Who IS This Jesus
He is the Light; Follow Him
John 8:12
By Pastor Ralph Juthman
INTRODUCTION:
Jesus is the WORD: Listen to Him
Jesus is the LIGHT: Follow Him
Light is essential to our daily lives; Few of us would think of walking at night on a strange and unfamiliar path with out some source of light? To do so could have serious consequences.
While on maneuvers, a battleship lookout noted a light in the dark, foggy night. After noting the light’s coordinates, the captain recognized his ship was on a collision course with the other vessel. The captain instructed, "Signal the ship: We are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees." The return signal countered, "Advisable for you to change course 20 degrees." The captain signaled, "I’m a captain, change course 20 degrees." The response was, "I’m a seaman second class, you’d better change course 20 degrees." By this time the captain was furious. His signal curtly ordered, "I’m a battleship. Change course 20 degrees." The reply: "I’m a lighthouse. You make the call."
The world of 2009, is a very dark place. Just consider some of the lead articles on the front page of the Toronto Star from Friday’s edition,
• Top police officer charged with sexual harassment
• Ontario led the country in job losses in February as it shed 35,300, helping push the national unemployment rate to almost a six-year high.
• TD predicts longer recession
• 16 people lost at sea following a helicopter crash in the Atlantic off Newfoundland
• A deal for concessions to save teetering automakers in Canada may be unraveling.
• The 112th solder is killed in Afghanistan
• President Obama signs law essentially making full term abortion legal in the US
. I read an editorial in a Christian magazine this week, and the writer made a statement which I could really identify with,
Each night as I watch the late night news I find that things have gone no better today than yesterday. I watch hoping to finding that this day has not been as bad as the last, but each day I am disappointed.
Have you ever felt like that? I know that I have. Life can sometimes feel overwhelming. Our thoughts range from fear to despair. I can understand why many non believers try to relieve their pain through alcohol, drugs, possessions, work or suicide.
There are times when the complexity of my life becomes so overwhelming that I wonder if even Jesus understands. When the world around me is filled with darkness and uncertainty, how can I find my way?
According to John 1:3-5, I am reminded that Jesus created the universe, He sustains it and controls it, and nothing therefore is to difficult for Him to handle.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood[a] it.
This means that the darkness of this world will never extinguish the Light of God’s love and grace. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the Creator of life, and His life brings light to this dark world. The point is that…,
When we follow Jesus, the true Light, we can avoid walking blindly and stumbling in the darkness.
PRAY and Turn to John 8:12-20
The Feast of the Tabernacles is the last of the seven annual feasts of Israel commanded by God, and one of the three feasts that all Jews were required to attend. For seven days each year the Jews celebrated the Feast of the Tabernacles. God had inaugurated this feast to help the people of Israel to remember that for forty years they had wandered in the wilderness before God finally brought them into the Promised Land.
Now there are two important aspects to the way the Jews celebrated the Feast of the Tabernacles; that made it very different from any of the other annual feasts.
The first was that for those seven days the entire nation camped out. That is, every family moved outdoors into temporary shelters made of branches and leaves to remind themselves of the hardships that their ancestors had under-gone while living in tents during the 40 years in the wilderness.
The second was that on the opening night of the celebration a couple of giant Menorah or candelabras were erected in the Court of the Women. Each was reported to be 75 ft. tall, with huge bowls at the top. Each bowl held 10 gallons of oil. The wicks were made from the old, no longer useable garments of the priests. Then with great pomp and ceremony the bowls were lit. Ancient accounts said that the light from these huge candelabra literally lit up the streets of Jerusalem. At the end of the feast, the lights were purposely put out. Why? because the Messiah had not yet come. Some scholars propose that it is at this point that Jesus makes his declaration.
Every Jewish person knew the sign-ificance of the menorahs. They represented the presence of God among the Israelites in the wilderness in the form of the Shekinah.
It is against this backdrop of events that Jesus makes His declaration in verse twelve,
“12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
There are three things I want us to examine this morning concerning Jesus’ claim to be “the light of the world”!
First, His Credentials As Light
Light is a symbol that has been used in through out the Bible in connection with Christ.
Isaiah used it in his great prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:2 which states, The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.”
Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, used it when he prophesied of the coming Christ in Luke 1:78-79, as “the Dayspring from on high has visited us; (79) To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.”
When the aged Simeon took the baby Jesus into his arms as he was dedicated at the Temple (as recorded in Luke 2:32) he spoke of Him as “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
John in writing his gospel declared concerning Christ (John 1:4-5) “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (5) And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Later in explaining why people are condemned who reject the light of Christ John stated (John 3:19-20) “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
We are examining not only His credentials as the light but …
Secondly, His Claim To Be The Light.
It is worthy of note that Jesus is not simply saying that he was “a” light to the world or that he was “another” light to the world. Jesus is not saying that He is holding the light or that He has the light or even that He is the way to the light. He is declaring that He is the one and only light of the world.
Although analogies could be made to light in general and they would be true, I believe that Jesus had a particular light in mind. He made his declaration, “I am the light of the world” if not standing in front of the candelabra of the Feast of the Taber-nacles, they are at the very least very fresh in everyone’s mind. He is declaring I am the Shekinah glory that these candelabras symbolize. He is drawing their attention back to the cloud and the pillar of fire in the wilderness and He was saying, “I was the one who with you then. I was the one who protected you from Pharaoh. I was the one who guided you through the wilderness. I was the one who enveloped the tabernacle. I AM the Shekinah glory.”
I want us to consider for just a few moments the presence of the cloud and the pillar of God, and it’s importance to the children of Israel.
•It symbolized God’s Presence.
The biblical record in the book of Exodus, reveals how the two pillars which guided the people of Israel marked the presence of God in a dramatic way. In Exodus 13:21 we read, “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.”
At no time during their wandering in the wilderness did the people of Israel forget that the presence of God was with them every step of the way.
Jesus as the light of the world assures us of the presence of God, too. He is our constant companion throughout our lives. Christ promised His disciples (Heb 13:5) that He would “never leave them or forsake them”, and He is true to His word. No matter how alone you may feel today, no matter how many people have let you down and abandoned you, Christ is there right by your side. He is never so near as when we need Him the most, and He’s only a prayer away. As the light of the world, Jesus assures us of God’s presence.
It not only symbolized God’s presence but…
•It symbolized God’s Guidance. (v. 12b)
In the second part of verse twelve Jesus
said, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
If we think again of the experience of Israel in the wilderness we have to remember that they constantly kept their attention on the cloud.
The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire represented God’s guidance for the people of Israel while they were in the desert. The people could not recognize any of the landmarks, and they didn’t have any clear idea about which way to go. In addition, out in the desert things can get confusing. The heat produces mirages, it distorts distances, and it makes the terrain indistinguishable. In this environment God provided the cloud and the fire. In Numbers 9:17-23 we are told of the relationship of the children of Israel to the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. Essentially it was very simple, when the cloud moved, the people followed. When the cloud stood still, they remained where they were (Num. 9:18).
As the light of the world, Jesus is our guide. Not only can He show us the way out of the darkness, but we should also seek His counsel whenever we have a major decision to make as we walk in the light. We should earnestly pray that Christ would show us which way we are to go when we are making plans for the future. God loves us, and He has our best interest at heart. There is no better place to live than in the center of God’s will.
It not only symbolized God’s Guidance but also…
• It symbolized God’s Protection.
When Moses and the children of Israel found themselves trapped on the edge of the Red Sea, God not only opened a passage through the sea but he stood between them and their enemies. The cloud that had appeared on the day that Israel left Egypt, stood between the Israelites and the pursuing army of the Pharaoh. In Exodus 14:19-20 we read “… and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. (20) So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.”
Jesus is saying, “Do you remember the pillar that came between your fathers and the Egyptians near the Red Sea, that pillar that protected them, that was me! The protection I offered them, I am offering you!” As the light of the world He is saying, the benefits and comforts that came with the cloud in the wilderness came from Him.
The cloud and pillar not only afforded protection from the Egyptians, but from the sun on a daily basis. The desert, in which the Israelites spent forty years wandering, was and is one of the most inhospitable regions in the world. Daytime temperatures can easily reach 140-150 degrees and at nighttime the temperatures can fall below freezing. Israel needed protection on a day by day basis just to make it and so do you.
Jesus, the light of the world, is our protection, too. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords and He controls the universe and all that is in it. As a believer there is nothing that can touch you in this life that doesn’t first pass through the hands of Jesus. Are you fearful of a boss at work who is making your life difficult? Are you apprehend-sive about the results of a recent medical test? Is there an enemy who seems larger than life and you wonder how you are going to make it? Remember that Jesus is the light of the world, and He is your protection. Look to Jesus to be your defender.
Notice not only His claim to be the light but …
Third, His Characteristics As The Light
There are many characteristics of light that we could examine, but I just want to call your attention to two of them.
• Light means leaving the darkness:Light Reveals
Light enables us to see things that were there all along but because of the darkness we could not see them. Darkness conceals and light reveals. Without light we can’t see anything. It was C.S. Lewis who said, “I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun. Not only because I see it, but because by it all things are seen.” John 3:21: “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” Ephesians 4:13: “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible.” By the way, that’s why some people avoid coming to church. They really don’t want Christ to shine His light on the way they’ve been living.
• Light can also Repells.
I want us to return once more to the Pillar of cloud and of fire, in Exodus 14:19-20, “And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. (20) So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.”
The only way to receive the benefits from His light is to follow Him (1 John 1:7 - “…if we walk in the light”). While one is close to the light, he is able to see. If one strays from the light, he is unable to see because of the darkness. Thus he falls, with injury or death as a result.
Only two groups of people are unaware of the presence of light. Those who are blind and totally unable to see, or those who close their eyes tightly and refuse to see.
Let me give you a quick rundown of the rest of the chapter that resulted because these people rejected the light. In verse thirteen, the Pharisees challenge his statement, “I am the light.” In verse thirteen and in the next four verses Jesus defends the credibility of his testimony. None of those who heard Jesus, chose to argue the validity of His claims, they wanted to quibble over technicalities. In verse twenty-four Jesus asserts, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in you sins; for you do not believe that I am He (ego eimi), you will die in your sins”
In response the Jews again asked Jesus, verse twenty-five, “…Who are You?” They are blind because they refuse to see the “light.” In verse twenty-eight he restates the same claim, “Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He…” His crucifixion and resurrection will be the one great and final sign, proving Him to be the Messiah. And indeed, verse thirty informs us, “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.”
How is God speaking to you today? Have you ever trusted in Jesus Christ as the “Light of the World?” Have you experienced the forgiveness of your sins and the promise of life eternal through Him? If not I urge you today to put you faith and trust in Him! He has promised that those who come to Him in faith, he will never turn away.
Fourthly and finally, OUR CALL TO BE LIVE IN THE LIGHT:
And if you have experienced Jesus as the “Light of the World” I want to close with this reminder. This saying of Jesus – “I am the light of the world…” – is the only one of the “I am” statements which Jesus also said of His followers. You will recall that in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told His disciples, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Mt. 4:14). How is it that we can be what Jesus Himself was? What does it mean to live as Lights for Jesus?
• Living in the Light means leaving the Darkness
In 1 John 1 we read, "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by 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, purifies us from all sin." Consistently throughout the Bible, the thought is that where God is there is light. Where God is not, there is darkness.
Now what Jesus does here in these three verses is to expand the image to those who follow God. As believers in Christ we become the light of the world. It is not that we have any ability on our own to bring light to the darkness. He simply means that by being followers of Christ, we gain the ability to reflect His light. That’s why the result isn’t that we get glory, but that God gets the glory for the good deeds that we do.
• Living as Lights means to Shine the Light
However, the big point of what Jesus is saying comes in verses 14 and 15. Light exists for a purpose, to illuminate darkness. You can’t hide light and it be any good. You have to show it. It seems to me that Jesus is saying that as light, Christians need to be available.
Jesus is challenging us to make a concerted effort to live in contact with people who need to know Him. We need to be involved with non-Christian people. In our context, it means we need to make the effort to cross paths with people who don’t know Jesus love and the hope He offers. When you are blessed enough to live in the light, make sure you don’t hide it. Be available enough to reflect it to others who are still living in the darkness. That’s the only way you will ever influence them.
According to Rick Warren, there are two basic reasons people don’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior: (1) they have never met a Christian; and (2) they have met a Christian. Christian influence is no small matter.
We are not only to BE the light but we should also SHINE the light.
It is something you choose to allow God to do through you.
"AN INSPIRATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE STORY"
Many years ago there was a little village on a rocky seacoast, where storms often battered and seas were ever treacherous. Many ships were driven onto the rocks by the storms, and the lives of many sailors were lost because of the raging seas.
One day the people decided among themselves that they should establish a lighthouse and life saving station on a little peninsula on the coast, to warn ships away from the rocks and to save the lives of those who were cast into the icy waters. They approached the government and began to secure the necessary funds for their project. Soon they set forth and built a tower, and set a beacon in it; they organized a lookout system; and they bought boats and learned how to man them; and soon they were in business. The business of saving lives!
Soon the effects of what they were doing became known far and wide. Fewer ships went on the rocks; and when such a tragedy did occur, and the alarm was sounded, the people risked their own lives to rescue those who had been cast into the raging, icy waters. Within a few short years, people came from great distance to study their lighthouse, and to use it as a model.
One day someone suggested that, since they all spent so much time at the lighthouse that they should gather there occasionally and enjoy good fellowship. And soon they began to get together (at first infrequently, and then more often) at the lighthouse. In fact, many people began to build their homes near the lighthouse. Then when the lookout sounded the alarm, they were there, ready to go out.
Next, it was decided that if they were going to spend so much time there, they must make the place more comfortable. So arrangements were made to heat the lighthouse. The gray walls were painted a brilliant white. Some of the walls were paneled; rugs were put on the floors to disguise the bare concrete; a fine kitchen was installed with a handsome stove; and generally speaking the lighthouse became a nice place to spend your time waiting for the alarm to be sounded. Everything about the lighthouse was made comfortable and nice. The lighthouse soon became the center of life in the little town that grew up around it.
One night a fierce storm blew in, as storms had blown in for years. Many ships were tossed on the jagged rocks, and the men at the lighthouse spent long hours picking sailors from the bitter cold icy waters and taking them to the lighthouse, where they were fed and provided with dry clothing. This had happened many times over the years, but this time, after the storm subsided and the sailors had all left the lighthouse, there were some men who were angry. It seems the storm had made them leave the comfort of the lighthouse, and go out into the wet, dangerous seas; and they got cold; very cold. The sailors, when they were delivered to the lighthouse, soiled the carpets. The kitchen was a mess, not to mention the stove. After a brief meeting it was first decided that sailors, when they were brought to the lighthouse, should be taken to the basement, not to the nice upper areas.
Some time later, another storm blew in; and about one half of the men went out in the boats, and again picked sailors from the frigid waters. This time the ship, which had broken apart on the rocks, was from another nation; and the men who manned her spoke another language, and even worse were of a different color. After this storm, a few more men joined those who refused to enter the sea. They decided that men like these did not belong in the lighthouse at all; some said they felt that the lighthouses’ job was not supposed to be saving sailors from other lands, because they were so much different. There were those, too, who objected to leaving the comfort of the lighthouse to go out into the storm. These men petitioned the government and they also agreed. So, finally, it was decided that the beacon would be kept lit, but the rescue work would be discontinued.
A small group disagreed, however, and went down the coast, a short distance, and started a new lighthouse. This small group decided that they should establish the biggest life saving station on the little peninsula, and so they did. Every day they warned ships and sometimes attempted to save lives from the icy water. Fame of the new lighthouse grew and the lighthouse back up the bay eventually turned out its beacon. Some people say the beacon can still be seen today in you and I. Oh yes, they also say the small group running the new lighthouse were those once rescued from the raging seas.
We as people all have a choice to make with regards to our rescue work. We can choose to allow our lives to become comfortable and we can find ourselves very content. And often times we may find that we have turned out our beacon of hope for one another. Or perhaps, I hope and pray that we find ourselves lighting and saving the path of others both in our words and deeds.
The Message 2 Corinthians 4:6 Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful
This sermon was preached by Rev. Ralph Juthman at Havelock Pentecostal Church. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, New International Version, Copyright © 1873, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Thanks to John Hamby, Jesus The Light of the World
