Jesus, the Light of the World: Why is there so much chaos and confusion in the world today? Because the world is a kingdom of darkness. At the heart of this darkness is confusion over who God is, what he has done, and what he is doing through Jesus — especially the atoning work of the cross. However, we do not have to be powerless in the face of this darkness. Why? Because Jesus is the light of the world. Recorded on Nov 12, 2023, on John 8:12-30 by Pastor David Parks.

Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re working our way through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re in John chapter 8, considering the second “I AM” statement of Jesus and what it means for Jesus to say, “I am the light of the world.” And if this is true, that Jesus is the light of the world, how important is this teaching for us today? In a world largely defined by darkness, by chaos and confusion, by dishonor and disrespect, by hatred and violence and wars, how much do we need the light of the world? I know that some days and weeks, I feel the darkness of the world more than others. It can be so discouraging, so disturbing. As followers of Jesus, how should we think about the darkness of the world? And is there anything we can do about it? This is exactly what Jesus addresses in our passage for today. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 8:12.

John 8:12 (NIV), “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.” As I said, this is the second of the seven metaphorical “I AM” statements of Jesus in John’s gospel. We already saw the statement, “I am the bread of life.” Now, here we have “I am the light of the world.” Next week, we’ll get a little more clarity on why these “I AM” statements reveal the divinity of Jesus. But for today, simply notice the result of believing that Jesus is the light of the world. “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” What does that mean? What darkness is Jesus talking about, and what is the light of life? Remember the context, last week, Justun did an excellent job preaching on the interaction between Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. But he pointed out that that particular passage may not have been original to John’s gospel. So whether our current passage comes on the heels of that story or if it really was intended to follow Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts during the final day of the Festival of Tabernacles earlier in chapter 7, John says that when Jesus spoke again to the people, he made this claim. Ok! Let’s continue and see if we can learn more about what he means.

John 8:13-20 (NIV), “13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge,