Light, Authority, and Salvation

Intro

Throughout the gospel of John we are presented with different themes that John wants us to see.

One of those themes is light vs. darkness.

We are all familiar with the ideas and experiences of light and darkness.

That creaky door doesn’t bother us during the day, but when its time to go to sleep we think something nefarious is going on.

Walking outside in the daylight we don’t pay as much attention as we do when its dark outside.

Children like to have a nightlight so that it isn’t so dark in their rooms when its time to sleep.

We feel safer, more secure, and bolder in the light.

But in the dark we are more fearful, more aware, and more prone to being spooked.

Why is that?

Because even from a young age we know that darkness is danger.

And I believe that one of the reasons it’s so ingrained in us is b/c we know the reality of the spiritual darkness all around us.

And that is the meaning and message of this passage.

Jesus knows the true reality of the darkness that we are all subject to.

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.”

Light of the World

This is one of the 7 “I am” statements found in John’s Gospel.

In fact, it is the second one in the story.

And it’s absolutely beautiful how and why Jesus uses it.

Remember a few weeks ago when we talked about Jesus using the ceremony of the the water pouring out to tell the crowd that he was the fulfillment of the ceremony.

That if they were thirsty they could come to him and drink and be thirsty no more.

Well he is doing something very similar here.

Not only was the water ceremony a big part of the Feast of Tabernacles, but so what the lighting ceremony.

During the festival in the court of the women in the temple area there would be giant candelabras set up.

They were so tall that they needed ladders to get to the top.

These candelabras would be filled with oil and the priests old clothes and be lit on fire.

The fire would burn so bright at night that all of Jerusalem would be lit.

As this fire was burning there would be singing and dancing.

They were celebrating God’s goodness.

Remember the feast of the tabernacles was a celebration of God’s provision.

One of the ways that God provided for the Israelites after their escape from Egypt was to provide them with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day.

Exodus 13:21-22 “21 The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people.”

Thus, these candelabras represented the light of the Lord provided for them throughout their wilderness wanderings.

“He who has never seen the illumination ceremony has never seen true joy.”

The light pointed to the goodness and providence of God.

His gift of light in the darkness.

And as these lights are lit and the whole city of Jerusalem is bright with thankfulness.

Jesus stands up and says, John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.””

Once again, Jesus is pointing to the truth that the ceremony reminded them of.

That He is the supreme and pinnacle of the promise.

That these ceremonies ultimately pointed to him.

He is the fulfillment of all the feasts, the celebrations, and the promises.

In the Old Testament, God is identified with light quite often. Here are just a couple of Examples.

Ps 56.13 “13 For you rescued me from death, even my feet from stumbling, to walk before God in the light of life.”

Ps 27:1 “1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread?”

Jesus is showing them that he is the one that came to provide light to the world.

This is a theme in John’s Gospel too.

John 1:5 “5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.”

John 1:9 “9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.”

Why did the Israelites need a pillar of light to follow them around in the wilderness?

Because it was dark and dangerous.

They needed protection.

So God in his providence and mercy provided them with that protection.

But it wasn’t just Israel that needs light?

The Whole World needs light.

And not a physical light.

A Spiritual light.

A Light that overcomes the darkness.

A light that pierces through the mess of life and provides hope and salvation.

And Jesus is saying here that he is that light.

And people can have that light.

They can be brought out of the darkness.

They can avoid the sting of death and have the gift of the light of life.

But there is a catch.

You have to follow Jesus.

Anyone who follows him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

Just like the Israelites in the desert if they wanted to stay in God’s protection. They had to follow the light.

If they strayed from, ignored, or walked away from the pillar of light they would not have that protection.

So if you want to have the light of life.

If you want to be saved from the darkness of the world.

The Darkness of sin, the darkness of death.

The darkness of Religion.

You need to follow Jesus.

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What’s interesting is that right here, the conversation about the light of the world stops.

Jesus starts to talk about himself being the light of the world and the religious leaders quickly shut him down.

It’s not until chapter 9 that we truly get to see what Jesus means when he talks about being the light of the world.

So you’ll need to come back in a couple of weeks when we pick back up there.

But know this, the world is full of darkness.

There is wickedness, sin, destruction, and peril everywhere.

However, The greatest threat to you is not the things of this world.

It is your own darkness.

The darkness of sin and rebellion that is within you.

But Jesus is the light that pierces through the darkness.

He is the light that can dispel the darkness of sin within you.

He wants to bring you into the light.

Paul tells us in 2 Cor 4:6 “6 For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Here’s the problem though, there are some that don’t want the light.

And that is what Jesus is up against here.

John 8:13–20 CSB

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.

Divine Authority

The Religious leaders aren’t actually listening to what Jesus is saying.

They don’t care what he has to say.

They more care about their religion.

More about their rules.

More about their self-righteousness than they do about the God of the universe.

Unfortunately there is a lot of darkness in religion.

We talked about this a couple of weeks ago, but religion and self-righteousness says I’m good enough, I can earn it, and because I can say the right things, and do the right things that make me right with God, then if you don’t mirror me, you are less than me.

I am better than you.

Religion forgets or ignores grace.

And what these Jewish Leaders are doing right now is denying Jesus’ authority.

Because he doesn’t follow their rules.

He doesn’t have the right amount of witness.

It’s so funny how dense people can be.

This is the same argument that was presented in John 5.

Jesus had already presented his witnesses to his authority.

He presented The Father as a witness, John the Baptist as a witness, his works as a witness, Moses as a witness, and the Scriptures as a witness, but it wasn’t enough.

And we know it wasn’t enough b/c here again they are questioning his authority.

Questioning his authenticity.

Questioning his testimony.

He had met and exceeded their standards and it still wasn’t good enough.

That’s what religious elitism holds onto nothing is ever good enough.

But Jesus is going to lay down the gauntlet.

Jesus tells them that they don’t have the right perspective.

They Judge according to human standards.

They judge according to their own darkness.

And they can’t judge Jesus properly b/c they have the wrong perspective and starting point.

Let’s not miss this Jesus is telling these men who claim to love and serve God that they have no idea what they are saying.

They don’t know where Jesus came from or where he is going.

His divine authority comes from his unique relationships with the Father.

He and the Father are on mission together.

They have a unified will.

And the Father Testifies to the Son.

The whole of Scripture talks about the day that the messiah would come.

That the savior would come.

And they are too blinded by their hatred.

Their self-righteousness.

Their arrogance to see him standing before them.

They don’t have a Godly perspective.

They think they do.

They think they judge righteously, but they don’t they judge based on a human perspective.

People can struggle with what Jesus says in John 8:15-16 “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.”

Does Jesus judge or doesn’t he?

Didn’t he say in John 3:17 “17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

What’s happening here?

What we have to understand is that Jesus does judge, but he came to save.

What I mean is that when Jesus entered into the world His coming split people into one of two groups.

Either they are going to obey or they are going to rebel.

And When he does judge, he isn’t going to judge from human standards, but by God’s standards.

His judgement is absolutely true.

Why is that?

B/c his judgement is inline with the Fathers.

The true judge of the world.

Here’s what people don’t like to talk about.

There is an absolute standard by which the world will be judged.

There is an absolute standard by which you will be judged.

This is a subjective standard.

This isn’t about your truth.

This isn’t about your beliefs.

This isn’t about your feelings.

Not your deeds, not your church attendance, not your giving to charity.

Not based on anything you can do.

You don’t get to choose the standard by which you are judged.

That would always be a judgement from human standards.

All standards that don’t align with God’s standards are the wrong standards.

So you will be judged by God’s standard and that standard is perfection.

God’s holy and set apart perfection.

And I will tell you right now, that you will indeed fall short of his perfection.

One little slip up, one little lie, one little lustful thought all are in opposition to God’s holiness.

And he will judge you based on your ability to keep his perfection.

Remember by default you walk in darkness.

God is light and that light will cast out the darkness.

And if that was the end of the story that would be horrifying.

But it’s not the end.

There is a way that you can be judged and found to be right with God.

That is through trust in Jesus.

Belief in Jesus. Walking in his light.

Jesus when he died took on your darkness.

He took on your shame.

He took on your sin and died so that you can have freedom.

So that you could walk in his light.

And if you walk in that truth.

You believe and follow after Jesus.

You will walk in the light.

You will be judged not based on your own earned sinfulness, but on Jesus and his Righteousness.

You will meet the standard of perfection not b/c of what you did but b/c of what Jesus did.

That’s the good news of the gospel.

That God would look at you and not see your sin, but rather see Jesus’ goodness.

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Jesus appeals to the authority that he is sent by.

That the Father testifies to him.

So Jesus presents the two greatest forms of testimony.

Both himself and the Father.

But the Religious Leaders are confused.

They want to know who is Jesus’ father.

Try as they might they don’t know God.

They search for him in their rules.

They try to appease him with their works.

But they are chasing after a fever dream.

They are chasing after a mirage.

And if they were honest with themselves they are chasing after self-righteousness.

But Jesus sees through their charades.

He sees through the mess.

He sees through the self-righteousness.

He sees through them.

And he sees that they don’t know God.

They don’t know the father.

And the only way that they can know the father is if they knew Jesus.

But they don’t know Jesus so they can’t know the father.

The only way to get to God is through Jesus.

The only way to be brought to the light is through Jesus.

Why?

Because only Jesus is the light.

Only Jesus has the Divine authority

Jesus is, by his teachings, life, death, and resurrection exclusive.

There’s no other way by which anyone is saved.

John 8:21–30 CSB

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.

Salvation from Sin

Jesus leads the conversation another way by telling them that he is going to leave soon and they can’t come with him.

And they miss the point again.

They think he’s going to commit suicide.

Which to them is an absolute no, no.

To them it was disgraceful, shameful, and sinful for someone to take their own life.

So what is Jesus actually saying?

He is going to go back and be with the father, and unfortunately b/c of their unbelief they aren’t going to be able to be with the Father.

They won’t be able to be in heaven b/c of their sin.

All of their good intentions, all of their celebrations, all of their work is in vain b/c they didn’t believe.

But not only that, the fact that Jesus said they are going to continue looking for him means that they are still looking for their savior.

They are still looking for their messiah.

Even to this day the Jewish People are waiting.

But they missed him.

And as they are looking for him they are dying in their sin b/c he has already come.

He has already completed the work of the Father.

He has already provided redemption.

Yet they are still standing there oblivious to that truth.

Standing at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem longing for God’s provision, all the while missing him.

And obviously they were wrong, so Jesus has to correct them once again.

Jesus presents them with the truth that again they have an earthly, human perspective.

They can’t think about the things above b/c they are from this world.

But Jesus if from and has a heavenly perspective.

The two are mutually exclusive.

You can’t have a worldly view and a heavenly view.

This is the primary difference between them and Jesus.

They are from this world and Jesus is from above.

This is the fundamental difference between us and Jesus too.

We are from, in, and of this world.

And with that being the case we, like the pharisees are going to die in our sins.

We are subject to law of sin and death.

Jesus tells the pharisees twice that their sin will lead to death.

John 8:21 “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.””

John 8:24 “24 Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins."

We are walking in life dead in sins and our trespasses.

so we need something to change.

Being from below means a couple of things.

It means that until something changes we can’t have a heavenly perspective.

That until, as Jesus says, we are born again we are doomed to die in our sin.

How do we know that they were from the world and not from God?

They have created a god in their own Image.

They have traded God’s holiness for pretend holiness.

They have traded God’s righteousness for self-righteousness.

They didn’t have a God centered perspective they had a good works perspective.

A Perspective centered around self.

Church, we need to understand that we can and sometimes do fall into the same traps.

We elevate ourselves instead of exalting God.

We see past God to our own religious activities and make them equal.

We falsely equivocate our religious business with a holy righteousness.

Just an extreme example that I saw this week on Social media.

This man who calls himself a pastor/preacher was preaching from the pulpit that all homosexuals need to be put to death.

That they should be executed, right here, and right now.

And it came with cheers from the crowd he was speaking to.

Here’s an extreme instance where religion gets in the way of holiness.

Religion gets in the way of grace.

Were we can miss the point entirely.

Were we can make ourselves feel morally superior.

I want to be very clear so listen to everything I am about to say.

He’s not completely wrong.

But he’s not close to right.

All sin comes with a price tag.

All disobedience and rebellion goes deserves death.

Romans 3:23 “23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;”

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But this type of thinking in certain circles teaches that the homosexual is irredeemable.

They are unable to be saved.

That their sin is to grievous to be forgiven.

That is arrogant.

That is sinful.

That is ungodly.

He’s doing the same thing the Pharisees where doing.

Judging by human standards.

If that sin, if any sin is too great for God to forgive if someone repents then Jesus died in vain.

The only sin that is unforgivable is blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

Which is basically to stay in a state of unbelief.

All sin is forgivable, your unbelief, lack of trust, and your denial of the gospel isn’t.

And if these people actually knew God.

They actually knew grace.

They actually new the beauty of the gospel.

They could never say hateful rhetoric.

They would see the compassion, mercy, and love of Jesus.

But their religion has them blinded.

It seems as if the more things change the more they stay the same.

And they question once again who Jesus is?

And he can’t help but be exasperated at this point.

He tells them, John 8:25 “25 “Exactly what I’ve been telling you from the very beginning,”"

He hasn’t changed, his mission hasn’t changed, and his message hasn’t changed.

They are just to blind to see it and to deaf hear it.

And in the Irony of Ironies, Jesus tells them that at his crucifixion he is going to be glorified.

John 8:28-29 “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.””

Try as they might to squash him out, to silence him, and to get rid of him.

His death is going to be the ringing gong that draws people to himself.

His death is going to provide salvation for those that believe.

And v. 30 tells us

John 8.30 “30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.”

Many did come to believe.

The question is do you believe.

Do you trust Jesus.

Do you recognize that you have offended a holy God and that you deserved death b/c of your sin?

But God made a way for you to be restored.

He made a way for you to be forgiven.

Rom 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Have you accepted that gift?

If you haven’t Jesus wants to know you.

He wants you to love him.

He wants a relationship with you.

He doesn’t want your best efforts.

Your good enough is not good enough.

But thank God his is.

Rest in him. Trust in him.

If you have trusted him.

If you have believed in him.

If you are following him.

Don’t forget the grace that saved you.

That he didn’t owe you salvation.

But he graciously granted it you.

Know that there are people out there that need to hear the good news of Jesus.

They don’t need your condemnation they need his grace.

Look at them with a heavenly and eternal perspective.

Will they all respond positively to the message?

Probably not, but you just need to be faithful.

Don’t side-eye them and thank you’re better than them.

If it weren’t for God’s grace you would be still living and walking in your sin.

Extend that grace to them.

Let’s pray.