I Am Light

I want to invite you to open your Bibles with me to Isaiah chapter 9, and then we'll move to John chapter 8 for our I AM statement. Isaiah is a really cool book. It’s what we call a prophetic book. It’s about proclaiming. It proclaims truth. It proclaims consequences. And it proclaims the future. And when we read this book, Isiah is writing about the dark days of Israel. What I mean is that there is not much going on thats good for the people of God. Think about all the things they’ve witnessed through their tradition and history. Their not marching out of Slavery, or Egypt. THere not seeing walls fall down like Jerico They’re not conquering lands as they walk into the promised land singing songs of praise. The glory days of King David a man who loved God with all of his heart, and the richness of his son Solomon ruling with wisdom are no longer in the picture. Their economy, isn’t expanding but shrinking. They have gone through a civil war as a nation and at the end of it all they didn’t stay unified, but ended up splitting into two kingdoms, the north and the south. A conquering king named Tiglith Palesar has just absorbed the northern kingdom. Now, in the southern kingdom, Judah is depressed, insecure about their existence.. they are experiencing external decay. But not only is their world externally decaying, but there is even internal decay as well. Think about their religious life as God’s chosen people… They have given up rituals that prioritized and celebrated God, they have given these rituals up for self-serving practices. So what that means is they kind of made church about themselves. And so, in the midst of all of this external and internal decay, watching the northern kingdom fall, the first 8 chapters of Isaiah reflect nothing but desperate and dark days. Even a few chapters before chapter 9, we read in Chapter 6: “The day King Uzziah died….Their safety net of wise leadership is gone… And so, Isaiah, in the midst of all of these dark and desperate days, he begins to tell them, or prophesying, the truth about the internal and external decay. And what he’s doing is speaking to the southern nation about the consequences of the activities that they are indulging in, and the coming invasion from the Assyrians. But, in the heart of this message that he is giving, theres an announcement of hope. IN chapter 9, after all the doom and gloom of the truth of whats going on and going to happen, Isaiah makes this announcement. Look in verse two with me… it says, The people walking in darkness; have seen such a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. Amen, right? Internal and external decay. People being carried off into a different life. The temple laying in ruins and the city of Jerusalem ransacked, and destroyed. Only the poorest, and the lame, and the remnants left behind to live out a life of total survival. But In the midst of all of that darkness.. Isaiah gives this message of hope… those walking in darkness have seen a great light. What is this great light? Well.. its a baby announcement. Look with me in verse 6… For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us. Thats a 700+ year old baby announcement. And its right before Jesus would show up on the scene. Do you know what happens when a baby shows up on the scene? ….. Theres a buzz. Right? There excitement. There is this long awaited anticipation, and expectation, and of course… all the waiting. When anyone is waiting for a baby, theres this feeling of new hope, New life, new beginnings and of course, the laughter that comes with watching all the coos and funny things the baby does. Anyone who has had a child, or knows a child, or been a part of a little babies life, knows the crazy things that you do… you do things you would have never imagined: You’re speech changes… For whatever reason.. you begin speaking in third person.. daddy loves you.. Oh yes he does. Goo goo ga ga… Then theres the funny faces that you make… Especially while playing peek a boo. For the first time in your begin to become obsessed with human waste. Right? First its trying to catch it before it goes everywhere. And then.. the task of learning how to dispose of it.

When Alicia and I had our kids, I also noticed that our focus changed.

Being in love, and getting married and having kids, changed my focus… and they became the object of my focus. To provide for them. To love them. To correct them… I mean the kids not my wife… I’ve been married along enough t know I don’t correct my wife. But having kids and teaching them and watching them grow, I think any parent would say, it was grueling work. After the birth, the stitches, and staples, and glue and duct tape were needed to put Alicia back together. When each of them were born… I had the pleasure of watching the euphoria in the tears of seeing her meet our kids for the first time. Because for us… For to us, a child had been born. And you know what… with all the darkness and struggles, and financial strain we had, and what was to come after having our first kid… Hope was injected into our life. New life… new possibilities. New ways of doing things. And just when we think life is getting hard again, trying to raise one kid… Unto us a child is born… Chloe comes onto the scene… And it was the same with Abby… just when things seemed hard, and during this hard season we were losing our home and had to move… and we moved, and guess what… bam… Hope for a third time is injected into our lives.

This is what God was announcing to Israel. In spite of the darkness around you…… Unto you a child will be born. And to top it all off… if you know the Scripture and you look in verse 6 again.. God even goes on to list the differences the changes that “this child” particularly will deliver… Its not just any child… but “The” Child… the Messiah. Israel calls him, “Light” in the darkness. A name that we see come true in the book of John. A name that brings much hope. Now, let's fast forward 700 years from Isaiah's birth announcement in John Chapter 8. Remember all that darkness Isaiah was talking about? The internal decay, the external threats, the feeling that everything was falling apart? That was still the life going on for the people of the world. Jesus steps into darkness,.. the same darkness that we live in. Think about that… Jesus steps into that same kind of darkness we experience in this life and he says something amazing in chapter 8, verse 12… HEY SAYS, , I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. You know what amazes me about this? Jesus doesn't just speak about the light from a distance. He doesn't send a message from heaven saying "Hey, hang in there Matthew, Don’t worry… hang on… light is coming! No - He steps right into our mess. Right into our broken relationships. Right into our financial struggles. Right into our doubts and fears. And when He steps in, He doesn't just bring a flashlight to help us see our way through the darkness. He says "I AM the light." Present tense. Right here. Right now This is too amazing to me. Because in all honesty… its a moment in our faith where Jesus says.. stop focusing on the darkness… stop focusing on all the things around you… just focus on me in the midst of your darkness. Think about this with me for a moment. What's the first thing God ever said in the Bible? "Let there be light." And what's the first thing Jesus says about Himself in our passage? "I am that light." This isn't a coincidence, church. This is God saying, "Just as I spoke light into the darkness at creation, when you come to faith in Christ alone, by faith alone, He, meaning Jesus becomes our light… And, Do you know what's fascinating about light? Even the smallest amount changes everything about darkness. You can be in the darkest room of your house, and just one tiny crack of light under the door changes everything. Now, get this… When light touches something, it doesn't just partially illuminate it. Light is all or nothing. That's why Jesus doesn't say "I'll help you see a little better" or "I'll give you some guidelines to follow." He says "Whoever follows me will NEVER walk in darkness.” Ya know.. I love that phrase all or nothing… Think about your faith right now…. Are you all or nothing when it comes to your faith? When we talk about sanctification… ya know that big word… to be holy as he is holy… to be entirely sanctified… do you know what it means… in a simple and gentle way, it means this… Relationship. Faithful relationship. And all in to the other person. It means Christ and I become one. We’ve been bonded, and a union has taken place. My life is surrendered to him, and he becomes my life. It's like marriage in a way. When Alicia and I got married, there wasn't a "kind of married" option. There wasn't a "married on Tuesdays and Thursdays" choice. It was all or nothing. There is no 50/50 in our marriage. She gives all of herself to me, and I give all of myself to her. And we become one. That's what Jesus is talking about here. Everything that belongs to one person becomes available to the other. When the light of Christ, enters our lives, it's not just a spotlight showing us where to walk - it's a complete transformation of our life. Where I go he is, where he is, I want to be. We’re one. But what prevents us from leaving our darkness and walking in light?

Fear…. Let’s be honest. we’re afraid to step out of the norm. We’re afraid of change. Fear is an emotion caused by the belief that something or someone poses a threat to us. Who poses a threat to us… to our way of life? Well, God does. I know this first hand. When I was in college I was invited to a church by a girl. I didn’t want to be there. God was a threat to my way of life, and how he wanted me to live my life. When we hear things like, “God wants to bring to light your sin, and he wants to invade your hearts. That didn’t sound appealing to me. When I am the Lord of my own heart, that’s the kind of language that’s threatening. You want to expose my sin? You want to change me? Whats wrong with who I am? But yet, here’s the reality I never realized… I was allowing my sinfulness to rule my life and it was keeping me trapped while I lived my life in darkness. Because I was in love with my darkness! I was in love with my sin. Jesus put it like this when he was describing his own coming : “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”

Our problem is not that we don’t have light, our problem is that we love the darkness. We love it. We love it because we believe it protects us. It shrouds our life in mystery and hides our wrongs. And my entire life before Christ came into my life, I was comfortable with it… and anytime, or anyone that tried to change my mind, they were a threat. And I let fear rule my life.

You know, when we talk about fear, we're not just talking about being afraid of the dark or scared of spiders. There are deeper fears that can keep us from experiencing God's light in our lives. Theres two fears in particular that I see holding many of us back. The first one is the fear of intimacy - real intimacy. I'm talking about truly knowing and being known by God and others. This kind of intimacy takes time. When I think about this, I always think about my relationship with Alicia. We've been married for 19 years, and I love her more today than I did back then. Why? Because true intimacy takes time, and effort, and a whole lot of understanding, and trust me - it takes a whole lot of grace and forgiveness from both people. But Our love has grown because we've both made intentional choices to know each other deeper. Even when I'm exhausted, even when I'm tired, there's this strength that comes from wanting to be close to her, to care for her and our family. That's what real intimacy looks like. And you know what? That's exactly what God desires to have with us. When Jesus says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength" - that's intimacy. It's not just following rules or showing up to church. It's about a deep, personal relationship. Listen churhc, Fear either drives us toward God or away from Him - there's no middle ground

But here's the second fear, and in some ways, it's the opposite of intimacy - it's the fear of rejection.

I wrote something in my journal a couple years ago that I keep coming back to: "The hardest part of living a life of rejection is when you begin to believe that the addiction to man's acceptance and approval is normal. You and I can become very easily starved for acceptance and approval form others. Think about it - we count our social media likes, we measure how many people show up to our events, \ we compare our friend count with others. We get so hungry for approval that it becomes like a drug. And just like any addiction, it becomes a prison for our minds. That's an unhealthy way of living. And if left unchecked, approval of others can become a drug that we become addicted to. Think about this - humans are the only beings on this planet that seek out and long for the approval of others. And yet, we fear being rejected by them.

This addiction to approval reveals something profound about fear itself - fear can very easily become the enemy of our faith. But here's where we need to make an important distinction. You see, not all fear is created equal. The Bible actually teaches us about a good kind of fear - what we call 'the fear of the Lord.' This holy fear is completely different from the kind of fear that paralyzes us. In fact, Proverbs puts these two fears in direct contrast. It says, 'Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe' (Proverbs 29:25). Do you see the difference? One fear traps us; the other frees us."

V Jesus tells us, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ What Jesus is teaching us here is amazing: darkness can only overcome us when we CHOOSE to love our darkness more than we love God. Think about that - it's always a choice. Even in our most fearful moments, we're choosing what to love. And here's where fear comes in - the kind of fear the world offers actually prevents us from loving God rightly. We see this play out beautifully in Scripture. There’s this amazing story in Exodus. Listen to this - chapter 20, verses 20-21: 'Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.’ Did you catch what happened there? The same fear that made everyone else step back made Moses step forward. Same God, same darkness, different response. Was Moses afraid? I'm sure he was. But his fear was different. Look at his words again: 'Do not be afraid... so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’ Do you get what he's saying? Don't love your darkness more than your salvation. Don't choose the familiar shadows over God's transforming light. And this points us straight to Jesus. Because none of us can perfectly obey God's law - we need Jesus to cover our sin, our disobedience. That's exactly what He did at the cross. He paid the price for us. Died in our place. Rose again in victory. And now we're saved not by perfectly following rules, but by trusting in Him."

A people that was once walking in darkness has now seen a great light. This truth changes everything for us! - when we put our trust in Jesus, we no longer need to fear God's judgment. Our relationship with Him becomes marked by love instead of fear. Let me explain it this way... My mother is the closest thing to a father I've ever had. My love for her runs so deep that I never want to see her hurt or disappointed. Growing up - and some of you might remember this - I was part of that generation where you had to 'Go pick out your own switch.' But here's what I didn't understand until I had my own kids: it wasn't just the fear of punishment that hurt. Deep down in my heart, what really scared me was the thought of breaking her heart - because I love her that much. That's exactly what Moses understood about the fear of God. It's not about being terrified of hellfire - it's about loving God so much that what scares us most is the thought of being separated from His presence. You see, this is what entire sanctification looks like - when our fear of going to hell transforms into a fear of being separated from the One who loved us enough to step into our darkness. It's not about rules anymore - it's about relationship.

But here's the beautiful thing - even when we fail, even when we miss the mark, God's grace is sufficient. Through Jesus, we have the light of life tomorrow guide us back into God’s loving embrace As Paul tells the Corinthians, "God, who said 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts" (2 Corinthians 4:6). Jesus is literally the "radiance of God's glory" (Hebrews 1:3). He's not just bringing light - He IS our light. The true light of this world. And He makes us this amazing promise - if you turn to Him, and you won't walk in darkness anymore. Instead, God puts His very Spirit within us, allowing us to cry out "Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6).

His very presence is within you! As Peter comes forward… and we come to our conclusion… I want to ask… do you you know what's amazing? The same God who said 'Let there be light' at creation, who was the light Moses approached in the darkness, who spoke of the light to come through Isaiah, who came as light through Jesus - who says, I will place the Spirit of my sin within you, that same God now says to us, 'You are the light of the world' (Matthew 5:14). Think about that for a moment. We're not just recipients of the light - we're carriers of it. We’re carriers of the very presence of GOd. We’re carries of this hope that we have in Christ. When Jesus says in the beatitudes, 'You are the light of the world,' He's not giving us a suggestion or a goal to reach for - He's telling us who we already are in Him. He’s giving us an identity. An extension of himself… we get to share him with others.

This advent season, where we celebrate the Light coming into the world, I want to leave you with this thought. We're not just celebrating what happened 2000 years ago. We're not just remembering a historical moment. We're living in the reality of what that light does in us today. When Jesus said "I am the light of the world," that wasn't the end of the story. Because now, that same light lives in you. Think about that - the light that spoke galaxies into existence, the light that Moses approached in the darkness, the light that came as a baby in a manger - that light now lives in you. Remember how we started? Those people walking in darkness who saw a great light? That's not just their story - it's your story too. And now, you get to be that light for someone else who's walking in darkness. So here's my challenge to you as we enter this advent season: Be light. And Go shine. But listen carefully - this isn't about mustering up your own strength or trying to generate your own light. This is about the reality that His light already lives in you, by faith, in Christ. You're not just a carrier of light - you're a sanctuary of His presence. What does this look like tangibly? Be light in your waiting - when others are rushing, let your peace shine Be light in your worship - when others are stressing, let your joy shine Be light in your witness - when others are searching, let your hope shine Maybe it's opening your Christmas table to someone who would otherwise eat alone. Maybe it's noticing the person at work whose smile doesn't quite reach their eyes. Maybe it's being the one who stops, listens, and shines hope into someone else's darkness.

Do me a favor.. if you have a smart phone, could you take out your phone and open up the camera app…. Do you have it open… now hit that button that turns the camera around to where you can see yourself. Now, smile… and Take a picture. Do you have it… now put that in a text message and send it to the number on the screen. Church, do you want to to know what hope looks like in our dark world? It looks like you… It looks like you, carrying His light into every situation you face It looks like you, choosing to shine even when fear tells you to hide It looks like you, being the hope that someone else needs Remember what Jesus said about light under a bushel? It's meant to be seen. And this Advent season, our world desperately needs to see it. So church, be light. Go shine. Because the hope you carry isn't just for you - it's for every heart still walking in darkness. The light has come. The light is here. the light lives in you. And now, go share that light with the world.” Be light and go shine.

Let's pray… Father God, we thank you that you are the God who speaks light into darkness. Thank you that even when we loved our darkness, you didn't leave us there. You sent your Son, Jesus, to be the light of the world. Lord, we confess that sometimes we let our fears keep us from stepping into your light. Sometimes we choose to stay in familiar darkness rather than trust in your transforming presence. Forgive us, Father. Thank you that through Jesus, you've made us carriers of your light. Help us not to hide that light, but to shine boldly in a world that desperately needs hope. Give us courage like Moses to step toward you, even when others step back. As we enter this advent season, remind us daily that your light lives in us. Help us to be the hope that others need. Let your light shine so brightly through us that others can't help but see you. In Jesus's name, Amen. Benediction: May the God who said "Let light shine out of darkness" fill you with His presence. May the Christ who is the light of the world guide your every step. May the Holy Spirit empower you to be light in every dark place you enter. And may you go forth to shine with the confidence that where His light is, darkness cannot stay. Now go, be light, and shine with the hope of Christ. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. *