I Am the Light of the World

Good evening from the Panhandle. I pray you have ha a blessed Lord's Day. Well I am getting ready to take 10 1st-6^th graders to our local mission camp. We will be headed out tomorrow – exciting times. I always love to see what God will do with the boys. Also because I will be at camp I will miss my mid-week post from our study in Genesis. I just wanted to let you know. 

Now on to our study. “I am the light...” I was thinking about this a little this morning, on the new earth there will be no need for the sun or the moon. God the Father, and God the Son will be all the light we need. So here is my thought the dark is associated with sin and death, while light is associated with life - no sin or death, no darkness. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. (Revelation  21:23-25); 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation  21:2-4)

Most all of us have come home after dark some time in our life. I think you would agree that it is reassuring to see a light on instead of coming home to a dark a house. Nancy Rowland served as a missionary to Malawi, Africa. In her book “SEVEN I AM STASTEMENTS OF JESUS” she relates this story. In Malawi there are no street lights and most houses did not have electricity. The missionary compound was about the only one with electricity. When it got dark, you could not see where you were going without a light. It was pitch black. You learned to carry a flashlight or a lantern with you wherever you went. You never realize the importance of light until you do not have it. Christ Jesus came proclaiming that He is the Light of the world.

If you were going to create the universe, where would you begin? In the creation account found in Genesis the first day ends only after lights have been created. Think about that until God created light there was only darkness. For most people, we never experience total and complete darkness. Light bleeds into our lives even in the darkness, because it is not very often that we find ourselves any place where the is no evidence of light. Because of this when we do find ourselves in total and complete darkness it is disorienting and yes, even a bit disturbing.

Since that stunning moment when God said, “Let there be light!” light has come to signify not only the ability of God to create something from nothing but also the very character and being of God. Now Christ Jesus (God/man) declared that He is the source of all light, the source of all power, and the source of all beauty.

John 8:12

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

1. Introduction – John 8:12

When did Christ Jesus speak the words we find in John 8:12, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."?

The setting for this “I AM” saying was during the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacle also known as the Feast of Lights was a joyous time of celebration. One of the most spectacular parts of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles involved lampstands and torches that lit up Jerusalem. This feast, along with Hanukkah became known for splendid lighting. On the first night of this feast four great lampstands were placed in the Court of the Women and lit.

These candelabras were about 75 feet tall! Each candelabra had four branches, and at the top of every branch there was a large bowl. Four young men bearing 10 gallon pitchers of oil would climb ladders to fill the four golden bowls on each candelabra. And then the oil in those bowls was ignited. Picture sixteen beautiful blazes leaping toward the sky from these golden lamps. Remember that the Temple was on a hill above the rest of the city. The light from these lampstands was so brilliant that the courtyard reflected across the city. In addition, celebrants carrying burning torches danced before the lampstands, adding even more brilliance to the evening. 

 

Some commentators believe that Christ Jesus spoke on the last day of the Feast. If they are correct notice the imagery here. On the final day of the feast Christ Jesus declares: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” What’s amazing about His timing is that as the celebration wrapped up, all the lights were extinguished. The reason that all the lights were put out? It was because in the minds of the Israelites, God has not yet sent the Savior. The Temple had grown dark. The tents were torn down. And then Christ Jesus stood up next to the magnificent lampstands and declared that He is the Messiah, the Light of the world!

Why were the people celebrating? They celebrated their exodus from Egypt and bondage. It was to be a time to remember that the children of Israel had been guided at night by a pillar of fire in their wilderness pilgrimage. But as happens so often, people get so caught up in the celebration, that they forget what it is they are celebrating.

Who was Christ Jesus speaking to when He said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." ? Christ Jesus spoke to those gathered at the temple for the Feast of Tabernacle and to the Pharisees. Christ Jesus spoke to all who were celebrating in the light of the lampstands, and torches. Those who basked in the light, but forgot the significance of their celebration. 

 

Christ Jesus spoke to all who were lost in spiritual darkness. Christ Jesus still speaks to those lost in spiritual darkness. If only you will listen.

2. A Greater Light (John 8:12)

The lights of the four lampstands would have been a wondrous sight. But now a greater Living Light has come, not simply to guide a particular people who sit in darkness, but for the whole world. This went beyond all orthodox messianic expectations of the day. The Pharisees had not grasped the mighty vision; that the Messiah would come as a light to the Gentiles as well as to their own people (Is. 43:6, 49:6; Mal. 4:2). And all those who followed Him, including us; would no longer be in darkness because they have the gift of life. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). 

 

Christ Jesus’ bold witness about Himself—who He is and why He has come—is crucial! And this is where the Pharisees attack Him. They said His “witness” was a lie, and His claim to be light was a grandiose illusion! But it didn't matter what the Pharisees said or thought and it doesn't matter what people say or think today. Christ Jesus is the Light of the world. God is light, and Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God. 

 

One sun enlightens the whole world; just as does Christ Jesus the Son of God. There is no need for more light. What a dark dungeon would the world be without the sun! So would it be without Jesus, by whom light came into the world. Those who follow Christ shall not walk in darkness. They shall not be left without the truths which are necessary to keep them from destroying error, and the directions in the way of duty, necessary to keep them from condemning sin - Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary. 

 

One of the definitions of God is that He is light: 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. (1 John 1:5). He is absolute in His holiness and in His justice. 

 

Light is a most complicated things. Who really knows what it is? In some ways it acts like waves, and in some ways it acts like particles of matter. The startling thing is that mankind, acting on both of these definitions of principles, have been able to make remarkable inventions and discoveries. 

 

Is light the absence of darkness? Is darkness the absence of light? We say a room is filled with light. What do we mean? Does it weigh any more when it is filled with light? There could be no such thing as color without light. The red rose is red, because it has absorbed every other part of light except red. That is the reason we see red in the red rose. We don’t fully understand light, and certainly a child doesn’t understand light, but he or she does know enough about it to turn on the light switch when they enter a dark room. 

 

Christ Jesus is the Light of the World. Just as the sun is the physical light of the world, He is the spiritual light. Just as a little child can have enough sense to come into the presence of light, so any sinner today, even if he is “a fool and a wayfaring man” (Isaiah 35:8), can come into the presence of the Lord Christ Jesus.

3. Light Dispels Darkness

There are those who deny that Christ Jesus is the Light of the world, and they are stumbling in darkness. The reason we have problems today is that we have wandered too far from the Light. Christ Jesus is that INDISPENSABLE LIGHT who shines into the darkness of a human life, and pours the life-giving water of His Spirit into us, which will spring up to eternal life. 

 

Without His Light, you remain in darkness; that is why Christ Jesus is the Indispensable Light: You cannot live without Him! He is absolutely necessary to have life. “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

• Light enables you to see things that were there all along: Ephesians 5:13: “But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible.” 
   
• Light gives life. Light is necessary for life itself. It sets our biological clocks, triggers in our brains the sensations of color, and supplies the energy for things to grow.
  
  
• Light scatters darkness. In Scripture, darkness is often a metaphor for sin, spiritual blindness, and death. John 1:5: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
  
  
• Light gives warmth. Did you know that one small candle, properly reflected, will raise the temperature of an igloo from below freezing to over 45 degrees. Ecclesiastes 11:7: “Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.”
  
  
• Light provides guidance. It’s difficult to walk in the dark, isn’t it? Light can help us see where we’re headed. Psalm 43:3: “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me.”

Walking and living in darkness means certain eternal death; Matthew 25:30 warns: “And throw that worthless servant outside, into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Outer darkness is not a suburb of Heaven, it is the second death which is eternal punishment for the prince of darkness and all who reject total commitment to the Light which is Christ Jesus.

Conclusion: When you walk with Christ Jesus, you will no longer walk in the darkness of sin. You will no longer be held in bondage to the sin in your life. Yes, unfortunately you will continue to sin, but as a whole sin looses it's grip on you. And because of the Light found in Christ Jesus death looses it's hold on you. When you ask Christ Jesus “the Light of the world,” to become your Lord and Saviour you will have the Light of Life in you.