I Am the Light of the World
Pastor Janet Saddel – August 18, 2024
Sermon Series: I Am
John 1:1-5
1In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 2 The Word was with God in the beginning. 3Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being 4through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.
John 7:14, 28-29
14 Halfway through the festival, Jesus went up to the temple and started to teach.
28 While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he exclaimed, “You know me and where I am from. I haven’t come on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him. 29 I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
John 8:2, 12-20
2 Early in the morning he returned to the temple. All the people gathered around him, and he sat down and taught them.
12 Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
13 Then the Pharisees said to him, “Because you are testifying about yourself, your testimony isn’t valid.”
14 Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, since I know where I came from and where I’m going. You don’t know where I come from or where I’m going. 15 You judge according to human standards, but I judge no one. 16 Even if I do judge, my judgment is truthful, because I’m not alone. My judgments come from me and from the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the witness of two people is true. 18 I am one witness concerning myself, and the Father who sent me is the other.”
19 They asked him, “Where is your Father?”
Jesus answered, “You don’t know me and you don’t know my Father. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” 20 He spoke these words while he was teaching in the temple area known as the treasury. No one arrested him, because his time hadn’t yet come.
CEB
Sermon Series: I AM – “I AM the Light of the World”
John 1:1-5; John 7:14, 28-29; 8:2, 12-20
In the past, God revealed himself to Moses and the people as “I AM who I AM.” “I AM” is the holy name of God. And now Jesus reveals himself as the great I AM in the flesh.
The I AM images describe the saving work of Jesus. Jesus said, “I AM the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
The Feast of Tabernacles – one of the main features of this celebration was the light – to remind the people of God’s shekinah glory. Shekinah is the Hebrew word for “to dwell” – when the people saw the light they knew that God was with them.
The pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day; God’s shekinah glory had filled the Tabernacle as well as the Holy of Holies in the first Temple.
Now Jesus is standing in the Temple declaring that he is the Light of the World. In that moment the light of the world was in the Temple. He fulfilled the promise that the presence of God would once again be in the midst of his people.
Now the presence of God lives among us – we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we gather together and worship – the glory of God fills this place and fills all hearts who are open to him. The light of God will pour into every mind and soul that is eager to have the life of God within them. Wherever Jesus is worshipped, he is present there, and there is no darkness in true worship.
Jesus is the light and he is the life. In 1 John 2:8 we read, ”the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.”
We are the New Jerusalem and the Light of the world lives in us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus told us that we are the light of the world now.
