I heard the voice of Jesus say, I am this dark world's light. Look unto me. I mourn shall rise and all the day be bright. I am the light of the world. John chapter 8, if you'd like to open your Bibles there with me, John chapter 8. At verse 12, Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." I feel sure Horatius Monar had this verse in mind when he wrote the last stanza of that hymn that we just sang. They that walk in me, and I walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. First question I want to ask concerning this verse is who is doing the speaking? Who is doing the speaking? And if the Lord's pleased to reveal to our hearts who he really is, then he will have our full undivided attention. Had a man recently tell me he was an atheist. And I said to him, I promise you, I promise you, you won't always be. You will not always be. There will come a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Easy to live as an atheist. It's an all another thing to die as one. If the Lord is pleased to show us who is speaking, our knee will bow right now. We'll believe every word that proceeds out of his mouth if we understand from the revelation that God has given us in his word who is speaking. This is none other than the fullness of the Godhead bodily. John begins his gospel with this declaration. Turn back just a few pages to John chapter one, and we'll read some very familiar verses. John chapter one, beginning of verse one, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. In the beginning means before time. We know that this is the one who is the eternal God. He didn't have a beginning. In the beginning is a reference to the beginning of time. So before time ever was. He was. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything that was made made. So we go back to the record of creation in the early chapters of Genesis, and we know that it is God. It is Christ who is the light. It is Christ who is speaking. He's the word. Let there be light, there was light, and it was he that said, let there be, and each day of creation, he was Christ. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness. The Lord Jesus Christ and the light of the gospel shines in darkness right now in this dark world. But the darkness comprehended it not. Didn't understand it. Couldn't understand it. I watched a YouTube video the other day of some self-professing Bible scholars If I named them, you might recognize some of their names. There was a panel of men who believed themselves from every, all denominations across the board. And they were trying to explain the parable of the unjust servant in Luke chapter 16, which we'll bring a message on that perhaps soon. But one by one, they all offered their opinion. And there was no understanding. The parable's simple, but they didn't get it at all. And as they were talking, I'm thinking of what the disciples said when they asked the Lord, Lord, why do you speak to them in parables? Why do you speak to them in parables? Because it's not for them to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. It's for you to know. It's for you to know. And then the disciples said, Lord, teach us what that parable meant. And then the Lord elaborated on the parable and explained the parable to them. And every time we come together and open God's word and preach the gospel, that's what we're doing. We're explaining the parables because it's only God's people who have seen the light of Christ, who come at his feet and say, Lord, teach us what the parable means. Lord, don't leave us to our own opinions. Don't leave us to our proud, self-righteous surmising of what we think the Bible means. Lord, you teach us. And they, the scripture, the Lord Jesus said this, and they shall all be taught of God. And if he teaches us, if he shines the light of his countenance on the scriptures and in our hearts, then no man can teach us out of that. Been taught of God. We've been taught of God. That's the light. So John builds his whole gospel around these opening verses. The Lord Jesus is the word, the word became flesh, and he dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and full of truth. He came unto His own, His own knew Him not, but as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God." These are all verses in John chapter 1. Who were born? Not of the will of flesh, nor the will of man. They're born of God, they're born of the Spirit. Here's the work of the Holy Spirit, who takes the light of the gospel and shines it in our otherwise darkened hearts. The darkness comprehended it not. The world did not know and still does not know and will not receive. The evidence that I have the Spirit of God is that I will know the truth. I want the light of the very countenance of God to shine in my heart. The Lord Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Now, you know, this I am goes all the way back to the Exodus chapter three, when the Lord appeared, when the Lord Jesus appeared to Moses at Mount Sinai at the burning bush. And the bush was on fire, but it was not consumed. And the Lord said to Moses, take your shoes off from thy feet for the ground on which you stand is holy ground. And Moses became prostrate before the Lord. And that bush being a picture of what the Lord would do. when the fire of God's wrath fell upon him as our sin bearer and as our substitute at Calvary's cross, and yet the fire did not consume him like that bush was not consumed. He consumed the fire. He put out the fire. He's our propitiation. We do not have to fear the fire of God's wrath because Christ took that judgment for us. And Moses asked the Lord, he said, What if they ask me your name, what do I tell them? And the Lord said to Moses, tell them that I am hath sent thee. I am that I am hath sent thee. Now that name is the same as Yahweh and it's the same as Jehovah. It's the name of God. and it reflects his self-existence. It reflects the fact that he is the creator of all things, and he himself is the uncreated one. It reflects his deity. It reflects the fact that he is unchanging and unchangeable. He is eternal. He exists within himself and everything else that exists, exists out of him. That's who he is. That's who's speaking. And if he's pleased to show us what he showed Moses, if he's pleased to take this word, I am the light of the world and cause us to believe that this is none other than God Almighty speaking. This is none other than God Almighty. And I live in a dark world, and I've got a dark flesh, and my sin is dark, and I need the light of God. I need to hear His voice. I need to bow to Him now, not when the rod of His wrath smites me on the back of my knee and forces me to confess that He is the Christ. Lord, I want to bow in love. I want to bow in submission. I want to believe on Thee. I want to hear Thee right now. This is the one who is sovereign and immutable and omnipotent this is the one who is dependent upon man for nothing this is the one on whom every man is dependent for everything everything the next breath you draw everything we have everything we ever hope to be all of our salvation is in his hand I am Now John gives us seven I am's. And this is the second of the seven. The first one that was given to us in John chapter six, after the feeding of the 5,000, the Lord performed a miracle and then he reveals himself as I am the bread of life. It's not about that physical bread. It's about me being your sustenance for life. And he reveals himself as the bread of life. Now he's going to reveal himself as the light of the world before the miracle. It will not be until the next chapter that he actually performs the miracle of healing a blind man to show that he is the light of the world. We don't need a miracle, not a physical manifestation of one. We need a spiritual work of grace in the heart that causes us to say, Lord, speak. Lord, I believe that you are God. I believe that I'm dependent upon you for everything. Lord, I believe that you're the only one able to save me. And I believe that I've got nothing to give you and I need everything from you. Lord, you're the I am. Emmanuel, God with us, the living word that became flesh. And the Lord Jesus in our King James, in our New Testament Bible in the original language, the Greek, gives us a Greek rendition of that I am. And it's almost as if the Jews were hearing him use this name And wondering, is this man, this son of Mary and Joseph, is he really professing himself to be God? And then in chapter 8, he removes all doubt. Turn with me to chapter 8, verse 58, towards the end of chapter 8. Verse 56, they were worshipers of Abraham. They believed themselves to be the children of Abraham. They believed that their physical lineage from Abraham gave them special privileges and that that was enough to save them. And what did the Lord Jesus say? I can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. How did Abraham see it? By the eye of faith. He looked for a city whose builder and maker was God. He wasn't looking for a city anywhere in the Middle East. He wasn't looking for a city between Ur of the Chaldees and Palestine. He was looking through the eye of faith to that city of God, that new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. He believed God. He wasn't looking on that which could be seen. He was looking upon that which cannot be seen. And we are, the scripture tells us that Abraham is the father of the faithful. So the same faith Abraham had by God's Holy Spirit, we have. We don't look on what's seen, we look on what's not seen. How do we know? Because God said so. We believe and we bow and rejoice in the revelation that the Lord has made in his word. Then said the Jews unto him, thou art not yet 50 years old and hast thou seen Abraham? I read one commentator on this verse of scripture years ago, and he made this point. I don't know if it's true. We know the Lord Jesus was only 30 at the time, maybe 31 or two. But he made the point that living as holiness the holy, harmless, undefiled Son of God, and experiencing the sin of this world and the contradiction of sinful men, perhaps he looked 50 years old. Perhaps he was aged far beyond his years. I don't think that's out of the question. But they thought, well, you're not quite 50 years old yet. And Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. Same I am that he uses when he calls himself I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the resurrection and the life, and all the other I am's of John. Before Abraham was, I am. and the context in which the Lord uses it now, all doubt's been removed. All doubt's been removed. Now they know that this one who is but a man is making himself out to be God. Look at the next verse. Then took they up stones to cast at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them and so pass by. He didn't dart and dodge them and hide between pews to get out of the temple. He just walked right out and holding their eyes so they couldn't know who he was. And he does the same thing today. He walks among men whose eyes are blinded by the God of this world. They can't see that he's the light of the world. They do not believe that he is none less than the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This is who's speaking. This is who's speaking. If he reveals himself for who he is, there's only one appropriate response. Worship. That's the only appropriate response. It's just worship. It's just a bow to before him. and worship him as God. Is that not what we came to do? Is that not what we do every time we come before the throne of grace in prayer to seek that one which can give us help in our time of need? Is that not what we do every time we open the word of God, every time the spirit of God brings us again and again to the Lord Jesus? We just bow. Why? because of who he is. It's God. It's God. All men will bow to him. What a blessing of grace that we would be able to do so now. And we do experience in our bowing to him some frustration in that we're not able to worship him as we ought. We're not able to worship him as we want. But that's why we long for that day when we'll be rid of this flesh and we'll see him as he is and we'll be able to worship him like we ought. And our voices will be joined with as angels in heaven. Worthy is the lamb. Worthy is the lamb. Oh, what a song that'll be. That's who's speaking. Do you believe that? If you do, then you'll believe everything that he says. Lord speak, for thy servant listeneth. I am the light of the world. Only those who are interested in the light are those who have had some experience with the darkness. What do you mean by that? I mean God the Holy Spirit has shown you something of your sinful nature. The world doesn't have that problem. They don't see a need for light. Let me show you that. Turn back to John chapter 3. John chapter 3. The Lord is speaking to Nicodemus in John chapter 3 verse 19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world And men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Those who want some light have had some experience with darkness in that they see that their deeds are evil. For every man that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be uncovered, revealed, disclosed, reproved for what they are. Now that applies to those who are indulging themselves in all the shameful Things of the flesh. They don't wanna, I don't wanna go to the light. My life's gonna have to change. I like darkness. I wanna live in the darkness. Their deeds are evil. But it also applies to those who are making an effort to live outwardly moral lives, and yet they are presenting to God for their righteousness. their good deeds, which God says are filthy rags. So whether a man is irreligious or whether a man is religious, whether a man is outwardly immoral or whether a man is outwardly immoral, they won't come to the light because their deeds will be reproved, they will be uncovered, they will be exposed for what they are, evil. So who is it that comes to the light? Who is it that hears the eternal I am say, I am the light? Well, he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. He wants that evil sin to be made manifest. He wants it to be taken away. He wants his righteousness to be made manifest before God. But he knows that all the manifestations of the light are wrought by God. They are manifested by God. They're not something that he does. There's something that God does for him and something that God does in him. Now we might ask the question, what is it to do the truth? What is it to do the truth? And I remind you of the conversation that our Lord had with Pilate the night before his crucifixion. When Pilate wanted to know if he was a king, And the Lord is silent at first to Pilate. He doesn't answer him. And then Pilate proudly and arrogantly says, to the glorious I am, the creator of all things, the God of the universe, do you not know that I have the power to crucify you or the power to release you? And what did the Lord Jesus say? You have no power at all except that which is given to you from heaven. You can't do any, your hands are tied except for that which my father allows you to do. And my father's gonna allow you to turn me over to them to be crucified because that's gonna be the salvation of my people. And then the Lord Jesus said this, for this cause came I into the world and for this reason was I born. to bear witness unto the truth. They that are of the truth hear my voice and follow me. What is it to do the truth? What is it to do the truth? Very simple, just to follow Christ. is to hear his voice, is to say, Lord, if I'm not, you're the one that's got the, you are the light. If I'm not following you, my word, the Lord said, is a light unto your path, is a lamp unto your feet. If we're not looking to him and his word, and we don't separate the written word from the living word, He is the manifestation of everything that God's given us in his word. They that are of the truth hear my voice. They hear that they are sinners. They hear that he is God. They hear that he is the only one able to save them. They hear the word of God declare that it is finished. It's finished. That everything that God requires for our salvation, he accomplished on Calvary's cross. They hear his voice say, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. They hear the voice of God say, every thought and imagination of their heart is only evil and that continually. They hear the word of God. The light of the gospel shines in their heart. and they believe and they bow. And they've got no place to go but to follow him. Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life. This is the condemnation. Light has come into the world. He is the light of the world. But Men love darkness rather than light. They won't come to the light. Why? Because coming to the light will uncover their deeds as being evil. But they that do the truth, they that hear and follow after Christ, they run to the light. And they confess that all that was manifest about them about God and about how it is that God's pleased to save sinners was wrought in them by God. They didn't come to these things on their own. They give to him all the glory. When sin entered into this world, Truth was lost. Darkness was cast upon all men. Men believed the lie. Men believed the lie. What was the lie? God knows in the day in which you eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, your eyes will be opened, you'll be like God. They believed the lie. And they believed the liar. And they became liars. They became liars. The Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees, your father's the devil, he's the father of lies. You believe the same lie and you're promoting the same lie that he taught. What is it that you're promoting? That man can save himself, that man can do something to obligate God to save him. that God's not God, you are. You can set yourself up on the throne of God. That's the lie. The lie is free will. The lie is a works gospel. And the Lord Jesus comes along and says, I'm the light of the world. I am the light of the world. He that followeth me. That's what the Lord said to Pilate. They that hear my voice, the light of the gospel shines in their hearts. They see the work of God wrought in them and they give to him all the praise and all the glory for having made them to be what they are, sinners. All men are sinners by nature, but what a blessing it is when Christ reveals himself And it only happened, we never see ourselves for what we are until we see him for who he is. Every time. Isaiah said, I saw the Lord. High and lifted up. First words out of his mouth. What was me? I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. Job, when the Lord revealed himself to him, said, behold, I am Bile. I can't justify myself anymore. I spoke without knowledge. I didn't know what I was talking about. Now I know. Why? Because the work of God has been wrought in my heart. He's shown me Christ. And in seeing Christ for who he is, I see myself, at least in part. We've not seen the fullness of him. That's why we long to see his face. And thank God he only shows us enough of our sinful nature to cause us to know that we've got to have Christ. If he showed us our sin for all the ugliness that it really is, we'd be overwhelmed by it, wouldn't we? The God of this world, 2 Corinthians 4, verse 4, hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine in their hearts. This is where the light of the gospel shines. It's through the preaching of the gospel. It's by the word of God, blessed by the spirit of God, revealing Christ to us. We don't run from the light. Light's coming into the world. The natural man loves darkness rather than light because his deeds are evil. He doesn't want them to be manifest for what they are. But we confess that the manifestation of Christ and consequently the manifestation of who we are as a sinner in need of grace was wrought in us by God. The light of the gospel has shined in our hearts. We no longer grope in darkness like the world. Isaiah likens the world to a blind man, groping in darkness and feeling for a wall and finding some safety in the wall, only not knowing that it's a teetering wall that's put together with undobbed mortar and that that wall's gonna fall and it's gonna crush him. It's a picture of the naturally blind man who can't see, who's walking through this world in darkness and trying to find some hope of salvation. And what he thinks he finds is only going to fall in on him and crush him. I am the light of the world. We cannot see the light. apart from Christ. Like in creation, we are without form and void, and darkness is upon the face of the deep. And God must speak, and God must say, let there be light. God must say. And those that are after the light, those that love the light, say, Lord, shine your light on me. Lord, speak to me. Say, let there be light, Lord. I see enough darkness in my own heart and life to know, Lord, that I'll be overcome with darkness. Shine the light of the gospel in my heart. Cause me to hear your voice and follow after Christ. Darkness can never produce light. But light always overcomes darkness, always. What is the result? Life. Proverbs 16, verse 15, listen to this. In the light of the king's countenance, there is life. In the light of the king's countenance, there is life. How much we can tell about a person just by their countenance. Our countenance reflects so much of whether or not we're in trouble, distressed, worried, afraid, broken, happy. How can I find a pleasant countenance on the face of the king? It pleased the father to bruise him. God saw the travail of his soul and God was satisfied. There's peace and safety in the light of his countenance. Someone accused me recently of having no application in my preaching. Some reformed guy who thinks that you need to preach every message, give the gospel, and then tell people something to do, give them something to do. Well, for him and for you, here's my application. Matthew chapter 6, the Lord said, the eye is the light of the body. If the eye is full of evil, I'm sorry, let's turn to that passage. I'm not able to quote it right now. Matthew chapter six. Probably good for you to see this anyway. Here's your application. Verse 22 of Matthew chapter six. The light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness. Now this word evil, it is a reference to evil deeds, yes. And it goes back to what the Lord told Nicodemus in John chapter 3. They won't come to me because their deeds are evil. Their eye is fixed on either their shameful, sinful behavior or their shameful self-righteousness. Either way, their deeds are evil and their eye is evil. and therefore their whole body is full of darkness. And if the darkness that is within thee be your light, how great is the darkness thereof. In other words, there's no man so blind as the one who thinks he can see, who's still blind. But this word evil is also translated another way. It's translated full of labor. full of labor. If the eye be single, the whole body shall be full of light. But if the eye be full of labor, then the whole body shall be full of darkness. And if the darkness therein be your light, how great is the darkness thereof. What is it to have a single eye? is to follow Christ. Not look to your works, not look to your will, not look to your feelings, not look to your good or bad deeds, not look to others. You don't look to your right or to your left to see how someone else is doing and compare yourself to them. You don't look behind you to see how you've done. To get assurance of salvation, you're looking Christ. I single. He's all my righteousness. He's all my salvation. He's all my wisdom. He's all my hope. He said that he's God, that I believe. He said that he's the light of the world, that I believe. He said that apart from him, I have nothing but darkness. Amen. I've had enough experience with that. If the I be single, The whole body shall be full of light. What is the application of this message? It's the same application to every message. Look to Christ. Look to Christ. He's our all and he's in all. Amen. Our heavenly father. Bless your word and remind us and cause us to bow to all that we've heard. Lord, speak volumes beyond what can be heard audibly. Speak to our hearts by your spirit. We ask it in Christ's name, amen. 273, let's stand together.