I am the Light of the World

Introduction:

Story about being in Darkness

Scuba diving in the dark

One of the things I love to do when I go on vacation is to go scuba diving! I love scuba diving

- I have gone diving over 80 times in 5 different countries.

I have dove with sea turtles and sting rays and Giant angel fish, and barracudas and lots of different kinds of sharks.

Every-time you come around a corner of the reef and a giant fish pops up your heart skips a beat.-

A few years back I decided that I wanted to try something a little more exciting while I was on the Island of Cozumel, Mexico. I signed up to go on a night dive. At 11 pm I showed up at the boat got my gear set and we all headed out to the reef to dive down to the bottom of the ocean. When we got to our spot One by one we had to all jump off the boat into the black ocean below. The same ocean I had seen dozen of sharks and barracudas swimming in.

As I jumped off the boat and into the water- It was as dark as dark could be I couldn’t even see my own feet below me.

The weight of total darkness was upon us. It was one of the most eerie feelings I have ever had in my life. Floating in the ocean without knowing what was around me.

But once everyone was in the water -the dive master told us all to turn on our lights. and as we turned on our lights the ocean below us came alive.

We could now see. Before we were just floating in darkness, but now because of the light we could now see the beauty of the reef that was all around us.

My fear and anxiety caused by the darkness was gone because I could now see in the light.

In the book of John Jesus uses seven “I am” statement to describe his nature and proclaim himself as God.

To the Jewish audience, they would have known what Jesus meant when He called himself “I AM

Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ””

he was declaring himself as the God of the Old testament. The God that Gave Moses the Law- that these same people -are accusing Jesus of breaking.

These seven I am statements of Jesus don’t just declare his deity, but they also describe his character.

Two weeks ago We looked at the first "I Am” statement Jesus made after He had fed over 5000 men a miraculous meal from 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.

Jesus said “I am the bread of life”. The physical food I gave you from that boys lunch will leave you physically hungry again, but the spiritual food that I am offering you will fill you for all eternity. and this spiritual food only is available through by body which I will willing give up for you.

last week Willie did a wonderful taking us through the text of John 10.

Where Jesus makes 2 more I AM declarations of his deity. . Jesus begins by declaring himself as the door of the sheep fold . in verse 7 of chapter 10

John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Jesus was teaching the crowd about his character again - Just like the shepherd is the door of the sheepfold and no one can enter except through the shepherd, Jesus was saying the only way anyone can ever enter into the fold of God is through Him.

In verse 14 Jesus goes on and says not only Am i the only way into the fold But I am the one who also protects the fold, and leads the fold, and loves the fold and knows the fold.

John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,”

Jesus in this simple statement reveals his character of love for those who are his sheep. And he tells us that this love is as deep as the love of God the father has for God the son. A perfect unbreakable love.

This morning we are jumping back in our text to John chapter 8 verses 12 where Jesus makes his 2nd I AM statement declaring his deity as God.

John 8:12 “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 morning I want us to understand what Jesus means by the light of the World.

and in order for us to truly understand what Jesus was saying we need to understand the contrast Jesus is giving us in his descriptive statement.

“ Whoever follows me will not walk in Darkness BUT will have the Light of LIFE."

Jesus in this statement is saying there are only two options for all of mankind. Either you walk in darkness or you walk in the light.

When I was floating in the ocean I was in complete darkness, but when we turned on our lights we were no longer in darkness but were in the light.

Jesus is declaring himself as the one who can take mankind from darkness and into the light.

The Light of the World Expels Our Darkness

The author of the gospel of John Makes the point that Jesus is the Light of the world very clear

John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

John 1:4-5“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Illustration; Belize Cave.

Ive shared this story before with you but I cant think of a more visible illustration than this for darkness.

I have had the opportunity to go to a number of caves in my life, on one occasion in the country of Belize Amy and I took a tour into a cave that went 1/4 of a mile into the side of a cliff.

This cave was so hidden that even when I was 10 feet in front of It I had no idea it was there. The opening to get into the cave was about 3 inches narrower than my belly and it took a little squeezing to get in. Once we squeezed through the 12 ft long narrow passage the cave began to open up.

We began to walk through the tunnels of this cave. Everyone of us had our own light. and with all 10 of our lights shining brightly the cave was lit up beautifully.

Eventually we came to another small opening and one by one we all crawled through it, and on the other side of this small tunnel was a giant room hidden from the world.

We were deep inside this cave. and I was glad we had someone with us who knew how to get out -Because I was lost on my own.

As we took a break inside this room the tour guide said “ have any of you ever really felt total darkness?

In my mind I thought “I’ve had been in the dark before.” I’ve walked in the basement without any lights on before. Ive been in places where I couldn’t see anything.

The guide said let me show you what complete darkness feels like.

On the count of three I want all of us to shut our lights off and remain silent. and in that moment we could feel the weight of total darkness in our life.

we could feel The coldness of the darkness all around us

We could feel the loneliness of the darkness not knowing if anyone else was out there.

We could feel the desperation of being completely lost without any chance of escape.

It was an eerie sense of complete hopelessness.

As we sat there in utter darkness looking for any glimmer of light, looking for any ounce of hope, the tour guide took out a small candle and turned it on.

and do you know what happened in that moment- that little light took the coldness of darkness and pushed it away.

the loneliness began to dissolve and the desperation from being lost was no more.

Why - Because that little light pushed back all of the darkness that was upon us, and life became alive around us.

We could see! The darkness that enslaved us was gone,

Ephesians 5:8 “for at one time you were darkness,

Understand this morning that Without Jesus we are not just in darkness but we are totally consumed with darkness.

We have no hope because we are darkness

We have no way of escape because we are darkness

Because of sin mankind is so deep into darkness that no matter how hard we may try to see light there is none to be found.

we cannot escape the coldness of darkness without light ,

we cannot escape the loneliness of darkness without light

We cannot escape the bondage of sin without the Light.

Understand this church. there is no spiritual light in this world without Jesus.

the Psalmist Asaph describe mankind in Psalm 82:5 by sayin “They neither know nor understand.They stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of the earth crumble.

Paul in Romans 3:11 “no one understands; no one seeks for God.”

Without light mankind is hopeless and without any way of escape.

and this is why Jesus had to come to earth as the light of the world.

It takes the self existent God because anything less cannot produce light.

He alone is the source of light

He alone is the one who can bring us life.

and this is why in our text this morning…

Jesus says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

i. Jesus Christ came to earth to be the light in the darkness of your sin

without the light of Christ man would still be seeking a way of escape

without the light of Christ man is still in the coldness of darkness

without the light of Christ man is still in the cave of hopelessness.

and without the light of Christ man cannot be rescued by God.

Luke 1:79 Jesus came“to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Jesus came to bring light into a dark, sin-stained world , A world in desperate need of a savior. all of mankind is in sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. Death is eternal seperation from God forever in a place of punishment called the lake of Fire. . but Jesus brought light “to guide our feet into the way of peace”

When Jesus Declared himself as the light of the World He was declaring himself as God because only God has the power to expel the darkness of sin from our lives and bring us the peace that comes from being in the light.

Not only does the Light of the world expel the darkness from our life It also Exposes the sins we hold onto .

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD Exposes our sin

Listen as I read Ephesians 5:3-14 “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place,[for christians] but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

The Light the we have in Christ is what Exposes the sin in our lives. and Paul is telling the church that darkness has no place in the life of a believer.

If you are in Christ, If you a redeemed born again child of God than the light of Christ is in you and it will expose the sin in your life.

1 John 1:5-10 “This is the message we have heard from Jesus and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

The point Paul and John are both making is this- You cannot be a genuine christian if you continue in a life filed with darkness, because the Light of the Wold exposes our sin and drives us to confession.

Church family - If you are here this morning and your life is filled with Sin you are still walking in darkness and not in the light, and John says you are a lyer- your a fake christian. On the outside you want to look like you belong, but on the inside you are still filled with the Darkness of sin.

When Jesus Christ as the Light of the world, comes into your life it will expose your sin and drive you to confession.

Just like that small candle in that deep cave drove out the darkness, When you ask Jesus Christ as the light of the world to come into your life, darkness can no longer have a permanent place in your life.

Finally the third thing that Jesus as the Light of the world does for us is that he Expedites our obedience in taking his light to the World.

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD Expedites our Obedience

In John 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.””

When Jesus was here on earth He was the light of the world. But afterHe left and went back to heaven He gave his followers a task He told them You are now the light of the world while I am gone.

When we lived at the camp I woke up in the middle of the night because there was a light outside my house casting shadows across my room. So I went to the window and quickly realized it was just the moon. I had never seen it so bright, So I went out side and I could see everything- It was so bright that I could easily read a book without using a flashlight.

Have any of you ever experienced the moonlight like this? This is an amazing illustration that God gives us through Creation. The moon does not have any light in itself. It only reflects the light of the sun.

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus speaking to his followers says ““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

God has called us to be like the moon - God does not tell us to go and shine our own light but to go and reflect the light of His SON, Jesus Christ to the World

As witnesses, we are reflectors of Christ’s light to others- just like the moon reflects the light of the sun.

As a believer in Jesus Christ He has called you to Go into all the world and preach his gospel message to everyone.

Look again with me at our text in Matthew”

“You are the light of the world.

[you are the reflection of Jesus to this world} You are God’s Ambassador called to carries his message of Salvation to this world. }

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket,

A city on a hill can be seen by everyone from Miles and miles away.

A single light lifted up on a lamp stand can be seen from miles and miles away.

And Jesus says “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

as Believers in Jesus as those who are in the light- we are called to reflect his light to the world. We are called to live a life that reflects Jesus so brightly that it can be seen from Miles and miles away.

let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

God has expedited your obedience as his light bearer- He is sending you out into the world to reflect himself into the darkness of this sin filled world.

Did you pick up on what we are suppose to do with the light-?

Jesus did not tell us to hid the light from darkness nor to protect the light from the darkness.

He has called us as a the church to go into our community and shine the light of Christ in a way that everyone will see.

How do we shine this light?

By living a life that reflects Jesus to the world.

By living a life that shows the character of God to the World.

By proclaiming His gospel of Grace to the world who are still in darkness.

BRING IT HOME

Jesus Brought light into our spiritual darkness -so that that he could bring life to our spiritual death.

He came to earth to show mankind the way to reconciliation with God.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT JESUS WILLINGLY CAME TO OUR RESCUE as The Light of the World

The gospel of Jesus is the good news that you no longer have to stay dead in darkness without hope, but can now have life in the Light.

The question that each of us must first ask ourselves is “am I truly in the light or am I a just lier deceiving myself into thinking I’m ok with God?”

IF you are here this morning and have never asked Jesus to be your light You are still in spiritual darkness. and As John said you are a lier and the truth is not in you, You are still condemned to eternal punishment for your sin.

Humble yourself today and come to Jesus- stop wondering around in the hopelessness of darkness. Put your trust in Jesus as the Light of the World for your salvation. and come into the light

To trust Christ alone means that you no longer rely on your own self to be good enough for God to accept, but instead you put all your faith in Him to save you.

understand that true faith in Christ means There is no safety net to fall back on.

It is putting all of your hope for eternity in Christ alone.

b. Jesus says in John 11:25 -26 “Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

c. To trust Christ means to believe that he alone has the power to pay your debt of sin in full.

Its’ to believe that He loves us so much that he was willing come to earth to be the light so that we could see the darkness of sin that condemns each of us to hell.

When you trust Christ as your Savior

You go from darkness to light- you no longer live without any hope condemned to hell, because you are now redeemed by the light of the World with a full inheritance in heaven.

When you trust Christ as your savior, He takes God’s judgement for your sins, and in return he gives you his victory over death.

The Bible tells us that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

In order for you to go from eternal darkness to eternally alive you need the Light of the World - and Jesus is this light”

Sinner - Will receive life today?

Church Family- God has called you to reflectJesus in this world.

How brightly are you shining?

Do your neighbors See the gospel in your life

Does your attitude and actions a work cause your coworkers to want to hear the gospel message that you reflect?

Do your children see your life as an example of jesus to follow?

Church family God has given us a great commission and that is to Go and proclaim the gospel of Jesus to Our world.

To Make and equip followers of Jesus in North Iowa and around the world.

How are you doing at proclaiming the light of Jesus in your world?

PRAY