the Jews lived in tents made of fresh tree branches and each evening a huge candle was lit in the temple as a reminder of how God led Israel by night in a pillar of fire all those many years and how they followed Him.

John shows Jesus’ alluding to this wilderness wandering often as He speaks to the Jews around him. John 6:48-51 {I Am the Bread of life.} As God provided physical food in the wilderness for Israel Jesus brought them spiritual food. All who ate of the manna died but those who receives Jesus’ bread will never die. John 7:37-38 {If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink} an allusion to the water flowing from the rock after Moses struck it in the dry barren wilderness. Everyone who drank that water died but whoever drinks the water Jesus gives lives forever.

Now Jesus say’s I am the Light of the World. He likely says this in the part of temple where the Candelabra has been lighten the night before. There is no mistaking that the Jews got Jesus’ point, He is saying that He is the God who led Israel in the wilderness. Jesus is saying that I am the Lord who came to bring Salvation Ps. 27:1a

When the world was form it was dark and void but light shinned forth when God said let their be light, though the Sun was not created until the forth day. It was Jesus who illuminated creation. The Bible tells us that when this world has gone away, that a light will shine forth from Jerusalem lighting the new world. Rev. 21:23 “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

Jesus is the Glory of God who shines light upon us today, not just literal light.. that is His handiwork.. but Who gives us Spiritual light so that we can be saved. This light melts away the coldness of hearts and exposes sin so that at hearing the Gospel message we can turn away from our sin and run to God in faith and be saved.

Jesus is the Light of the whole world and calls you to follow Him.

II. The Light of Life

Jesus calls us to follow Him, follow (akoloutheō)(vb) means to go after. Jesus is saying as Israel followed the pillar of fire at night in the wilderness we are to follow Him in this sin filled barren wilderness that is today. During the wilderness wandering wandering God led Israel by day in a cloud and by night in the pillar. They camped according to when the God stopped they moved out according to when God moved. We must stop reasoning with God and simply follow Him wherever He leads! In this context follow is the literal Idea of discipleship. Jesus called people to follow and obey. In fact the word follow also means to obey. We must follow and obey Jesus at all times so that we will not walk in the darkness!

Darkness is the absence of light. I remember being in desoto caverns (AL) way under the ground and they turned off the lights, it was total darkness I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face! Will Walk is the Greek verb peripateō which means to walk, putting one step in front of the other, but in context I believe it takes the meaning to live. Those who follow Jesus do not live in darkness, they have the Light of the World to help guide their life, behavior, conduct, and decision making!

ILL: You know, making decisions in the dark can lead to some regrettable consequences. Back in the days before electricity, a tightfisted old farmer was taking his hired man to task for carrying a lighted lantern when he went to call on his best girl. “Why,” he exclaimed, “when I went a-courtin’ I never carried one of them things. I always went in the dark.” “Yes,” the hired man said wryly,” and look what you got!”

To walk in the dark isn’t good, it has its consequences. To live in the dark means to live in sin! To live in sin has the consequence of death. So why do men live in the dark? John 3:19-21 tells us, Because men loved the darkness rather than light, for their deeds were evil. Loved is the Greek verb agapaō in this context in means to take pleasure in. Fallen man finds pleasure in sin and those who do not come to the light is afraid that their sin will be Exposed. Exposed is the Greek verb elegchō which means to rebuke or to show ones fault. They don’t want to know that what they do is wrong because they love their “wrong doings.”

Those who follow Jesus, (believe and obey) has the the Light of life. Light is a source of life, we all need light to live. Without sun light we wont have trees and plants to put out oxygen. Light is a noun that is used to identify Jesus as the subject. without Jesus we would not have life! He promises us that if we follow Him we will have life! No just any life but zōē Life, which most often translated “eternal life”.

The person who follows Jesus does not love sin, but hates it because He has passed into a life and loves the life he has. Its a life with Jesus and its directed by the God who came to save us.

Conclusion: Are you walking in the Light or are you living in blatant un-confessed sin? If you are living in sin I pray that today the light of the World will expose your sin to you so that you may repent from Him and have the Light of life reigning in your heart and leading in this life.