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Jesus is The Light of The World

Jesus is our only source of spiritual LIGHT in the world.

In declaring Himself to be the “Light of the world,” Jesus was claiming that He is the exclusive source of spiritual light. And it is spiritual light which brings salvation – spiritual life. No other source of spiritual truth is available to mankind. Jesus is God.

So, Jesus makes this astounding claim: (John 8:12)  “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus might as well have said, “I am the Messiah.” “I am the Savior.” “I am the only source of truth that exists.” “I am the only way man can avoid eternal darkness.” In short, this is a divine claim and provides the remedy to every man’s death sentence because of sin. There are only two responses: following or rejecting Jesus.

(1)          DARKNESS CHARACTERIZES THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW CHRIST (John 8: 13-19)

“Darkness” describes man’s depravity – unregenerate sinners are the unsaved. They’ve rejected the truth and are therefore living under sin’s curse in darkness which leads to eternal death. The unsaved prefer darkness; their excuses assuage their guilt. Darkness is pervasive: it is subtle, and it is overt – News/media constant stream of terrorism, war, political discord, identity crises and the LGBTQ agenda. We see it pornography, and peoples’ daily behavior that has come to define this generation: anger, selfishness, greed, murder, theft, filthy language, all forms of abuse, homosexuality, bestiality, sanctioned racism, bigotry. But, if we’ve placed our FAITH in Christ, we should be reflecting the Son’s LIGHT so that a world that is saturated in darkness might be illuminated by the LIGHT of the WORLD!

(Luke 10:22)  All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” The only way anyone can know the Father is through the Son.

(2)          LIGHT CHARACTERIZES THOSE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST (v.12)

We don’t follow people we don’t trust; following Christ means trusting Him as Savior and obeying Him as Lord.

“People often say, ‘I wish I could have faith!’ But everybody lives by faith! All day long, people trust one another. They trust the doctor and the pharmacist; they trust the cook in the restaurant; they even trust the fellow driving in the other lane on the highway. If we can trust men, why can we not trust God? And not to trust Him is to make Him a liar.” (Warren Wiersbe: Be Real, p.176)

If following Christ means trusting Him as Savior and obeying Him as Lord, then we should ask a question:

  • Do you trust Jesus and obey Jesus? Do you trust His many claims about Himself?
  • Do you trust the many witnesses to Jesus?
  • Do you trust that He died for your sins and was raised from the dead?
  • Do you trust His promise to come again in power and glory and to judge the living and the dead?
  • Does your trust translate into obedience to His commands?

Following Christ secures at least three promises…

(1) His presence – In the wilderness, the cloud hovered over the tabernacle and symbolized God’s presence with His people, Israel. In Matt. 28:19-20 similarly, Jesus has promised us His presence, as we take the gospel to the ends of the earth. The Bible tells us that we’re in Christ, but also that He is in us. In Heb. 13:5, He also promises “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

(2) His guidance – The cloud guided Israel through the untamed wilderness. (Num. 9:17-23) When the cloud moved, the people followed, and He guided them to springs of water and He led them to the Promised Land. The Lord guides believers through His Word, His Spirit, and the wise counsel of other mature believers; He gives us wisdom in trials as we ask Him in prayer

(3) His protection – The cloud and the fire protected Israel both from Pharaoh’s army and later from the desert sun during the day and the darkness and cold at night. Likewise, Jesus shelters us from the wrath of God that is coming on unbelievers. He protects His children until it’s our time to be with Him.

“The Bible is not the light of the world; it is the light of the Church. But the world does not read the Bible, the world reads Christians! “You are the light of the world.” (Charles Spurgeon)

In a world of darkness, let us walk in the light of Him who leads us to an abundant and eternal life.

John 8:12  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.”

Author: Keith DeLorme