Jesus, the Light of the Worl..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Gospel according to John chapter 8 and let's read together verse 12. Again Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. Amen. The grass withers and the flowers fall but the word of the Lord remains. Well brothers and sisters, we're still working our way through the gospel according to John. It's been almost a month since we were back in this gospel, but not a great deal has changed.

Last time we were together, we began chapter 8. And so now we're going to continue our way through that chapter, but as I said earlier, the context is still familiar to us. Our Lord Jesus Christ is still in Jerusalem. He's in the holy city, and he's there because he was at the Feast of Booths, one of the three main feasts that the people of Israel would enjoy one with the other. And Christ is still there, and He's still making His way to the temple precinct, preaching the Word, teaching the people, proclaiming profound truths.

And we've seen all along, whenever Jesus gets into the public square, there's always two reactions. There are those who are accepting of what he has to say and there are those who are quite indignant at everything that he stands for. Namely, we know those who are indignant, those who are repulsed by Christ, are the religious leaders of the day. The Jewish establishment, mainly the scribes and the Pharisees and the Sadducees, these are against Jesus Christ. And we know they've already plotted some pretty sinister things against our Lord.

Previously, in the previous chapter, which was still only a few days ago, we know that the Pharisees had organized to try to get Jesus arrested. They got the officers of the temple who were Levites and they commanded them to go at an opportune time and arrest Jesus. Bring Him back to us. Let's get rid of His influence. Let's get rid of His teaching.

Let's get rid of this Jesus who has now become an absolute thorn in our side. Do you remember what happened? Those officers came back to the Pharisees and they came back empty-handed. And you remember what they said when they were asked why they don't have Jesus? I love their response.

No one ever spoke like this man. You remember when we considered that verse together, I told you that in the original it is more connoting that these men are saying no mere man has ever spoken like this Jesus. No mere man. These men, they work in the temple precinct. They've heard the best theologians of the day come through that place and they've heard the teaching and the discourses of these theologians and yet after hearing Christ they've hands down said We've never heard anyone speak like this man.

His words drip with grace, but they're truth in confronting. They fall short of declaring that Christ is divine. They didn't go that far, not yet. But they do, in their hearts at least, realize to some degree or another that this Jesus must be more than human. Of course, the Pharisees are quite disgusted.

And so their hostility towards our Lord further, it deepens further. And Jesus has to be eliminated by whatever means. So they start to hatch plans, deceitful plans, to try to trap Jesus. We see some of these plans in the Synoptic Gospels as well. But here, one of the schemes they come up with, we read and examined and considered the last time we were together in the Gospel according to John.

And you may remember, it involved a woman who they claim was caught in the act adultery. That is from 753 through 811. They said they caught her red-handed. So they drag her before Christ and before this large crowd that are listening to Jesus speak there in the temple precinct. And then they begin to question our Lord.

pressing with some very difficult questions pushing him against a wall basically and they put him between a wall and a hard place and they question our Lord and it seems like there's no way out but then as only our Lord Jesus Christ can his response is incredibly wise. Incredibly wise. He exposes their wicked hypocritical hearts. He exposes the internal filth of the heart of man, of the heart of these accusers before him whilst at the same time he doesn't diminish one iota of the law of God that he sees as good and righteous and just. He doesn't gloss over the law.

He doesn't gloss over the seriousness of the offense of this woman who was caught in the act of adultery. That's an abominable sin. It's detestable in God's eyes. And it's deserving of the punishment that Yahweh, that God, had said it deserves. But Jesus, at that place, speaks with a grace, with a wisdom.

that is incredible we know it is he who upholds the law we know that he himself said that do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them Matthew 5 17 I think John the Apostle John the author of this book summarizes best what Jesus is doing in the 17th verse of the prologue that's the first chapter where he writes For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. On that day in the temple, the grace of God was revealed in all its beauty in Christ Jesus towards a simple woman who became the recipient of that amazing, undeserving grace. Because that's when Jesus said to her, those men who have accused you have all walked away because they don't condemn you, but neither do I condemn you. Now go and sin no more. And beloved, if you remember, and this is very important that we realize this.

If you remember when we walked through that text, I said, the reason why there is no condemnation for those who come by grace through faith to Jesus Christ and place their hope and trust in Him is not because the just demands of the law upon lawbreakers are just simply absolved. No, our God is a just God. He can't just rub away sin or erase it as if nothing happened. That can't be the case. No, beloved.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because He bore our condemnation in our behalf. He paid the price in full by His precious shed blood that when He willingly hung upon the cross of Calvary And who hung upon that cross? It was Christ, the sinless, the spotless, the blemishless, the faultless, the perfect righteous Lamb of God who is the substitute for undeserving sinners who come to Him by faith and embrace Him for the forgiveness of their sins. that woman experienced the glorious forgiveness. That woman that day experienced that there is indeed no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus because of what Christ would one day do on her behalf.

And now from what we can tell in this fourth gospel, the very next words from our Lord's mouth are these, the ones that we read this afternoon, chapter 8, verse 12. I am the light of the world, he says. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Now these words are loaded with profound meaning, and we can literally spend several weeks just on this verse, meditating on the depth of their meaning. Because the concept of light in the Bible, beloved, is a very big concept.

And that's particularly true in the fourth gospel. So there's much that we can say about light, in particular, even just from the fourth gospel. But I've allocated this Lord's Day, by the grace of God, to deal with and consider verse 12. And the next week, I'm hoping to move on to the greater context for which Christ spoke these words. So in the brief amount of time that we have together this afternoon, by God's grace, we will only be skimming the surface of what I believe is a limitless well.

I am the light of the world. When we began our journey in the fourth gospel, I made mention of a number of unique things that we find in the gospel according to John. You may remember or may not, it was about two and a half years ago, so it's a long time ago. There are things that we should be keeping in our minds as we study and work our way through this gospel, because they'll help us understand the Apostle John, who is the author of this gospel, his intent for writing what he wrote. Now, of course, John's purpose statement is one of those things, and I've mentioned it and I've cited it over and over again during many sermons, and that's found in chapter 20.

Another is the countless miracles that we know that Jesus performed. Many of these miracles are actually written for us and recorded for us in the Synoptic Gospels. However, the Apostle John only records seven. Some of these miracles are actually unique to the Fourth Gospel. And he calls them signs.

And so this is important. So when we come to a miracle or a sign in the Gospel according to John, We need to ask ourselves the question, why have you recorded this one, John? Why is it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that you've recorded this one and not that one that we know Christ has done? And when we do come across the miracles and we've addressed the first five, we've been asking that question. Why?

Now there's many more unique things we can mention, but I won't. But for the text that we have before us, It's important that I mention what is unique also that is pertinent to the text and that is the I AM statements of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we may gloss over them and miss the big picture when we're reading through our Bibles but the Jews who are before the Lord, who are the audience on this day in the temple precinct, they didn't. They were fully aware of the significance of the I AM statements and no doubt No doubt Jesus was intentional with every word he spoke. And he was intentional by using these statements of himself.

So what is the significance of the I am statement? We have one before us this evening. Well, standing on its own, I am or Yahweh in the Hebrew, or Ego Ai Me in the original language that was spoken in the time of Christ. These are the very name of God that He gave to the people of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai. And we'll get into the I Am that stands on its own a little later as we work our way through the eighth chapter of this Gospel.

But more to the point this afternoon, I want us to have a look at one of the seven I Am statements that is found in this Gospel, which is followed by what we call a predicate nominative. And that's just a fancy way of saying, after the I Am, something else comes after it. After the I Am. a descriptor, mostly a image or a metaphor to identify or to describe who Jesus is and what he has come to do. The person and the work of Jesus Christ.

Seven such I am statements are found in the fourth gospel and we would do well to pay special attention to them because, beloved, they are foundational. They're foundational for us to understand and to have a proper theological understanding of who the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is. Why seven, you might ask? Well, the fourth gospel is a finite book. Jesus may have actually said more than seven, but only seven have been recorded by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Seven is, after all, the number of completeness, we know that. And I couldn't imagine any less would suffice to describe the beauty and the wonder and the goodness of our Lord. The goodness of his person and the goodness of his work. And after all, if John did intend to be exhaustive, then all the books in the world would not suffice, would they? So we're grateful for the veracity of these truths.

We're grateful that the Lord has given us these seven I Am statements, that we are able to meditate upon them as a church, as a family, and I trust as we do that the Lord will deepen and enrichen our understanding of our Lord and our love for Him. So, in our systematic verse-by-verse approach to the fourth gospel, together we've already considered the first of these statements back in chapter 6. Can you remember what it is? I am the bread of life. You may remember that.

On a day after feeding the many thousands of people on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was on the other side and he was in the synagogue. And you might remember that the people who have all had a meal, who filled their bellies and were completely satisfied with what I would think would have been the best bread they have ever eaten. They came over to the other side of the sea. Why were they over the other side on the next day? They came over because although the day earlier they were satisfied, they were filled and satisfied with food, this is the next day.

And they were hungry again. And it's in that context that our Lord declares, I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. In other words, He's telling these people who have followed Him for the wrong reasons, by the way, Is it pursuing that which perishes rather than that which endures unto everlasting or eternal life? He's telling these people, flour and water is not your greatest need. I am.

I am your greatest need. Because if you eat of me, that is to believe upon me, the true bread from heaven, you will enjoy soul satisfying, life giving, spiritual food that will not give you temporal satisfaction as you experienced yesterday, but rather an eternal gratification of the soul. I am the bread of life. You see, all the I am statements in this book The incarnate son of God speaks profound truths, and those truths speak to something of himself, and they're truths that the audience are able to relate to, in terms that they can also understand. Because behind the words and the pictures and the metaphors in these statements are glorious spiritual truths that transcend the here and the now and go deeper into a reality that pertains to eternal life or eternal death.

And for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, these weighty realities in the I Am statements of our Lord reveal a truth about our Lord while bringing at the same time a desperate, a truth that brings or bears upon the soul of a person who's listening the desperate spiritual need they have for the great I Am. And it is the great I Am alone who can satisfy that need of theirs. There are seven such statements, as I said earlier. I am the bread of life. The one we'll be examining this evening is, I am the light of the world.

I am the gate or the door. Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. He'll go on and say, I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth and the life. and I am the true vine.

Glorious statements. We've addressed one, we'll address another this evening and by God's grace we'll continue our way through the gospel and address them all if the Lord extends our days. Verse 12. Again Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

But like I said earlier, the concept of light is incredibly, incredibly rich through sacred writ. And in fact, even just preparing for this sermon, my mind was actually flooded with what to say. But I'll narrow it down for us, because I want us to remember something, something that's very important. That the words that Jesus uttered, that I am the light of the world, were spoken originally to a audience. A live audience.

We have the words written for us and praise be to God for that. But that was spoken to a live audience. And that's the context that will help us understand what Jesus meant. Just like bread was on the mind of the Galileans when Jesus said, I am the bread of life. So too is light now on the mind of the people listening to our Lord in the temple precinct in Jerusalem.

And light is in their mind in possibly more ways than one. Now if you remember when we began Chapter 7, about six months ago, I explained that there were particular rites and rituals that were customary for the Jews as they engaged in these festivals joyfully one with the other in the Holy City. Now some of these rites and rituals were commanded by the Lord, such as the different offerings and the sacrifices and so forth. But some are not in the Old Testament. Some weren't commanded by the Lord, they were started by the Jews.

And over time, year after year, they were passed down from generation to another, and those became traditions that had passed down. Traditions that they engaged in, in the particular feasts. I mentioned a few weeks ago that there were a couple of these that were really pertinent to the chapters that were before us in chapter 7 and chapter 8. One was the ritual of the pouring of water. You may remember that the priests in procession would go to a nearby pool called the Pool of Siloam and it was a fresh water pool and they would carry some water from the pool and make their way back up into the temple and then they would pour that water on the base of the altar in the temple.

And that was in commemoration of Yahweh providing the people of Israel water in their wilderness. And it was about that time, at the climax of that ritual, towards the end of the seven-day feast, when Jesus stood up, if you remember, chapter 7, and He declared these words, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Of course, there's a deeper and more profound meaning than the ritual or the custom of the Jews. And we looked into that, because scripture explains scripture. But it is profound that this is what the people had on their mind, water.

And Jesus says, if you thirst, come to me and enjoy thirst-quenching water, where within you will flow rivers of living water. But also, another of these rituals I mentioned a few weeks ago was the lighting of Jerusalem with four huge oil lamps. These lamps stood some 15 to 20 meters tall, about four of them in the temple precincts. and they were oil filled and they were burnt or they were lit in the evening and most accounts would say that they actually provided light for most of the city. It was an incredible, incredible thing for these people.

It was really a spectacle. Now I want you to remember that this was the first century. So you and I may actually be unimpressed if we saw it today, because you and I know that lighting has come a long way, or lighting technology has really come a long way. Most of us have driven by the sporting stadiums, and as we drive by we see those big poles with all these floodlights on those poles. Some poles are up to 80, 85 metres high, and they produce this incredible brilliant light, some millions of luminous in power.

So if we were there, and if we were to see this display, we may be unimpressed. But you have to remember, this is the first century folk. And for them, this was awesome. This was incredible. This sort of light that lit up the city was amazing for them.

It was a highlight for them. The first century people had a greater appreciation of light than you and I, because they couldn't just go there and flick a switch like we can. The sun was their main source of light. And all their activities, when the sun set, that was the end of the day. That's just how it worked.

It was pretty simple. For the most part, that's when all their activities came to an end. And it was shortly after sunset, it was bedtime. No work could be done after sun, because there was thick darkness. And they would stumble, and they would fall over each other.

And there was many dangers in the night. Sure, they had lamps, yes. But the fuel for those lamps was olive oil. And olive oil was expensive. Now, if you were well off, you'd have those lamps always lit.

But for most people, apart, well, most people who weren't that well off in the first century, we know that. And apart from special occasions, those lamps, that would have been used sparingly. So, at the time of the feast, when those big four lamps stood over 15, maybe 20 meters high in temple precincts and flooded their lights over the city, well, that was exciting. Why? Well, for starters, their days were extended.

Sun comes down, the day's not over. They can come into the temple and they can enjoy several hours of added festivity and they were singing one with the other in joy. They would dance with one another. It was a glorious time for them. And beloved, the light, as long as those lamps continue to be lit, Any dangers, any hazards are seen for what they are.

And they could be avoided. It didn't matter. It didn't matter what time of night it was for either the locals or the pilgrims. Because you remember at the time of feast there was many pilgrims in the thousands that would come to Jerusalem. In fact, Jerusalem would swell up by three, four, even five times the population.

So, and the people, the pilgrims that came by, especially in the Feast of Booths, they would make, make, makeshift tents around the place, flimsy booths, that's why the name. And they would, and they would live in those temporary dwellings. And so when it was night, and it didn't matter how late it was, as long as those lamps were lit, they were quite comfortable because they knew when it was time for them to walk back home, their paths were lit. They had a reasonable amount of safety and security in their hearts to know they'll go back to their homes in one piece. But of course, the lamp rituals didn't begin out of nothing.

These bright, illuminating lamps were actually a reminder for these people. Remember, it's the time of the Festival of Booths. And that festival itself is a commemoration of Yahweh's provision for his ancestors in the wilderness for 40 years, that he provided for them from the departure from Egypt, as we heard this evening, all the way until he brought them to the promised land, the land he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And those lamps were an add-on to the festival that God hadn't commanded, but they were added on by the people to commemorate or to remember the pillar of fire which expelled the darkness and illuminated the light and the path of that wilderness generation. That's what they were commemorating.

The manifest presence and glory of Yahweh. with these bright lights. The cloud by day, we know, and the pillar of light by night. And it should still be fresh in our minds, because we're working our way through the book of Numbers, and it's only two chapters ago, that means two weeks ago, that we addressed the passage that spoke to these things in detail. Numbers chapter 9.

But the light, beloved, the pillar of fire that the people of Israel had before them, The manifest presence and the glory of God in the night was absolutely crucial as they walked in the darkness. Because where they were was a dangerous place. And apart from that light, they would have perished. Think of the dangers. Opposing nations, bandits, robbers, wild animals, and the list goes on.

But the light of the manifest presence of God revealed the path that they could travel. And it brought safety and security to what otherwise would have been a very frightening situation in the desert wastelands, a place that was almost lifeless. And so I believe that Jesus' words, I am the light of the world in chapter 8, have that in mind. the pillar of fire, the manifest presence and glory of God. And if that's what is in view, and I believe it is, beloved, this is a huge statement.

Actually, it's a massive statement. Because the Jews that were listening, they all knew exactly what took place 1,500 years ago. Now it shouldn't be a surprise to us because the Apostle John has been setting the scene for us in the last three chapters. Chapter 6, 7 and now in chapter 8. We've always had to, in those chapters, we've had to look back to the wilderness generation to interpret what Jesus was saying and to interpret the works that he was doing.

You may remember. We had to look back to that generation and we saw that there were many types and shadows that we saw back then. And then we look back into the present of our text, and we see that Jesus is the greater fulfillment of all those things. Think about the parallels. In chapter 6, he has us looking back, and it's the bread that is in view.

Supernaturally, Yahweh provided manna to sustain the physical lives of the wilderness generation. We heard about that this evening. But that manna was a type pointing to a greater fulfillment. And that fulfillment comes in Christ, who says, I am the true bread from heaven. I am the bread of life.

The manna sustained the people for a season, but they all end up dying physically, did they not? Many in the wilderness, because of disobedience. But Jesus is saying, but if you eat of me, you will never hunger again. In me, you will have eternal life. Of course, he's comparing the physical with the spiritual now.

greater spiritual reality in Christ. In chapter 7, he has us looking back again, but this time it's not bread for hunger, but water for thirst. That's what's in view. We know the wilderness generation grumbled at Meribah. We heard them grumble over many things this evening, but they were grumbling because they got thirsty in Meribah.

And we also know what Yahweh did, what the Lord did. He gave them water. He provided for them water from the rock. He said to Moses, strike the rock. And he did, and water gushed out to satisfy their thirsts.

But although they drank every day, beloved, they also all end up dying as well, physically speaking. But in chapter 7, it's Jesus who says, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart flows rivers of living water. He alone is the one who can satisfy the soul. He alone is the one who can eternally satisfy the thirsty heart.

And now in chapter 8, at the same time of the Feast of Booths, our Lord is having us to look back again, I believe, to the wilderness generation. But this time, not to Yahweh's provision in bread or water, but His provision in His presence, in His guidance, and His protection of His people manifested through the cloud in the day and the pillar at night. And that pillar, beloved, was a bright light. It was a bright burning light that illuminated the path. Remember there was a lot of people.

We heard today 600,000 fighting men that would have been close to one and a half maybe two million Israelites. And the pillar of light was brightening up their path for them to walk through. I would call it a brilliant light. So Jesus says, I am the light. of the world.

And so as with previous chapters, I think we're meant to look back. Look back to the wilderness generation, which is fresh on these people's minds, to understand our Lord's meaning. While at the same time recognize that He, as with chapter 6 and chapter 7, and every time Jesus opens His mouth and gets us to look back, He is the greater fulfillment of what took place in the Old Testament. And if that's our reference to look back and how do we understand our Lord's words, I am the light of the world. What is Jesus actually saying?

Beloved, I submit to you, despite knowing the indignation and the hatred and the agitation that the people had towards him, the Jews in particular, he now states something that is so bold, it is absolutely incredible. No wonder why in a few moments' time, the Jews will actually try to arrest him. We'll see that a little later. And before the end of the chapter, they'll actually pick up stones to try to kill him. That's how provocative the words of our Lord are.

And frankly, beloved, when one actually understands what he's claiming, there's only two courses of action available. And it's the same courses of actions that are still available now when one hears the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's either you recognize His words as truth, and you submit to his words, submit to him and worship him as he is, as God, or you declare him to be totally out of his mind. Dismiss him to be either a person who is out of his mind, or even worse, a blasphemer, an arrogant blasphemer who is worthy of the death penalty. Because if by stating that he is the light of the world, he's referring to that light, That glorious light in the wilderness.

The manifest glory of the presence of God. And Jesus is doing nothing less than identifying Himself, hear this, as Yahweh. As God Himself. And that's huge. Open with me to Exodus.

Exodus chapter 13. Let's start reading from verse 17. This is the first time the glory cloud is mentioned. I think we can learn a lot from this passage. Exodus chapter 13 from verse 17.

People of Israel are on the brink of being rescued from the bondage in Egypt. And he reads, When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. 18. But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness towards the Red Sea.

And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, and Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here. 20 And they moved on from Sakoth, and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. Now I want you to hear this, verse 21. And the Lord went before them.

by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people." Do you see why? Do you see why I said that what Jesus is saying before these Jews in the temple in Jerusalem at the time of the ending of the Feast of Booths is so incredibly bold and provocative towards the religious leaders of the day? It's because of what it is written in verse 21.

Because it wasn't simply a cloud or a pillar of fire that God sent to lead His people. He didn't just send them a cloud. or a pillar of fire to light up the night? Did you hear what he said? He said, and the Lord went before them in the cloud by day and the pillar by night.

Yahweh went before them in the pillar of fire. The Jews in the temple in Jerusalem knew this very well. This and other passages like it would have been likely read at the time of this feast. Because they were commemorating the goodness of Yahweh. His provision upon their ancestors some 1500 years earlier.

And now Jesus is claiming to be the light of the world. It's incredible. And the word used here for light is the same word that is used to describe the radiance that comes from fire. All this at the very time that the Jews were commemorating the light that was coming from the manifest presence and glory of Yahweh that leaped the way for the Israelites in the wilderness. So no doubt they began to put two and two together.

Identifying Himself with the manifest presence and the glory of Yahweh. is what Christ is doing and beloved we must remember that's a glory that Yahweh will share with no other. Isaiah 42.8 so with the simplest of words Jesus is saying that glory back then That glory that you're commemorating with all your rituals, and you're commemorating at this feast, that glorious pillar of fire, the manifest glory and presence of God, back then, that's mine. That belongs to me, is what Jesus is saying.

He's claiming deity of himself. And I think the Jews knew it. That's why quickly the Pharisees begin to refute him and deny his testimony. But I think they need some more clarification, and when they get it, towards the end of the chapter, they pick up stones. But beloved, you and I shouldn't be surprised.

We've seen these sort of bold statements from the mouth of our Lord, statements to testify to his deity, that he's divine in nature, as well as human in nature. He has two natures, one person. And John himself from the onset has already told us, the Apostle John, as much in the prologue, has he not? Remember the prologue is the high Christology that is all laid out in the first few verses of this book. And then the rest of the book is actually fleshing out those incredible high and lofty truths about our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because in the first verse of the first chapter of this book we read, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was The Word was God. A few verses later we are told that the Word is the true Light. John the Baptist is not the Light. He came to testify of the Light. And the Word is the Light of God.

And then later on in verse 14 we hear these words that probably most of us have memorized. And the Word became what? Flesh. and dwelt among us. No doubt, no doubt it's speaking about Christ here.

That Christ is divine. And just in case we don't get it, the same author in his first epistle writes these words as plain as day. He writes, God is light. And in him there is no darkness at all. God is light.

What's Jesus saying? I am the light of the world. It's a claim to deity. So as Yahweh's presence was with His people some 1,500 years ago in His manifested glory, so too is Yahweh, the only God of the universe, present now, Jesus is saying, fully and more fully in the temple, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. And this was foretold in Isaiah chapter 7.

Again, another passage we know when He was given the word or the name Immanuel. And what does Immanuel mean? God is with us. Beloved, I said earlier that the types and the shadows are wonderful, but the fulfillment in Jesus is far more wonderful, far more glorious, greater yet. And we see that here as well.

Because in the old, The pillar of fire was the manifest presence of God in the glory cloud. But in Christ, the light of the world, He, that is God, is fully revealed in His Son. No one has ever seen God. The only God who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known. He has exegeted Him.

He has brought Him out and put Him on display. He has revealed God. The only way you can come to God is through Jesus Christ. That's what John is telling us. So Jesus is claiming to be God incarnate.

But there are many parallels that we can draw from the illuminating cloud in the Old Testament. I'll give you a couple more quickly and we'll move on. It offered protection. Remember back in Israel, back when Israel departed from Egypt, it wasn't long before Pharaoh, his heart had changed, we're told. And then he began with his armies to pursue the people of Israel.

And they came to a very difficult situation, because what they had in front of them was the Red Sea, and they had the armies of Pharaoh coming in. But God, Yahweh, opens up the Red Sea, and they begin to cross. And then Pharaoh and his armies, his armies get an opportunity to begin to pursue the Israelites. And then we have these incredible words in Exodus chapter 14 verse 24. He says, And in the morning watch the Lord, hear this, the Lord in the pillar of fire, that is the manifest presence and glory of God, and the cloud look down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic.

Hear this. Clogging their wheels. And so they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, let us flee from Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians. He protected his people.

He made himself known by giving them his name, the great I am, Yahweh. He told them who he is. He was present with his people in the cloud in the day and in the pillar of fire at night, and he also offered protection. his people. Another parallel is that he guided his people and he led his people in a foreign place, in a wilderness, in an exile.

They were pilgrims, remember. We saw again, we saw this in Exodus chapter 13, a passage we read a little bit earlier, but I think it's clearer again in Nehemiah chapter 9 verse 12. Just hear what he says. Speaking about the wilderness generation, it's written, "...by a pillar of cloud, you," that is Yahweh, "...

led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night," hear this, "...to light for them the way in which they should go." He leads his people. He guides his people. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

God did not rescue his people from bondage in Egypt and put them into a wilderness they had no idea about and said, go fend for yourself. I've given Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I promised them, go find it yourself. He doesn't do that. He leads them. He guides them.

He gives commands to tell them, go now or stop, stay here, remain camp or go. There's no autonomy among the people of God. Like, we'll go this way and another goes that way. No. He has given them instruction and He leads His people and He guides His people.

We see this. Otherwise, if anyone of the people was to rebel against this God, rebel against that light, the path that He's broken or He's lit, so they would walk in. If there was anyone who would rebel, they would walk into what? Darkness. There was only that one light.

None other. They can walk into darkness, but they'll perish on their own in the wilderness. Much more we could say. But I'll move on. I said earlier, the fulfillment of the types and the shadows is found in Jesus of old.

But his work is greater. The old is wonderful and had a purpose. But the light shines brighter in Christ. Two things I'll quickly mention. The first is also come to uncover a mystery of old.

You think of the word mystery and think of how the Apostle Paul uses that term. And that is that Christ is, I don't know if you missed it, but he says, I am the light of Israel, right? No, no. I am the light of the world. The people of God, God's people are no longer only the Jews.

Yes, salvation is of the Jews. Jesus said that in John chapter 4 to the Samaritan woman. Because He is born of the Jews and the Jews have the oracles of God. But His salvation in Christ will reach to every tribe and nation and people and language. And that's a glorious news because that means the Gentiles have been included into the people of God.

And that, no doubt, is a glorious thing for all of us here, because from my understanding, there are very little, if any of us, who are Jews. We're Gentiles. And we've been included because of the work of Jesus Christ. Now having said that, the Jews would have been even further agitated at Jesus Christ when he said that, because they wouldn't have been impressed. Actually, we've seen, we've worked our way through the Book of Acts, we've just finished it.

How about every time the Apostle Paul mentions the Jews? I mentioned, my apologies, the Gentiles. What is the reaction of the Jewish establishment or the religious leaders? It's not a good one, is it? And beloved, the second thing I want to mention about how Christ's work is greater, because I'm giving the example between the glory cloud of old and Christ being the light of the world, is that when the Israelites were led in the wilderness by the cloud in the day and the pillar of fire at night, you remember the Lord led them for 40 years in order to bring them to the promised land flowing with milk and honey.

And that was a glorious time for them. But really, was that the rest that they were looking for? Beloved, Canaan was a temporal land, a temporal inheritance. In fact, because of their disobedience, they have lost the land. But the light of Christ, through His Spirit and by His Word, And His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

He leads His people to a better inheritance. One that cannot be lost. One that He has purchased one with a guarantee for his people. And I think the Apostle Peter says it best when he says, it's an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. A better inheritance.

He's leading us through the wilderness into a better inheritance. Christ is greater than the types and the shadows. But beloved, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Because these glorious blessings that I've just mentioned, they're not for everyone. Do you see what Jesus is saying in verse 12?

It's His words, not mine. He says, Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world, whoever Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness. These incredible blessings, beloved, that we've just discussed, are to be enjoyed by those who follow after Christ. In other words, they are reserved for His disciples.

Church, this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where it gets really serious. Because everything we've considered so far is of zero benefit to every man or woman or child. Zero benefit! Unless they become followers of Jesus Christ.

That's what Jesus is saying. Personally knowing God having Him present with us on our journey in the wilderness, His protection over our lives, His personal leading and guidance through His Word and by His Spirit in the pilgrimage that we're in because we are sojourners and strangers, we're told, to safely have us reach our final destination, that promised inheritance that Peter spoke of. that cannot and will not become a reality in your life or mine unless we become disciples of Jesus Christ. Because apart from Him, we remain in darkness. And if in darkness, not only are you devoid of light, but it's devoid of life itself.

That's what verse 12 last phrase in verse 12 is telling us. Here's the essence. One cannot be a disciple unless the light of the world first does what light does best. And what does light do best? It invades the darkness.

It needs to invade. His awesome, brilliant light of Jesus Christ needs to invade the darkness, the pitch black darkness of the sinful soul. Exposing the depravity within. Revealing the true state of the natural heart before a perfect God. A perfect thrice holy God whose standards are absolute perfection.

That light reveals, that light exposes, that light leaves one bare and naked to be able to see and be aware of the pitiful state they're in, the helpless state they're in and their absolute desperate need for redemption. And that light shines into the heart. It's only then that the eyes are able to see in the light of Christ that he and he alone is the only Saviour able to rescue them from pitch darkness of their soul. Only He is able to rescue them from their sins. In that light it is the grace of God that is seen in all its beauty.

Because He is the one who gifts you with faith to trust in Him for forgiveness of sins. bringing you to His glorious light of life and where there is light there is life. To enjoy His grace. He makes us disciples and He reconciles us to the only God of the universe of whom we were once enemies. The question we have to ask is this.

Have we entered into that light? Have we entered into that light? Has that light pervaded our darkness and revealed what is there? Beloved, how do we enter into the light of Christ? Well, it's simple.

Ask another question. Have you placed your trust in Christ and in Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins? You see, what he says in John 12 is profound. Jesus says, I have come into the world as light. I've come into the world as light so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

Beloved, we believe in God's elective purposes. We believe that it is God who initiates, it's God who invades the heart and the soul and brings salvation and life where there was only death and depravity. We believe that. But here we have a mandate and Christ says that those who believe in Him will not remain in darkness but will be brought into the light. So when someone asks you, how do I know?

What our response ought to be is, have you come to believe in Jesus? Have you thrown yourself at the feet of Christ? Have you embraced Him by faith as the only Redeemer and Saviour of your own soul? Has His light pervaded your dark sinful hearts? Have we come to believe in Jesus?

Why do we remain in darkness? Because beloved, it's so clear. The Bible is so clear. Darkness is the default position of the human heart in Adam. And that means it's the default position for every human being who's ever been born apart from Christ.

That's what Jesus says. He says, I've come into the world as light so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. Where were they before? In darkness. He's able to drag them out of the darkness and bring them into His glorious light.

Have you by faith come to Him and believe upon Him and Him alone to forgive your sins, to remove you from darkness and bring you into His glorious light? Or are you still, as the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter four, verse 17, darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God? That is a scary place to be. Our brother earlier said that it is scary to be one who complains even in the heart against God. I agree completely.

But to be alienated from the life of God, Boy, that ought to bring terror to our bones. And beloved, if Christ is the only source and the substance of life itself, the life of God, then to reject His light is to reject what? Life. To reject His light is to reject life. Because there is no other way.

There is no other light. Did you see the definite article in the sentence, in the declaration of our Lord? He said, I am the light of the world. He didn't say, I am a light of the world. I am the light of the world.

No other light. Apart from Jesus Christ, there is only eerie, gloomy darkness. Apart from Christ, there is no life. There is only death. That's the default for every man.

A depraved heart that loves darkness. A heart that runs away from the exposing light. Like Jesus said in John chapter 3 from verse 19 when he says, And this is the judgment. The light has come into the world, and the people love darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works be exposed.

Why don't people come to the light? Why don't people come to the light? The glorious light of Christ, the glorious salvation that is on. Why don't people come to the light? The answer is given to us from the mouth of our Lord, because they love their sin.

They love the darkness. They don't want to be exposed. And beloved, you and I were exactly that. Before He saved us, we loved the darkness. We loved our sin.

We don't want to be exposed. That's a scary place to be in the light, isn't it? Where you're exposed and everything is revealed, everything is naked and laid bare before the all-seeing eye of God himself. It's a scary place to be. Those who remain in darkness, they're not concerned with that.

Because they love their sin. No one can see. Therefore no one knows. God knows. God knows.

He knows the intent and the thoughts of our hearts. He knows our actions. He knows what we do with our hands, what we do with our eyes, what we hear with our ears. He knows it all. Nothing is hidden from His all-seeing eye.

Nothing. Nothing. Beloved, if we remain in that darkness, then we don't have eyes to see that we are indeed in the gravest of danger. And that's a scary place to be. Because for the most part, many who are embracing sin and love the darkness are oblivious of its dangers.

Unless the Lord gives us eyes to see we will never be able to see. And this is why Jesus says to Nicodemus, you remember Nicodemus? That teacher, the teacher of Israel, the big brain, the theologian of the day, probably the professor of theology of the day. Jesus says to Nicodemus, who's the expert in religion, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, you cannot what? See.

You cannot see the Kingdom of God. Why? Because you remain in darkness and you don't have spiritual eyes to see. There's only pitch black darkness, spiritually speaking, and you are spiritually blind apart from Christ. You can grope and fumble around.

All you want is what the word tells us. But you'll only find darkness and more darkness and more despair and more darkness. Because, beloved, there is only one light. There is only one revealer of God to mankind. There is only one Savior and there is only one way to life and that is through the life, the light of life.

And the Apostle John has already told us in chapter 1 verse 4 he says, in him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. That's a glorious passage. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. To enjoy the infinite blessings in Christ.

To whom it's in Christ that all the spiritual blessings are found. We know that in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3. To enjoy those blessings, beloved, one must be a follower of Christ. Must be a disciple of Jesus. And to become a disciple, as I said earlier, is to believe upon Him for the salvation of the soul.

He has revealed the darkness of the soul, and rather than run back into the darkness, we remain there and we acknowledge and we embrace Him by faith. I honestly think this verse is in the most perfect place in the Bible, because we have a perfectly beautiful example of that exact reality, only in the passage or the paragraph that comes before. You remember? It's the narrative of the woman that was caught in the act of adultery. You remember the story?

The Jews come and drag her in, and they place the cross, and they press him against the wall and say, you need to tell us what to do, hoping that he will refute the law. But he doesn't, and he's incredibly wise. But in that moment, everyone's sin is revealed. Everyone's sin is revealed. He is without sin.

Let him cast the first stone. So what you have is you have a situation where you have the woman who's caught in the act of adultery who's there and she's all exposed. She's ashamed. She's a sinner. And then you have also you have the Jews and the scribes we're told who now like they were accusers and they wanted Jesus.

They didn't care about her life and now Jesus says some really heart-pissing words and reveals and exposes their very content of their hearts. He shines his light upon them with his words. His word is a light. And he shines his light with his words. And now you have a situation where all of them have the light of Christ shining upon them, and now you see the reactions.

What is the reactions? What do the scribes and the Pharisees do? We're told one by one, they depart. Turn their back on the only Saviour. Turn their back on the only light, sole source of light and life.

They turn their back and they walk away from the Saviour. It's like them scattering away slowly. We don't want to be here. You've exposed us. You've shown the contents of our hearts.

We're sinners and we don't want to be here anymore. We don't like to be exposed. Deal with your sin. No, no, no. We love us.

And we're going back into darkness. Who remains? She was accused as a sinner, and she didn't defend herself, because obviously she was. So what does she do? I love it.

She remains in the light, because that's where there is life. That's where there's salvation. That's where there's redemption. That's where Jesus is, in the light. And as a result, Jesus looks upon her and says, these men These men, they don't condemn you.

But she didn't care about those men. Because the only words that matter are from the mouth of Jesus Christ. For He is the judge of all the world. And when Jesus says, neither do I condemn you, beloved, they are the sweetest words to any ears. Neither do I condemn you.

A load falls off her back. The Son of God is not going to condemn me. The only judge that matters is not going to condemn me. And then he says, now go and sin no more. And that's the point Jesus is making.

that to be a follower of Christ is not simply a fact to believe upon Him and then go back into your own life, but just declare with your mouth that I've come to believe in Him. It's not just a declaration of the mouth. It's not an intellectual thing where we just say, I believe that there was once a person 2,000 years ago who came. His name was Jesus. He was a great guy.

He died on the cross. I'm going to believe in Him. And then that doesn't change your lives. Because those words are meaningless unless there is an internal change. To be a follower after Christ is to embrace him by faith, but that trust is a working trust.

It's an active trust. James says, faith without deeds is what? Is dead. It's dead. So it's to embrace him, to believe upon him, and to remain with him.

and walk in His light as children of the light. It is to acknowledge that apart from Him I can do nothing. It is to acknowledge that I am in and of myself. I am a sinner. I am wretched.

I cannot save myself. I don't have the ability to correct my life. I don't have the ability to live better, to be more moral, to love God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind, to love my neighbor as myself. I don't have that ability. You don't have that ability, and neither do I, beloved.

That must come from an external source, who is God, who now resides in us through His Spirit, and He guides us through His Word. His light is a lamp unto my feet. A light. unto my path. O Beloved, I pray, I pray that these words in Colossians chapter 1 verse 13 are real to every one of your hearts.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Oh, how I hope, I hope that all of us are able to utter the words of Ephesians, chapter five, eight through 10, where it says, for at one time you were in darkness, but now you are in the light of the Lord. To be in the light of the Lord, as I said earlier, it means to trust in him, but to actively obey him as well. To be rescued from the darkness, as I said earlier, and then to walk in the light. Because that verse in Ephesians continues, where it says, For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are in the light of the Lord.

Walk as children of the light. Walk as children of the light. Don't go back to the darkness. Don't go back to those sins. Don't go back to the things that once used to give you the gratification of the flesh.

Don't go back to things you used to see with your eyes or hear with your ears or do with your hands. Don't go back. Understand the mercy of God upon your soul. Know the glory of the Savior. Know what it is to live in the light of Christ.

Not to go back into the darkness where there is only death. Life is where Christ is. And in darkness there is only death. For at one time you were in the darkness, but you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.

And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. There is only one life, beloved. There is only one life. One source and substance of life. There is only one savior.

He's the one who stood in temple grounds and he declared, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Let's pray.