Sunday, 16 August 2009

I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Reading: John 8.
“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” John 8:12.


This is the second of seven “I AM” statements made by Jesus in the Book of John.
1. John 6:35, “I AM the bread of life.”
2. John 8:12, “I AM the light of the world.”
3. John 10:9, “I AM the door.”
4. John 10:11, “I AM the good shepherd.”
5. John 11:25, “I AM the resurrection and the life.”
6. John 14:6, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life.”
7. John 15:5, “I AM the vine.”


When Moses met God at the burning bush in the Sinai desert, he was given instructions to go and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Moses wondered if the people would believe that he had spoken to God, so Moses asked God to tell him His name.
In Scripture, a name is regarded as the manifestation of the character or a purpose of God’s chosen vessel. This is why a new name was often given to people or places by God after some important event, which forever stamped its character upon a person or place.

So what is God’s name?
“And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “This you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”
Moreover God said to Moses, “This you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations” Exodus 3:14-15.


This name, “I AM,” implies the eternal, unchangeable, and faithful nature of God. In the same passage, God gave Himself a further description, more exactly as, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” Exodus 3:6.

1. THE BACKGROUND OF GOD IS LIGHT.

“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” 1 John 1:5.
“Which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honour and everlasting power. Amen” 1 Timothy 6:15-16.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” James 1:17.
“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?” Psalm 27:1.


Spiritually, light stands for God; light represents the holiness of God, and is also the dwelling place of God. The Psalmist thought of God as being covered with light. Light is the place of God’s security and safety. Light is a symbol of God’s favour and the joy this favour brings. God’s goodness, perfection, holiness, truth, blessing, joy, faithfulness, refuge, security, safety, salvation, life, and eternity are all connected in the idea of light.
For this reason, a light was kept burning always in the Tabernacle and Temple, as an emblem of the presence of God. This was commanded by God,

“And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel” Exodus 27:20-21.

As the former references to water (John 4:13-14; John 7:37-39) and to bread (John 6:35) were occasioned by outward occurrences, so this one to light. In “the treasury” where it was spoken stood two colossal golden lamp-stands, on which hung a multitude of lamps, lighted after the evening sacrifice (probably every evening during the feast of tabernacles), diffusing their brilliancy, it is said, over the entire city. Christ Jesus the LIGHT over the world.

A major feature of the Feast of Tabernacles was the lighting of giant lamps in the women’s court in the temple. The wicks were made from the priests’ worn-out garments. The light illuminated the temple area and the people gathered to sing praises and dance, with great rejoicing. The light reminded the Jewish people of how God was with them in their wanderings in the wilderness in a pillar of cloud which turned to fire at night (Numbers 9:15-23).

This discourse continues Jesus’ public teaching in the city of Jerusalem in the temple area. How fitting that during the Feast of Tabernacles, when the large lamps were burning, “Jesus… said, I am the Light of the world.” The world is in darkness, a symbol of evil, sin, and the lack of knowledge of salvation:
“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 9:2.
“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death. Light has dawned” Matthew 4:16.
“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 3:19.


Now, as amidst the festivities of the water from Siloam Jesus cried, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink,” so now amidst the blaze and the joyousness of this illumination, Jesus proclaims, “I am the Light of the world,” plainly in the most absolute sense.
Taking this as a background of God and light. Take a look at the opening chapter of the Book of John.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
“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.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.”

In Judaism every Friday night at the opening of Shabbat, God is honoured. Just before sunset, the woman lights candles and says a blessing, bringing the light, or symbol of God, into the house to surround her family.
Then, before the meal is eaten, the father blesses God for the provision of bread and wine, which are symbols of all that God supplies.
Notice, that Jesus is called:
1. The light of the world.
2. The Bread of life.

We do not understand light, but we know enough about it to turn on the light switch when we enter a dark room. Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. Just as the sun is the physical light of this world, He is spiritual Light. Just as a little child can have enough sense to come into the presence of light in a darkened room, so any sinner today, though he be “a fool and a wayfaring man” Isaiah 35:8, can come into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are those who deny that Christ is the Light of the World. They are walking in a lesser light. As the moon has no light of its own but reflects light from the sun, so this people that live today owe everything to Christ. We have hospitals, charities, orphans’ homes, and consideration for the poor, rights of labour because the Lord Jesus came to this earth.

The reason we have problems in these areas today is that we have wandered too far from the Light. The world is just walking in moonlight, as it were. How this poor old world needs to get back to the Light which is Christ. “He that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
We know God is the self-existing One, that He has all wisdom and all powerful. The Lord Jesus came to this earth not only to redeem man but also to reveal God to man. Jesus greatly expands our understanding by using the commonplace things like bread, light, and water to represent Himself as God.
He uses the ordinary to speak of the extraordinary,
The physical to speak of the spiritual,
The temporal to speak of the eternal,
The here-and-now to speak of the hereafter,
The earthly to speak of the heavenly,
The limited to speak of the unlimited,
And the finite to speak of the infinite.

During this Feast of Tabernacles, Israel was remembering the deliverance when the pillar of fire led the children of Israel through the wilderness. They were celebrating this with a torch parade. When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” this is what He was referring to.
Whenever and wherever the pillar of fire led, the children of Israel followed. We are to follow Him in like manner, looking to Him as the Light of the World. At the Court of the Women in the temple, a golden lampstand was lit during the Feast of the Tabernacles. Again Jesus made use of a fitting symbol for Himself that is rooted in the Old Testament descriptions of the wanderings in the wilderness.

1. In chapter 6 it was the manna.
2. In chapter 7 it was the water associated with God’s provision from the rock (Numbers 20:8-11).
3. Now, in chapter 8, it is the light of the giant lamps reminded the nation of the pillar of fire which guided them at night, Exodus 13:21 “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night” (Numbers 9:15-23).

2. “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.”

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” Verse 12.

Here Jesus is saying, “I am the light of the world.” He has just exposed the sin of the scribes and the Pharisees who brought the woman guilty of adultery. Because they were just as guilty as she, they had to flee. When one turns on the light, all the rats, the bats, and the bugs crawl away. Light exposes sin, which is the reason the scribes and the Pharisees had to leave.
“I am the light of the world” is the highest claim that Jesus has made so far in the Gospel of John. One of the descriptions of God is that He is Light see, 1 John 1:5 “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.”

Christ shines as the Light in the world of darkness and sin. “He that follows.” If one accepts and trusts the leading of that Light, “They… shall have the light of life.” In contrast to the moral darkness of the nation and the world in general, Jesus describes His function as the Light, the very revelation and truth of God, and the solution to the evil in mankind and the world.

“I am the light of the world.”
As the sun is the physical light of the world, so Jesus is the spiritual light of the world. As the light of the world, Jesus reveals sin (verses 1-11) and gives sight (John 9:1-7). A multitude was still following Him. He turned to them and made one of the many grand statements as to His Messiahship. He said, “I am the light of the world.”

1. Naturally speaking, “the world” is in the darkness of sin, unawareness, and aimlessness.
2. “The light of the world” is Jesus. Apart from Him, there is no deliverance from the blackness of sin. Apart from Him, there is no guidance along the way of life, no knowledge as to the real meaning of life and the issues of eternity. Jesus promised that anyone following Him would “not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

To follow Jesus means to believe on Him. Many people have the mistaken idea that they can live as Jesus lived without ever being born again. To follow Jesus means to come to Him in repentance, to trust Him as Lord and Saviour. Then to commit one’s whole life to Him. Those who do this have guidance in life and clear and bright hope beyond the grave.

3. JESUS THE GREAT “I AM.”

“Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” Verse 58.

“I AM.”
In one breath, Jesus asserted His eternal pre-existence and His absolute deity.
The complete definite declaration “I am” (egōg eimi, Gk.) is meaningful of Exodus 3:14 “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”
Where the words stand for the eternal person of Yahweh. Jesus was not just claiming to have lived before Abraham; He was claiming eternal existence. He was claiming to be God Himself. Jesus asserts He existed even before Abraham “was” (i.e., “was born” or “came into existence”). His claim is inescapable: Jesus is God, the Yahweh of the Old Testament. In some sense this may be the apex declaration of the Gospel.

Abraham, as with all mortals, came into existence at one point in time. The Son of God, unlike all mortals, never has a beginning. He is eternal; and He is God. This is evident in Jesus’ use of the words “I AM” for Himself. Thus, Jesus was claiming to be the ever-existing, self-existent God.
The Lord Jesus here made another clear claim to be God. He did not say, “Before Abraham was, I was.” That might simply mean that He came into existence before Abraham. Rather, He used the Name of God: “I AM.” The Lord Jesus had dwelt with God the Father from all eternity. There was never a time when He came into being, or when He did not exist. Therefore He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”

Did Abraham ever see Christ? He certainly did! The appearance of God to people in the Old Testament was an appearance of Jesus Christ to these people. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” John 1:18. Then, too, although Abraham’s body was buried there, yet Abraham was really not dead but was in the presence of God. Jesus makes this very clear, as recorded in Luke 20:38. “For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.”

“Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” Verse 59.
At once the Jews attempted to put Jesus to death, but He hid Himself and went out of the temple. The Jews understood exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” He was claiming to be Jehovah! It was for this reason they sought to stone Him, because to them this was blasphemy.
They were unwilling to accept the fact that the Messiah was standing in their midst. They would not have Him to reign over them! The liberal theologian today teaches that Jesus Christ was a great teacher but that He never really claimed to be God. Listen to this. “Before Abraham was, I am.” Not, “I was I AM.” He is the Jehovah, the I AM, God.
The Jews understood perfectly. Because they knew exactly what He was claiming, they took up stones to kill Him for blasphemy.

CONCLUSION:

The subject is Jesus Christ. He put these Jews on the spot. They had to make a decision concerning Him. You also must make a decision concerning Him.
Either He is the Truth or He is a liar.
Either He is God and Saviour, or He is not.
Either you accept Him or you reject Him.
You must decide.
Remember that your decision does not in any way change that He is. He is the great “I AM, Jehovah, the eternal God.” Your decision is to accept or deny this.
When we follow Jesus, the true Light, we can avoid walking blindly and falling into sin. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how to live. He removes the darkness of sin from our lives. Have you allowed the light of Christ to shine into your life? Let Christ guide your life, and you’ll never need to stumble in darkness.

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