Lights of the World
03/16/08 PM
Text: John 8:12
Reading: Isaiah 42:5-7
INTRODUCTION:
A.About the Text:
1.In the background of this text, we have the feast of tabernacles (John 7:37).
a.Also called the feast of ingathering (referring to the gathering of crops) or the feast of booths as it was named by God. Read Leviticus 23:33-44
b.This feast was designed (1) to be a memorial of the wilderness wanderings, when the people dwelt in booths, and (2) to be a harvest thanksgiving.
c.In addition to the prescribed sacrifices the Jews performed two additional observances during the feast.
1.Ceremony of Water Libation
Every morning of the feast there was a joyous procession to the Pool of Siloam, with music, headed by a priest with a golden pitcher (a little over 2 pints). As the sacrifice proceeded, the priest returning with the water entered through the Water Gate (named for this event). With a threefold trumpet blast he poured the water into a silver receptacle on the altar.
This reminded them of the water brought out of the rock in the wilderness at Horeb; it also became associated with looking to the Lord for the rains.
2.Lighting the Temple
At the end of the first day of the feast, 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 by four youths of priestly descent. They had to use four ladders for this task. According to the saying, "There was not a court in Jerusalem that was not lit up by it". Around the lamps a sacred dance was conducted and prominent leaders with flaming torches in their hands. This was accompanied by Levites playing harps, lutes, cymbals, trumpets and "instruments without number" standing on the fifteen steps leading up from the Court of Women to the Court of Israel.
In this seasonal celebration the people remembered that as well as the rain, plenty of sunshine was needed and the people were thanking God for the sunshine and acknowledging him as the true light. (“The Lord is my light and my salvation" Psalm 27:1) who would give them spiritual life through Messiah.
The symbolism of this event looked back to when God led Israel in the wilderness with the pillar of fire and His presence had dwelt in the Tabernacle. And forward to the future Messiah who would be the light of YHVH arising on the people
It was with this ritual in the backdrop that Jesus made the statement recorded in John 8:12.
I.Jesus… said, I am the Light of the world
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.”
1.Jesus was proclaiming the fulfillment of prophesies of Isaiah to those in Jerusalem.
a.Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.”
b.Isaiah 42:6 “I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”
2.They had failed to realize that Isaiah predicted that a great light would shine in Galilee, bringing illumination to those who lived and walked in darkness and death. As the language Jesus used in 8:12 echoed Isaiah 9:2, he was pointing to himself as the fulfillment of that prophecy.
3.Jesus stated He was “the Light,” not merely a light or another light among many lights. He is the only Light, “the true Light” that brought life so that the people might no longer have to walk in darkness.
4.In proclaiming Himself the light of the world, Jesus defined his unique position as the one true light for all people, not just the Jews. Isaiah wrote, Isaiah 49:6 “I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
II.Jesus said, “…he who follows Me,”
A.He meant whoever believes and obeys Him.
1.If Christ be the light, then,
a.It is our duty to follow him, to submit ourselves to his guidance, and in every thing take directions from him, in the way that leads to salvation.
b.It is not enough to look at this light but we must follow it, believe in it, and walk in it, for it is a light to our feet, not our eyes only. As the Psalmist wrote:
Psalm 27:1a “The Lord is my light and my salvation…”
2.There is no such thing as the presence of darkness. Darkness is the absence of light.
a.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.But Jesus says of those who follow Him…
B.Will not walk in darkness
A.John 12:46 ““I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.
1.As a traveler follows the light in a dark night
Ill: Camping and walking a trail at night with only one flashlight leading the way. There was no question of whether or not to follow if one wanted to remain on the path or not stumble in the darkenss.
a.Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
3.1 John 1:5-7 “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
4.John 1:6-13
5.When we follow Jesus, accepting him as Savior and Lord and following him, we are walking in his light.
a.We no longer walk blindly in our sin, rather his light shows us our sin and our need of forgiveness, guides us along life’s pathway, and leads us into eternal life with Him.
The psalmist said, Psalm 36:9 “In Your light we see light”
III.Jesus said, “…but will have the Light of Life
A.We have the Light of Life.
1.1 Peter 2-9-10 “But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
2.We have the light of life, that knowledge and joy in God which is the light of spiritual life in this world and of everlasting life in the next world, where there will be neither death nor darkness.
3.John 9:39a “And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see…”
4.This is the Light which Jesus brought and still gives today! To the blind he gives sight! To those in darkness, light!
B.We are lights in the world and must reflect the Son.
1.Read Acts 13:44-47: Paul and Barnabas make it clear that the expectation of bringing light to the world falls to the followers of Jesus.
2.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.
a.Recall that in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told His disciples, Matthew 4:14-15 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”
3.How is it that we can be what Jesus Himself was?
a.The light we have isn’t from ourselves, but from God. Our light is a derived light. It is an indirect light.
b.Think of the sun and the moon. The moon has no light of its own; it simply reflects the radiant light of the sun.
4.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.”
5.Jesus has given us our instructions and His example.
IV.The extension of light!
A.It is available to the whole world.
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.”
1.And now, through us, Jesus continues to extend his light to the whole world.
2.The first Bible some people in your life will ever read will be the Bible of your life. The first sermon they will ever hear will be a sermon in shoes…you!
‘You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day
by the deeds that you do, by the words that you say
men read what you’re writing, whether faithless or true
Hey, what is the gospel according to you?’
3.The only way they will get to know Jesus as the true light of the world is if they see that light reflected by you, and shining in you!
B.It is the only light leading to salvation
1.When Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” that excludes all other “lights”.
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. 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.”
2.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.”
CONCLUSION:
What will you do with the light of Christ today? This single verse in the gosple of John tells us three importent things for all of us:
Jesus is the only true light leading to salvation!
Those who follow The Light do not walk in darkness but have the Light of Life!
Those who follow must reflect the Light of Life to the world!
Invitation
If you are a Christian but have fallen away
Come back to the light today.
If you are not a Christian today…
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
