Untitled Sermon

March 30, 2025

Calvary Church, GSO

I AM 

Light of the World

Pt. 2 of “I Am” series

INTRODUCTION:

Tom Andrews - FB illustration

Wife, Mickie Andrews - live in Nashville and are both real estate agents that own their own brokerage. They’ve done well financially and made great financial investment and business decisions.

Daughters - Whitney, Kate and Abby - who just graduated from the College of Charleston

Tom is an alumni of Belmont University … even though Tom’s dad, Thomas was an avid fan and alumni of the University of Alabama

Tom loves family and takes the lessons that he learned from his parents of deep rooted family into his business … in fact, they have an annual Team Day at the park where all the agents compete in games for various prizes and every Christmas season he hosts a Brunch for all of the his current and former clients - he understands the value of relationships

This past Dec 31, Tom’s dad passed away.  It’s easy to see where Tom got a lot of his values from looking back at how his Dad lived … While raking leaves in his ever-present blue sport coat and penny loafers when he was 51 years old … Thomas had a heart attack.  When he awakened with paramedics standing over him, he quickly jumped up grabbed the rake and invited the paramedics in for a drink.  They declined and took him to the hospital.

Tom learned a lot from his Dad including how to have a successful and healthy marriage, his Dad and Mom, Milbrey were married for 61 years, before Thomas passed away in Dec of 2024.

Your response to me telling you about Tom Andrew’s might be: “Wow, what a great friend he must’ve been to you.

Here’s the truth:

I do NOT know Tom AT ALL. All of that information was simply grabbed from his Facebook Profile … I know a LOT about him, but I do not know him personally.

From the time that he walked those dirt roads with the disciples and crowds, Jesus has continually been inviting people to KNOW HIM personally and not to remain satisfied with a FB profile level of knowledge about him.

He gives us all an invitation into that knowledge with 7 “I AM” statements found in John’s gospel.  When we understand the depth of who he is through those statements, we shift from knowing about Jesus, to knowing him personally.

Each of these statements can help us make the connection from a human need to a spiritual solution.

BIG IDEA:

Jesus is more than enough.  

When I know Him personally and follow Him intentionally,

my life is changed eternally.

Today’s “I AM” statement - I Am the Light of the World.

John 8:12 (NLT)

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”  

This is God’s Word.  I believe it is true and timeless. 

The love, forgiveness, and power that it describes are available to me.

I will learn from it and let it transform every detail of my life.

Jesus being the LIGHT OF THE WORLD has massive implications for us:

Light brings life and creativity!

- Jesus’ claim to be the LIGHT of the world … through the I AM statement was drawing the connection to the SOURCE of all light - God the Father.  He was saying this same GOD … the great I AM that birthed and created ALL that you see is not standing before you in human form, but with the same power and creating a NEW LIFE in you.  “Let there be light!”

- Creation account … “Let there be light!”

- A life that aligns itself with a personal knowledge of Jesus is full of LIFE. Misalignment brings gloom and despair.  BE FULL OF LIGHT AND LIFE!

Illustration of my OLIVE TREE at my house.  Photosynthesis 

From Britanica:

Photosynthesis, the process by which green plants transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds.  

It would be impossible to overestimate the importance of photosynthesis in the maintenance of life on Earth. If photosynthesis ceased, there would soon be little food or other organic matter on Earth. Most organisms would disappear, and in time Earth’s atmosphere would become nearly devoid of gaseous oxygen.

PREACH THIS:

Physical life needs oxygen and nutrients provided by plants like this … without that transfer of LIGHT to LIFE, we would not be able to survive.

JESUS said the same thing:  I AM THE LIGHT … take my light into your life, let that light energy be combined with Living Water / CO2 (wind of the spirit) / nutrients of God’s Word and your life becomes FULL of life for others and brings LIFE to the world!

CREATIVITY:

I am so challenged by the fact that God put his image in us … “let us make man in our image”.  That nature of God is one of creativity and life. I think we have allowed complacency and routine to invade the church in a search for stability.  We mistakenly believe that tradition / routine in our faith expression is what God desires of us.  

God is a God of wonder and creativity.  When we have the “light of the world” in us, it should make us the most vibrant and creative people in our communities.  We should be “attractional” inasmuch as people want the life and light within us.

“The more I considered Christianity, the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run wild.”

- G.K. Chesterton

Don’t settle for a stale expression of the light of the world … dream / explore / invent / your creativity brings glory to God.  It truly is a reflection of Him to a dark world!

In the light, things are exposed

When you follow Jesus and know Him personally, things that are hidden come to light.  That should both terrify you and comfort you! :) 

It will cause you to examine those parts of your heart that you have kept hidden in darkness and bring them to Jesus with humility … he offers grace to the humble!

But it should also cause you to be aware that when you follow Jesus, the light of the world, you see things with a different perspective!  Be aware and alert of those things that God allows you to see.

Illustration:  Growing up - sister would lose her contact lens.  Fall into carpet and difficult to see … it was only when you got a flashlight out and put your eye on the level of the carpet with the light, that the reflection of the lens would expose it’s location.

Jesus’ presence in your life exposes those things that are hidden … and that’s a good thing!

Mark 4:22 (NLT)

For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.

When you walk with Jesus and know him personally, there should be regular moments when you ask him the same question the Psalmist asked:

Psalm 139: 23-24 (NLT) 

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

We can carry the same light

Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.  (Matthew 5:14–16, NLT)

You are a reflection to the world of the grace of God and the light of Jesus!  Are you a clear reflection?

Our purpose is always to carry that light with us everywhere we go.  Our purpose is not to be the best banker / teacher / lawyer / marketing specialist / real-estate agent … when we follow Jesus, the only purpose is to continue to be a reflection of that light.

Mark Batterson says it this way: 

 “What’s really happening when what’s happening is happening?” 

or said another way “What are we really doing when we’re doing what we’re doing?”

People that understand they are the light of world carrying the Light to the world, see things differently.  

They don’t see the conversation with the neighbor as simply discussing the weather, they see it as another relational seed being planted to open the door for deeper discussions.

They don’t worry about the delay, they see the opportunity.

When struggles come, they have a deep conviction that God is using them to grow a deeper faith in them.

When the people at work talk and act like people that are in darkness, they don’t get upset or mad at them … they get clarity.  Those people are in darkness … but that God put them there to be a LIGHT in dark places.

What’s really happening when what’s happening is happening?

Illustration:  Woman at Calvary discussed in a home group recently discussed her consideration of delaying retirement so that she can continue to a light in the dark places of her work.  That is someone that is walking with Jesus and allowing his LIGHT to guide her.

APPLICATION:

What area in your life is dull and lacking creativity?

What are you hiding in the darkness?

How can you better reflect the light into dark places?

PRAYER and CONCLUSION

Here is the message of Jesus / the Gospel / the good news:

We have all sinned.   (Romans 3:23)

That sin has a price - pain / heartache now and an eternity separated from God (Romans 6:23)

Jesus paid the price for our sin.  (Romans 5:8)

If we confess our sins and believe in Jesus, he will forgive us. (Romans 10:9-10)

When we do that … our life is made new and we are saved!  (2 Cor. 5:17)

SALVATION PRAYER

Jesus, there is sin in my life that is keeping me from a relationship with you.

I can do nothing on my own to fix it, but you can.

I believe that you died on the cross to purchase my forgiveness.

I repent from my sin and receive that gift of forgiveness.

Make my life new … I am yours!