Jesus: The Light of the World Part 2 - John 8:21-30

2:04So, I've entitled this message, Hasten to Follow the Light. Hasten to follow the light. The time was short in that moment. Time was short for these Pharisees and Jesus aggressively, he goes at them aggressively to warn them of their desperate situation. You see, Jesus knew himself to be the light. He knows himself to be the light. And he knows that man's only hope is in him. He knows that your only hope is in him. So he boldly declared who he is. He is the light and therefore should be followed. You'll never make sense out of this world unless you follow him. His light is necessary for you to understand God, for you to understand the universe, for you to understand yourself, for you to understand sin, for you to understand the payment for sin, for you to understand the future. And who goes where.

3:02And his light shows you all that. But without him, you're bumbling around in the dark, not knowing. Well, he knew himself to be the light, he knew himself to be the good shepherd. He knew that he always leads people to their spiritual well-being. He knew that about himself. And he was not ashamed to declare that. Not because he was all into himself, but because he was into his father's will and he was into you, and he was into his people. He wants them to know because he is the truth, he is the way, he is the light.

3:47And he knew that mankind needs his light because, as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:44, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is in the image of God. He knew himself to be the light, and he knew the God of this world had blinded people's minds to that truth. You know, several years ago, I heard an incredible testimony of a woman who survived the unthinkable, and then she lived to glorify God with one. What had happened to her. And I'll relay the account as best as I can remember it. But one day, while driving her car, she came to a stoplight. A man pulled up next to her and shot her in the head with a low-caliber gun. She was instantly blinded. She was stunned. She was dazed, and she came to her senses, realizing what had happened, and knew she needed to get to the hospital immediately.

5:02And at that time, a man whom she referred to as a good Samaritan suddenly showed up. He quickly bandaged her wounds, spoke kindly to her, and with haste, he moved her to the passenger seat in order to rush her to the hospital. And after a few moments, the car pulled up next to a curb. The man jumped out, opened her door, and gently led her into the building. And upon entering, she had a fleeting thought that she was not in the hospital. The man continued to lead her, she continued to follow, she was led into a room, and then she heard the chilling sound of the door lock behind her.

5:48And at that moment, she realized that the man that she thought was a good Samaritan was the very man who had shot her. Well, the man robbed. Her, as you can imagine, severely beat her, and he left her for dead. In fact, he left her on the ground with her life, what he thought was her lifeless body, and the last thing she remembered was him trying to take her pulse. And she prayed to God, God, I pray that he will not find a pulse. With that, the man dropped her hand, left.

6:38This is a good picture of what the God of this world does. He blinds the minds of unbelievers and he leads them to their destruction. And that's what exactly is happening to some of you today. Be careful who you follow. Let me ask you: in whom is your trust? What do you trust in? Who do you trust in? Where have you deposited your highest trust? Who are you following? Where is the location of your trust? I'll tell you what Jesus wants from you. He wants your trust to be in him. You know why? Because he is the light of the world and he always leads. To your well-being. And he knows that, so he declared that. So that you would not be blinded by the God of this world, but so that you would follow him in truth and sincerity to your well-being and to his glory.

7:43That's why he came. And that's why he so boldly declared, I am the light of the world. Follow me. You see, if you do not know Christ this morning, you're in a far more desperate situation than you would ever realize. The God of this world has blinded you, and he is leading you to your permanent destruction. And so, what I want to do this morning as we walk through this text, I want you to see a horrifying condition that leads to a supreme disaster so that you will quickly and joyfully embrace Jesus as your Creator God. Let's just read the text this morning, beginning in verse 21.

8:36Then he said to them again, I go away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. So the Jews were saying, Surely he will not kill himself, will he? Since he says, Where I am going, you cannot come. And he was saying to them, You are from below, and I am from above. Are of this world, and I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. So they were saying to him, Who are you? Jesus said to them, What I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but he who sent me is true. And the things which I heard from him, these I speak to the world. They did not realize that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught me, and He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him. As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.

10:03Well, first of all, I want you to see a horrifying condition, a horrifying condition, and it's articulated in verse 21. Then He said to them, I go away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. Jesus makes four horrifying statements that should alarm even the darkest soul, and I hope it alarms you this morning. Look at the first one. I go away. Literally, I am departing. I am leaving. I am going to leave your presence. As he's talking to the Pharisees that day, he's saying, my time with you is short, and my departure will be a final goodbye. Your opportunity for a favorable time and a favorable relationship with me is now.

10:59And it is quickly coming to an end. And of course, his departure that he is speaking of is his death, his resurrection, and the ascension that they themselves are going to initiate by lifting him up. By lifting him up, by crucifying him. He came from the Father, and he is going back to the Father. He knows where he has come from, and he knows where he is going. It says, I am departing. You see, there's a favorable time to seek the Lord. That's what the exhortation over and over in the scripture is, seek him while he may be found. He is drawn near to you this morning through the preaching of his word, and he beckons you, he calls you to come to him today.

11:43Look at the second statement that Jesus made. I will go away. Look back at verse 21, and you will seek me. You will seek me. Implication, you will not find me. I believe what Jesus is saying here is that they're going to go on looking. Looking for the Messiah. They're going to go on looking for truth. They are going to go on looking for light. Meanwhile, they're going to go on following the God of this world who has blinded them and leading them to their national and eternal destruction.

12:21You will seek me. And as a result, look back, third statement: you will die in your sin. You will die. I am leaving. You will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Notice that the sin is singular. You will die in your sin. That is, you will die in your state of unbelief. And this is man's fundamental problem: unbelief. And from this unbelief, all other acts of unbelief spring. And he's going to talk about sins here in a moment.

13:07He is saying, you will die, an unbeliever. And whatever fate awaits the unbelieving world awaits you. Horrifying statement. And you got to get the tone of this. The tone is that of a sad departure, not an angry vindiction. Jesus is saying, I am going away. You're going to go on seeking for a Savior. You're not going to find one. And you are going to be confirmed in your unbelief. And he makes a fourthful, a fourth statement, a fourth statement.

13:57Where I am going, you cannot come. Verse 21, where I am going, you cannot come. You see, Jesus knew where he had come from. He knew where he was going. He was going back to the right hand of the Father. He knew these things. He knew himself to be the light. He knew they were blinded. And he is speaking truth so that they would not go on living in darkness. And he speaks truth to you this morning so that you will not go on living in darkness.

14:41And notice he didn't say, By the way, I'm going away and you're going to seek me. You're going to die in your sin. And where I'm going, I'm not going to let you come. Notice that's not what he says. Look at what he says. He says, you cannot come. You have no ability to. Come. It's not within you to go where I am going. There is a divide, a heaven, heavenly law. You cannot come. It's impossible for you to come.

15:16You cannot come. Those who reject the Son cannot go to the Father. Let those words ring in your ear. You cannot come. You cannot come. Such is the state of those who die in their sin. And that's why Jesus is aggressive here. You see him? He is getting aggressive, like a shepherd going after that sheep and doing whatever he can to save them. Look at the Jews' response there in verse 22. So the Jews were saying to him, Surely he will not kill himself, will he? Since he says, Where I am going, you cannot come. Basically, they say, huh? What's he talking about, right? What did he just say? You see, they completely missed the announcement of their pending doom. In fact, as elsewhere, it does not seem like they're even trying to understand what he's saying. Quickly dismiss. And you know why they quickly dismiss him?

16:27Because they're so sure of their own. Rightness. And listen, you are going to have to leave the surety of your own rightness if you're ever going to follow Christ. Because I guarantee, no matter who you are, at some place, you do not know all that He knows. And at some point, you're going to have to stop being married to your own rightness and receive the truth and be taught by the truth and obey the truth. And until you believe the truth, you will die in your sin.

17:10You see, the sin of unbelief willfully closes its ears. It does not seek to understand. It does not try to understand, but it seeks to explain it away. That's what unbelief does. Quit doing that. So, what is this horrifying condition? I'll tell you what the horrifying condition is: it's being content to let the light pass you by. It's the insanity of waiting for a better prospect. Do you think someone else is going to come on the world scene that's going to be a greater Savior? I think all of us, if we are honest with ourselves, we understand we have a problem of sin, and we are ashamed of that sin.

17:59And unless That sin is really dealt with. We are eternally lost. We cannot come into it, we wouldn't even stay. If all of our sins were just paraded around, we wouldn't even be able to stand around each other, let alone in the presence of a holy God. And I think we all know that. So, do you think there's a better prospect out there? Do you think there's a greater sacrifice for sin? Do you think there's something else out there? No.

18:25It's an insanity. The horrifying condition is thinking that somehow I'll let the light pass by, I'll let the words of God pass by, I'll let the exhortations to follow the light just pass by because there's a better prospect coming down the road. The horrifying condition is the unwillingness to seriously consider that just maybe Jesus told us the truth. By the way, don't let this be you. Where are you at right now? You know, I can say upon the authority of God's word: your unbelief is going to end one day. It will end.

19:19And there are two ways that your faith, I mean, that your unbelief comes to an end. Number one, by faith, and number two, in judgment. All will come to believe. And the proclamation of the Word of God, the proclamation of the truth, the proclamation that Jesus is the light, is a bold invitation for you to come and follow the light. Let the end of your unbelief be faith, not judgment. Well, that's a horrifying condition. Content to let the light go by. And he has drawn near to us this morning through the proclamation of this word.

20:08God Himself is drawing near to you. And He wants to speak to you about the condition of your soul. And He wants to speak to you about the location of your highest trust. Where is it? Well, we've looked at the horrifying condition. Next, I want you to see a supreme disaster, a supreme disaster. And Jesus goes on in verses 23 and 24 to explain why they could not come where he was going. Look at verse 23. And he was saying to them, You are from below, and I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. So the reason they could not go where Jesus was going was because they belonged to two completely different realms.

21:01There is the realm that is the one from below. That is, the one that is of this fallen moral order that is in willful rebellion to its creator. That's from below, of this world. And this sinful order is set to be judged by God, and all that is of this world is going to be judged along with it. You are from below. You are of this world. Therefore, you cannot come where I am going. And he goes on to say, I am from above, another realm. There's the realm from above. And Jesus described this realm as the one from above, the one that has a character that delights in compliance with the Creator, that does not live in rebellion to the Creator, but delights in compliance, obedience.

22:12Remember when Nicodemus came to talk to Jesus? Jesus said to him in John 3:3, He said, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, that is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Same thing, same truth he says there. You cannot. Unless you are born from above, because all that is in this world, all that is from below, is going to be judged, is going to be forever separated because of the holiness of God, because of who God is. He cannot, ones from the world cannot go to heaven, cannot be part of the kingdom of God unless they are born from above.

22:58Well, Jesus goes on to announce that those who reject His light are from below, they will not believe in Jesus, and they will bear the guilt of their sins. Look at what He says in verse 24: Therefore, this is why I just said all this to you: therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. And this is the supreme disaster of a soul. It's expressed in Jesus' emphatic words: you will die in your sins. That's the great, supreme disaster of any soul.

23:43And notice that the language is plural this time. You will die in your sins. You see, previously he talked in verse 21 about the sin. And now in verse 24, two times he mentions, you will die in your sins. Plural. You see, the sin of unbelief is that root which produces countless acts of unbelief. They're connected. You will die in your sin, in your state of unbelief, and you will bear the guilt of your sins. Now, there are four reasons why dying in your sins is a supreme disaster that your soul can ever experience. Four reasons. I'm going to briefly go through them. First of all, the testimony of your life is settled. When you die in your sin, you die in the state of unbelief, and you forever settle your testimony of life that God is a liar.

24:47No matter what other good things you think you may have done, your testimony, your life's testimony, is that, you know what, whatever is coming after here, I'm fine for it. I do not need to meet the standards of the God of the Bible. I am completely sufficient on my own. You see, and God's testimony is that you do need him, and yet your testimony is, I do not. So the testimony of your life is forever settled, and that's a supreme disaster.

25:24Second supreme disaster, second reasons why this is a supreme disaster. Is the guilt of all your sins is settled upon you. You see, when you die in your sins, the guilt of your sins is permanently attached to you. You will be defined by your sins forever, and you will be responsible to bear them for eternity. And such is the state of all of condemned humanity. This is why they are condemned, is because they are defined by their sin. Their guilt stays with them throughout eternity.

26:14A third reason why dying in your sins is the supreme disaster of your soul is that the shame is permanent. Not only is the guilt of your sins permanent, but the shame is permanent. You remember when Cain killed Abel? God comes and confronts him. Listen to what Cain says in Genesis 4:13. He says, My punishment is too great to bear. Behold, you have driven me this day from the face of the ground. From your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on earth, and whoever finds me will kill me. What Cain is saying is, My sin is so horrible. That I am driven away. And if I do come across anybody, they are going to despise me because of what I have done.

27:10See, the shame is permanent. Hell is a place of loneliness, isolation, and eternal shame. And even if you could see loved ones, you would want to flee from their presence and they would despise you. It's not a place of party. You could not look upon them, and they would not look upon you. And that's what shame does: it causes a person to flee from the presence of others. Well, there's a fourth reason why this is a supreme disaster that your soul can experience is that the loss is catastrophic. I hope all of you are hearing me today. There is no higher privilege revealed in Scripture than to bear the image of God. And all of you have been given that privilege to bear the image of your Creator.

28:11Listen, such is not explicitly said about the cherubim or the seraphim or the angels, but it is said about you. We hate loss, don't we? I've learned that it's hard for people to make change these days. My wife gives me $100 bills. I get these allowance. I get a couple of these every once in a while. I'm not sure what the order, what the routine is, but every once in a while I get these $100 bills or was getting these $100 bills. And on two occasions, very quickly, I gave someone a $100 bill and they counted out change and they shorted me like $10 or something like that. And I said, man, that breakfast burrito really costs a lot more than I thought. And that happened a couple times, so much so that I said to my wife, I think I need 50s because I think counting to 100 is getting a little bit difficult for this next generation or something. I don't know what's happening. But you go away going, oh, man, that breakfast burrito didn't taste half as good as I thought it would be when I spent an extra $10. But we hate loss, don't we? And I don't care how big or how small the loss is. We just hate loss, right? I mean, even if it's a place in line, or even if it's trying to turn the lane, you know, that person was texting and they got through the light, but then I had to stop. So you kind of, or whether it's a big loss, like a crash of your financial mini-empire or whatever, whatever it is, we hate loss.

29:52But to die in your sins is a loss of indescribable proportion. Portions. To be given so much and to lose it all by dying in your sins is infinite loss. You have been given the privilege of bearing the image of your Creator. And when you sinned and when you fell, he wasn't content to leave you. He provided a way of redemption so that you can contend, so that you can still bear the image of your Creator.

30:38And to die in your sins is infinite loss. Well, as verse 24 says, there is a hope, right? There is a remedy. Verse 24: Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. Oh, there is an exception. There is a hope. And that's what we will look at next. There is a remedy, and it's the only remedy. Let's pick up the narrative. Look back at verse 25. So they were saying to him, Who are you?

31:21And the sense here is more of antagonism. We would translate it more literally: who do you think you are? This isn't an honest inquiry, but wow, who are you, man? I need to write this down. No, it's like, who do you think you are to speak in such terms? And look at how Jesus responds. Jesus' response is truthful, and it's not about himself, it's about his father. Look back at verse 25. So they were saying to him, Who are you?

31:56Jesus said to them, What I have been saying to you from the beginning: I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but he who sent me is true. And the things which I have heard from him, these I speak to the world. You see, Jesus resisted the temptation to dress them down, and boy, he says, I've got a lot of things to say about you. I've got a lot of things concerning your judgment to say about you.

32:29However, he focused on testifying to his father and delivering the message of his father. First of all, he says, But he who sent me is true. The father who sent me is true. The one connected to me, the one sending me, he is true. And there are certain things that my father has sent me to announce to you, and these are the things that I am speaking in the world. You see, Jesus, it's not about him. Every word Jesus spoke communicated the thought of his father. Every word, every syllable that came out of his mouth was a thought of his father.

33:15The things he heard from his father, these are the things that he spoke. Previously, he said, I can do nothing on my own initiative. Well, look at John's parenthetical comment in verse 27. They did not realize that he had been speaking to them about the father. So they still didn't get it. They're still not realizing it. They need an illumination. They need a work in them. And yet they are culpable because they are not listening. They are not wanting to listen. They need illumination.

33:58But they will not listen. Well, what are the specific things that the Father God wanted Jesus to announce? What are they? Well, that's what verse 28 and 29. The specific things that the Father wanted Jesus to announce are laid out for us in verses 28 and 29. Look there. So Jesus said, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He. And I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught me, and He who sent me... Is with me, he has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. Notice that time marker, when, when you lift up the son of man, when, when, at that time, when you lift up the son of man, then you're going to come to know certain things. Future tense, there are several things you're going to know about me once you lift me up. And it's very clear that, you know, according to John 12, 34, very clear that when he uses the term lift up, he's speaking about his crucifixion. The term involves the idea of being exalted, and it refers to the events of the crucifixion being lifted up and the glory that followed it. And so Jesus here speaks of five things that they are going to come to know after they have crucified him. Now it's clear that it's not saying that all Jews are going to, at that time, to have saving faith in him, but those who do come to him are going to know certain things about him because of his crucifixion. But there's going to be certain things that are going to be evident by all who look upon these things. Five things, five things that the Father wants us to know. Five things that he wants you and me to know about his Son. And you know why? Because these things articulate the object of saving faith.

35:57No matter how much you thought the Aggies were going to be saved. Going to win yesterday. Doesn't do any good. Wrong object, right? Well, the object of your faith is important. And so the object of faith, it's not just having faith that saves you, it's having faith in the right person. And so there are five things. Five things. When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know: number one, I am He. Or literally, I am.

36:33Many translations add He. There was a reminder of Isaiah 43, as we read earlier today, which brings to mind Exodus 3:14. When Moses asked, Who shall I say when they ask me, What is your name? God's answer from the burning bush was, I am. That's who you should tell them that sent you. I am has sent you. So Jesus is clearly making a reference to himself. All people will know him once he has been lifted up as the great I am.

37:12The one who made a distinction, the one who sent to the Israelites, the one who drowned Pharaoh's army in the sea, the one who drove Israel into Babylon under captivity. I am. He's the one. He is the God who walked among us. So, number one, they will know that I am. Number two, they will know that Jesus does nothing on his own. Look back at verse 28. When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative. Listen, no one goes to the cross on their own initiative, especially anyone with the power that Jesus had.

37:54Jesus went to the cross to please someone else, and that was his father. And he went because he was compelled to please his father to save those whom his father loved. Third, they will know that Jesus' words were the father's words. Look back at verse 28. When you lift up the son of the man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the father taught me. You see, the cross also settled the fact that Jesus didn't come speaking on his own behalf.

38:29Every word that Jesus spoke communicated the mind of his father, and every loving deed he did communicated the heart of Father God. Fourth, when they crucify Jesus, they will come to know that the Father has not left Jesus. Remember the signs that accompanied Jesus' death? There was numerous: veil, rent, earthquake, and then what followed that? Resurrection. You see, by being nailed to the cross, one might think, okay, if he was the Messiah, why in the world would God allow him to be crucified?

39:09God must have abandoned him, because cursed is anyone who hangs upon the tree, cursed by God. And what Jesus is saying, once all this thing runs its course, you're going to know that the Father has not left me. Number five, they will know that Jesus always pleases his Father. Look at verse 29. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. You know why he was crushed? Is Isaiah 53, 10 says the Lord was pleased to crush him as a guilt offering for our transgressions. You see, the cross settled all of these things. The cross settled all of these things about all who would look honestly at Christ's life.

40:02He is the object of saving faith. And let me just remember, I want you to remember these five things that the Father wants you to know. Number one, they want you to know that Jesus is the great I am. Second, that Jesus does nothing on his own. Third, that Jesus' words were the Father's words. Fourth, the Father has not left Jesus at all. And five, Jesus always pleases the Father, even as. This very moment. And now that's something you can build your life upon.

40:37Look at John's comment, verse 30. As he spoke these things, many came to believe in him. And we'll talk about the kind of belief that they had next time, but for now, it's sufficient to say that Jesus's words were very persuasive. So we've looked at a horrifying condition, a supreme disaster, and the only remedy with the hopes that you would hasten quickly to follow the light. Well, as I started this message, I started to tell you about the woman who was blinded, who was shot, and who was left for dead. And upon leaving her for dead, he left the room, her spirit revived, and her first impulse was to cry out for help. There she was, blind in an unfamiliar place, hopelessly lost. And her only hope was that somebody would find her, somebody who cared. She crept to a window, opened it up, and cried for help. And soon afterward, a true Good Samaritan heard her voice. And shortly thereafter, an ambulance and the police were on their way, and she Survived the whole ordeal and lived to glorify God. Remarkable story of faith.

42:10Who are you following? You see, intrinsic in Jesus' declaration, I am the light, is the call to follow his light. Be careful who you are following. I want you to take a personal assessment for just a moment and answer these questions in your own mind. What is or who is the most influential person or principle in your life? What is your guiding principle? Where is your supreme trust? Where is the location of your highest trust? And where did it come from? And where is it taking you?

42:56You see, in our study this morning, the exhortation is to take Jesus upon his word, to believe him as the light, to turn your face to that light, to turn your soul, to move your soul toward his light, and do so quickly. Hasten to follow Christ. Listen, if you are hearing his voice today, turn, embrace his light, follow his life. Move the location of your highest trust in him. He came and he said, I am the light. I am the truth. And he wants to be your Lord. And you know why?

43:41Because he is. But do you know why he wants you to understand him through his goodness, through his faith? Do you know why he wants you to understand that? Because he loves your soul. He wants you to put your ultimate trust in him, your highest trust in him, because he knows he is right for your soul. And he will always lead you in what is good. Do not be content to let the light pass you by. The God of this world has blinded people. That is his ministry, and his ministry is to lead them to their destruction.

44:25Don't let this condition be yours. Come to him for salvation. Come to him for forgiveness. And be coming to him every day. Move the location of your supreme trust, not just for eternity future, but for here and now. And every moment. Let the location of your trust be him. That's his call to you. Don't be content. Say, God, I hear you. You and I come. I hear you and I believe. Help my unbelief that I might love you more. Let's pray, Heavenly Father.

45:18Heavenly Father, we ask for you to remove the veil, remove our blindness. Father, even as believers, oftentimes the center of our trust is not you. Forgive us.