The Necessities of Life - Blinded by the Darkness, Healed by the Light (John 8:12-30)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Have you ever been caught in pitch black darkness?
I mean a darkness that is so dark that it seems to take all the air away from you.
Some of you may have taken a tour deep into one of the caves around here, and the tour guide would, without your knowledge, flip the light switch. When those lights go out in that cave deep underground, you cannot even see your hand if you hold it up in front of your face. It is a darkness so thick that you can feel it. Unless someone is there to flip the light switch back on, you are helpless.
Do you start walking?
In what direction are you going to walk?
What direction did you just come from?
As long as we reside in the darkness of that cave, we are disoriented, confused, and lost.
What I want you to know today is that we live in a world filled with profound darkness, a darkness that brings disorientation, confusion, and fear. It is not a physical darkness like the one we have experienced in the cave; it is something much worse. The darkness I am referring to is moral darkness. The absence of righteousness and truth. Moral darkness may be considered as a realm where individuals, human beings, are held captive to sin. Sin that fills their minds with lies and misinformation. Moral darkness is not a darkness due to the lack of intellectual information, but rather stems from moral depravity that produces moral blindness.
Paul gives the best definition of moral darkness that I know of in Romans 1:29-32
a place filled with 29 all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
It is a place that causes disorientation, confusion, and a place that leads only to death.
It is a place of darkness, and a place of darkness that has no light, cannot have life.
There is no life without light.
Light is what provides life. It is not just a source of vision, but a vital source of life.
Light is the essence of life. Without light, we would have no plants, no food, and therefore no existence.
Do Not Read the Scripture Skip to Right Below
“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
I am the light of the world.
He who follows Me, He who becomes My disciple, he who places ALL their faith and trust in Me.
Shall not walk in darkness.
But have the light of life.
Without Jesus you will wallow in darkness and die in your sins
With Jesus you will be given light, the light that leads to life and you will live in righteousness with Jesus.
The question is, if we are held in this moral darkness and the light of Jesus shines through, why are we not running out of the cave to the light?
Why are we not running up to this altar, praying for forgiveness and repenting of our sins?
Why are our churches not overflowing on Sunday mornings with people desiring to hear a word from God?
Why is this light not shining brightly all across our land, dispelling the darkness that is holding our loved ones and our children captive?
Here in our text this morning, Jesus provides three answers to our questions, beginning with the fact that moral darkness blinds us to who Jesus is.
Moral Darkness Conceals the Person of Jesus (John 8:13-20)
Moral Darkness Conceals the Person of Jesus (John 8:13-20)
The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
Let me tell you a little about the Pharisees. The Pharisees are a hard-core group of people. They exercised strict piety according to the Mosaic law, the Old Testament scriptures. They were not only the teachers of the law, but they interpreted the law and made amendments where necessary, much like the lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Many times, they amended the laws to fit their need.
They were powerful, much like the lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and had favor with the Romans.
In other words, they had their cake and ate it too.
The problem they had with Jesus was that He was upsetting their little power party.
Just think about it: if He is the Messiah, the one prophesied to come and overthrow the Roman occupation and restore the kingdom of David, well, they would be ruined.
Now, talking about wallowing in the darkness, this is the epitome of moral blindness.
The deliverer comes to deliver me from death and offer me eternal life, but I refuse to accept Him because, well, I’m happy with my life. I have prestige and power.
The Bible says, 1 John 2.15
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The Pharisees are surrounded in moral darkness, blinded by their own covetousness and maliciousness. They are full of envy, strife, and deceit. They are morally blind haters of God.
Even with the light shining right in front of them, they choose to cover themselves in darkness.
Have you ever tried to share your testimony with someone who not only does not believe in Jesus but refuses to acknowledge the truth of the Bible? Someone who not only does not want to hear your words but wants to attack you because of the truth you possess.
They say the Bible is not true. Jesus may have been a good man, but He was no son of God.
It is nothing new, the Pharisees are saying the same thing to Jesus. They say, “You bear witness of Yourself: Your witness is not true.”
It was an argument they used against Jesus from the very beginning.
“You say all these things about yourself, but you have no one to back you up. If you want us to believe what you are telling us, provide us with some proof. Who else will stand behind your claims? Give us the proof.
That’s what we need, isn’t it, proof? We always need proof. Even Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead unless he was provided with proof. Only when I can stick my finger into the nail holes in His hand and shove my fist into His side, only then will I believe.
We need proof. But even when provided proof, many still refuse to accept the Words of Jesus.
It wasn’t the lack of proof that prevented the Pharisees from believing the words of Jesus. This argument had already been settled back in John chapter 5. In John chapter 5, the Pharisees are making the same accusation against Jesus, and Jesus resolves the argument once and for all.
According to Jewish law, for the testimony of one to be counted as true, there must be at least two witnesses. In John chapter 5, Jesus provides five:
Himself,
John the Baptist, who came to testify that He was the Messiah;
the signs that Jesus performed,
the Father in heaven, who testified of Him;
and the Scriptures, the very words that the Pharisees prided themselves on, which testified that He was the Messiah who was to come into the world.
Moral darkness alone had concealed the person of Jesus from the Pharisees.
The same moral darkness that is covering Page County and concealing the person of Jesus from our loved ones and our children today.
Not only does this moral darkness conceal the person of Jesus, but it also conceals the fact that salvation comes only through Jesus.
Moral Darkness Conceals Salvation in Jesus (John 8:21-24)
Moral Darkness Conceals Salvation in Jesus (John 8:21-24)
Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”
Jesus is not talking about His death here. He is not talking about His being buried in the tomb. After Jesus was crucified and placed in the tomb. Three days later, He arose.
After He arose, He showed Himself to the disciples and over five hundred people at one time. And then He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father.
And He tells the people, “You are going to die in your sin” because you chose, you refused to believe. “You are from below, I am from above, you are of this world, I am not of this world.”
Not only had moral darkness blinded the people to who Jesus was, but it had also blinded them to see that He was the Messiah, the anointed One. The One who was to deliver the world from sin and death.
They were so blinded by the moral darkness around them that they did not even notice the words that Jesus spoke: “You will die in your sins.” All they heard was the words, “Where I am going you cannot come.”
“Where is He going to go, that I will not be able to go? Is He going to kill himself?”
Blinded by the moral darkness that had engulfed them, they could not understand the severity of the situation. They could not see that they were sinners in need of a savior. They could not see that without Jesus, they were going to die in their sin and spend an eternity in hell. Tormented day and night without end.
Instead, they were focused on the mystery.
The Bible says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers.”
They refused to hear the truth that they were dying in their sin. But they were fascinated with the mystery of where Jesus was going and why they could not go there.
There was a belief in Jerusalem that if a man took his own life, he would go to Gehenna, the Greek word for hell. In their arrogance, no Pharisee could ever consider the idea that he might go to Gehenna. Their conclusion, therefore, was that Jesus was going to kill himself and go to Gehenna, a place that they were too righteous in their own eyes to go to.
Do you see the irony in the situation?
Listen, Jesus says,
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The moral darkness that had swallowed up the Pharisees in the days that Jesus walked this earth is the same moral darkness that is holding so many in chains today. Blinding them to their need of a savior. Keeping them in the darkness that Jesus is the Savior.
Jesus has ascended into heaven, but He is still alive and active in this dark world, living through you and me and all of us who have given ourselves to Him.
Jesus, talking to all believers, said in Matthew 5:14,
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Jesus lives on through us, and He has given us a purpose: to share His message of salvation with those held captive in moral darkness. We are to bring the light of hope to them so that they may hear and understand their need for a Savior, and that Savior is Christ Jesus, the Son of God.
He has called you to be the light of the world. Do not try to cover it.
“A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
We are to go out into the world, but we are not to become like the world. We are to be different. Jesus told the Pharisees,
“You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”
If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He has transformed you, you have been adopted into the family of God, no longer are you of this world, you are joint heirs of the heavenly with the Lord Jesus. Do not act like you are of this world. You are not, you are from above and have been given a mission to go into the world and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And to teach them the Word of God.
And we are to be doing the work Jesus has called us to do with a sense of urgency because there is coming a day when we are going to be taken out of the world.
Listen to the words of the Prophet Amos:
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, But shall not find it.
There is coming a day when the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And what a glorious day that will be.
But how sad that day will be for all those left here on earth.
For all of those we failed to reach and share the message of the good news of Jesus with.
Moral darkness conceals the person of Jesus.
Moral darkness conceals salvation in Jesus.
And lastly, moral darkness conceals the glory of Jesus.
Moral Darkness Conceals the Glory of Jesus (John 8:25-27)
Moral Darkness Conceals the Glory of Jesus (John 8:25-27)
All who are caught in moral darkness, held captive in their sin and shame, are blind to the beauty of the Lord Jesus. Not the material beauty of His person while here on this earth, but the beauty that emanates from His character, from all that He is, from all that the Word of God speaks of Him.
Notice that the people ask Jesus, “Who are you?”
Then they said to Him, “Who are You?”
Jesus came to this earth fully man. He was flesh and blood just as you and me. In that sense, He was able to relate to us. He felt what we felt, was tempted in the same ways that we are tempted, but never sinned.
The words He spoke were only the words the Father gave to Him to speak.
The things He did were the things that the Father gave to Him to do.
He came to us as one of us.
But at the same time, He was fully God.
“Who are you?”
Who is Jesus?
How do we answer this question?
How did Jesus answer the question?
“Jesus said to them, Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.”
I believe that it is at this moment that the Pharisees and the multitude of unbelievers debating with Jesus looked at Him in bewilderment, because, for the moment at least, they were at a loss for words.
What has He been saying from the beginning?
What Jesus said at the beginning of the conversation was that He was the light of the world. However, this could not be what Jesus referred to as the beginning. This was where the debate started: "What makes Him the light of the world? Who are you to say that you are the light of the world?" This is the question, not the explanation.
Listen to me, do you want to know who Jesus is? If you do, you must find what He has said from the beginning.
You may want to start with Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15.
Adam and Eve have just fallen in the Garden of Eden. They have given in to the temptations of the devil and have eaten of the tree which God had commanded that they were not to eat of. They had willfully sinned against God and by doing so had introduced the world to death.
The Bible says that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin are death.
But even after Adam and Eve sinned against God and brought about death to all of their descendants, a promise was made to them.
The Word of God says in Genesis 3:15
I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
This is known as the Protoevangelium. A word that is a compound of two Greek words, protos meaning ‘first’ and evangelion meaning “good news” or “gospel.”
It is the first mention of the promise of a savior who would come and redeem the world from sin.
This is the beginning of what Jesus spoke.
But you say, “These are the words of the Bible, not the words of Jesus.”
May I remind you of the words of John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
Yeah, but it is God speaking to the devil, telling these things, not Jesus.
Oh, but the rest of the verse says, “and the Word was God.”
And then in verse 14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
This is where so many stumble and fall even today. They refuse to believe that Jesus is God, that He and the Father are one and the same.
The disciples even had trouble with it at first. Philip ask Jesus, “Lord show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. And Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
Moral darkness conceals the glory of Jesus and tells us that He is not God.
But I want to quickly show you one last thing.
You see, when we go to the beginning and start reading and studying about who Jesus is and He begins to reveal Himself to us, the light that is in us begins to shine brighter and brighter.
We cannot hide it any longer. It burns in our hearts and we want to climb to the highest mountain and shout out what Jesus has done and tell the world all about Him.
Not even the threat of death can silence us.
For when the light of Jesus begins to shine, moral darkness must flee.
Moral darkness flees from the light of Jesus.
Moral Darkness Flees From the Light of Jesus (John 8:27-30)
Moral Darkness Flees From the Light of Jesus (John 8:27-30)
Here is the gospel, the good news. Here is the light of Jesus.
Jesus, the light of the world, shines down upon us and reminds us that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.
The light helps us to see and understand our unrighteousness, that we have turned against God.
The light of Jesus shines upon us, showing God’s love for us that even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, paying our sin debt in full.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and went to the cross to suffer and die the death that you and I deserve. He died so that you would not have to die. The righteous one giving His life for the unrighteous.
Jesus told the people in John 8:28
When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He
When you come and stand before the cross of Jesus, the moral darkness flees from the presence of the light of the world, the lies of Satan cannot stand in the light of the Lord Jesus, and then in the presence of that light you know that Jesus is God who has come down to deliver you from the penalty of death. He has come to break the chains that bind you, that hold you captive in the darkest. You are set free.
But it is here that you have the opportunity to exercise what is known as free will.
Jesus has spoken to you this morning through the preaching of His Word.
You now know that He is the Son of God. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and there is no other way for you to receive salvation and deliverance from death and eternity in hell except through faith in Him. Believing that Jesus is who He says He is, repenting of your sins, and turning toward Him means giving yourself to Him and becoming who He has created you to be.
These things you now know and cannot deny.
But it is up to you, will you follow Him and receive life, or will you walk out of here refusing to accept Him and die in your sins?
Our reading this morning ends with these precious words,
As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
Won’t you believe in Him this morning?
As Greta comes and begins to play the piano, if you have never receive Jesus as your personal savior I am going to ask that you do that now by simply bowing your head right where you are and repeating the prayer after me, praying it not just with words but with your heart, knowing now that Jesus loves you and has given His life for you so that you may have life.
Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. From this day forward, I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Let’s stand as we sing “Abide With Me” Hymn #63 and if you prayed that prayer with me, I want to ask you to come forward as we sing and make your profession of faith public so we can all rejoice in the victory you now have in Christ Jesus,
Let’s sing.
