I Am The Light Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• What is one thing that if we did not have it would make life very difficult to live not to mention very hard to even exist? LIGHT!

• Think of how hard it would be to live if we all lived in darkness, with no access to an light of any kind. How long could we even live?

• Last week we started examining some of the “I AM” statements that Jesus made concerning Himself.

• These statements by Jesus were made to try to give us some insight into who He is and why He came.

• The statement we are looking at today gives us some more insight into the make-up of Jesus.

• Let’s give this statement some context.

• The Feast of Tabernacles referred to in John 7:2 has just happened. The feast lasted for seven days. On the first day, booths were constructed of fresh branches of trees.

• Each participant had to collect twigs of willow, and palm in the area of Jerusalem for construction of the booths. Every Israelite was to live for seven days in these during the festival, in commemoration of when their fathers lived in such booths after their Exodus from Egypt.

• Later additions to the ritual included a libation (The act of pouring liquid as a sacrifice to a god) of water drawn from the pool of Siloam (the probable background for Jesus’ comments on “living water,” John 7:37-39) and the lighting of huge Menorahs (candelabra) at the Court of the Women.

• By this, the Jews recalled the fact that God had been a light to them in the wilderness when they had come out of Egypt. Specifically, we remember that God led them by the pillar of fire. When Jesus says that He is the light of the world, He means that He is the fulfillment of that light of God.

• The water and the “pillar of light” provided during the wilderness wandering (when the people dwelt in tabernacles) was temporary and in contrast to the continuing water and light claimed by Jesus during this feast which commemorated that wandering period.

This statement ties chronologically with chapter 7, (the woman caught in Adultery does not seem to belong where it is in chapter 8.)

 Secondly, Jesus’ statement is connected to what follows in John 9. Jesus meets a blind man, a man living in darkness, literally but also spiritually. To that man, Jesus also reveals Himself as the light of the world.

• It was against this background that Jesus makes the proclamation that He is the light of the world.

• Let’s turn to John 8:12, unlike last week we will not be covering 71 verses.

• SLIDE #2

• John 8:12(ESV) 12Again 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.”

• SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. The function of light.

• “I am the light of the world.

• We will better understand this statement from Jesus as we contemplate the function of light.

• Let us look at a few logical functions of light.

• SLIDE #4

A. Light helps keep us safe.

• Do we not find safety in light? How many people want to walk across a dark parking lot? The light makes us feel a sense of security.

• Light allows us to see where we are going. Imagine driving with ZERO light at night, it would be called dodge car or demolition derby!

• When we are in the dark, we are more apt to get injured because we cannot see where we are going.

• SLIDE #5

B. Light exposes truth.

• Light can expose blemishes and defect. If you have a car that does not look so good to sell, show it at night!

• In the context of our message, I want to touch on three areas in which the light of Jesus shines in order to expose the truth of the matter.

• SLIDE #6

1. The truth about God.

• We see that God is a god of grace and truth through Jesus.

• SLIDE #7

• John 1:17(ESV) 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

• We get to view the nature of God through Jesus, we can see what God is like through Jesus.

• SLIDE #8

• John 14:9(ESV) 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

• Through Jesus we see the truth concerning God, we see that God is not some cruel unloving deity, but rather that He is love.