Shine bright like a follower of Jesus

Passage: John 8:12-20, Matthew 5:14-16

Big Idea: Follow Jesus, the Light of the World, and shine as his lower lights, with his light of life.

1. Follow Jesus, the Light of the World (vv.12–18)

2. Have his light of life (vv.12, 19–20)

3. Shine as his lower lights (Matt 5:14–16)

Over the past two days, many people from Chinese backgrounds would’ve celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival started over 3,000 years ago when people in China celebrated the harvest.

Back in those days, almost everyone was working on the farm.

After months of hard work on the farm, the harvest was finally ready, and they celebrated it with a big party.

Besides eating lots of food, there are two things that are often associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

One, it’s a time for moon-gazing because it’s always the full moon at the Mid-Autumn Festival.

And two, children often walk around with lanterns.

And so, they look at the upper light in the sky, as well as the lower lights on earth.

In the Jewish culture, they also have a festival where they celebrate with lights.

It’s called the Feast of Tabernacles.

In Jesus’ day, in the City of Jerusalem, there would’ve been a great celebration.

There would’ve been a lot of lamps set up in the temple’s courts.

Grown men who love God would dance with torches in their hands, singing praises to God.

It would’ve been so cool to see.

1.    Follow Jesus, the Light of the World (vv.12–18)

It’s in the midst of the Feast of Tabernacles, underneath the lights glowing in Jerusalem,

that Jesus says something astonishing, “I am the Light of the World.”

Look with me at John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

Jesus has made some incredible claims about himself throughout John’s Gospel.

He says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”

Another time, he says, “I am the Resurrection and the Life”

Here, he says, “I am the Light of the World”

It’s a very daring thing to say, especially to a Jewish audience.

Why?

Because in the Bible, the Lord God is said to be Light.

The Jewish people would’ve sung this song, maybe even during their festival, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” Psalm 27:1

God’s word is said to be a light for God’s people, a lamp for their path. Psalm 119:105.

Jesus takes this concept of light about God and applies it to himself, by saying, “I am the Light of the World.”

It’s an outrageous thing to say, unless, of course, it’s true.

What does it mean for Jesus to say that He is Light?

First of all, it means that he is God’s Light.

God sent Jesus into the world to be his light in the world.

When you see Jesus, you see God’s light.

In Hebrews 1:3 we read, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature”

It’s like the Father is the Sun in the centre of our Solar System and Jesus is like the sunbeams that reach the earth.

When you see the sunrays coming through the clouds, you see the radiance of the Sun.

You can’t separate the sun from its radiance.

So it is with Jesus.

See the Son, and you see the Father's radiance.

See the Son, and you see the Light of the Father’s glory.

You can’t separate the glory of God the Father from the glory of God the Son.

And so, in Jesus, you see God’s light.

Second, when you see Jesus, you see Man’s light.

That’s how the Bible describes Jesus in John 1:4, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

Jesus is God’s light, leading men and women, boys and girls, back to God.

Why do we need Jesus to lead us back to God?

Because the world that we live in is a dark place.

Even with all the scientific advances, all our wealth, all our attempts to make a better world,

our world remains hopelessly divided, miserably dark.

If you needed to be reminded how dark and fallen our world is, just turn on the news, the local ones and the global ones.

You’ll hear about wars and rumours of wars.

You’ll see tragedies – some natural, others man-made.

Why is the world so dark?

It’s because from a spiritual point of view, from God’s point of view, we’re blind.

We might be able to see the things that our eyes can see, but any scientist worth their salt can tell you there are so many things we can’t see.

We can’t see microscopic things; that’s why we need a microscope.

Even with big things, like this Church building, we still need help.

You’ll be amazed how many people who walk by our Church every day have no idea that the Church is here.

But God sees everything, both physical and spiritual.

Compared with what he can see, we are blind as a bat.

And not only are we blind, we walk in a spiritually dark world.

There is a spiritual darkness, forces that work against God, that we can’t see with our physical eyes.

We might see the effects of this darkness in the form of acts of rebellion against God, but we often don’t recognise the darkness.

We’re spiritually blind people, walking and living in a dark world.

When I was in Jerusalem eight years ago, I had a chance to walk down Hezekiah’s tunnel.

Hezekiah’s tunnel was dug during the time of King Hezekiah of Judah 2700 years ago.

It’s built under the City of David and provides fresh water for Jerusalem on top of Mount Zion.

The tunnel was built on the side of the mountain and it’s completely dark as you walk through it.

It’s over 550 metres of darkness.

You cannot see your own hand at all, even if it’s right in front of your face.

To walk down it, you need a headlamp, so that you can see where you’re going.

Jesus says he is the Light of the world, anyone who follows him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

No matter how dark the world is, no matter how hopeless the world is, those who follow Jesus do not need to be afraid.

Jesus is the light that leads us through the deepest darkness.

Those who follow him will never walk in darkness because he is leading the way.

Where there is light, shadows flee.

That’s what we see when we light up a match, or a lighter.

What happens when you light up a match?

You see light.

Do you see the light’s shadow?

No.

The flame is a light source so it’s not going to cast a shadow.

Jesus is the brightest light, for he is God’s light.

Those who follow him will never walk in darkness.

2.    Have his light of life (vv.12, 19–20)

But this brings us to an obvious question.

It’s all very well to say that Jesus is the light of the world

But can Jesus be trusted?

That’s exactly what the religious leaders were thinking.

Listen to how they respond to Jesus, “You are testifying about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.”

They’re saying, you can’t just say that you’re the Light of the World.

Just because you say you are something doesn’t mean that it’s true.

We have all met someone who says that they are someone special or an expert in something, but they turn out to be liars.

How can we trust Jesus’ extraordinary statement about himself?

Jesus replies by saying, in verse 14, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I’m going. But you don’t know where I come from or where I’m going.”

Jesus knows his origin and he knows his destination.

Jesus has come from God and Jesus is returning back to God.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had no idea who Jesus was; they were blind to his identity.

They judged according to the flesh, according to their own human standards.

They were using human methods to measure the man from heaven, who’s going back to heaven.

That is, they’re using an earthly inferior method to judge Jesus, the very Son of God.

And so Jesus tells them, “You judge by human standards. I judge no one.”

That is, you can’t judge Jesus by human standards and Jesus himself doesn’t judge by human standards. 

When I was growing up, I would often meet people who tell me that they don’t believe that Jesus exists.

I haven’t heard that for a long time now, because almost all serious scholars agree that Jesus existed.

We’re not talking about Christian scholars but all scholars.

Dr John Dickson, a famous history scholar said, “The consensus regards his existence, fame as a teacher and healer, and crucifixion under Pontius Pilate as doubtless facts of ancient history. Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”

There are people who have done no historical research and they just simply say, Jesus doesn’t exist.

There are others who dismiss Jesus based on what their communities have taught about Jesus, communities who don’t even know who Jesus is.

Others respond to Jesus according to their feelings.

All these are men’s ways of trying to get to know Jesus.

They are substandard, inferior ways of knowing Jesus.

They are like blind men trying to describe the brilliance of the sun, utterly foolish and downright arrogant.

No, the only way by which Jesus’ words can be verified is by God himself.

Only God can testify about God.

Listen to what Jesus says in verse 16, “And if I do judge, my judgment is true, because it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.”

Jesus is verified not according to human standards but by God’s standards.

God’s existence does not depend on what you think of him.

God exists whether you believe him or not.

And so, no, we don’t judge God according to our standards.

Rather, God is judged and verified by God himself.

Jesus, the Son of God himself, has testified that He is the Light of the world.

God the Father affirms what Jesus says.

Both God the Father and God the Son affirm Jesus’ testimony.

That’s more convincing than anything that man can come up with!

In this dark, confusing world, it’s a precious thing to know who Jesus is.

And if you know Jesus, if you believe in him, and if you follow him, then you have the Light of the world.

It’s a precious thing to know that in a deceitful world like ours, Jesus can be trusted.

In a dark world like ours, Christians who follow Jesus have Jesus, the Light of Life.

He’s the man from heaven, whose destination is heaven.

Those who walk with him to heaven; they’ll never walk in darkness.

Fanny Crosby was born in 1820 in New York.

When she was very young, she had an eye infection.

Someone took her to see a doctor who was almost certainly not qualified.

He put hot wrappings on the baby’s eyes, and she was left blind as a result.

She could not see the world, she could not see the sun or the moon.

She could not even see her mother’s face.

But do you know what she could see?

She could see the light of life.

She believed in Jesus and grew to love him by memorising the Bible.

And she expressed her love for Jesus by writing many, many hymns, over 8000, to help others come to see him as well!

Whereas many people see the world but are blind to what truly matters, Fanny Crosby was blind to the world, but she saw with the light of life.

She has the light of life because she has Jesus, the Light of the world.

3.    Shine as his lower lights (Matt 5:14–16)

What does this mean for us?

Firstly, we need to be thankful for Jesus.

Jesus is the Light of the world.

We’re thankful for Jesus because He is the Light of the world and we can trust in him.

As the light of the world, he can lead us out of darkness and into the safety of his light.

But we must follow him.

For it’s only those who follow him who will have the light of life.

Jesus is leading but are you following?

Second, as those who follow Jesus, we must shine as his lower lights in the world.

This is what Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.  ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

As followers of the Light of the world, we must shine as the light of the world.

We ourselves don’t have the light of life within ourselves.

But we have the light of life when we follow Jesus.

That’s what we’re called to do as a Church.

Together, we are like a city on a hill, that cannot be hidden.

Together, we shine as the light of the world.

Together, we point the world to Jesus, who is the Light of the world.

Friends, this is why we gather on Sunday mornings, to be the light of the world.

We shine as the light of the world by proclaiming Jesus, the true light of the world.

The famous preacher D. L. Moody once told the story about a ship that was in the middle of a storm.

Here’s what he said,

“The winds were howling and the rain was relentless.

The waves rolled like mountains, and not a star in the sky could be seen.

A ship was rolling with the huge waves and was trying to make its way into Cleveland harbour.

At last, the Captain saw the lighthouse for Cleveland harbour, but he could not see the lower lights.

The Captain said to the Pilot, “Is that Cleveland Harbour?”

The Pilot responded, “Yes sir, it is Cleveland Harbour.”

“Where are the lower lights?” the Captain asked.

“They must have gone out, sir.” said the Pilot.

“Can you make it into the harbour without the lower lights?” asked the Captain.

“We must, sir, or we will perish in this storm!” was the Pilot’s reply.

With a strong hand and with a brave heart, the Pilot turned the ship’s wheel toward Cleveland Harbour, but the ship missed the channel and crashed on the rocks.

The boat sank and over 200 people lost their lives.”

Mr Moody then applied this to the Church, he said, “Brethren (brothers), the Master will take care of the great lighthouse of salvation, but it is our job to keep the lower lights burning to guide men safely to Him.”

St Paul’s Kogarah, my brethren, my brothers and sisters, Jesus is the Light of the world.

He’s shining as brightly as he’s ever been.

But what about us lower lights?

Are we shining as well as we ought to be?

Are we guiding people to the true light of life?

Jesus has placed us here to be his lower lights.

Jesus has placed you, he’s placed me, here to be his lower lights here on Sundays.

He’s given us his Word, he’s given us buildings.

We cried out to God almost ten years ago for more room and he’s given us more room as we participate with the school.

He’s given us what we need to be his light.

But are we shining?

Are we pointing people to Jesus?

Friends, there are so many youths, so many young adults, so many families, so many elderly people, walking in darkness.

Will we shine as lower lights as Jesus shines as the heavenly light?

A man by the name of Philip Bliss heard Mr Moody’s words and wrote a song based on his talk.

The song begins like this:

Brightly beams our Father’s mercy

From His lighthouse evermore;

But to us He gives the keeping

Of the lights along the shore.

Don’t let Kogarah be a place where people keep sailing through life in darkness, never able to reach the safety of the shores of heaven.

Be lower lights that burn brightly so that families, singles, men and women, boys and girls, will come to know Jesus, the Light of the world.

Burn bright by firstly making it your top priority to be here on Sunday mornings.

You can’t burn bright by yourself, not for long.

You’ll only burn out.

But if we burn together, we burn brighter for a lot longer.

Second, burn bright by loving one another with a warm Christian love.

Jesus himself said in John 13:34-35: “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Only people who follow Jesus will have the light of life and Jesus commands those who follow him to love one another just as he loved them.

That’s how we burn bright as the Church – we love one another as Jesus loved us.

That’s how the world will know that we’re Jesus’ disciples.

Third, burn bright by doing good works so that others will glorify our Father in heaven.

Our Church motto begins with these words, “See the Gospel”

Before people “hear the Gospel” in our words, they often “see the Gospel” by our deeds.

Are we a Church that only cares for ourselves?

Or do we genuinely care for one another, and act in love by helping one another?

There are so many opportunities for us to do good works here at our Church.

Start by helping out when there are things that need to be done around Church.

When you see a need, don’t just report it; think about how you can help.

Don’t be part of the problem; be part of the solution.

Do these good works, not to be recognised, but for the heavenly Father to be recognised.

Be lower lights that point people to the heavenly light.

And so, this Mid-Autumn Festival, enjoy gazing at the higher light that is the moon and the lower lights that are the lanterns.

But even more importantly gaze at the higher and far more glorious Jesus, who is the Light of the World.

And gaze also on the lower lights that are the Church.

Thank God for both the heavenly light and the lower lights.

Be lower lights who shine brightly for the glory of Jesus, the Light of the world.

Follow Jesus, the Light of the World, and shine as his lower lights, with his light of life.

Rather than asking three questions, I’ll do something a little different.

Friends, let’s close our eyes for a minute.

Keep them tightly closed.

Friends, there are many people living in darkness, without the light of Jesus.

There are many people who don’t know Jesus and are walking blindly in the darkness.

Can you think of three friends who are still walking in darkness?

Can you see their faces?

Pray for them, that God may shine the light of Christ upon them, that they may be saved.

Perhaps one of those faces you see is your own face.

Perhaps you don’t know and follow Jesus yet.

If that’s you, can I encourage you to come to the Light of Jesus.

He is the Light of the world, come to him, follow him and have the light of life.

Friends, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, then follow Jesus, the Light of the World, and shine as his lower lights, with his light of life.

Let’s pray,

“Lord God, you who said let light shine out of darkness, please shine your light in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of your glory, as displayed in the face of Christ. We pray for those faces of people we have just prayed for. May we always give you thanks for Jesus, the Light of the World, our Leader, our Victor, our Life, in whose name we pray, Amen.”