Light of the World

Sermon Style Sheet

Write that down in your formation Journal

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Sermon Text

Sermon Text: Scripture

Call to Worship

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Psalm 96:1 CSB

1 Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord.

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Passage:

Formation Journal Page Number: 2:40-3:16 6:28-7:10

John 8:12–30 CSB

12 Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never 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 valid.” 14 “Even if I testify about myself,” Jesus replied, “my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I’m going. But you don’t know where I come from or where I’m going. 15 You judge by human standards. I judge no one. 16 And if I do judge, my judgment is true, because it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am the one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.” 19 Then they asked him, “Where is your Father?” “You know neither me nor my Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” 20 He spoke these words by the treasury, while teaching in the temple. But no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come. 21 Then he said to them again, “I’m going away; you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I’m going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said again, “He won’t kill himself, will he, since he says, ‘Where I’m going, you cannot come’?” 23 “You are from below,” he told them, “I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” 25 “Who are you?” they questioned. “Exactly what I’ve been telling you from the very beginning,” Jesus told them. 26 “I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the one who sent me is true, and what I have heard from him—these things I tell the world.” 27 They did not know he was speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own. But just as the Father taught me, I say these things. 29 The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Opening Illustration:

Test Bullfrogs and Butterflies

they didn’t like because they were in the dark, asleep

and [When you are the DARK, you don’t like the LIGHT]

time

Getting into the Sermon

time

1-4 calls his disciples, does miracles, he has conversation Nicodemous

5 - heals the man on the sabbath

6 he does more 5,000 & walking water

7 he’s been doing some teaching at the festival of booths.

8- the woman caught in adultery, continuing his teaching.

Where are we in John

John 8:12 CSB

12 Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

[Jesus is not “a light” he is THE LIGHT]

If Jesus is the light, that means that the world is in the darkness.

Why are the darkness - because of sin

sin is also a spiritual force of nature that corrupts the world and brings pain and suffering.

things that we do- things we have coming to us.

but look at the claim - it isn’t just that he is a light - he is the light. The only light. That’s a big claim

how to connect back to God- but none of that worked.

Gospel

{ABC Repentance}

but if you are in the darkness you don’t enjoy the light. bother some, offensive. you want to stay in the darkness.

John 8:13 CSB

13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.”

Why the testimony might not be legally admissible - but that doesn’t make it false

the world today

[The world doesn’t want to believe EXCLUSIVELY in Jesus]

it’s ok to say he is “a light” : the one the only

there are other religions that make the same claim.

then if there is no outside evidence, it’s not just hard to believe, but we are going to say it’s false.

John 8:17–18 CSB

17 Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am the one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”

The father testifies through the miracles. They prove that he has control of the very nature of the universe.

[Jesus is publicly doing miracles that BREAK the laws of nature]

Earliest criticism was that he was a magician

John 8:19 CSB

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your Father?” “You know neither me nor my Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew me, you would also know my Father.”

“Your going away - you going kill youself?” “Who are you”

Look, they just don’t want to believe. They keep coming back and coming back.

Let me give you an example: I was talking to an athiest one time, and it’s good to do that. It’s intresting.

Then he would say, well, why didn’t God make it obvious, why didn’t he give evidence?

I said, He did! He sent his son, who did miracles, he rose from the dead, there is more written about him then anywhere else while there were people alive.

Then he would just circle back.

well why didn’t he make it obvious, like why doesn’t do something to make it super clear.

John 8:20 CSB

20 He spoke these words by the treasury, while teaching in the temple. But no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Do you know anything about the temple

[It was written by a witness within LIVING MEMORY]

If he came today, filmed on video - people would say it’s AI.

Then I would push back and he wouldn’t address the problems with his belief.

But you know what I think. I don’t think the issue is creation, or hell, or public miracles. or any of that.

[Saving faith isn’t about FACTS it’s about REGENERATION]

It’s about spiritual blindness.

You get caught in these types of questions - you don’t convince and then you feel bad about yourself.

Baseball minor

I would encourage to turn the tables on them about them and ask this question

If God is real, and he asked you why should I let you into heaven, what would you say?

Jesus - Jesus is the light he is the way. And our role is to lift him up.

John 8:28–29 CSB

28 So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own. But just as the Father taught me, I say these things. 29 The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.”

[We live because Jesus DIED]

If jesus was about self promotion - he wouldn’t have died.

Lifting up = the cross

He already access to the Father, heaven. He isn’t doing it for himself. He’s doing it for us

So this is what we are called to do -but why is hard. It’s hard, i think for us, becasuse we don’t want to be obnoxsious and when someone who loves the dark is confronted with the light, they get upset.

[Turning on the light risks OFFENDING people]

Now it’s obvious that we shouldn’t be obnoxious about the light. In fact, I’m not going to say anything else about being obnoxious because I don’t think anyone in this room is going to obnoxious when it comes to sharing their faith.

You can’t - lights on sliders In Nicaragua

People might get offended but I don’t think you should be afraid that it’s your fault. That you were the jerk.

Look at this- Let’s say you are, insenstive, let’s say you do it wrong. What’s the difference. The person in the dark, they stay in the dark. NOthing changed. You can’t really lose not in a big spiritual sense.

How can you turn on the light in a room in a way that doesn’t upset a person whose sleeping and who wants to be asleep?

One of my dreams and desires about Mercy Hill is that we will be a nice church. I think we are nice people, I want us to be a nice church. We want to be kind. I think that’s probably one of our greatest strengths.

Love as the action of caring for people.

Usually, the flipside of your greatest strength is your greatest weakness. You care about people and don’t want to hurt their feelings. But sometimes we can be so aware of their feelings that we don’t turn on the light. We don’t give them an opportunity.

You can’t help how they receive it when you share your faith or invite them to church.

Look what happened.

John 8:30 CSB

30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Say “many believed in him”

[When you turn on the light you risk SAVING people]

everyone here was in the darkness at one time, maybe one time.

Jesus had to put himself out there. If we want people to believe we have to put ourselves out there.

Nobody gets upset if you wake them up on Christmas or to go to Disney

with good news they thank you, and what makes them angry then - if you let them sleep.

All of us who are christians had the light turned on for us - and we are grateful for it!

But here’s the other deal - go in with prayer. Go in fed one word. Do it.

It’s all about Jesus - he get’s lifted up, he get’s the glory, it’s all about Jesus.

See, it’s not good enough for you to be the witness, we need the father to witness for us by sending the Holy Spirit to awaken their hearts. So let’s be praying together.

Lord’s Supper:

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

Benediction:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD makes his face shine upon you and be gracious to you:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.