RSM Jesus - Light of the World

Intro

REMINDER TO SIGN UP FOR CAMP

Turn To John 8

Continuing in Jesus’ I am Statements

Who remembers which statement we covered last week? = Bread of Life

This week: I am the Light of the World

PRAY

Introduction (About 3–4 minutes)

Ok everyone follow along with me here

TELL THE STORY

Imagine This:

Pretend you are in the darkness..…

You are a youth minister that turns 30 next week, but God gave you a beautiful wife and a blond haired year and a half year old son. You wake up in the dark at 3am after getting kicked in the back of the head repeatedly by a toddler that wants more milk. You know what you have to do, this kid needs milk from the fridge, he needs sustenance.

So you crawl out of the warm bed and feel around for your phone to get some light, but you forgot where you put it, so you decide to go anyways despite not having a light to guide your way and start down the hall towards the kitchen, when SON OF A NUTCRACKER, you slam your pinky toe into a piece of furniture so hard that you are certain you will die from the injury. You scream out in pain, and wake the whole family, and now everyone's night is ruined. After crying and getting off the floor you grab the milk.

On the way limping back from the fridge you step onto something sharp, shooting a piercing pain into the sole of your other foot. You just broke your sons favorite $20 toy.

Now you are laying in bed feeling stupid, angry, and in pain, and you know you will have a bad day tomorrow, all because you did not have the light to guide your way through the darkness on your way to get some milk.

This wandering around in the darkness, all lost and confused is dangerous.

That’s what life feels like for a lot of people today who dont have Jesus to be the Light of their lives—

They are stumbling around in spiritual darkness with no light.

Their dark lives are full of:

Social media scrolling with filtered lies about what the world is up to.

Peer pressure whispers, “Just go along with it—no one will know.”

Anxiety about college, relationships, or “what if I mess up my future?” clouds their judgement

Secret habits blacken their heart.

Their sins lead their them to spiritual death.

And the world says, “Figure it out yourself— you can be your own light.”

But scripture, and Jesus, tell us that is not the case, we cannot guide ourselves through life, or we will be just as blind as I was at 3am trying to go get my kid some milk.

In this story, Jesus tells us he is the Light that will get us out of this darkness.

Setting

In this story, Jesus is in the temple courts during the Feast of Tabernacles. He is speaking to religious jews, the pharisees.

During this feast they had these giant golden torches lit up every night in the court, remembering how God led Israel with a pillar of fire in the wilderness during the Exodus.

Jesus looks at those dying flames and declares, “I am the light of the world.” Not a light. The Light. Capital L.

And not only a light for the jews, but a Light for the WHOLE WORLD

He says “he who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life”

But sadly the pharisees were trapped in the darkness, and could not come to the Light, to the Truth that Jesus was the fire that led Israel in the wilderness.

You will see here as we read starting in verse 12.

Scripture

John 8:12-19

New American Standard Bible (1995) Chapter 8

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.”

14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

15 “You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.

16 “But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.

17 “Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true.

18 “I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”

19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”

Point 1: The World Is Covered in Darkness (About 4 minutes)

The world is dark.

Not because God made it that way, but because we made it that way, through our sin and Satan’s corruption we have thrown a blanket over everything.

And all the human attempts to light our way through life have failed miserably.

Our philosophies, our education system, governments, and other religions without Jesus have failed to fix the deepest problems.

Look around: American society is is falling apart. There are wars, broken families, drug addicts on every corner in the cities, kids our age battling depression and identity confusion. Abortions are readily available, and we have a whole month to celebrate Pride in our sinful desires.

Our sin has crippled our nation, and really the whole world is barley hanging on to sanity.

There is no chance, zero, that humanity will come together to fix this broken world without Gods help.

Nearly the whole planet is in darkness.

Unbelievers chase “light” in all the wrong places—social status, parties, achievements—and end up more lost.

And it makes you feel like you dont know what to do or where you are heading in the future.

Charles Spurgeon called this being lost in the dark feeling as “sin’s gloom, sorrow, shame, and sentence.”

Meaning this dark feeling of being lost, and without purpose, this depression, is a consequence of our sin and separation from Christ.

The darkness makes you spiritually blind, lost and without hope.

And yet, most people do not want the Light.

And why is that? John 3:19-21 tells us why people dont want the Light.

John 3:19–21 ““This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.””

Without Jesus, we’re born of the flesh—lacking hope, lacking purpose, and without God.

Humanity choses to Love the darkness, their evil deeds, more than Loving Christ.

So instead coming to the Light, and turning from Sin, they hide in the dark like rats, because they Love their sin more than they Love the light.

Takeaway #1: Admit the darkness in your own life.

What’s one area where you’re walking blind—maybe scrolling stuff you know is toxic, hiding a habit from your parents, or stressing about the future like God’s not in control?

Don’t stay in dark. Jesus came to be your Light. He will lead you out of the darkness.

You don't have to live like a sewer rat hiding in the dark, you can come into the Light and become a heir to the Kingdom and a child of God.

Point 2: Jesus Is THE Light of the World (About 5 minutes)

Here’s the good news from this message:

Jesus says I AM, THE, Light of the World.

What does it mean that Jesus is the Light of the World?

It means Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of spiritual truth, of life, and of salvation.

Jesus is saying, “I’m God in the flesh, and I’m the only light you’ll ever need.”

Jesus comes from the Father, speaks for the Father, and is one with the Father.

His light reveals who God really is— a loving Father who sent His Son to die for you.

The Light exposes the sin in our hearts (like a flashlight on some nasty rats), but it also shows the beauty of forgiveness, purpose, and eternal life found in those of us that follow Christ.

Remember those torches during the feast I mentioned?

During the Feast, those big torches would eventually burn out. but Jesus stands there and basically says, “Those are cute, but I’m the sunrise that never sets. I am the eternal Light”

Takeaway #2: Jesus is THE Light—there’s no Plan B. No self-help book, there is no grind culture alternative, no other religion gets you out of darkness.

He’s the only Light that works, there is no other way out.

So Ask yourself: Am I treating Jesus like the backup plan, and trying to find my own way out of the darkness, or do I treat Jesus like the only Light I can’t live without?

Point 3: Follow Him and You’ll Never Walk in Darkness—You’ll Have the Light of Life (About 5 minutes)

Now the promise for believers

Jesus says that “Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Important word, FOLLOWS.

Following isn’t just “believe this in your head.”

To follow Christ means committing to Jesus alone—no other masters, no backup plans.

Jesus is the Light that is going to guide you through every aspect of life. Every decision you make.

It’s daily trust + obedience.

What does that look like for a us?

When your friends pressure you to party, you follow Jesus instead—and suddenly the guilt fog lifts.

When anxiety about grades or college hits, you open His Word like a flashlight and the darkness flees

When you sin (and you will), and find yourself in the dark, you run back to the Light, you run to the cross, confess, and keep following—because His light keeps shining for you.

The result? You won’t stumble around in confusion.

You’ll have the light of life—not just existence, but real life.

The rats in the dark sewer have an existence, but it is not the life that God designed us for, and so he sent the Light to guide us.

John 1:4 says “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

It’s forgiveness today, joy that doesn’t fade, purpose that outlasts your worldly goals, and eternal life.

Takeaway #3: Start following today in the small stuff.

Pick one practical step this week:

Maybe you:

Read one chapter of John every morning.

Tell a friend, “I’m following Jesus—no more hiding that one sin.”

Start praying before every decision, saying “Jesus, light my path.”

The more you follow Jesus, the brighter the Light will get.

And the more clearly you will see through the darkness of the world.

Conclusion & Challenge (About 2–3 minutes)

In a world that’s getting darker, you don’t have to wander lost.

Jesus is standing here saying, “Follow Me.” Some of you have never done that—you’ve been trying to be your own light and it’s not working.

So how do you allow the Light of God to guide you?

Remember last week, when people asked Jesus:

John 6:28 ...... “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?””

Jesus replied

John 6:29 ..... “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.””

If you don’t know Christ, come to him.

Seek him, do not run from the Light

Today’s the day. Pray to Jesus, say:

“Jesus, Im a sinner, I admit I’m in the dark. I believe You’re the Light of the world. Forgive me, save me, change me. Allow your light to guide my way and I will follow You from this moment on.”

For the rest of us who already follow Him—let’s let the Light guide us this week, and shine onto any remaining darkness in our lives.

Let’s pray.