The Light of Life, John 8:12-30
Notes
Transcript
John 8:12-30
“The Light of Life”
“Walk in” - not just salvation, but you walk in light.
Possible Outline
-Jesus is the light, vs. 12-20
-I am from above, vs.21-27
-I am the “Son of Man” or I am
Humankind is addicted to light.
We seek physical light.
Humankind is so desperate for literal light that we almost killed an entire species of animal to get it.
From the 1600 - 1900 whale oil was used to light peoples homes.
Millions of oil lamps depended on the harpooning and harvesting of whales.
This happened to the point that humankind came close to causing whales to become extinct.
Why? Why did we almost kill off the worlds whale population?
We were are are addicted to physical light.
We have to have physical light.
Physical light is so important, We would send men in big wooden sail boats, to kill the largest mammals in the world with big sharp pole.
Then, if the men survived, they would slaughter the whale, and then start a fire on the deck of their ship, to render the oil. Then they would store thousands of pounds or flammable oil below deck, feet from where a blazing hot fire burned above deck.
Yes, whaling ships caught fire.
Why did men endure all of this?
We are physically addicted to light.
Transition - Today is no different. We are addicted to physical light.
Our sports environment (Basketball, football, baseball -nascar), have been significantly changed by light. Our phones have an LED light.
-Every room in the house has artificial light.
-The hour that people now go to bed is different than 200 years ago based on our ability to control physical light.
-Even your screen emits a blue light that effects the dopamine in your brain.
Transition - While producing light at will has been something that has changed humanity, there is an eternal spiritual light that will change your eternity.
My friend - In heaven, there is not one single light switch or LED light bulb. You won’t have the ability or need to turn on the light. It will never be dark in heaven.
Revelation 22:5 (ESV)
5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light ...
Transition - And in our passage today Jesus makes clear that He is “The light of the world.”
Jesus, as God’s Spoken Word to us, is the Lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path.
The question you must answer today is, Are you following Him? Is Jesus actively and practically your daily light? Pause
Where is Jesus? He is in the Temple during the feast of booths.
Jerusalem is swollen with people.
The Temple floor is crushed with people.
vs. 20 tells us that Jesus was in the treasury.
Where is the treasury? Sounds like Jesus was near money.
There were many entrances to the temple and many ways to get down to the floor of the temple to the treasury where Jesus was.
Giving an offering is commanded by God as part of our worship.
-There were 13 giving boxes in the temple.
-Due to the many entrances to the temple the giving boxes are all over.
-They were numbered 1-13.
-Number 1-7 were for special offerings and special Temple taxes.
-Number 8-13 was for general offerings.
-Take note of this.
God has desired for giving to be part of the worship of his people since Genesis.
So, we give as part of your worship.
-In the Temple it was the same.
-Jesus was in “The treasury.”
There were have been plenty of giving boxes in the treasury.
-The Treasury was a synonym for the Court of Woman.
-It was a place that was close to the sacrificial alter, but not as close as the Priest’s Court that only men could enter.
The feast of booths or tents was a very special time.
Something special happened in the Court of Women or the Treasury every night during the feast of booths.
-Massive lanterns were set up and lit. These fire lanterns were so enormous and burned so bright that they lit the grounds of the Temple, 36 acres, 27 football fields big.
and the glow from inside the temple walls would be seen from all over the city.
Illustration - If you are in the area of #1 ByPass on a Friday night that TJ is having a home football game you can see the glow of the lights spilling out of the field a long way off.
Remember that Jerusalem had zero electric light just occasional torch light.
So, Jerusalem would have the glow of the Temple that would cast shadows over the city.
-In the court of the women, after these massive lanterns were lit in the evening, the levites would come out each carrying a torch, they sang and danced with much exuberance - celebrating the light that God provided for them in the wilderness. This happened every night during the feast of booths.
Why did they have this celebration?
They celebrated the light of God that for 40 years led them in the wilderness.
They celebrated that God lit their way.
The Hebrews with Moses in the wilderness had a supernatural light - a large floating pillar of fire that stayed ahead of them at night. God was guiding them.
God, through light, guided their way for 40 years after their slavery.
This is the context for our passage today - WHERE - Jesus proclaims (Vs. 12)
“ John 8:12 “...I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
that He is God and is the eternal Spiritual Light who can lead the way to Spiritual Life.
Jesus is being very clear in who He claims to be.
Jesus is not only saying that He is The spiritual light who will guide their way.
He is also using the same name for Himself that God used with Moses.
Jesus says, (Pay attention to the first 2 words.)
“I AM the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
God told Moses in the desert from the Burning Bush that His name was “I AM”.
-The most holy name for God, that the Jews would not even speak.
Jesus uses this same exact name for Himself.
Jesus says, “I AM THE light of the world.”
Jesus is declaring with clarity that He is God and that He is not a light, but THE LIGHT.
Transition - This is our first point, that ...
-Jesus is THE Light, vs. 12-20
The Old Testament is full of scriptures that point to God being light or giving light.
Light Scriptures -
Psalm 27:1 “1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? ...”
Psalm 119:105 “105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Psalm 36:9 “9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”
Jesus could not be more clear about his statement of identity.
The religious leaders who were experts in the Old Testament, who had most of the Old Testament memorized would quickly recognize the light analogy.
Jesus was not only teaching that He was God and that He was the Light of God, but ...
(Psalm 36:9) That He is the light who gives the life that produces the ability to see the light.
-Your ability to spiritually response to God originates as a gift from Jesus.
Transition - Those who have received the Light of Christ through Faith in salvation have had their identity changed.
I John 1:5
Jesus being light changes the Christ Followers identity.
What change in identity?
Children of God
John 1:12 “12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”
-You are no longer a follower of Satan.
-As THE LIGHT Jesus makes His Followers Children of God.
Before your came to Christ your identity wasn’t neutral.
-You were a follower of Satan - a child of God’s Wrath (Ephesians 2)
-As a Follower of The Light of Life, you are a child of God.
Not only that, but you are
Sons of Light
John 12:36 “36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light...”
-You are no longer a child of the darkness.
-Your identity is sons and daughters of light.
-You have received the light who is God in you.
-Your task is to express the light that you have in you.
This identity works itself out even more ...
Eph 5:8 Tells us that as children of light we are also “light in the world”
“8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”
Matt 5:14 “14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Not only has your identity changed, but your job description has changed.
-You are a little christ shining His light through the world as His missionary.
5 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.
This is why Hell is many time referred to as darkness or utter darkness.
Hell is the justice of God with no mercy, where one is hopeless to ever see the light of Jesus ever again.
but...
Psalm 36:9 “9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”
-It is through God’s light that we see light.
-It is through His Light that His faith filled children see and understand truth.
-If you are truly a Christ Follower, you understand spiritual truth.
How? “In His light do we see light.” God helps us see spiritual truth.
-We see spiritually because God works that spiritual work through us.
-In his power and his light we are able to perceive spiritual truth.
Illustration - change
Our sin nature causes all humanity to be spiritually blind.
-Every single person ever conceived is spiritually blind, is in spiritual darkness.
-We are spiritually blind from conception, because through the biological father - the sin nature is passed on to the child.
Practically this means that we are...
-Spiritually broken from birth.
-Hopeless
-One of the reasons that you see so many people around us that rage agains morality based on the Bible is that they are spiritually blind.
-Even just morality found in the Bible is foolishness.
-But through the light of Christ miraculously the spiritually blind can see.
-Miraculously the spiritually deaf can hear.
-It is all an act of His mercy.
Teaching - There is this back and forth with the religious leaders in verses 13-18 where the religious leaders are viewing Jesus from a legal perspective and will not consider him from a spiritual perspective.
...
II. Jesus is from Above vs. 21-27
Read 21-27???
Illustration - When I was a youth minister we played this game in youth group wholesomely named murder in the dark.
We would black out the room - no light at all - and there was one person who was it - the murderer.
When we played music you would walk around in the dark bumping into one another if the person who was it (the murderer) tapped you on the head 3 times you had to immediately lay down.
When someone else found you in the dark and stumbled on you they Yelled Murder in the Dark. Everyone had to freeze, The lights came on - The group had 1 guess to figure out who the murderer was.
-If they were wrong the lights went off again and someone else would get murdered in the dark until the murderer was found.
-13 year olds loved it.
-The challenge of the game was this, You had to figure out who the murders identity was - even though you couldn’t see.
Transition - The religious leaders were trying to figure out Jesus’ identity even though they were blind.
When Jesus told them and they couldn’t get it. He didn’t give up on them.
Jesus begins to share the Gospel with his enemies.
-He gives them exactly what they need. An opportunity for forgiveness.
-Jesus clarifies his holiness and their sin-fullness.
vs 21, “I am leaving & you will die in your sin” - clearly understood that “you will die in guilt and un-forgiveness”
vs. 23,
“You are from below” - (doesn’t mean hell) - The would have understood this as you are from underworld - the realm of evil
“I am from above” - heaven - I am pure.
vs. 24,
“You will die in your sins”
-you will die with sin guilt on you.
-Unless you believe that (here is the word for God again) “I AM He” Unless you believe that I AM the Light of the World. The God sent to bring spiritual light to you.
vs. 26, I have much to judge - I have authority to judge sin
When I speak, I tell you what I heard from the Father who is true.
Vs. 27, They don’t understand - BUT there actually were some people standing around who do understand. There are some people who are beginning to get it.
-Jesus is getting excited.
Transition - So, Jesus doesn’t get discouraged and quit sharing the Gospel.
illustration - There are several people in my life I am spiritually focused on.
They don’t get spiritual things.
-I’m praying that God will open their eyes.
-I’m not giving up.
-I’m going to keep sharing Jesus with them.
-Who is that person in your life, who God has placed on your heart?
-They seem stubborn now, but God can work a miracle.
-Be persistent.
-Jesus is persistent with sharing the Gospel with His enemies. Those who would crucify Him.
So Jesus gets even more bold about who He is:
I am the “Son of Man”, 27-30
read vs. 27-30
He predicts his own death, vs. 28, That he will be lifted up.
He says 3 things that aught to get Him stoned to death.
2. He calls himself the “Son of Man”, which is a Messianic direct prophecy in Daniel 7:13
-Religious leaders would have known for sure he was claiming to the Messiah
3. He identifies as God again, by saying “I am He” s 28
4. He eludes to God being His Father. vs. 28
Jesus shares the Gospel with his enemies - the religious leaders.
-Now there were not just religious leaders around, but regular people and Temple Police, the Levites.
Look at the miracle of vs. 30.
30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
As Jesus is sharing about him being the Messiah from The Father, From Heaven … while the religious leaders are trying to debate him and are upset, God is secretly working in hearts.
-Some religious leaders hearts are changed.
-Some common folks hearts are changed.
-Some Levites hearts are changed
-God is doing a supernatural work.
The Light of God is penetrating the cold darkness, and spiritual life is being awakened. Faith is taking place. Salvation is taking place.
The Light of Life is working miracle salvation.
illustration of a hard heart, maybe John Bunyan, and salvation.???
Vs. 12, The one with the greatest spiritual vision of all - Jesus, is told by the spiritually blind he is wrong.
Illustration - This is akin to the blind mole telling he eagle that what the eye of the eagle sees is wrong.