John 8:12-30 “Light and Life!”

1:11I'm grateful for you. I'm grateful for our pastors who have been preaching through this book because we have learned much. And so I hope that what we'll learn this morning is that it indeed is well for those who are in Jesus. Well, a brief note. On where we've been. As we noted in chapter 7, things begin to intensify in Jesus' life and ministry. Right? In other words, it doesn't get any easier from here on out, but things ramp up. People are after Jesus because he's making very bold claims. So that's where the book has taken us so far. Really encourage you to go back and listen if you've missed some of those sermons. Well, here in our text, Jesus remains in the temple and he's teaching during tabernacles. Pastor Mark did a wonderful job talking about that last week, and we'll continue talking about tabernacles this week as well. A brief note: the story of the woman caught in adultery, verses 1 through 11, essentially interrupts the story that's taking place in chapter 7 and then 8, 12 to 30, our text this morning. But, of course, we know that with God there are no interruptions. Amen.

2:31They may be to us, but they are not to him because God knows all. The point is that some theologians debate whether or not 1 through 11 is valid, mainly because it didn't show up in the original manuscripts. But what we do learn from verses 1 through 11 is that God is doing something. Jesus is doing something much different than the crowd. Then the Jewish leaders, then almost everyone around him. He stands for something much different.

3:10We see the contrast: one of law versus one of grace, and that's what we see highlighted in verses 1 through 11. Invite you to go back and read that. Here's a summary of what's going on: Religious leadership and institutions of Jerusalem, which have been the custodian of divine things for centuries and have enjoyed the temple and the revelation of priests and prophets, cannot accept what God is doing in Christ. Their cynicism evolves from disbelief to antagonism and then leads to full-scale hostility to Jesus. This is where we find ourselves. This is the climate in which we are entering here in chapter 8.

3:59Remember the third scene in chapter 7? The Jewish leaders, the religious leaders and teachers, they're against Jesus because he's making ultimate claims of divine authority. He claimed to be from God, speak for God, was going to God, and was one with God. This is the problem. And so we're going to drill down deeper into this this morning. Specifically, we're Going to see a little bit of religious persecution in our text this morning. And so, as the intensity cranks up, I want us to remember, I want to remind you of what our Lord and Savior told us before he went. This is helpful for us, instructs us, guides us, prepares, and strengthens us for what lies ahead for us, church. John 15.

4:58If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of this world, because I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. And so, friends, these verses not only bring us assurance and help in our time of need, but they are also quite convicting. Are we loved by the world? Or are we hated by the world?

5:36Our answer to that question will point to strong indicators in our lives and in our hearts. But for your encouragement and our help this morning, our Lord says, this is coming. It's coming because the world hated me first. And so our text picks up in chapter 8, verse 12, Jesus is teaching in the court of women. Remember, the purpose and aim of John's writing is to hold up Jesus Christ, the Son of God, so that his hearers and readers would believe and find life in his name. John 20, verse 31.

6:19Why is that, John? Because that was Jesus' purpose. Jesus came to show that he was life, and that by believing in him, one would have life in his name. And so he's using symbols and rituals that his audience would understand in order to show them that he is the ultimate fulfillment of those things. And so in chapter 8, he's going to show that he is light and living water, because those are the things that the tabernacles celebrated that ultimately pointed to Jesus.

6:59So really, this entire section that we're going to walk through this morning, I think, centers around the first verse. And so we're going to spend most of our time unpacking that. It's going to be heavily weighted on this one verse, verse 12, I am the light of the world, Jesus says. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Well, first we find the second I am statement in John's Gospel. The first one in chapter 6, Jesus says, I am the living bread that came down from heaven, chapter 6, verse 51.

7:45Second, I am the light of the world. Remember Moses in Exodus chapter 3? We find Moses shepherding his flock because God delights to use shepherds. David was a shepherd. God refers to himself as a shepherd. Jesus is the good shepherd that would come and shepherd all who trust him to life in his name. And ultimately, church, we see that God delights to use pastors as shepherds today to keep watch over the souls of those in his church.

8:24And so Moses is shepherding, and God draws him in by a burning bush. Imagine a bush that's burning and is not consumed. It just keeps burning. And as far as we know, it's not spreading, burning anything else, but this bush is burning and not being consumed. We see the symbolism here that fire symbolizes God's holy presence. And just like fire, God's holy presence is not. Should be taken seriously and it should be stewarded faithfully. So Moses is drawn in by the burning bush. God calls out from the bush and he calls him by name because that's what our God does. Our God summons, he calls those who are his. He doesn't need to, he doesn't have to, but it's because he's rich in grace and mercy that he does. And so he calls out to those who are his.

9:36Well, you know the story: Moses approaches, but he can't get too close, and he must approach in the right way because God's holy. Unlike many who talk about God and talk about Jesus today, he's not a homeboy. The Bible doesn't speak of him in those terms. And so Moses approaches reverently. And then something so special, so sweet happens. Maybe you've seen it before. As with any relationship, they begin with introductions. They exchange names. Of course, God knows who Moses is, but it points to the fact that knowing God. Is about relationship, and so names are important.

10:35This is what he says, Exodus 3:6. I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. I am. Well, the story goes on, and God calls Moses to lead his people, to lead the people out of Egypt. This is speculation, but I just imagine the conversation going something like this. God's kind of rolling out this plan to Moses, and Moses is in agreement, right? He's like, finally, God has heard the cry of the people. I'm so glad the people are going to be freed. And then all of the sudden, it's as if God, or Moses rather, finally gets it, that God is calling him to lead his people.

11:35And it's the big emoji I moment, right? You can just picture Moses like, me? You mean me? Well, for anyone unsure and hesitant about trusting God, you should read the story, Exodus chapter 3. In God's kindness, he deals gently and patiently with Moses, and he arms. him with his name. When they ask you who has sent you, tell them, I am who I am, has sent you. Now this I am is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God's existence, His existence is not contingent upon anyone else. His plans are not contingent upon any circumstances. He promises that He will be what He will be. That is, He will be eternally constant. He stands ever-present, unchangeable, completely sufficient in Himself to do what He wills to do and to accomplish what He wills to accomplish, says a commentator about Exodus 3.

12:56Unbelievable. And friends, Jesus begins this conversation, verse 12, with I am one with the Father, equal, eternal. John wants us to see the connection. He wants us to see the connection. And why is that? Well, because all throughout John's gospel, what John and Jesus are trying to get through, trying to get across, is that Jesus is God and He has ultimately. Authority. And so Jesus begins with, I am, just as God approached Moses, I am the God of your fathers.

13:42Colossians says it this way: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him, the Son, all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.

14:45So, my friends, this struggle, this wrestle with authority, in contrast to what is held up in the scriptures and what Jesus is doing, is not much different than our day. Is it? Because at the end of the day, most of our issues, most of our struggles, they come down to issues or struggles with authority. Whether that's God's ultimate authority or a person or a leader's derived authority that's been given by God, the issue is authority. The issue of abortion is authority.

15:30Humans don't have the authority to decide, God's already decided. The issue with guns, we don't have the authority to determine life and death. Relationships. God is the authority, and He's already defined how they are and ought not to be. The issue of authority shows up with your boss, your employer. There's nothing new under the sun, and our struggle is very similar. So, again, Jesus is claiming to be from the Father, speak for the Father. He's going to the Father and is one with the Father. He is the ultimate authority.

16:20But what is he like? What is he describing himself as? Well, that's the second thing here. As the Eternal one, the word, become flesh, he is the light of the world. And so, what Jesus is doing is he's drawing from things that his audience would understand: light and darkness. And so, in Genesis, God creates all things, and there's a division between light and dark. In Exodus, God is leading the people out of captivity by Moses. Exodus 13:21 to 22. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The prophet Nehemiah says it this way: By a pillar of cloud, you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them, listen, the way in which they should go.

17:34I think that the lighting here is much more than directional guidance. It makes me think of Proverbs 22:6. Train up a child in the way that he should go. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it. That way he should go is not merely directional. It's not direct. This is with your life, this job, this career, this school. It's much more than that. In other words, there is a way of life that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.

18:16There's also another way, a better way, a new and living way in which Jesus opened up by his body on the cross. This shows up in the book of Job, Job 33. Behold, God does all these things twice, three times with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life. Are you seeing it? So, as the light of the world, Jesus brings light into the world, namely, he's bringing light to dark and dying souls. And this is what John has been affirming the whole entire gospel with this theme of light and darkness. So, I want you to notice it.

19:08John says that the purpose of his writing is that his hearers may see and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, they would have what? Life in His name. John 1:4 in Him, Jesus, was life, and the life was the light. Of man, we see this vital connection, friends, between light and life. And so, Jesus is celebrating the festival in the temple. I don't want you to miss what he says and does. Remember his evangelism method. He's going to use the things around him, including the festivals, to point to himself as the ultimate fulfillment of those things. He's teaching in the court of women. Both men and women had the opportunity to worship and give their offering. This is probably where the widow gave her offering of Mark 12. And as Pastor Mark mentioned last week, there were two ceremonies. The first involved water. I invite you to go back and listen to that. He did a wonderful job explaining that and illustrating that. But the second ceremony involved light. And so there were these massive oil lamps because after sundown, there was no light at all, right? No electricity. We know that. So there's these massive oil lamps that have to be lit in the temple complex. And when those were lit, every single corner of the temple complex was lit, was illuminated. Not only that, but the light began to spill out into Greater Jerusalem.

20:58So you can imagine the Sarah. Ceremonies winding down. Light is filling the temple complex. It's exploding out into the darkness of Jerusalem. And Jesus stands up and he says, I am the light of the world. Apart from me, there is no light. I am the light of the world. Light symbolized God's presence. And light symbolized the light of light, life that had come from God to bring life to all who believed. Obviously, as we have been seeing, this draws a response, divides the audience.

22:03Jesus is making claims about life and about death, and so every person must decide. Every person must respond. Well, friends, he doesn't leave it there. He makes it more and more clear. Essentially, he says that apart from him, outside of him, there's really no life at all. Look at verse 20. 21, he said to them again, I'm going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.

22:45Jesus is from the Father, speaks for the Father. He's one with the Father, and he's just said that he's going to the Father. And he doesn't mince words. He says boldly and clearly that he's going. They cannot come. Why? Because they do not know him or believe in him. Look at the second part of 19b. You know neither me nor my father. If you knew me, you would know my father also. 23 and 24. You were from below, I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins. Here it is. For unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.

23:40So for his hearers and for us, I think what John is trying to lead us into is to ask the question: so, what is the way to life? What is the way to life? How do I find life? Praise God for his word and Jesus for not leaving us alone. Verse 12, again, I am the light of the world. Here it is. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

24:20Friends, whoever desires to find life must follow the Son. John's witness alone provides the evidence so that no one is without excuse. John 1:4, in him was life, and the life was the light of men. 14, 6. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me, Jesus said. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you do know him and have seen him because they had seen Jesus. John 10, 10, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I, Jesus says, came that they may have what? Life and have it abundantly. He is light and life, and those who follow him will have life in his name. But there's also a promise. I don't want you to miss the promise. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness. The darkness was symbolic of sin and death. Death, separation from God, this longing that every person on the planet who has ever lived has felt, this longing to be accepted and received, the guilt of wrongdoing, the shame of failure, the ridicule of others.

25:53But, friends, it is not so for those who follow God. Jesus says, they will not walk in darkness because they are His. Well, maybe you buy it, it is God's Word, so you should. But what is the proof that Jesus indeed is the way, truth, and life, and that those who follow Him will have life? The answer is in 28 and 29: When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And He who sent me is with me. He's not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.

26:47You see, Jesus humbled Himself, not counting equality with God as something to be grasped, that is, something to be retained or seized. In other words, He didn't. Act on the authority that he possessed in order to save himself. He willingly gave himself over. By his suffering, he learned obedience by dying on the cross for sinners. And God highly exalted him, giving him the name above all names, Savior and Lord. And it's the name of Jesus that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess in heaven and on earth. This is a paraphrase of Philippians 2:5 through 11.

27:34Those who turn to him by trusting and believing in him for life will not die in their sins, but have the light of life. Well, friends, believe it or not, that's all the first verse. I promise the rest is not that long. There's so much that could be said, but I want to seek, as we seek to apply, I want to make several notes from the remaining verses. First, as we've observed from the beginning of chapter 7, Jesus is on trial. Many are against him, and the tension is rising. Most notably in this passage, we see tensions, challenges coming from the religious, from the Pharisees. A couple things I want you to know about the Pharisees here. First, they emphasized personal. Piety. To be a Pharisee meant you were, that literally means separated one, and it meant that they held to oral tradition as well as the written law, and they required strict adherence to the 600-plus laws found within the Torah. That's the first five books of the Bible. And in their effort to preserve the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints, they fail to properly and faithfully evaluate themselves in light of the very law in which they seek to preserve and proclaim. This is the flaw that we see throughout. Remember Jesus's warning in Matthew 23: for they preach, but they do not practice.

29:18Though they were strict in their adherence of the law, and they demanded others to do the same, they neglected the weightier matters of the law. Further down in Matthew 23, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, which are justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done without neglecting the others. So we might say that the Pharisees were guilty of Missing the forest for the trees.

30:04They fail to see the bigger picture of God's self-revelation due to their preoccupation with the law. They're stuck on the trees and they don't see the forest. But what exactly are they challenging Jesus on? What are they challenging him on? Well, essentially, they're saying that he lacks proper legal witness for the claims that he's making, the claim to be God. In other words, according to the law, which they are experts, two or more witnesses is required to verify the claim. And yet, friends, remember, beginning in chapter five, Jesus has already shown how his claims are verified.

30:53John the Apostle, John the Baptist, His miracles, God the Father Himself, as well as the Scriptures, all testify that Jesus is the Son of God. One of the issues here is the issue of judgment. The emphasis, I'm sorry, they are judging by human standards, verse 15 says, according to the flesh. This emphasizes what he had already told them back in chapter 7. At the end of chapter 7, he warned them and reminds them not to judge by mere appearances.

31:30But to make right judgments. In other words, to make judgments according to the right standards. Jesus' judgment is true because of its origins, because of his origins. Friends, the problem with judgment is when one judges others according to a different standard than they judge themselves. The root problem with Jesus' opponents is that they do not know the Father. Without a deep knowledge of God and His love, it is impossible to recognize the Son. Don't miss the emphasis.

32:25Don't miss what John and Jesus are trying to show. Even for those who claim to be religious, even for those who claim to know the truth about God, even for those who have some title or position, even for those who seemingly have done all the right things in comparison to others, one's works never earn favor with God. God. This is the warning. To those who would pride themselves in religious adherents. Remember, these are the very people who persecuted and killed Jesus.

33:18So that's the first thing. Those who are religious were in opposition to Jesus. But the second thing, I want you to notice two responses: a poor response and a proper response. The first one is around verse 21. The poor response is that some literally drive right past all that Jesus is saying because they get distracted when he says, I'm going away. They're distracted because they don't want him to go away. They want to kill him. They want to make an example of him that you don't claim to be God and get away with it. So they get distracted on that and they miss the gravity of everything that he's already said. That apart from believing in him, you will die in your sin. And instead, they fixate on that. And what do they ask? What is he going to kill himself?

34:08I'm sorry, you missed the point. But friends, we find this glimpse of grace, a proper response, suggesting that some began to understand what Jesus has been trying to tell them the whole time. Look at verse 25. So they said to him, Who Are you? Who are you? Verse 25 tells us that this is what Jesus has been trying to get across the whole entire time. This is what I have been telling you from the beginning, he says.

34:53And yet, some verse 27, they don't understand. How is it possible? How is it possible for someone to see and experience the works of God and never know him? How can one adhere to religious practices, pray the prayer, seek to be good their whole life, and end up not knowing God? How is it possible? 1 Corinthians 2:14. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he's not able to understand them because they're spiritually discerned.

35:46Friends, that's the answer. Because what is natural is living for oneself, doing anything and everything necessary for one's own pleasure, comfort, and satisfaction. It's doing what you're doing. You want when you want. It's constructing a system of beliefs that's best for you, that doesn't require sacrifice, that seeks to ensure health and wealth, that gives you the freedom, so-called freedom, to live your truth, that submits to no one, that affords you relationships with people that are just like you. It's seeking to live your best life now by your own authority and answer to no one. That is the natural way. And apart from Jesus, every single one of us is that person.

36:41We still see the effects of indwelling sin. But, friends, supernaturally, those who have received life in his name, it's about trusting and living for someone outside yourself. It's submitting to and obeying a higher authority. It's about joyfully bringing oneself under the rule, reign, and authority of the Creator in an effort to live in the light. It's about delaying pleasure, wants, needs, comfort, and all that promises to satisfy in this life for something so much greater in the life to come. It's the denial of self. It's recognizing. That there's a better way, even through trial and adversity, that leads to life because the natural way leads to death. It's about much deeper health and wealth than the momentary and fleeting pleasures of this world. It's a recognition of the worth, dignity, and value of every person because every person bears God's image, the natural and the supernatural.

38:00Friends, this is how one can seemingly look good on the outside and be far from God because they are natural and they can't discern the things of God. Only God, through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, based upon the work of Christ on the cross, can convince of sin, convict of sin, and lead one to righteousness. Only God can bring light and life to a natural man. Remember John 6:65. No one comes to me unless it is granted him by the Father.

38:53So, three things as we close. First, everything in this book hinges on Who Jesus is. All that He did was revealing to the world the truth about God, Himself, and their mission to redeem the world for sin. In this gospel, Jesus brokers all personal access to God and life. He's not an optional experience, an addendum to some religious system. He's not merely bearing those things, He possesses these things in Himself. And to embrace Him, church, to believe in Him, to follow Him means that we acquire those things. How? By being in Him.

39:46The most important question you can ask this morning that you can answer is: Who is Jesus? It's the question that's been dividing the audience for centuries, and it will continue to. That means that every single person has a choice to make today. You can surrender to Him based on the evidence in the Word and the work that He's done, repent of your sin, trust Him for forgiveness, or you can continue to stand against Him. But on the last Day when he's finally lifted up, every single knee will bow, every single tongue will confess that he is Lord and Savior.

40:52Have you answered the question? Second thing, there's a clear warning here about spiritual blindness. This warning is for all, but it's especially for those who claim to be religious. The Pharisees saw, but they didn't see. They heard, but they didn't hear. Matthew 7, 21 to 23. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?

41:43I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Have religion, rules, traditions, good Works prevented you from seeing the way, the truth, and the life. It did for the Pharisees. It might for you. Third thing: for those who are His, are you living in light of the truth in a manner worthy of the gospel? As light and life, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, He promised the Holy Spirit before His death and resurrection. That is, as those who have received life in His name, He promised that He would be with them always by giving them His very own Spirit. That means we too have light in us. And Matthew 5:14 to 16 records Jesus teaching His followers to be light to those around them. As little Christ, as Christians, we are to display light and life to those we come in contact with. That is, in our words and in our lives, we are to lead others to the way, the truth, and the life.

43:14Are you living as Christ's ambassador, helping others see the way to life? Friends, we have much to think on from John chapter 8. Pray that you would. You wouldn't delay. Take the necessary time to reflect. Let's pray together. Father, we confess that these words recorded by John and given by Jesus are hard words. We admit that in so many ways there may be evidence that we're standing against Jesus. Ultimately, we find great hope that we have been shown the way to life. We have been shown the way to know that we're standing with him both now and for eternity.

44:49That we believe in him, follow him, and we will receive the light of life. We will never walk in darkness. We cling to that this morning by your mercy and grace. And we thank you for rescuing us from our sin, for rescuing us from death. We pray and ask that you would work in and through us as we celebrate the supper together, as we worship, as we give. May it be for your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.

45:33Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.