I AM the light of the world
John 8:12-20
We begin a new message series this morning, and it is part of the sub theme, “taking Jesus' message seriously.” We will be looking at the 7 I AM statements or identity of Jesus in the Gospel of John. This morning we will study what Jesus reveals of himself when he said, I am the light of the world.
If you were to reveal something about yourself that others may not know, how would you describe yourself? Think of something about yourself that others may not know. You are a good listener? Or maybe you are talkative?
How would you describe yourself using what is around this room? For the good listener, you might say, I am the fly on the wall. For the talkative, you might say, I am the microphone. Share first your I am statement and then what that reveal.
Now we could get to know one another better through this I am statement exercise, but we would not make a study of it and preach on it. So why are we studying and preaching on what Jesus says about himself?
Because what he says about himself is extraordinary and not always easily understood. And when we understand correctly, we will relate to Jesus correctly. We will better understand why we worship and obey him.
Our text this morning is John 8:12-20. Scripture Reader
To understand what Jesus wanted to reveal about himself and his identity, we will look at the Context , the Challenge and the Credibility of what Jesus said.
First, the context of what Jesus said. John 7:37, 8:12, 20
When one of our daughters was young, she love to watch the cartoon, Prince of Egypt. This was about Moses and the exodus story. She would watch it over and over again.
One day at the supermarket while my daughter was sitting in the shopping cart, Susan pushed the cart down the aisle next to a Caucasian lady. To Susan’s horror my daughter blurted out, let my people go! Susan immediately said something like, you mean when Moses said to Pharaoh?
When Susan put what my daughter said into context, it gave the correct meaning to what was said. Likewise, when we put what Jesus said into context, It will provide the correct meaning to what was said. Verse 12
To have context, We start a chapter back, in John 7:37 where we read Jesus speaking on the last day of the feast. This was feast of the tabernacle where the Jewish people celebrate God leading them out of the wilderness into the promised land. God used a great cloud by day turned into a great fire by night to guide the Jewish people.
We also gain context in John 8:20 that Jesus was in the temple near the place where the offerings were put. This is also the place in the temple where the lighting of giant lamps took place. These giant lamps served to remind the Jewish people of how God was with them in the wilderness in the fire by night.
So when Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life,” the Jewish people understood that Jesus was saying he was God or at least God’s chosen Savior as with the wilderness experience.
Some say Jesus was a great philosopher, a religious teacher or a spiritual leader. They have not understood his claim to be the light of the world in context. Nor have they understood why the religious leaders challenged his identity. Jesus claimed to be God or the Messiah, God’s chosen One to save the world from God’s judgment of sin.
1 John 1:5 reads, “ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
C.S. Lewis made the observation in his book, Mere Christianity, that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic or Lord (God). Jesus did not leave himself the option of being a prophet or a moral teacher. A prophet or a moral teacher would not claim to be God.
Second, the challenge to what Jesus said. John 8:13 and 19
in verse 13 The Pharisees challenge Jesus claim To be the Messiah, the chosen one by God to save the world from the penalty of sin. They basically asked, why should we take your word as true? There have been other false messiahs before you. Furthermore, we are expecting a Messiah Who would save us from the Roman oppression of the Jews. Where is your army?
Sometimes we miss God and what he is doing because of past disappointments and current expectations. An old issue of the Focus on the Family magazine had an interview with Johnny Hart, the cartoonist for the comic strip, BC. The magazine reprinted one of his cartoons.
Imagine with me. The caveman is on his knees praying, and he says, "It’s not easy to believe in you, God. We never see you. How come you never show yourself?"
In the next frame he asks: "How do we know you exist?" Just then a volcano blows up in the background, a daisy sprouts from the ground and topples a rock, a wave washes over him, two meteors converge in the sky to form the image of a cross.
Finally the drenched caveman stands up and says: "Okay, Okay...I give up!" And as he walks by a burning bush and an empty tomb, he mutters, "Every time I bring up this subject all we get are interruptions."
Many see God or his answers as interruptions, because we have our own agendas and expectations. Have we ever thought , God didn’t answer my prayer? Maybe because his answer was not what we expected? The Religious leaders challenged Jesus’ identity because they’re expectations for their Messiah were being challenged.
In verse 19, The religious leaders challenged Jesus claimed to be God. When the Jews heard Jesus calling God father, to them Jesus was claiming equality with God. The Pharisees asked Where is your Father.
The Pharisees believed God was in Heaven. In other words, shouldn’t you be in Heaven? The religious leaders were asking what proof do you have that you are God?
Jesus had turned water into wine. Healed the sick , the lame and the blind. He fed 5000 and raised the dead to life. But the Pharisees saw these supernatural evidences as interruptions.
The most religious people in their society did not recognize God in the flesh. They could not believe that God would humble himself and take on the form of the man to serve mankind. The good news of Jesus Christ is the revelation that God is with us and for us.
First, the context of what Jesus said. Second, the challenge to what Jesus said. Third, the credibility of what Jesus said. John 8:14 and 15-19
Again 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.” Jesus was saying: I am God. Whoever follows me will never be lost, but will enter into life with God. Why would we believe him?
In verse 14, Jesus said because he knows where I came from and where he was going. If you want to follow someone, you would want that person to know where he came from and where he’s going. Jesus came from heaven and he was returning to heaven .
Irwin Lutzer tells about a cemetery in Indiana that has an old tombstone bearing the following epitaph:
“Pause, stranger, when you pass me by
As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so you will be
So prepare for death and follow me”
And an unknown passerby scratched below those words:
“To follow you I’m not content
Until I know which way you went”
I am content to follow Jesus because he knew where he was going. Why else would we believe and follow him? Because God the father vouches for him.
In verses 15 through 19, Jesus says that we can believe he is God Because when you have seen Jesus, you have seen God the father. Colossians 2:9 tells us, “Jesus is God in bodily form.” So when we follow Jesus, and we can be sure to enter into a life with God.
There are at least two reasons for God to come in the form of a man. First so mankind could understand the love that God wanted to communicate. If God wanted to communicate His love for birds, He would have come as a bird and chirped. He didn't. He came as a man to communicate His love for mankind.
Second so the penalty for mankind's sin could be paid. In the OT, animal sacrifice was only a symbol of the shedding of blood required for the forgiveness of man's sin. In reality only the shedding of man's blood is sufficient for the forgiveness of man's sin. That's why God had to come as man.
Let me close with the following observation about Jesus’ life: (source unknown)
More than nineteen hundred years ago there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life. This Man lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He did not travel extensively. Only once did He cross the boundary of the country in which He lived; that was during His exile in childhood.
He possessed neither wealth nor influence. His relatives were inconspicuous and had neither training nor formal education.
In infancy He startled a king; in childhood He puzzled doctors; in manhood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the waves as pavement, and hushed the sea to sleep.
He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service.
He never wrote a book, and yet perhaps all the libraries of the world could not hold the books that have been written about Him.
He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined.
He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students.
He never marshaled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun; and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under His orders, made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot fired.
He never practiced psychiatry, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near.
Once each week multitudes congregate at worshipping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him.
The names of the past, proud statesmen of Greece and Rome have come and gone. The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone. But the name of this Man multiplies more and more. Though time has spread nineteen hundred years between the people of this generation and the mockers at His crucifixion, He still lives. His enemies could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.
He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the risen personal Christ, our Lord and Savior.
We are either going to be forever with Him, or forever without Him. It was the incomparable Christ who said:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
