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INTRODUCTION
Songs: Rainy Days and Monday’s by the Carpenters, 1971
The answer - by Johnny Nash in 1972 “I Can See Clearly Now”
That is the good word for today...Thanks for coming...
How can you get through the rainy days and Monday’s? How can you have a bright, bright sun-shiny day? Jesus gives us the
answer - READ 8:12-20
1. The Intriguing Setting
- Jesus spoke these great words in the Temple specifically in the Treasury.
- The temple was center of Jewish life, worship, political power, wealth.
- The outside area was Court of the Gentles. The inside front court was the Court of Women, and in it was the treasury -
where people could give their offerings. Several trumpet shaped urns, some say as many as 13, to receive the money -
probably made noise when coins dropped in them.
- Also in the Court were large candelabras for light.
- Perfect place to find a crowd, talk about worship, money (widows mite), and to use the lamps for illustrations to talk
about light.
- The notation of the treasury may indicate what people believe to be important and solve our problems - money. Spend way
out of problems, poverty, and ignorance. Money is answer. But along comes Jesus.
2. The Inspiring Statement
- “I am the light of the world...” One of the 7 great “I Amrldquo; in John. This is
the 2nd, 1st 6:40 “I am the bread of life”
- Statements like these draw clear lines of belief or unbelief. People who heard them either thought Jesus was a
blasphemer or the Son of God. They either were ignited with anger or inspired with awe.
- “I am the light of the world” provided a needed and new answer to people lost in the darkness of
sin, groping for life in a dark and oppressive world, seeking hope in valley of the shadow of death. What an answer!
- We still need it. Are you aware of the darkness of our world? The problems of sin and suffering, disease and death? Do
you feel hopeless?
ILLUS: Shall I list the problems in our community, government, families? Money is not going to solve them. Neither
will the government, or education. or a service club, or community agency, or religion. Only Jesus “the
light...”
3. The Illuminating Salvation
- “light” = phos = radiance, the radiance of divine righteousness. The radiance mankind needs to see
himself, what is around him, where he has been and where he is going, and who he can trust. Hope and direction.
- Light is in contrast to “darkness.” Darkness is filled with ignorance, impurity, injustice;
damnation, disease and death. Greatest darkness is the darkness of the soul, damned by the prince of darkness, deceived
by the devil himself. Sadly, people in darkness often have no idea how bad off they are, and reject the light of
Christ, the light of truth.
- You would think otherwise, but men love darkness because their deeds are evil John 3:19. Also Satan blinds
people to the light 2 Cor. 4:4
- The whole world is lost in the darkness of sin. The entire world is hopeless. Our world systems are lost in utter and
complete darkness: our governments, economies, cultures have no idea, no understand outside of Christ how to do
justice, give truth. They are blinded in their darkness.
- His light reveals sin, who wants to see their sin? But a righteous God must display light to expose of the darkness of
sin and give life.
- “I am the light of the world” Jesus is the answer for the entire world. We often see salvation
only as individual, yet it is also able to change cultures. Where Christianity is accepted as its value system,
cultures are enlightened.
ILLUS: In late 1700-1800 Christian leader William Wilberforce sought to bring an end to slavery in the British
Empire, before USA. He also worked to bring justice in 65 other areas of British life, poverty, women, abuse of
children, labor laws - influence of Christ’s light (The Faith)
Many of our forefathers of this nation knew that in order for democracy to work, Christian values as expressed in
the Bible and life of Christ were necessary, without, government could not work. (David Barton Wallbuilders)
- Go in to all world and preach the gospel. Jesus is the light for the world.
- “I am the light of the world” it does not say, He carries the light or brings the light, He is the
Light. The radiance is from His own person. Thus His very presence, His words He says, His deeds He does is light.
ILLUS: The picture is not of Christ carrying a lantern, but glow is Himself.
- His light is bright, brilliant, beautiful, and bounteous. Everything we need to see for life we see in and through Him.
I hope you know that.
- “he who follows Me will not walk in darkness” Jesus lights the way for us to see the abyss that is
before us living in sin. “I can see clearly now all obstacles in my way, gone are the dark clouds that made me
blind”
- We see ourselves more clearly - the darkness of our own heart in contrast to be beauty of His perfection. His light is
a search light that penetrates the deepest recesses of our heart and mind - by Him the thoughts and hearts of man is
revealed Luke 2:35
- We do not have to live in darkness, be lost in darkness, die in darkness. Rather than run from light, we are empowered
to run to light, open shade.
- “but will have the light of life” - light/life go together. Light gives life.
ILLUS: Doctors know we need sunshine for health. “Light is not only the great preserver of health, but he
great preventer of disease.” (Hastings, John, 358). Nursing homes and hospitals know that cloudy dreary days
create an atmosphere among the people of discouragement and depression. Bright sun-shiny days hope for healing.
- Christ is our light and life all the time, anywhere, any circumstance.
ILLUS: Christ died in the darkness at Calvary - earth was dark for 3 hours. Showing the whole world was lost in the
darkness of sin. But Christ arose early Sunday morning in the new light of the new day, we have sins forgiven and
life abundant and eternal.
- Light is not just the promise we will be led by light and brought into light, but we will possess the light, it is our
very life. Christ is in us.
- Outwardly we are guided, but also inwardly we possess the very nature of light, filled its brightness. We see as God
sees, we see from the heavenly perspective, we see the reality of world, ourselves, our future.
- He is our light, He guides us in life, guides us in death, guides us to eternity in glory - where the light is
completely Himself. Rev. 22:5
- Our obligation “he who follows Me” - faith and obedience. Obedience is the point in this passage.
Faith preceeds obedience. Living in light.
QUOTE: “It means the submission of the will, the effort of the whole nature, the daily conflict to reproduce
His example, the resolute adoption of His command as our law, His providence as our will, His fellowship as our
joy.” (Hastings, John, 360)
- Light is guiding. He guides us through the perplexities of problems, the obscurities of obstacles, the dangers of the
devil and his demons. We can see, and know we see, walk where we see and rejoice we see.
- The Pharisees didn’t get it - vs. 13-19. Argued about Jesus’ authority. Who does He think he is?
Their problem was they didn’t know the Father God, so they won’t know who Jesus is either.
- They had religion, but no relationship. They had rituals but no reality. They had the law, but no obedience. They had
the Temple but no worship. They had money, no compassion. Didn’t even have God, no love for God.
- The Pharisees argue that Jesus can’t testify on behalf of Himself, He needs witnesses. Jesus responds, His Father
is a witness, but “My testimony is true” - the self-revelation of light needs no witness - it demonstrates
its own reality by its own radiance.
ILLUS: What evidence do you need that the sun is shining? Me to tell you, weather forecaster to tell you,
www.weather.com. No, the light is enough.
- The Pharisees didn’t get it, didn’t let Jesus’ light shine in them. Most people don’t get it
either. Do you?
CONCLUSION
ILLUS: During Jesus’ time, the Court of Women of the Temple had 4 large candelabra’s in it. So brilliant was their
light that one ancient Jewish source wrote: “There was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect their light.”
Jesus is so much brighter He shines into the whole world.
Matthew 5:14 Jesus said to us “You are the light of the world.” How brightly is Jesus shining through us, down the
streets, through the alleys of Colfax or the community you live in?
With the worries about the economy, let us see this as an opportunity to be distinct, to let our light shine in our communities,
that we have hope and confidence in the truth of Jesus Christ, we proclaim the gospel and we live the gospel.
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