Be The Moon, Reflect The Son
10/10/04 AM
Text: John 8:12
Reading: Romans 10:1-10
INTRODUCTION:
Ill: Shopping at local Christian bookstore. Clothing racks. Shirt with words on the front: “Be the Moon.”
A. About the Text:
1. In the background of this text, we have the feast of tabernacles (7:37).
a. At the end of the first day of Tabernacles, the worshippers congregated in the Court of Women where a great illumination took place. Four huge golden lamps or candelabras, each with four golden bowls were filled with oil and according to Jewish history, “There was not a court in Jerusalem that was not lit up by it.”
b. It was with this ritual in the backdrop that Jesus made the statement recorded in John 8.
B. Jesus… said, I am the Light of the world
1. John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
2. Jesus was proclaiming the fulfillment of the prophesies of Isaiah to those in Jerusalem.
a. As was recorded by Matthew: Matthew 4:12-17
3. Jesus is “the Light,” not merely a light or another light among many lights. He is the only Light, “the true Light” (John 1:9), for the whole world.
4. When Jesus said, “…he who follows Me,” He meant whoever believes and obeys Him. Jesus was speaking of salvation.
5. Exclusivity of the claims.
a. Again, these claims that Jesus makes are exclusive in nature.
b. It is not merely one or two statements that were made, but several.
c. Each of these statements is exclusive.
1) When Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” that excludes all other “lights”.
2) John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
6. If anyone is to be saved, they must be saved through Jesus.
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
7. Knowing that Jesus is the Light of the world which brings salvation in our lesson today we are going to explore the character of light, the action of light, and our responsibility to the light.
I. The character of light.
A. Light is bright and obvious.
1. Light is bright.
a. When you see light, you don’t need any additional confirmation.
b. I never had to teach my children what light was.
2. Light is obvious.
a. You know it is light.
b. It is obvious what it is.
c. No one has to tell you that is not light nor is that. You just know.
3. Jesus, as the light of the world is bright and obvious.
a. The Hebrew writer says that Jesus was the “radiance” of God’s glory. Hebrews 1:3.
b. 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
4. When the life and teaching of Jesus are viewed with an open and honest heart one is virtual certain to reach the same conclusion as the Roman centurion in:
Matthew 27:54, “Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
5. The Light of Jesus is that bright and obvious.
B. The source is known.
1. When there is light in the room, it is not hard to find the source.
2. Even without sight we can feel the sun.
3. The works which Jesus did made His source obvious.
a. Confession of Nicodemus:
John 3:2 “…this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
b. Confession of the healed blind man. John 9:24-33
c. Jesus words: John 10:36-38, “…do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”
4. The source of this light should be obvious to us as well.
C. The power of light is virtually unlimited.
1. Light shines a great distance in the dark. Consider the stars in the sky. Ill: The flare of someone lighting a cigarette on the deck of a ship at sea, visible from more than 4000 yards.
2. It is difficult to block light with something as it can go through or may even bend around objects.
3. The light of Jesus is unlimited if we let it have free course in our life.
a. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Consider the words of Paul: Romans 8:35-39
b. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
4. It takes effort to block out light but it can be done.
5. What can stop the light from entering our lives? Our own heart!
a. Remember, to block light you must have something that is thick, solid and impenetrable.
b. We can make our hearts like this so that God’s light will not penetrate our lives.
c. Jesus said concerning the Pharisees, Matthew 13:15 “FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.”
d. The character of the Light of Jesus is such that only we can limit the action it may take in our lives.
II. The action of light.
A. It dispels darkness.
1. There is no such thing as the presence of darkness. Darkness is the absence of light.
2. When we turn on the light, darkness disappears.
a. John 1:4-5 “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
b. John 3:19, 20 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”
B. Light exposes the darkness.
1. The Light of Jesus approves that which is right and reproves what is wrong.
a. Ephesians 5:7-13
2. It illuminates objects--both good and bad.
3. You turn on the light to both see what is there.
C. It enables sight.
1. With light, we can see.
a. Have you ever stubbed your toe on something in the middle of the night?
b. Have you ever wondered whether there was a pathway for you in which to walk in the dark?
c. Psalm 109:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” It is there so we can see both things that get in the way and the clear path itself.
2. John 9:39a “And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see…”
3. This is the Light which Jesus brought and still gives today! To the blind he gives sight!
III. The extension of light--Jesus is the light OF THE WORLD!
A. It is available to the whole world.
1. John 1:6-13
2. John 12:46 ““I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.
3. John 9:5 “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
4. And now, through us, Jesus continues to extend his light to the whole world.
B. We must reflect the Son.
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 “for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;”
2. Philippians 2:15 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,…”
3. Matthew 5:16 ““Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
4. Acts 13:47 “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’”
5. Jesus has given us our instructions and his example.
CONCLUSION:
What will you do with the light of Christ today?
• Will you recognize the character of this light?
• Will you allow this light to take action in your life?
• Will you serve to extend the light of Christ further into the world today?
• Be The Moon, Reflect The Son.
Invitation
If you are a Christian but have fallen away
• Come back to the light today.
If you are not a Christian this morning . . .
• Recognize you are in darkness.
• Don’t harden your heart to shield your life to the light of life.
• Hear the word
• Believe with all your heart
• Repent of your sins
• Confess Jesus as the Son of God
• Be baptized for the remission of your sins
