05.14 Sermon Notes
May 13, 2023

I Am the Light of the World

Introduction

-To understand what Jesus meant when he called himself the LIGHT we will go back to the start of the Gospel of John (John 1:1-5, 14)

-John refers to Jesus as the Word (logos) - In the Old Testament the “word” of God is often personified as an instrument for the execution of God’s will (Psalm 33:6)

-John shows the audience that this personified wisdom and revelation of God is a distinct person. Jesus…
• is eternal (In the beginning was the Word…)
• has an eternal relationship with the Father (He was in the beginning with God…)
• is God (the Word was God…)
• is the source of life (all things were made through Him…)
• became human for us (the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…)

1. Jesus the light of NEW creation

-God brought beauty and order to chaos with the creation of light to dispel the darkness. He said let there be light, it was immediate, and it was good (Genesis 1:1-3)

-The world in its sinfulness and without God is dark. This began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose to succumb to temptation from the enemy and rebelled against God and were separated from God.

-The coming of Jesus has begun to disperse the darkness. Jesus brought about physical light at creation to disperse physical darkness AND brought spiritual light to disperse the darkness of sin.

The work of redemption (our salvation) is the restoration of what God intended through His work at creation. Acts 26:18

-John 8:11 - Jesus offered the woman caught in adultery forgiveness, to walk out of the darkness and into the light. He offers this to each of us too!

2. Jesus is the light of NEW LIFE

-Jesus identifies himself as the light of the world again (John 9:1-7)

-The use of the dust to create mud for healing brings to the imagination the story of the creation of Adam, when God breathed life into his body (Genesis 2:7)

-Jesus brought healing and new life for the blind man. He could now see in a literal sense, and he could perceive the revelation of the truth of God (Matthew 13:15; 2 Corinthians 4:6)

-During John 7 and 8 the Jewish people were celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles and the Illumination of the Temple Ceremony

  • The large oil lamps represented:
    1. God as the light of all lights, the visible presence of God that filled the first temple as a cloud and led the Israelites as a pillar of fire by night
    2. The promised Light of the World that would radiate in their darkness, save them from bondage, restore their joy, forgive all sin, and bring new life (Isaiah 9:2)

3. Jesus is the light that SPREADS

-Now, we share the light with others (Matthew 5:14-16)

-We choose whether we remain in darkness or walk in the light (1 Peter 2:9)

-Light exposes our inner being (Proverbs 20:27). We remain in the light by confessing, repenting, and spending time in the presence of the Lord. We are a new creation, leading a new life, guided by the Light of the World.

-The Bible ends in Revelation 22 with a reference to Jesus as the light, from the beginning of the Word to the end (Revelation 22:16-17)

Life Group Questions for I Am the Light of the World:

  1. Read Genesis 1 and John 1. How does John align the beginning of his Gospel with the creation story?
  2. In what ways do we step from the darkness into the light when we accept the forgiveness and salvation offered by Jesus? In the process of sanctification (becoming more like Jesus), how do we stay in “the light”?
  3. What practical ways can we “be a light” to our world?