Jesus Said: "i Am The Light Of The World" Series

Jesus said: "I Am the Light of the World"

John 8:1-12, John 3:16-21, Luke 2:28-32, 1 John 1:3-7, 1 John 2:6; 9-11

Series: The Great I Am

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church -- Jan. 26, 2014

(Timing of the Lord's statement corrected August 29, 2019)

BACKGROUND:

*In John 8:12, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. . ." This "I AM" statement was made while Jesus and a vast multitude of Jews were gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. It was one of the three major feasts each year. And one of the main ceremonies during the Feast of the Tabernacles was the "Illumination of the Temple."

*Four enormous stands each held four golden bowls. They were set up in the Temple Court of the Women. These 16 golden bowls were reached by ladders and filled with oil. They used the old clothes of the priests for wicks. When those huge lamps were lit at night, they shined light all over Jerusalem. The great blaze lit up every courtyard in the city, and it burned all night long.

*But the next morning, when that manmade fire began to flicker and die, Jesus stood and cried out, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'' (1)

*The other important background today is the wonderful story of God's mercy in vs. 1-11. So let's begin by reading John 8:1-12, as we read, focus on the great truth that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World!

INTRODUCTION:

*Take a moment this morning to think about our sun. We tend to take it for granted, because it's up there in the sky every day. But our local star really is amazing. It's 93 million miles away, and 864,000 miles across. About one million earths could fit inside! That boggles my mind. And the sun is hot. At the core of the sun the temperature is 28,799,540 degrees Fahrenheit! (2)

*Without the heat and light of the sun, of course, life as we know it could not exist on the earth. The sun is essential. But the real Light of the world infinitely more essential. The sun is amazing. But the real Light of the world infinitely more amazing.

*And Jesus Christ is the Light of the world! But what does that mean? We have to search the Scriptures to find out.

1. FIRST: AS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF LIFE.

*As the Lord said in vs. 12, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.''

*Luke and Matthew both remind us how desperately people need the light of life. Months before Jesus was born the father of John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was a priest named Zacharias, and he began to prophesy about their baby John and the coming Messiah. In Luke 1:76-79, Zacharias said:

76. "and you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

77. to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins,

78. Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;

79. to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.''

*Then at the very beginning of the Lord's ministry, Matthew 4:13-16 says this about Jesus:

13. . . leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

14. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

15. "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

16. The people who sat in darkness saw a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.''

*Everybody desperately needs Jesus Christ! He is the only true Light of life. In Jesus, "the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.''

*What would the world be like without the sun? -- Cold, dark and dead, wandering aimlessly about the universe with no hope of ever having life. That's what people are like without Jesus! As the Light of the world, Jesus is the light of life.

2. HE ALSO GIVES GLORY TO GOD.

*Jesus pointed out this truth to us on the night that He talked to Nicodemus. -- So please turn over to John 3:16-21. Here the Lord said: