I am the light of the world

Intro

Continuing I am Series.

Whether you’re following Jesus and want to get closer or you just don’t know much about him at all, It matters who he says he is.

Jesus Says the statement I AM Seven times in the book of John revealing who he was.

This is Jesus in his own words.

Im sure all of us have a story similar to this one:

one time I remember waking up in the middle of the night, pitch dark and seeing someone standing in my room.

I froze, scared to death...

Finally built the courage to reach and flip on a light,

Just a hat hanging...

But I’m sure you’ve had a time where you were scared of something in the dark.

Thought you heard something, saw something...

Darkness can be scary.

Can be Disorienting.

Darkness and isolation has been used as a form of military torture.

Before electricity, the day wasn’t dictated by a clock but by when the sun rose and set.

Life Thrives in the Light.

John 8:12

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””

We all can kind of understand already what Jesus is saying.

Every culture has stories of the dark and the sun.

light v dark

good v evil

life v death

hope v despair

From the mayans to marvel.

There is this universal understanding of light and dark.

But there would be even a greater understanding and deeper meaning to this statement to the crowd he’s talking to.

To the jews surrounding him as he’s teaching early in the morning at the temple.

This wasn’t just some casual statement, but had massive implications that Jesus would make this claim.

Here’s the setting:

They have just completed a major celebration they did every year, the Festival of Tabernacles.

7 days of celebration, dancing, eating.

A time they would use to remember all that God had done, Look forward to the promises he has made and recommit to Him anew.

Celebration is over but the decorations are still up (anyone with christmas lights??!?)

They remembered how God had led their people out of slavery and provided for them in the desert as they searched for their own land.

They stayed in tents and temp shelters to represent how they had no home yet God provided.

One major element of the festival is they would light 4 massive, 75’ tall candelabras in the temple court.

It was said that it was so bright that it could be seen from all of jerusalum since the temple was on a hill.

It represented how God came and led them in the wilderness with a cloud by day and fire by night. Always guiding and leading.

It also points to a future promise of one who was coming to save, hone they called the messiah.

Isaiah 60:19-20

““No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end.”

Isaiah 9:2

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”

It’s in this setting with the sun coming up in the morning, with the huge candelabras still in sight, Jesus makes the bold statement:

I am the Light of the World.

Not a light in the world.

The Light of the world.

they would’ve known exactly what he was saying and meant.

He was saying:

I am God (the same one that guided in the wilderness)

I am the Messiah (the one you have been promised, the savior, the coming one)

I am the giver of Life.

I AM the Creator!

One guy from the crowd shouts out

John 8:13-14

“The Pharisees replied, “You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid.” Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me.”

Imagine that, someone from the crowd yelling YOU’RE A LIAR!!!

It was a bold, audacious claim!!

I am the light of life.

our creator God always begins life with light.

Gen 1:1-3

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

The earth was formless, void and dark.

Then light showed up. began to bring order to the chaos, formless began to take shape, the light pushed back darkness.

You know, without Jesus this is still the condition of our lives.

formless, void and dark.

And the light came to bring life again.

With his statement comes a promise.

Follow me and you won’t have to walk in darkness.

the candelabras may have gone out, the festivities are over, by my light never fades.

This light changes everything.

what does this light do?

THE LIGHT FORMS.

In the light of Jesus we are being formed.

He takes in our lives what looks formless and begins to make it take shape.

Romans 12:2

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Jesus takes of from CONFORMITY (just blending in, going along, being form less)

to TRANSFORMITY (shaping us more and more like who we are created to be)

I’m not where I will be, but I’m not were I was because I am being formed.

Formed by the light of life.

Your life may not look like what you want it to.

You may not be in the form that you hoped.

But when you walk with him, he will have your life take shape.

Create and form and put together.

You are not by accident, or chance.

The bible tells us that you were knit together by God in your mothers womb.

In him you are formed.

It’s easy to get discouraged about where we are, not far enough along, not good enough, bright enough, able enough

But we just need to say jesus form me into the form you would have me be.

It’s only with Jesus does your life take on the form it was meant to have.

I am the light, In me I bring structure, and form, and meaning, and shape.

Trust in me, it’s a process.

I am being formed!!

THE LIGHT FILLS.

The Earth was void, which just means empty.

The Light filled in the empty places with purpose, with meaning...

I’ve met too many people who live trying to fill their lives. Trying to fix a void inside.

Some get to a level most would say is successful but still feel a void and constantly try to fill it up.

The light of life fills all the empty places.

The hopeless, broken places.

There is an emptiness that only Jesus can fill.

We started reading halfway through John 8, but in the beginning we are introduced to a woman that is the perfect example of this

(summarize the woman caught in adultery)

She walks up empty and hopeless, and walk about filled.

Is there any emptiness you’ve been trying to fill that only the light of life can?

Jesus is your fulfillment.

THE LIGHT SHINES.

That’s just what light does right?!?

The light came and pushed back the darkness.

In the light, darkness flees!

So many people are continuing to wander in the despair of darkness and there is hope of light.

Light guides.

Shows the direction I should go because not I see where I am.

Light makes things clear.

operating room, bright lights. The more the light the more clearly I can see.

CS Lewis

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything.

Only through Jesus do we see and understand everything else.

Until we submit to the light of the world, we’ll never make sense of the world.

Light exposes

reveals what was in the dark.

Sin and shame breed like a virus in the dark.

But they lose their power in the light.

He exposes the lies we’ve believed.

confession.

He shines and reveals places in our hearts.

Walking in the light, he exposes where the enemy is trying to come at you.

the Light has come to shine in your life.

His statement has a promise, but also a responsibility.

You will have the light that leads to life.

Not that we have the light, we aren’t just to live in it, enjoy and sunbathe,

We are now called to share it!!

We become carries of this light to a dying, dark, void and formless world.

Eph 5:8

“For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”

Matthew 5:14

““You are the light of the world...

Once you’ve encountered the light he wants to to go and be the light!!

Once your life has been formed and filled and lit up, we gotta bring this to others

we have a purpose, I am the light in darkness.

I don’t know if everything in your life will work out the way you want and hope, but I do know that you are a light to a dark world.

But you’ll never be a light, unless you know the source of light.

CONCLUSION

Such a moment.

Candelabras in the background, sun rising, Jesus declares, “ I am the Light of the World “

He is God who came to form, fill and shine in and through your life.

Will you let the light come in?

City Church we’re called to be the light, reflections one the one true light that changes everything.

Because it’s in the light that there is life.