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Jesus said: "I Am the Light of the World"
John 8:1-12, John 3:16-21, Luke 2:28-32, 1 John 1:3-7, 1 John 2:6; 9-11
Series: The Great I Am
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church -- Jan. 26, 2014
(Timing of the Lord's statement corrected August 29, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*In John 8:12, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. .
."
This "I AM" statement was made while Jesus and a vast multitude of Jews were gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.
It was one of the three major feasts each year.
And one of the main ceremonies during the Feast of the Tabernacles was the "Illumination of the Temple."
*Four enormous stands each held four golden bowls.
They were set up in the Temple Court of the Women.
These 16 golden bowls were reached by ladders and filled with oil.
They used the old clothes of the priests for wicks.
When those huge lamps were lit at night, they shined light all over Jerusalem.
The great blaze lit up every courtyard in the city, and it burned all night long.
*But the next morning, when that manmade fire began to flicker and die, Jesus stood and cried out, "I am the light of the world.
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.''
(1)
*The other important background today is the wonderful story of God's mercy in vs. 1-11.
So let's begin by reading John 8:1-12, as we read, focus on the great truth that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World!
INTRODUCTION:
*Take a moment this morning to think about our sun.
We tend to take it for granted, because it's up there in the sky every day.
But our local star really is amazing.
It's 93 million miles away, and 864,000 miles across.
About one million earths could fit inside!
That boggles my mind.
And the sun is hot.
At the core of the sun the temperature is 28,799,540 degrees Fahrenheit! (2)
*Without the heat and light of the sun, of course, life as we know it could not exist on the earth.
The sun is essential.
But the real Light of the world infinitely more essential.
The sun is amazing.
But the real Light of the world infinitely more amazing.
*And Jesus Christ is the Light of the world!
But what does that mean?
We have to search the Scriptures to find out.
1. FIRST: AS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
*As the Lord said in vs. 12, "I am the light of the world.
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.''
*Luke and Matthew both remind us how desperately people need the light of life.
Months before Jesus was born the father of John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit.
He was a priest named Zacharias, and he began to prophesy about their baby John and the coming Messiah.
In Luke 1:76-79, Zacharias said:
76. "and you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77. to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins,
78.
Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
79. to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.''
*Then at the very beginning of the Lord's ministry, Matthew 4:13-16 says this about Jesus:
13. . .
leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15. "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:
16.
The people who sat in darkness saw a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.''
*Everybody desperately needs Jesus Christ!
He is the only true Light of life.
In Jesus, "the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.''
*What would the world be like without the sun? -- Cold, dark and dead, wandering aimlessly about the universe with no hope of ever having life.
That's what people are like without Jesus!
As the Light of the world, Jesus is the light of life.
2. HE ALSO GIVES GLORY TO GOD.
*Jesus pointed out this truth to us on the night that He talked to Nicodemus.
-- So please turn over to John 3:16-21.
Here the Lord said:
16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18.
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19.
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20.
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21.
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
*In other words: The Light of Christ makes it clear that God gets the glory for any good we do.
As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:27-31:
27.
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
28. and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
29. that no flesh should glory in His presence.
30.
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption
31.
that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.''
*As the Light of the world, Jesus gives glory to God!
We see an example on the Mount of Transfiguration, when Jesus was transformed before Peter, James and John.
*Matthew 17:2 tells us that Jesus "was transfigured before them.
His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light."
God revealed His glory through the light.
*Then in Acts 26:13-15, Paul gave his testimony of how Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus.
Paul was speaking to King Agrippa and said:
13. "At midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
14.
And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?
It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'
15.
So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'"
*Paul said: "At midday, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun!"
I am glad that Jesus shines brighter than the sun.
And He ought to shine brighter than the sun, because He created the sun.
*The world needs to know that Jesus Christ shines brighter than the sun!
And the more they know this, the more they will give God the glory He deserves.
As the Light of the world, Jesus gives glory to God.
3. HE ALSO HELPS US SEE GOD'S SALVATION.
*Luke 2 tells us that Joseph and Mary took baby Jesus to the Temple to dedicate Him to God.
God had promised faithful, old Simeon that he would not die before seeing the Messiah.
So the Holy Spirit led Simeon to the Temple at just the right time.
*And Luke 2:28-32 tells us that when Simeon saw little Jesus:
28. he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
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