The Light of the World

GENESIS 1:1-3 NIV
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the
earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the
deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God
said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
REVELATION 21:23 NIV
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the
glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
The story of the Bible is one of moving from darkness to light.
ISAIAH 60:1 NIV
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises
upon you.”
ISAIAH 9:2 NIV
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those
living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
JOHN 1:1-5 NIV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all
things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
EXODUS 13:21 NIV
By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them
on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that
they could travel by day or night.
JOHN 8:2-11 NIV
At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people
gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers
of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.
They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher,
this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses
commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They
were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for
accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the
ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he
straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without
sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and
wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one
at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the
woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her,
“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one,
sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go
now and leave your life of sin.”
JOHN 8:12 NIV
… “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life.”
I AM the Light of the World:
• Jesus is the Light AHEAD of us.
“Your bodies may live in HOMES, but your hearts need to live in
TENTS because I’m still a God who leads with a cloud by day and a
fire by night. I invite you to continue following me for the rest of your
life!”
PSALM 119:105 NKJV
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll
be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.” – Corrie ten
Boom
• Jesus is the Light WITHIN us.
JOHN 8:12 NIV
… “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life.”
2 CORINTHIANS 4:6 NIV
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light
shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory
displayed in the face of Christ.
Jesus makes darkness a choice.
“Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible—even if
you’re choking on it—until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s
everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance
of cleaning it wherever it lands.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
PSALM 139:23-24 NIV
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious
thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting.
• Jesus is the Light THROUGH us.
MATTHEW 5:14-16 NIV
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be
hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they
may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
“Always be suspicious of comfort.” – Chip Judd
MICAH 6:8 NIV
… And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love
mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
• In what way do I need to follow Jesus’ leadership?
• Where do I need to let Jesus’ light shine in me?
• How can I let my light shine this week?