The Light Of The World

Intro

John 8:12 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus is likely at the Feast of Booths, week-long celebration of God’s provision

The drawing of water resembling the rock and The lighting of the torches resembling the pillar of fire in the Exodus

Jesus observes everyone gathered together to celebrate the provision of God, but they are celebrating water from a well (symbolizing the miracle of water in the Exodus) and the lighting of torches (symbolizing the pillar of fire in the Exodus) and thinking that they are spiritually safe because of these rituals that they perform. He knows that in reality, these people are spiritually blind and in immediate danger. Jesus knows the truth of the world that we live in, and he speaks into that truth.

Illustration: Imagine for a moment you are in a pitch-black room. The lack of light is so oppressive that you can’t even see your own hand when you wave it in front of your face

Walking in Darkness is Deadly

This world is a hunting ground, and we are the prey.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

This is not a friendly, safe place that we live in. It just isn’t.

We wander about in darkness as a sheep among roaring lions looking for a meal.

Traps are laid out by this prowling lion, custom-designed over thousands of years especially for people like us.

As we wander about in the darkness, it really is only a matter of time until we hit one of these traps. We have hundreds or thousands of voices screaming directions to us, and we are never sure which voice to follow or if we should follow any of them at all.

These are ideal hunting conditions for the enemy.

Voices tell us that we need to take care of ourselves first and foremost, and so we plan out our lives thinking only of ourselves. We become accustomed to thinking primarily about the self and not about others, and certainly not about God. We are lured into one of the enemy’s oldest traps, a life of selfishness

Other voices tell us that this world is all we have, so we may as well make the most of it. We are lured into living a life of indulgence, trying to cram as much pleasure into this life as we possibly can. This, too, is one of the enemy’s oldest and most effective traps.

After realizing that the advice we are getting is a bunch of garbage, the final temptation is to close our ears and stop moving, deciding that there is no correct path forward. We become apathetic and sit down, wasting time and waiting for the lion to come and find us himself.

All of these are bear-traps disguised as something else, and by the time we step into them its too late. The sin we have involved ourselves in clamps around our leg, and all we can do is wait for the lion to devour us.

“Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you there longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you far more than you ever wanted to spend.”

This is the reality that Jesus is warning the Jews about when he says in John 8:24

John 8:24 ESV

I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

Jesus’s Light Is Life-Giving

Illustration: Jesus enters the world and immediately illuminates the entire thing - the path forward is incredibly clear.

John 8:12 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This is exactly what God promised us all the way back in the book of Isaiah!

Isaiah 9:2 ESV

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

This is a promise for the scared and trapped, for those who have failed and know that death is coming. This is a promise for those who have been trapped in deep darkness.

What does this light do for us?

It shows us the safe path forward, that we may walk and not die

It gives us a great comfort that was once impossible

Malachi 4:2 ESV

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

It removes all fear and replaces it with a child-like sense of energy and joy. It mobilizes us and helps us to no longer stay still but move forward on the safe path!

Jesus emphatically denies (ου μη) any possibility of someone walking in darkness while following him.

John 1:5 ESV

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Beyond that, Jesus guards our steps so that we will never carelessly walk into a lethal trap.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Follow After Jesus and Do Not Stray

Illustration: But do not be like Pilgrim going off to see the Judge

Having experienced both the darkness of this world and the light that Jesus provides, which path forward will you take? Will you take your chances, diving back into the darkness to chase after the bait of pleasure, selfishness and apathy? Or will you follow Christ, who himself gives us the light of life?

Let us walk in the light of life, leaving the darkness behind and following after Christ just as he has empowered us to do.