John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
God Is The Source Of All Light
"light" is a very interesting thing. Light allows us to see colors. Light is made up of different wavelengths or colors, and white light is the combination of every color. When sunlight lands on a colored surface, the reflected wavelengths are what cause us to see the color. For instance, if something is RED, the RED WAVELENGTH is reflected back to our eyes, but all the other colors of the light are absorbed. So you see RED. There are different forms of light, some visible and some not. When we think of light, we think of the SUN as it is the biggest visible source of light. One commentary notes:
"Light waves have different forms: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. Sunlight is a source of visible light and ultraviolet radiation. X-rays and gamma rays are used in medical diagnosis, cancer treatment, and security."
The Bible tells us that God created light before He created the sun or the stars. God did not create the darkness, but the Light.
Genesis 1:3-5 (ESV) And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
God did not make the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars until the FOURTH DAY of creation (Genesis 1:14-19). Light existed apart from these objects because God is the Source of Light. This is why God made LIGHT first, then the stars and heavenly light sources 4 days later. God did not make the darkness, but controlled the darkness with HIS LIGHT.
There were people who have worshiped things they see in nature. Ancient unbelievers worshiped the SUN and the MOON, believing that these were gods who gave us light and life. In ancient Egypt the sun god Re was a primary god who was born, grew, and died every day. The Sun worshipers believed that "the sun sets out as the young god Kheper; appears at noon in the zenith as the full-grown sun, Re; and arrives in the evening at the western region in the shape of the old sun god, Atum". The true God of the Scripture creates LIGHT apart from the heavenly bodies so that His people do not confuse the created with the Creator.
1 John 1:5 … God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
God is LIGHT apart from the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. God is the Source of all Light. No plant will grow without LIGHT. Plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and sugars so they can live. Things did not evolve – they were created by God, Who is …
James 1:17 … the Father of Lights, with Whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning …
Psalm 18:28 For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
God Is Also The Source Of SPIRITUAL
And MORAL Light
When Jesus said:
John 8:12 I am THE light of the world…
He was claiming to be the only unique Spiritual Light in this entire world. Jesus did not say "I am A Light", that is, one Light among many. Jesus said "I am THE Light". There are no other Lights, no other Spiritual powers in the world. Jesus was claiming something for Himself that only God can do. In the Old Testament, the True Light is God and the false light is satan. The Prophet said:
Micah 7:8 … the LORD will be my LIGHT
The ancient Jews knew that spiritual LIGHT comes from God, not from man. The Shepherd David stood strong before Goliath because he affirmed:
Psalm 27:1 (ESV) The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Jesus Christ – the Son of God, Incarnate among us – declared that "I am THE light of the world". When Jesus came into the world, many who loved the darkness began to reject Him and find fault with Him. The last words our Lord Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a high ranking Pharisee, was...
John 3:16-21 (ESV) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
Illustrate: I was sharing with a Pastor friend the other day more of my checkered youth. I remember when I and my friend decided to break into a grocery store at night to rob it. We did break in, but tripped an alarm, and got away in the dark with nothing but misery. Why do I tell you this? Because the devil and his children do what they do IN THE DARK. When Jesus came, they hated Him because He shined the light of God on their evil deeds. The devil and his kind will cloak sinfulness in one of two ways:
1. Do it in the dark, or,
2. Lie, and convince everyone that darkness is actually light.
When I and my friend went to rob that store, we didn't set up lights around the store. We didn't do it in the light of day. We waited until a moonless night, snuck in under darkness, and crept about quietly. Those who do evil DO NOT want the Light of God shined on what they are doing. It is so much better for their conscience if they can,
Convince you to be "woke",
Coerce you to "join the dark crowd",
Call you to deny God's Light, and
Croon you into the darkness.
The Bible warns us that …
Isaiah 5:20-23 (KJV) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (21) Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (22) Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: (23) Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Illustrate: It is dangerous to walk in the darkness. The other day our electric power went down at our home – throughout our neighborhood. Suddenly everything that was familiar was dangerous and unfamiliar. I carefully felt my way through the house until I got to my closet where I keep my lanterns and flashlights. What a relief it was when I got the lanterns turned on, and I could walk safely.
The lights are out in our nation, and in many of our local Churches. When a nation and a people can no longer distinguish between good and evil, that people are quickly on their way to destruction. Any nation that is no longer a nation today started on a pathway of destruction when it's people ceased to recognize the difference between good and evil. We must have a way to determine good from evil. We must have a rule that we live by, a standard, else we are no more than
Matthew 15:14 (KJV) ... blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."
Jesus Christ is "THE light of the world". Just as God was THE LIGHT of the world before there was any Sun, Moon, or Stars, Jesus christ is THE MANIFEST LIGHT of the world. Jesus told the woman taken in adultery:
John 8:11 (KJV) … Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Christ forgave her for her sin because she was REPENTANT. So Jesus told her GO, but not "GO BACK TO YOUR PREVIOUS LIFESTYLE". Jesus told her "go, and sin no more". Those who are in Christ walk in the Light. Those who are saved are called to walk in proximity to the will and Word of God. King David said:
Psalm 56:13 (ESV) For You {O God} have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
God saves His people by faith from the bondage of sin and darkness. "Blessed are the people … who walk, O LORD, IN THE LIGHT OF YOUR FACE" (Psalm 89:15, ESV)". "Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God." (Isaiah 50:10, ESV). The world walks in the darkness of sin, rejecting Christ and God's Word. Jesus said of Himself:
John 11:10 (ESV) … "if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."
John 12:35 (ESV) … "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going."
Jesus came to this earth to "call sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32). Repentance means to TURN from following what YOU think is Light, and to BEGIN following the Light of God in Christ. Jesus said:
John 8:12 (KJV) I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Word Study: The word translated "have" is the Greek echÅ, which means "to have, hold, possess as one's property". The Christian is a creature of LIGHT. We walk TOGETHER in the LIGHT OF CHRIST. "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 Corinthians 1:7).
The Devil Challenges Christ
John 8:13-14 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record {martyria, witness}is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
The Pharisees challenge Jesus, claiming that He is a liar! They refuse to receive Jesus as "The Light of the World". If Jesus is "The Light of the World", this would make Jesus out to be God. The Pharisees would not receive Jesus as God, but instead said that "He did the miraculous by the power of Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24), the prince of demons". Jesus challenged the Pharisees, and said "my record {martyria, witness} is true". Jesus knew from where He came, and where He was going. Jesus knew the scope of His power. The Pharisees did not know this. Jesus told them:
John 8:15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
The Pharisees judged from the outward appearance. They saw Jesus in His earthly flesh. The Pharisees did not actually keep the Law of God, but kept the portions of the Law that suited them. The Pharisees amplified the Law in areas, and twisted the Word of God out of shape, so as to justify doing what they thought was right. But Jesus came to perfectly carry the Word of God to our world. Jesus Christ is the "Faithful Witness":
Revelation 1:5 … Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead
Why is Jesus called "THE Faithful Witness"? John Watson said:
"No one has yet discovered the word Jesus ought to have said, none suggested the better word he might have said. No action of his has shocked our moral sense. None has fallen short of the ideal. He is full of surprises, but they are all the surprises of perfection."
Jesus did not come to this earth with His own agenda, but came to do what the Father sent Him to do. Jesus frequently told His listeners:
John 5:19 Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
Jesus was not limited by POWER from doing anything, but He was limited by PURPOSE. Jesus came to this earth to represent the Father. He told His disciples:
John 14:9 (ESV) … Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
The Pharisees didn't like Jesus because He shined the Light of God the Father on them, proving that they were NOT following God but themselves. Every human who entered humanity – from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Israel – every human has fallen short of God's glory and standard. But when Jesus entered this earth through a Virgin, God became Man, and God the Father was visible to fallen man. We are told:
Hebrews 1:3 (ESV) {Jesus Christ} is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high ...
Jesus could say "I judge NO MAN" because He did everything according to the directive of the Father. Jesus then said:
John 8:16-18 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
The FATHER that sent Jesus BORE WITNESS OF HIM. How did the Father witness that Jesus is THE One and Only LIGHT of the World?
1. The Father bore witness through John the Baptist, who said of Jesus "This is THE Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29, 36). John the Baptist was God's Ambassador to present the Messiah to the world (see Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1).
2. The Father bore witness through the works that Christ did. Jesus said, "the works which the Father has given Me to finish–the very works that I do–bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me" (John 5:36). Even Nicodemus – a Pharisee – admitted this.
John 3:2 … "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."
3. The Father DIRECTLY testified that Jesus Christ is THE One and Only Christ. At His Baptism the Father said:
Matthew 3:17 (NKJV) … "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Later, at the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father said:
Matthew 17:5 (NKJV) … "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"
4. Finally, the Old Testament Prophesies of Who the Messiah would be affirmed Jesus Christ as the Light of the World. Jesus said:
John 5:39 (ESV) You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me ...
The Pharisees studied the Scriptures diligently, "but were not willing to come to Jesus to have life" (John 5:40). The reason people are not saved is because they are comfortable in their sin. They do NOT want to change. Everyone wants to go to Heaven – but no one wants to walk with God. Everyone wants to live forever – but no one wants to work for God.
To Know Jesus Is To Know The Father
John 8:19-20 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. 20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
You cannot know the Father unless you know Jesus. Jesus is the ONLY CONDUIT by which you can come to the Father. Jesus is THE LIGHT of the World. Because these Pharisees would not receive Jesus as the Messiah, they were shut off from God.
John 8:21-24 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. 22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. 23 And He said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
Jesus made some very profound statements above. The main point Jesus was making is this:
If you are not walking with Jesus NOW,
You will not go where Jesus BELONGS.
Jesus told them, "I am from above: ye are of this world". Jesus came from a totally different realm. Every human who was ever born came from this world. We were replicated by sexual activity. But Jesus is unique. Jesus is born of a virgin, born through the power of God the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). Jesus' Father is God Almighty. Jesus told the Pharisees,
if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins
What was Jesus saying? In the Old Testament one of the Names God used to define Himself was "I am he". God told Israel:
Deuteronomy 32:39-40 See now that I, even I am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. 40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
When Israel asked the question, "Who is the One and Only God?", God spoke up and said "I Am HE".
Isaiah 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.
Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isaiah 43:25 I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. (see also Isaiah 48:12; 46:4; 52:6).
"I am he" is one of the primary names God used for Himself, particularly through Isaiah the Prophet. Jesus told His disciples "Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he" (John 13:19, KJV). When Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Temple soldiers came to get Him. Jesus asked them, "Who are you seeking?" They replied, "Jesus of Nazareth". The Bible says:
John 18:5-8 … Jesus saith unto them, I am he. … 6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
Jesus Christ is God Incarnate, God in the flesh, God become Man to save sinful man by His death and resurrection. Unless you believe that Jesus is "I AM HE", then you will die in your sins.
The Pharisees were yet blind to Who Jesus is. Puzzled, they approach Him again:
John 8:25-28 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. 27 They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
It was only after Jesus was "lifted up" on the Cross of Calvary that many of His detractors realized Who He is. Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Jesus Christ is The Light of the World. Jesus Christ is the Faithful Witness from the Father. Jesus Christ is The Savior of those who believe in Him. I pray that you know Him, for TODAY is the day of salvation.
Amen and Amen!
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