The Jesus Series The Gospel of John #33 John 8:12-30 February 17, 2019 Intro Today we are picking up where we left off last fall: John 8:12 If you have not been here, or even if you just want a refresher I want to invite you to read through John 1-7: As you read, remind yourself why John is writing: John 21:25, Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that they world itself could not contain the books that would be written. John 20:30-31, But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that be believing you may have life in his name. John was selective. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit His intent was that those who do not believe in Jesus would hear of certain works and believe unto life. What you read in this Gospel can accomplish that purpose. It can begin and sustain faith. With a notebook, write down some of the pictures in each chapter (Jesus making water into wine, Jesus conversing with Nicodemus about salvation, or Jesus healing the invalid at the pool of Bethesda) Ask: What does this teach me about Jesus? Pray: God show me how these truths about Jesus speak life into my personal context. Optional: As you come to questions, listen to sermons or text the pastors. TEXT
12 Jesus spoke to them again (Context: Jesus is at one of the large Jewish festivals - the Feast of Tabernacles - and has been teaching in the temple area. There is growing debate and division among the Jews over who Jesus really is (Messiah, Prophet, or Fraud) and growing opposition from the religious leaders who are beginning to become organized in their quest to silence Jesus) I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life. 13 So the Pharisees said to him, You are testifying about yourself. Your testimony is not valid. 14 Even if I testify about myself, Jesus replied, My testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I m going. But you don t know where I come from or where I m going. 15 You judge by human standards. I judge no one.16 And if I do judge, my judgment is true, because it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am the one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me. 19 Then they asked him, Where is your Father? You know neither me nor my Father, Jesus answered. If you knew me, you would also know my Father. 21 Then he said to them again, I m going away; you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I m going, you cannot come. 22 So the Jews said again, He won t kill himself, will he, since he says, Where I m going, you cannot come? 23 You are from below, he told them, I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him. Big Idea: Jesus is the light who dismisses the darkness. He is not judged by men, but being one with God the Father he gives life to anyone who believes. Jesus is the Light Who Dismisses the Darkness 12 Jesus spoke to them again, I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life. In John we have seen Jesus uses physical realities to explain even more complex spiritual realities. You thirst - I am living water.
You are hungry - I am the bread of life. Our souls thirst and hunger (souls long as do our bellies) and Jesus satisfies. The hurt that has been caused by the human race attempting to find satisfaction for their souls apart from God is immeasurable. We all, to varying degrees, understand physical darkness. The most common would be an unexpected power outage, where we scramble for light. If you are like us then your plan for emergency light is to run to some obscure corner shelf, find a small scented candle with ½ inch of wax and a barely protruding wick. Perhaps you have been in a tunnel or cave or broken down on a dark road at night. Except in cases of rest, no one wants to remain in physical darkness. We want light... It illuminates our path and helps us to see which direction to go. It makes us feel secure, as a sign of safety. If you were in utter darkness, it would be the sign of deliverance. Brings warmth and health to our bodies.god designed our skin to produce vitamin D after exposure to the sun. Vitamin D in turn helps regulate our immune system and our muscle structure. So that is the physical reality, but what is darkness in a Spiritual sense? In the Bible Darkness is tied to. Chaos and disorder (Gen 1:2), a place where evildoers hide (Job 34:22). Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. Jer 23:24 A curse, a place of death (Ps 88:6). A judgement of God, such as one of the plagues against Egypt (Exodus 10:21) or at the cross where Jesus was suffering God s wrath (Matt 27:45). Hell itself in the NT is described as outer darkness (Matt 8:12) A lifestyle of disobedience to God s commands (walking in darkness) (Eph 5:8). Ignorance about God (Is 42:6) and Powers opposed to God are termed to be darkness (Eph 6:12) The cosmic powers over this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil Abuse scandal: Savage wolves who will not spare the flock, even from your own number (Acts 20:29-30) And it is against the backdrop of this heavy darkness, that God acts. Beginning with Genesis 1:2-3 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light and there was light. This was the 1st day of creation. It was not until day 4 that God created the sun and the moon; The light the dispelled the darkness was the light of God s own glory.
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1 Jn 1:5) He alone dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim 6:16) And that is the picture for the remainder of scripture: God s spirit creates and renews and dismisses the darkness. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2) Just as it does physically, spiritually the light dispels the darkness. Light is scripturally linked to: Instruction from God (Psalm 119:105) Goodness (Isaiah 5:20) Salvation (Ps 27:1) Justice (Isaiah 59:9) Gladness and Joy (Ps 97:11) Peace (Luke 1:79) Light is associated with the presence of God (Ps 89:15) Which culminates in the person of Jesus Christ, God became man; Jesus would be the sunrise visiting us from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:78-79) HOPE!!! The peace that Jesus guides us to - is peace with God. Jesus is Not Judged by Men The Pharisees reject him.. 13 So the Pharisees said to him, You are testifying about yourself. Your testimony is not valid. Jesus replies 15 You judge by human standards. (The flesh - by sinful human nature) The Pharisees reject the person of Jesus, the word of God He spoke, and the signs He performed. They set themselves over Jesus as His judge. This is the human condition, it is in our nature to set ourselves as the judge of all. Even God. Look at Nehemiah 9 (Handout). God came down and spoke with Israel from Heaven, He gave them right rules and true laws. But they refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that were performed among them. They stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return them to slavery in Egypt.
This is a new yet greater picture in John: God has come down in Jesus; He is the law (the word) that became flesh. But the people do not want to obey, so they ignore the wonders he performed. They stiffen their necks. The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. Everyone who does wicked things hates the light, and does not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. John 3:19-20 This is still the human condition: We don t want to obey. We do not want God telling us what we can or can not do. We want authority. For some that means a complete rejection of God. For others, it means a reworking of the idea of God as they would have him be. The world is evil, the times are waxing late, and the glory of God has departed from the church as the fiery cloud once lifted from the door of the temple in the sight of Ezekiel. Another God whom our fathers knew not is making himself at home among us. This God, we have made and because we have made him we can understand him, because we have created him he can never surprise us, never overwhelm us, nor astonish us, nor transcend us. - AW Tozer This is the human condition: We do not want to obey so we shape our view of God until He is palatable to us or we reject him outright. It is the same human spirit that lived in the wilderness people in Exodus; the same human spirit that lived in the Pharisees. And the same human spirit that Jesus has come to set us free from. Jesus is One with the Father and Gives Life to Anyone Who Believes 21 Then he said to them again, I m going away; you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I m going, you cannot come. 24 Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. Here is the bad news: By nature we prefer the darkness, where we are the authority of our own lives and we are guided by that which seems good to us. And furthermore those who remain in that darkness, will die in darkness. But there is GOOD NEWS of GREAT Hope.
Where we are born in darkness: in chaos, under a curse, in iniquity, and under the judgement of God - we have already read in Nehemiah that God is ready to forgive. Psalm 86:5, says likewise For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.. Jesus is one with the Father, we read that earlier in v19, If you knew me, you would also know my Father. And it is the message about Jesus and from Jesus (the Gospel) that has the power to open eyes and turn people from darkness to light. I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life. We read in verse 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him. Next week we will explore more of the issue of never walking in darkness - being set free from sin. More now? The wages of sin is death, but God holds death by the throat. He has shown his power over sin and darkness in the resurrection of Jesus. If you do not believe you will die in your sins. If you believe you will live in Christ. Conclusion I do not know what darkness you wrestle with. I do not know what darkness has done to you. I dont know what scars you carry. I don t know what scars you have given. But I know this - John 1:5, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness HAS NOT overcome it. Darkness, its works and effects have no hold over the one who belongs to Jesus through faith. It does not necessarily mean the scars will no longer exist - it does mean that they will no longer define you. Christ came to die precisely for the things you are most ashamed of - Marshall Segal These words, you will die in your sin if you do not believe, were not spoken by me; they did not originate with some backwoods, hell, fire, and brimstone preacher; they are not words from a judgemental, hypocritical religious zealot. Jesus said them. He said them because He has compassion on us. He knows what sin will do. Do not reject these words because they do not fit the image of the God perhaps you have created. Today, as you hear, may one of two things happen:
Be amazed at your salvation. Celebrate being in the light. Worship God. Be mindful that the darkness pursues you. Flee it. Believe in Christ for the first time. Follow through with public declaration of Baptism. Being will to obey even if it is hard, and have faith in Jesus. God, may right now your gospel go forth in this place, open our eyes to that we may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that we may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:18).