Jesus Came to Bring Light to a Dark World
December 2, 2018

Scripture: John 12:44-50

John 12:46: “I have come into the world as light.”

I. Jesus exposes sin by His light.

A. Jesus says in vs. 44-45 that he was sent to earth by God the Father. Jesus is God’s messenger. He was a messenger of light that was prophesied about 700 years before His birth in Isaiah 9:2: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” And the reason Jesus was light was because He was just like His Father. Jesus said in John 12:45 that “whoever sees me sees him who sent me.” We have a saying, “like father, like son.” Jesus is saying that He is just like God His Father.

B. One of God the Father’s attributes is His holiness. One of the ways that God’s holiness is pictured in the Bible is as a bright and burning fire. God is light. And so is His Son Jesus. because Jesus is light, Jesus also reveals us to ourselves. We see this in John 12:46: “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” Jesus came to expose our sin to us by His light so that we could turn away from the darkness of our sin and walk in His light.

C. What if we don’t stop remaining in darkness when Jesus exposes our sin? The consequences for remaining in darkness are severe: “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (vs. 48). There is going to be an end to the world, and that end is judgment. Jesus came to bring us light. He came to make us holy like he is holy. But if we reject Jesus’ purposes for us, God will hold us responsible for our rejection of Jesus and for our sins. There is good news, however.

II. Jesus delivers us from sin’s darkness.

A. Jesus tells us the good news about the purpose for His coming in vs. 47: “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” Jesus’ main purpose was to save the world. His purpose was to bring people out of darkness and into light. Yes, the world is full of darkness and sin and death. But Jesus came to save us from all this darkness. Jesus does not want anyone to remain in darkness. Jesus’ desire is to save us. And He did save those of us with faith by dying on the cross for our sins.

B. The reason why Jesus is light is repeated in vs. 49: “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment – what to say and what to speak.” Jesus’ words are the words of God the Father. All the words of light that Jesus speaks, have been commanded by the Father. And what do Jesus’ words from God have the power to do? In vs. 50 Jesus says, “And I know that his commandment is eternal life.” What commandment is Jesus talking about here? He is talking about the commandment to have faith in Jesus alone to save us. Acts 16:31: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Only Jesus can save us from the darkness. That is why he came: to save the world. And when Jesus saves those who put their faith in him, He gives them the eternal life of John 12:50. He gives them the light of living with God for all eternity in heaven.

Application:
Believe in Jesus. Confess your sin to get closer to God.

Sources:
The Gospel of John
Commentaries on John by D.A. Carson and Richard Phillips
“Why Christ Came” by Joel Beeke