Sunday Sermon
sunday 15th June 2008
John 8:12 12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Context:
Jesus is speaking to the people in the temple area v20.
The Pharisees are there v13 and others to, v30 many believed.
In speaking to them he makes a proclamation:
"I am the light of the world".
- what does he mean? what’s he saying?
He means that he is the source of life for the world.
There is no life where there is no light.
Where there is no light there is only darkness. Darkness = death. Light = life.
Note: beginning of Gen 1. There was darkness but then God made light and the whole of creation flowed from that first act of making light.
There can be no life is there is no light.
So Jesus is saying: I am the life of the world! - what a claim.
“the world” - refers to the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
He is the light of everyone. An exclusive claim - there is no other.
In the temple there would have been many candles but here is Jesus claiming to be the light.
If he is thee light of the whole world then what must we do? Follow:
What is the great message of this text?
Simply put : Jesus is the life; following Jesus leads to life.
1) “I am the light”.
The “I am” - is a claim to divinity.
We know its background from Moses when he first met God.
God said to Moses that He was the I AM who I Am.
That is God is the One who simply is! That there is no other. Only One Yahweh.
With that background in mind we can note that Jesus is saying that He is God.
He is the Lord, the great I Am. The one who simply exists.
But feel the force of that!
This is no academic discussion that is going on.
Jesus is standing up in the temple making this great claim about himself!
He is saying - “it is me”! I Am the light - there is no other!
What blasphemy this was to the ears of the good Jewish listeners!
How could someone even think like that!
To say “I Am” the life/light of the world - what extraordinary arrogance!
Unless it is true!
And He exists as light.
1 John 1:5 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
How we love light! Summer times where there is sunshine and warmth.
Light brings, growth and health and happiness.
But of course for the Jews light meant much more than just these great things.
Light meant the presence of God!
Ex 13v21-22, Ps27v1, Isa60v19-22
2) “whoever follows me will never walk in darkness”
Because Jesus is the life / the light / the presence of God - it naturally follows that in following Him there will be no darkness.
Darkness is the opposite of life. It is death.
In the physical world there is no life where there is no light.
It’s all part of this extraordinary claim:
That Jesus is the Light, and that in following him there will be no death!
What does that mean? it’s a familiar claim:
John 5:24 24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
John 8:51 51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."
- it is simply that. Jesus is the life/light. He is eternal: never dying: unchanging God. In following Him we will never experience darkness!
“follow”
Implies a watching and deliberate taking of steps in a particular direction.
Following is discipleship. It’s about seeing, being attentive, careful etc.
You need sight to follow.
“walking”
Walking can just be done aimlessly. No thought or plan.
In fact you do not even need to see to walk!
How can this be? That we will never taste death? / see death? We will come onto that now:
3) “but will have the light of life."
This all works out because we not only follow the light, but we have the light!
We will not die because we have eternal life in us.
Those who believe in Jesus are occupied by God.
To have something means ownership. It’s yours, you have it!
When children want something what do they ask - Can I have it?
Those who follow Jesus have the “light of life”!
That is what secures our salvation. It s not about what we have done or experienced but about what we have!
Having the light of life is the key to escaping death.
Death is the one thing we fear.
10 out of 10 people dies - an impressive statistic!
But Jesus offers escape from that!
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
sunday evening 15th June 2008
John 9v1-7 the problem of pain.
1) A theological question ?
Who sinned? v2
The problem of pain and suffering ! (theodicy)
How can a good all-powerful God allow bad / terrible things to happen?
If God is love, why am I in such pain? Etc.
Biblical writers have often been perplexed by it - Ps 88 etc
Perplexed by the silence of God - Ps 22 etc
Some answers have been given:
The whole covenant relationship that God has with his people is based on blessing upon obedience or curse upon disobedience.
But even there a difficulty arises: what if I do good and yet still suffer?
That is a bigger problem than when the suffering is “earned”
Much suffering though can be explained by our foolishness, bad choices, sin, accidents, greed, other peoples decisions often effect us for bad etc.
The disciples wanted to know who sinned, that such suffering was caused.
We want to know why do bad things happen! Why do we suffer when there seems to be no reasonable explanation?
Answers are never easy to come by!
The disciples thought it may be the fault of the man or his parents!
It must be someone’s fault, who can we blame!
2) a divine answer v3-5
The answer to begin with is quite straight forward:
Who sinned? - no one!
So why did it happen? - for the Glory of God!
So that the work of God could be displayed in his life!
This though, is no easy answer.
This mans suffering is for the sake of revealing God to the world.
- did he ask for it to happen to him? Was he concerned about the work of God?
But it is an answer!
To think that there was a reason for the suffering. That his life had meaning, that his life was for a purpose.
In fact, is it not the best answer we can give to inexplicable suffering!
To hold up our hands, to admit that we do not have all the answers, but to say that ultimately our suffering happened for the glory of God.
- brings faith, brings hope, brings healing.
What other options are open to us? (only other options are none-options)
Bitterness is an option: we curse God and die.
But does that take away the suffering? Does that give any meaning to the suffering.
Unbelief is an option: life is meaningless, no rhyme nor reason.
But does that help the suffering?
Note further:
This happened so that the work of God could be displayed in his life, then Jesus says that he has come to do that work v3-4.
What does that add to the picture of the mans suffering?
It adds a worldwide perspective to it!
This man took part in the work of salvation that Jesus came into the world to do!
Jesus came to do Gods work and the mans blindness happened so that God could work - why is that significant?
Because it points to the bigger picture. This mans suffering was Christ-like suffering! He did not suffer for his own sake, but for the overall work of salvation!
Christ suffered, not because he sinned, but that the “work of God might be displayed in his life”!
In your suffering keep in mind that big picture.
Suffering is never a private matter, in the sense that it is just for “me”.
The big picture says that suffering is all part of Gods plan of salvation.
3) followed by a divine solution: v6-7
In the end the mans suffering is taken away.
He is healed of his blindness.
That is the work that Jesus came to do. To give sight to the blind.
Hence v 5 “I am the light of the world”.
Isaiah 49:6 6 he says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."
Jesus came so that the whole world would be able to see God and live.
Just like the man did in the end V37-38.
And that is the final thing to say about our suffering.
In the end we will see God and live. The suffering will be taken away Rev21v4.
Our suffering is transient : our salvation is eternal.
