Jonah Albrecht

First Sunday in Advent

12-1-24

John 8:12

I AM the Light of the World

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Amen.

John 8:12: Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

In the name of Jesus, Who was, Who is, and Who will always be the light that shines in the hearts of His people, DFR:

Are you afraid of the dark? Maybe the better questions is: were you? Many children go through that period in their life where they are terrified of the dark because they do not know what could be lurking in the unseen crevices of the room. There was one kid in my family, I won’t say who, that as soon as the sun would go down and we were in the car, he would scream his head off and there was no way to comfort him. Even today, I am a little on edge when I hear some noise in the house and I know that I am the only one home. My first thought is: “Grab a light, grab a weapon, then maybe you can venture out of bed to see what it is, but probably not.”

Darkness always has been, and probably always will be ranked pretty high in fears among people. If not full-on fear, then uneasiness. It makes sense, doesn’t it? We like to know what is around us, we like to be prepared for anything that can happen, we like to know that we are safe and the safe way to move forward. But darkness takes all that away. Whether or not you still have a little uneasiness when it comes to the dark, there is a fear, might I say a good fear, that dwells in each of us: That is the fear of eternal darkness. Spiritual darkness that is. As we continue to hear God’s Word and we learn about how sinful we truly are, how easily we fall into sin, and the terrifying nature of eternity in hell, it makes sense that it would frighten, or unsettle us.

Why? Because it is where we all came from. You, me, your children, their children; we all were born into spiritual darkness destined for eternity in hell. What changed? Simply put, the I AM God changed you. Last Sunday we took up a study on Exodus 3 with Moses before the burning bush and learned about I AM, a Name You’ll Never Forget. This Advent season, we are going to continue that study, but looking more specifically at our Savior’s I AM statements. This week: I Am the Light of the World. May the Holy Spirit bless our study this morning.

If you take yourself back to Jesus’ day, light was the perfect illustration for Him to use because darkness was so prevalent. Today we have lights on nearly every street, houses have electricity with the flip of a switch, and we even have a pretty decent flashlight with the push of a button on our phones. None of that existed in Jesus’ day. When the sun went down, you lit a candle, otherwise you would sit in utter darkness.

Even from the beginning of God’s Creation, darkness described a world that was formless and void, empty before God’s powerful Word brought order and beauty to it. But when you look closely, darkness and light are used extensively in Scripture, almost always describing belief and unbelief.

Ephesians 5:8, For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Colossians 1:13, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

John 3:19-21, And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

So what is Jesus talking about when He says in our text, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Simply put, He is talking about eternal life and He is the key to finding it.

When Jesus came into the world, He did not do so to be buddy buddy with everyone He met. He knew that would not happen because, as John 3 says, people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. Who among you would like to have your sins and secret sins exposed for all to see? I wouldn’t expect a single hand to go up, and I’ll admit mine would not go up either.

Did you feel a weight in your chest? Terror over the thought of your most secret sins being exposed? Me too. That is our sinful nature. Have you ever come across a cockroach, and when you shined a light on it, it scattered for dear life? They find freedom and safety from enemies (you) in the darkness. When the light comes on, most cockroaches flee into the safe, secure, darkness. Yes, I am comparing your sinful nature and mine to cockroaches. When the light of God’s Law shines brightly into our hearts, we recoil, we flee, we will do anything to avoid being exposed for the sins we have committed. The problem is, there is nowhere to flee.

There is no crevice deep enough in your heart, there is no dark enough corner in your room, or in your soul, to hide from God the sins you have committed. Yes, you might avoid detection from other people, but not from the One who searches the heart.

This is the darkness that you and I are born into by nature. Engrossed by it, filled with it, consumed by it, our sinful flesh desires to dwell in that state of being an enemy of God. Why is it so bad to remain in that darkness; to indulge in our sinful flesh just a touch; to worry about eternal life after we have had our fun? Because it will very quickly lead to our eternal death.

Have you ever been to a cave where they shut off all the lights? Total darkness, you can’t even see your hand in front of your face. Even after a short while, when they finally turn the lights back on, it is disorienting. That is what sin does to your heart. It does not take much, but is a slippery slope to losing yourself to darkness.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

One of the first things we notice about what Jesus says, is the absolute nature of it. He does not say, “Whoever follows me, if you do enough to stay with me, will have the light of life.” It is non-conditional. Following Jesus equals having the light of life. Is it really that simple? Yes! Because Jesus is the light of the world.

Jesus is the light of the world in two very necessary ways. In the first place, He is the light of the world by showing us exactly what it takes to obtain eternal life according to the Law of God. Perfection. He didn’t have any of the secret sins you and I have. Although, He was tempted, remember? High upon a mountain, overlooking all the kingdoms of the world, and Satan says to Jesus, “All this I will give to you, just bow down and worship me.” “No one will know, Jesus, it will be our little secret.”

But Jesus knew better than that. He knew “You shall have no other gods besides Me.” Rather than grabbing the easy fruit, Jesus rebuked Satan by saying, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” This wasn’t the only time. Think about all the frustration Jesus was tempted to have toward His disciples when they were being stuck-in-the-mud mules; or the hatred that easily could have consumed His heart towards Judas for betraying Him, or the Jews for rejecting Him, or the Romans for crucifying Him.

In every circumstance Jesus did more than just the right thing. He actively kept God’s Law perfectly, but also made up for every time that you and I failed to keep even one word of God’s Law. Jesus’ perfect life shines brightly into our heart, exposing just how far short we fall of the requirement for salvation through works.

Thus, it is necessary for Jesus to be the light of the world in a second way, and this way you will want to hear. Jesus is the light of the world that banishes, destroys the darkness of sin and unbelief. Not through the booming condemnation of the Law, but rather through the still, small, comforting voice of the Gospel. Jesus is the Gospel. His life isn’t just the standard by which God expects you to live, His life is the reason God looks upon you with favor despite the many sins you and I have committed. We call this Jesus’ active obedience. In actively fulfilling God’s Law in your place, He has granted you His perfect record, satisfying part of God’s judgment over our sin.

The source of the Gospel’s comfort and satisfaction for the rest of God’s judgment is found in our Savior’s passive obedience. This occurred while He was on the cross and He suffered the full punishment of hell for every single sin you and I have ever committed. Every time someone in the history of the world crossed the line and broke God’s Law, whether by thought, word, or deed, Jesus suffered for it. Complete and utter abandonment by God. But this too, was done for you. He paid back the debt that you owed to God in full. Think about that. Every single one of your sins and mine, even those ones we kept hidden so deep within that no one can possibly know about, Jesus paid for. Though your debt piled higher than the top of Mt. Rainier, Jesus made it disappear.

Jesus brought light to your life. He secured your salvation. He made it so that you have no reason to return to the life of darkness that is only self-serving and alienated from God because you have something better. You have a relationship with God as His child. God’s wrath over your sin has been satisfied, He welcomes you in with His loving arms because of what Jesus has done for you. No gimmicks, no tricks, no fine print. Jesus has delivered you from a life of darkness and sin to a future of peace and eternal rest. All because the light of His Gospel shined in your heart and brought you to where you are today.

Now are you terrified of every single sin of yours being exposed for all to see? Don’t be. When God brings out your rap sheet on Judgment Day, it will be as white as snow. No ink will stain your name. Rather, the only mark God will see on your record is the blood of your Savior Jesus. You are marked as perfect, holy, accepted into God’s kingdom.

What about darkness? Any fear or uneasiness there? Again, don’t be. You have the light of life that dispels every drop of darkness that creeps its way into your heart. This light of life is yours in the Word of God and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Any time sin creeps back into your life, or that darkness wants to take over…open up your Bible. Read what the I AM God has done for you. And remember the certain, concrete words of Jesus, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Amen.