Jesus, the Light of the World

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 25th of February, 2018.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

This morning we will continue looking at how Jesus described Himself so we can perhaps understand how to become more Christ-like.  So far we have seen that Jesus was willing to help any and all others, and that He provided for their needs both physical and spiritual.  This is evident in the statements Jesus made when He said, “I am willing”, when asked to heal a leper, and “I am the bread of life”, spoken not long after feeding over five thousand people from only five loaves of bread and two small fish.  In these Jesus showed Himself to be a helper and a provider.

Today I’d like to continue the “I am” series by studying His statement, “I am the light of the world.”  So please listen and follow along as I read from the Apostle John’s Gospel account, chapter 8, verses 2 through 18, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

12 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.”

13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”

14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”

--John 8:2-18 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we really do want to be more like Your Son Jesus.  He showed us how we should live by how He lived.  Thank You for sending Your Son to light up our world, to shed light throughout the darkness.  Speak to us now, Father, that we may hear and understand how to be more like Jesus so we can be more righteous in Your eyes.  In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray.   Amen.


We Christians, we who try to follow Jesus and obey His voice, we probably think we understand God’s truth at least fairly well.  We might even feel firmly grounded in the truths of the Bible.  I wonder, though…

In his book, What Americans Believe, George Barna reports some telling statistics that came out of a national survey on religious beliefs.  Mr. Barna looked specifically at that segment of responders who identified themselves as Born Again Christians.  I'd like to look at two of those stats for a moment.

In the survey, the following statement was posited: "The Devil, or Satan, is not a living being but is a symbol of evil." The respondents were then asked, "Do you agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat, or disagree strongly with that statement?"

The Born Again population replied with 32 percent agreeing strongly, 11 percent agreeing somewhat and 5 percent did not know. So 48 percent of those responding either agreed that Satan is only symbolic or did not know!

The second statistic I'd like to share began with the statement, "Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and others all pray to the same God, even though they use different names for that God." Again, the respondents were asked if they agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat or disagree strongly.

Of that population surveyed who identified themselves as Born Again Christians, 30 percent agreed strongly, 18 percent agreed somewhat and 12 percent did not know!  A total of 60 percent of Born Again Christians responding to the survey either thought everyone worships the same god, or didn't know what to think!


I hope you find those numbers a little troubling.  48% of born-again Christians think Satan is simply symbolic or aren’t sure, and 60% think that all religions worship the same god, or again aren’t sure.

Just so we’re all on the same page here, Satan is real – he is a fallen angel, also known as Lucifer.  And he is the embodiment of evil.  And there is but one true God, who has three persons in One – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  If you do not believe in Jesus, you cannot worship the one true God, which leaves out all religions other than Christian.

Too many people don’t understand this.  And that is why Jesus came – to give us vision and show us the truth.  Jesus Himself said so.  In chapter 9 of his Gospel account, John tells us of Jesus healing a man that was born blind, that never had sight.  In verse 39, Jesus spoke to the man…

39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

--John 9:39 (NKJV)

Now that might seem like one of Jesus’ word puzzles, and in a way it is.  But what He is saying here is that He came to bring vision to the world, vision into the truth of God, so that those who did not know God before might now know Him and understand His truth.  He also came to show those who only thought they knew God, how wrong they were.

And that last directly pointed to the Pharisees and the Jewish religious leadership who clearly did not understand the truth of God, who could not see His plan of salvation for mankind at work in Jesus.  They failed to see their own Messiah standing right there in front of them.  They were blind.

John certainly saw the truth revealed in Jesus.  I know you’re familiar with how he opened his Gospel account in chapter 1 verses 1 through 5…

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

--John 1:1-5 (NKJV)

Jesus came to shine the light of God’s truth into this world of darkness.  And neither the world nor the darkness nor the ruler of darkness, Satan, can overcome that light that is Jesus.


You remember how Saul, the persecutor of Christians, came to be one of our Lord’s most faithful servants.  He was on the way to Damascus to arrest some known Christians there, when the risen Jesus struck him blind.  His traveling companions led him on into the city where Jesus arranged for a man named Ananias to assist in bringing him to the Lord.  But Ananias was a little hesitant.

Listen to what the Apostle Luke wrote about this in his Book of Acts, chapter 9, verses 13 through 18…

13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

--Acts 9:13-18 (NKJV)

Jesus had to show Saul how much His soon-to-be Apostle would have to suffer in his service to our Lord.  Ananias even told Saul that Jesus sent him so that Paul, as he would soon be renamed, could receive his sight.  And that carries two meanings.

Saul was physically blinded and Ananias, as an agent of Jesus, helped him see again.  And Saul was spiritually blind before, thinking he was doing the work of God when in actuality he was working against God, as did pretty much all the Pharisees.  But now he had been filled with the Holy Spirit and could see the truth, the truth that Jesus showed him.


Family, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”  If we want to be more like Him, do you think maybe we could try shedding a little light into the darkness ourselves?  Paul definitely put his new sight to work doing just that, as he shared the truth of the Gospel everywhere he went with everyone he encountered.  Usually at great risk to his own mortal life, he shed the light of Jesus without hesitation, trying to save the eternal lives of others.

And family, this is what Jesus wants us to do as well.  The Apostle Matthew saved for us an urging Jesus made, in chapter 5 of his Gospel account, verses 14 through 16…

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

--Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV)

Jesus described Himself by saying, “I am the light of the world”, and then He described us in the same way: “You are the light of the world”.  Just as a city built upon a hill can be seen from many angles for miles around, so should we be seen by a world still trapped in darkness.  The light of Jesus should be seen shining through us, from us, casting that beautiful light upon all we encounter.

Let the light that is Jesus so shine that all may see our good works on their behalf, that the Father might be glorified.  Be willing to help all others, loving unconditionally, sacrificially, expecting nothing in return, just like Jesus did.  Help provide for the physical needs of others so that their spiritual needs might also be met.  And shine the light of truth so that all might see.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your own Son into the world to shine as a beacon cutting through the darkness.  You sent Him to show us the truth and the way to safety.  Thank You, Father, for loving us so much.  Forgive us, please Father, for those times when we still stumble around in the darkness ourselves.  Forgive us when we fail to shine Your light so that others may see and avoid Satan’s hidden traps.  Help us to be more like Jesus, shedding Your light of truth all around us, so that others may find their way back to Your kingdom.

Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You straight from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, repenting of our wrongful ways, seeking Your mercy and forgiveness…

Lord Jesus, You came to bring sight to those who could not see, and to blind those who thought they could see, but what they saw were only the lies and deceits of the evil one.  You were the light unto the world, but now that You have returned to heaven, it is up to us to take up Your beacon and shine out so that all might have a chance to see.  Help us, please Lord, to shine Your light into the darkness, so that fewer might stumble.  Help us light the path and show others the true way.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith.  Amen.