Follow The Light | John 8:12–20

Follow The Light | John 8:12–20

Opening Remarks:

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TITLE: Follow The Light

Introduction: Trying to plug something in in the dark

Fumbled around for an entire minute until I thought, “What am I doing?”

So pulled phone out of pocket, shine the light on the outlet, and plugged it straight in

Then I thought, “Why didn’t I do that earlier?”

Some things are just hard to do in the dark

Trying to put key in a lock

Walking through your son’s room at night if he’s a Lego fan

Or reading

One of my pet peeves is eating at a restaurant that somehow things the food tastes better in the dark

My wife have no more shame. We’re in the phase of life that we longer care. We have no shame when it comes to pulling out the phone and reading the menu with the flashlight.

Truth is, we live in a world where light is readily available. So why continue to live in the dark?

That’s essentially Jesus’ message in John 8. Spiritual light is readily available. So why do we continue to live in the dark?

If we want to succeed spiritually, we must walk in the light. That’s Jesus’ message.

But He doesn’t just randomly talk about light. He uses another visual illustration from the Temple.

In the previous chapter, He talked about water, because the Feast of Tabernacles featured water being poured out on the altar every day as a picture of God’s provision in the wilderness.

The the next day, Jesus begins to talk about light, which was another feature in the Temple

In the center of the court there were four massive menorahs or candlesticks that were set on bases that were 50 to 75 feet tall. Each menorah had seven lamps. They were so big that they used old priestly garments as wicks. It is said they blazed with such brilliance that not only did they light up the Temple, but they could be seen throughout Jerusalem on the Temple Mount.

The lamps were a picture of Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness when God led them by a pillar of fire at night. The light of God led them in their journey. (Num. 9:15-23)

Verse 20 says Jesus spoke these words in the Treasury. So here’s Jesus saying, “I am the Light of the world,” while these massive lights blazed above their heads.

As if to say, “These are impressive lights for this area, but I’m the Light of the entire world.”

Jesus the Master at using the visual imagery to teach truth.

He talks about Light And Darkness

The Bible teaches that darkness is a symbol of evil and sin (Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 4:16, John 3:19). But light in the Bible is a symbol of God and His holiness (Acts 9:3, 1 John 1:5 - God is light, and in him is no darkness at all).

Jesus calls Himself “the Light.” Not a light, THE light.

This is actually the third time Jesus has been referred to as Light in John’s Gospel.

And every time it’s mentioned, darkness is mentioned in opposition.

John 1:9 calls Jesus the true light, but it says, “the world knew Him not.”

John 3:19 says, referring to Jesus, that “…light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Here in John 8, after saying “I am the light of the world” the Pharisees say, “Thy record is not true.”

Every time Jesus was called light, the darkness opposes it.

Illustration: Being a dad comes with certain responsibilities. My kids are all home on Thanksgiving break, and one of the jobs I see as mine is to walk around turning off lights.

I imagine it drives my kids crazy to have dad pop up at every turn and turn off switches as soon as they go on.

But that’s what happened with Jesus. Every time He was called light, the darkness opposed it.

He shines a light, here come the Pharisees. He shines a light, men that love darkness come along...

It makes no sense. Jesus’ message is, “Light is available. I’m that light. Why keep living in the dark?”

But that’s men do. We love darkness.

Today I’d like to look at what happens when you walk in darkness.

There are actually three effects of walking in darkness I’d like to focus on in this text, but today we’ll just look at the first and make some applications.

Here’s what happens when you walk in darkness.

I. You can’t see Jesus for who He is

Darkness keeps you from seeing clearly. And it’s true spiritually.

Spiritual darkness keeps you from seeing Jesus.

A. Jesus makes the claim, “I am the light of the world”

Not a light “in the world” or “a light among many,” but the light of the world.

Jesus is the one source that helps you see with clarity. He’s the one person to turn to when you need to make sense of things. He’s THE Light.

And He says, “I am the light of the WORLD.”

There’s nothing in life that He can’t shed light on.

He brings everything into focus for everyone in the world.

Our problem is we view Jesus like A light for SOME things.

We live our lives and just use Jesus’ light in the areas we choose.

We don’t let His light shine in some parts of our lives.

But Jesus Christ is light for every area of life.

To be Light enough for the world means there’s nothing that doesn’t get lit.

Every part of life can be illuminated by the light of Jesus. Finances, parenting, how to be a good employee, how to be a good friend. He sheds light on every thing in our lives.

But we only gives Him slivers. Or we keep Him at church and don’t pull Him out any other time.

Jesus is claiming to be the one true light that shines on every single person and on every area of life. And don’t misunderstand - Jesus’ claim to be the Light of the world is Him claiming to be God.

If He’s God, I better attention. Which means we can’t afford to ignore this light.

Illustration: It’s a bad thing when you miss a stop light. On my way to MPM one morning. Stopped at light, wasn’t thinking, just went. Bro. Juan was behind me and he went too.

You can’t afford to miss a red light. But how much worse to miss the Light Of The World?

If He’s God, and He is, we can’t afford to live without that Light.

But we choose to walk in darkness. And it keeps us from seeing Jesus.

That’s what the Pharisees did. They refused to acknowledge Jesus’ identity. And they did it for a peripheral reason.

They say, “Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.”

B. The Pharisees Reject Jesus because they dismiss His evidence.

This is a fallacy. Which is a faulty argument. They assume because the only evidence that Jesus is God is Him saying He’s God, then He can’t be God. But that’s faulty.

They say, “The fact that you’re the only One saying you’re God means you’re not God.”

Just because Jesus says He’s God doesn’t mean He isn’t God.

Illustration: I meet Ben and two of his friends. I ask Ben his name and he says, “Ben.” But his two friends say, “No, his name is Carl.”

So I conclude, “Ben says his name is Ben. But because He’s the only one saying it, that means his name is not Ben.”

I’m assuming he’s wrong simply because the only evidence in his favor is what he’s saying. But that doesn’t mean He’s wrong. And just because they’re saying his name is Carl doesn’t mean they’re right.

You say, “That’s silly.” But that’s the Pharisees’ argument. When you choose to walk in darkness, you miss the obvious things. It doesn’t make sense

Look Vs. 14. Jesus says, “If anyone should know who I am, I should.”

Just like if anyone should know Ben’s name, Ben should.

But the Pharisees are choosing to operate in darkness. They dismiss Jesus for peripheral reasons.

Jesus is shining a light on their path, and they choose to walk with their eyes closed.

And by doing it, they miss the identity of Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine that?

These religious leaders have trained their whole lives to know all about God.

They’ve memorized large portions of the OT.

They know the Law inside and out.

They’ve even taught others.

But, in the end, the one job they had was to know God, and here He is in front of them and they miss it.

Their most important moment, and they blow it.

C. When you choose to walk in darkness, you miss out on your spiritual destiny.

I don’t want to sound weird, but God has a destiny for your life.

God has a plan and purpose for our lives

To be saved by Jesus, to become like Jesus, and to spend eternity with Jesus.

That is God’s will for every person that has ever existed or will ever exist.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Romans 8:29 says we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

It is God’s will for every person to be saved and become like Jesus through the process of sanctification. The more we know Him the more we grow to be like Him.

And His final plan for all of us is to spend eternity in Heaven. Everlasting life.

So imagine, God’s desire for your destiny is to be saved, be like Jesus and spend eternity in Heaven with Him.

And you miss it because you ignore the Light.

You say, “Thou bearest record of thyself: they record is not true.”

That’s darkness talking. It’s the biggest miss in history. It happened to the Pharisees. The guys that should have been ready for the Messiah. T

So what happened?

D. They chose to walk in darkness rather than utilize the light.

Jesus turns on the switch and they blindly turn it off.

That’s what the Pharisees did. Over and over.

Jesus would shine light, they had a chance to respond appropriately, and they whiffed.

“I am God.” No, you’re not! Turn that off!

“You are hypocrites.” No, you’re not! Turn off that light!

“If you’re thirsty, come and drink!” He’s from Galilee! Don’t believe Him!

“I’m the God of the Sabbath.” No you’re not! Our laws are God! Cut the light!

Time and time again, the ones that should have recognized Jesus refused the light. They love the darkness.

E. And we say, “What a shame!” Except, we are just as prone to ignoring the light and staying in the dark.

There’s plenty of light available.

And here’s the truth that Jesus emphasizes: The light of life is better than darkness.

“He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

That’s a no-brainer. If we follow Jesus Christ, we have light instead of darkness.

On one side: Darkness. Sin. Misery. Blindness. Death. Destruction.

On the other side: Light. Joy. Blessings. Abundance.

“He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

“All I have to do is follow.”

F. How Do You Follow?

Trust In Him As Savior

Light says, “You’re a sinner with no hope of Heaven on your own. You need to place your faith in Jesus.”

Darkness says, “You’re a good enough person. You can work your own way to Heaven. No one tells you what to do.”

But only one can be true. So what do we do?

Jesus said, “He that followeth me.” So follow the light.

If Jesus is God, that demands that we respond by following His light, not darkness.

You will not have the light of life unless you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Do your thing, walk in darkness. Or Follow Christ, have the light of life.

This is so simple. But like the Pharisees, so many people will miss. The majority will it.

Don’t be one of the.

How Do You Follow? Confess & Forsake Sin

Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Light says, “Sin destroys your life and makes you miserable. It leads to death. Confess it and forsake it.”

Darkness says, “But there are things in my life I enjoy and don’t want to give up. I’ll keep those things in the dark.”

If Jesus is God, the only logical choice is to follow His light, not walk in our darkness.

We have to believe the light of life is better than darkness.

If you have a sin in your life that you’re struggling with, confess it, acknowledge that it’s wrong, and claim Christ’s victory over that sin.

Don’t keep it in the dark. If the Light reveals, no use trying to hide it.

The light of life is better than living in darkness.

“He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

How Do You Follow

Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.”

This is the light. Step into the light.

Let yourself be scrutinized under the bright lights of God’s Word.

You say, “I don’t to be revealed.” But without revelation, you can’t fix what’s wrong. You will live and die in your sin.

This book speaks to every area of our lives:

Parenting, How to Treat God’s House, Having Faith During Difficulties

It even speaks to hot-button issues of the day like Abortion, Transgender Issues, Homosexuality

So my challenge is to put yourself under the Light of God’s Word.

Follow Jesus Christ.

And where the Light reveals darkness. Submit.

Then tell me what’s better - Darkness or the Light of Life.

The Choice To Follow The Light Is Yours

Jesus says in Vs. 12, “…he that followeth me…”

The problem is not a lack of light.

Jesus is the light. His Word is the light. We have light.

The problem is that we so often choose not to follow the light we have.

He shines light on the darkest places of our lives and we immediately turn it off.

(Bible) Or it sits on our shelves, rarely opened or studied.

How can we walk in light if we don’t turn it on?

You have light. It’s available. The issue is choosing to follow.

Illustration: One of the most depressing things about this time of year is how it gets dark so early.

Lately, at about 6 I’ve been saying, “It feels like it’s 10pm.” I don’t like it.

The next few weeks have the shortest days of the whole year.

But can you imagine living in a place like Barrow Alaska?

They have what’s called Polar Night, which means the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon. And it goes on for about two months.

Which means the sun set in Barrow about two weeks ago and won't rise again until the end of January. Can you imagine? That sounds depressing.

We wouldn’t pick that, so why do that very thing spiritually?

We have access to all the light we want, but we choose to live without it.

We go weeks without opening God’s Word.

We treat church like it’s optional.

And when the light shines, we pick and choose whether or not we follow it depending on what it reveals.

And in doing so, we trade the light of life to dwell in darkness.

Spiritual darkness. Maybe even eternal darkness.

No life. No abundance. Bondage to sin.

No excitement. No passion. Just days and days of Polar Night.

It’s time to open our eyes and see the Light of Christ and His Word.

And say, this morning, “Whatever the light reveals, Father, I’ll follow.”

Stop trying to reason it out and explain it away. Light is better than darkness.

So say,

“I haven’t been reading my Bible. And my life is dark. Time to turn the lights back on.”

“I haven’t taking the preaching and teaching seriously. I’ll turn the lights back on.”

“God, you’ve been speaking to me about this area of my life that I know doesn’t please you. The light shined. I need to follow.”

Or, “I know my soul is in darkness. You’ve exposed my sin and that I need Jesus Christ, so I will say yes to what your Light has revealed.”

If the Light reveals it, Follow the Light.

Why? Because the light of life is better than darkness.