Gospel of John [16:28-31]. Implications of the glorification of Christ [part 5]. Joh 8.

Title: Gospel of John [16:28-31]. Implications of the glorification of Christ [part 5]. Joh 8.

 

 

After informing us that His glorification would mean flowing, living waters inwardly to all who believe in Him, the Lord informs them that He is the light of the world.

 

As the ceremony of the water-pouring at the Feast of Tabernacles provides an effective setting for Jesus' proclamation about the living water, so the setting for His further claim to be the light of the world may be provided by another feature of the festival of Tabernacles: the temple precincts were brightly illuminated. We are told in JOH 8:20 that He spoke this time from the temple treasury.

 

I am the light of the world message was likely at night. At the feast of Tabernacles the temple precincts were brightly illuminated.

 

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JOH 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." 

 

Implications of glorification of Christ: rivers of living water within; an illumined heart that guides the believer's path.

 

In the OT God is His people's light:

 

PSA 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the defense of my life;

Whom shall I dread?

 

By His light they enjoy grace and peace:

 

NUM 6:24-26

The Lord bless you, and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine on you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance on you,

And give you peace.'

 

So many people in our world see a promise like this and they just think God randomly does this upon people. There is nothing random about it. Some think God does this on those who sin less than most. This has nothing to do with personal sin. I wouldn’t know how to deal with sin if His face wasn’t shining His grace upon me.

 

If you knew His light and you looked toward it, it would shine upon you and you would see grace and peace. The light is Christ and He is His word, JOH 1:1, 14.

 

The word of God is His mind. In JOH 1:1, 14 the word is Christ. Look into the word of God and you will see Him, His light, and it will shine upon you and you will see grace and peace. His light is nowhere else. It’s not in nature, it’s not in the world system, it’s not in governments or schools or organizations. It is not in religion whether Christian or some other religion. It is only in His word. Those who are too busy to look into the word of God will not see His light. This is simple and obvious.

 

The Messiah is a light to the end of the earth:

 

ISA 49:6

He says, "It is too small a thing that

You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

I will also make You a light of the nations

So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

 

No one is excluded. Race, genetics, background, etc. does not impede the light of salvation, which is faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.

 

The word of God is a light to guide the path:

 

PSA 119:105

Thy word is a lamp to my feet,

And a light to my path.

 

By means of the word of God I have a destiny, clearly defined objectives and goals, all under the grace of God. I come to know good from evil, good from bad, ignorant from wise.

 

PRO 6:23

For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light;

And reproofs for discipline are the way of life,

 

PRO 20:25

The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord,

Searching all the innermost parts of his being.

 

HEB 4:12

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

 

Jesus became the word of God incarnate and His life, which He eternally possessed was the light of men.

 

JOH 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

JOH 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.

 

JOH 1:3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

 

JOH 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

 

The incarnation enlightens every man as to the person of the Son of God, whether they believe in Him or not.

 

JOH 1:9 There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

 

Because of His presence the sons of darkness and the sons of light become clearly distinguished.

 

JOH 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

 

JOH 3:17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

 

JOH 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 

JOH 3:19 "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.

 

JOH 3:20 "For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

 

JOH 3:21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

 

Those who reject Christ, the only light of the world, continue to love the darkness and their deeds continue in evil. Those who accept Christ as the only Savior accept Him as light is imparted with the light of life, which is the life giving from God and the practice of truth. He who practices the truth walks in the light.

 

PSA 36:9

For with Thee is the fountain of life;

In Thy light we see light.

 

The light of God's instruction in the OT, by way of practical living as well as salvation, is now fully encapsulated in the person of Christ, who is now in the believer and the believer is in Him.

 

JOH 8:13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You are bearing witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."