John 8:12 The Light of the World Today we will explore the 2 nd of Jesus 7 incredible I AM statements found in the Gospel of John. (See chart and discuss LEAVE UP) Each statement gives us a deeper look at our savior. Each statement reveals more of His divinity CONTEXT: Jesus is in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. (Each feast has significant meaning ) The Feast has just ended and V:1-11 the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus with a trick question about the Law of Moses vs. the Roman Law In the process a woman was embarrassed & abused. But Jesus turned it around on the Jewish leaders As the woman was delivered from death (guilty but not condemned) Jesus continued to address the crowd (READ JOHN 8:12 & PRAY) V:12 In the Old Testament, God himself is referred to as the light The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Psalms 27:1, NKJV. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. Psalms 84:11, NKJV. Page 1 of 6
Yet Jesus says, John 8:12 The Word of God is called LIGHT Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalms 119:105, NKJV. For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, Proverbs 6:23, NKJV. We know from the NT that JESUS is THE WORD And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14, NKJV. Light is also tied into God s promise of the coming of the Messiah Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah 60:1-3, NKJV. LIGHT is a major theme in eschatology The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory. Isaiah 60:19, NKJV. Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended. Isaiah 60:20, NKJV. And Jesus says in John 8:12 (NT) In the future City of God But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to Page 2 of 6
shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Revelation 21:22-24, NKJV. Back to our context Jesus once more illustrated that all of the Feasts of the Lord pointed to Him! ESVSBN - Here light terminology is applied to the symbolism of the Feast of Tabernacles. As part of the festivities, four golden lamps were put in place, and an abundance of oil was poured into large golden bowls. The lamps rose over the outside walls of the temple and were said to illumine the entire city of Jerusalem. In the ensuing joyous celebration, the pious danced with torches and spoke words of praise. Levites played their musical instruments, standing on the steps that led from the Court of the Israelites to the Court of Women. The dancing and singing lasted all night until dawn. Notably, the main candelabrum was left until the last night to remind the Israelites that they still awaited their full salvation in the future but now, Jesus declares himself to be the light of the world. REMEMBER, by now it is dawn (V:2) the day after the Feast. Jesus likely spoke these words as the sunlight began to light up the Temple grounds The significance of His words were tremendous God once provided a pillar of fire to light the way and guide the Children of Israel through the wilderness. Now God has provided Jesus, the light of the world Page 3 of 6
Jesus light brings salvation not only to Israel but also to the world, regardless of race or locale. The OT promise of the Messiah again states Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness. Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 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. Isaiah 8:22-9:2, NKJV. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. John 1:4, 5, 9, NKJV. Here, the day after the Feast Jesus makes it clear V:12 NOTICE, Jesus doesn t point to a particular church or race or a religious system, but TO HIMSELF! While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light John 12:36, NKJV. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. John 12:46, NKJV. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 What did Jesus mean? V:12b Page 4 of 6
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. Darkness is a picture of ignorance and sin And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 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. John 1:5; 3:19, NKJV. When John wrote his epistles to the church he said This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10, NKJV. (Excerpt from my interactive notes on 1John 1:5-10) Light and darkness, righteousness and sin, these are the issues we will deal with in today s text. In God s eyes there really are no gray areas. It is a black and white world. You are either living in the light of God s truth or you are living in darkness. Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as right and wrong. The NKJV Bible uses a form of the word sin 1,140 times. The word transgression is found 97 times. Iniquity/iniquities is found 294 times. The philosophy I m OK, you re OK goes contrary to the teaching of scripture. We are not OK. Mankind is lost in sin and separated from God. God is holy and will not fellowship with sin. This is a foundational teaching of scripture (Is. 59:1-14, 64:6-7). We have a big problem and Page 5 of 6
only God can solve it. It is the problem of sin. Today s study will focus in on our problem of sin and God s solution. This is one of the most significant topics covered by scripture. Turn to 1John 1:5 and let s END HERE NOTICE all the "IFs" in this text... 5X in 6 verses! "IF" is a "conditional" word So there are conditions to real fellowship with God! And LIGHT exposes all things hidden in darkness as TRUTH EXPOSES A LIE... Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts 1 Corinthians 4:5a, NKJV. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest (clear & evident) is light. Therefore He says: Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light. Ephesians 5:13, 14, NKJV. If we are to have fellowship with God we must 1. Walk in the light of Christ! (Be saved) Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light. Ephesians 5:14, NKJV. 2. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal our sin and lead us to repentance. (Ps. 139:23-24) Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. Psalms 139:23, 24, NKJV. Come to Jesus, the Light of the World! Altar Call / PRAYER / END Page 6 of 6