well welcome and hello<\/p>\n
my name is Tim for those of you are<\/p>\n
visiting my name is Tim I just want to<\/p>\n
introduce myself<\/p>\n
I'm one of the one of the leaders here<\/p>\n
at gray City one of the elders if you're<\/p>\n
visiting would you just want to say<\/p>\n
welcome to you<\/p>\n
and just to share a little bit about<\/p>\n
Grace City this is a community of<\/p>\n
Christians that believe we live in and<\/p>\n
by the grace of God<\/p>\n
and we desire to care for and to serve<\/p>\n
the city of Bangkok in and by that Grace<\/p>\n
God's Grace<\/p>\n
We're compelled by the perfect love of<\/p>\n
Jesus and we want to extend to share<\/p>\n
that love with others<\/p>\n
last Sunday we started a series on the I<\/p>\n
am statements of Jesus<\/p>\n
in the gospels in the Bible we learn<\/p>\n
about who Jesus is what Jesus has done<\/p>\n
and what he will do in the future<\/p>\n
and the I am statements are words that<\/p>\n
Jesus spoke about himself<\/p>\n
these are statements that he spoke about<\/p>\n
himself revealing his identity<\/p>\n
he was telling us he was telling the<\/p>\n
world who he is<\/p>\n
so last Sunday I was on Trey taught<\/p>\n
about Jesus proclaiming this I am the<\/p>\n
bread of life<\/p>\n
and the truth we see in this is that<\/p>\n
Jesus himself brings true and full and<\/p>\n
Lasting satisfaction<\/p>\n
s<\/p>\n
lasting satisfaction to our hungry Souls<\/p>\n
today we look at another I am statement<\/p>\n
from the Gospel of John<\/p>\n
foreign<\/p>\n
I'm going to read this to us candy I'll<\/p>\n
read in in both languages and then we're<\/p>\n
going to look at a lot of passages<\/p>\n
tonight and we'll read them in English<\/p>\n
and the and the verses will be on<\/p>\n
uh the slides as well but this one um<\/p>\n
[Music]<\/p>\n
then Jesus spoke to them<\/p>\n
again saying<\/p>\n
I am the light of the world<\/p>\n
he who follows me shall not walk in<\/p>\n
darkness<\/p>\n
but have the light of life<\/p>\n
let's pray<\/p>\n
father God we thank you for your word<\/p>\n
the Bible<\/p>\n
truck company<\/p>\n
God we pray that you would open our<\/p>\n
hearts and Minds today<\/p>\n
to help us learn your truth is<\/p>\n
teach us and lead us in your truth<\/p>\n
I<\/p>\n
amen Lord we pray this in your holy name<\/p>\n
amen<\/p>\n
light<\/p>\n
of the world<\/p>\n
in this brief text we see Jesus<\/p>\n
pronounce a profound truth about himself<\/p>\n
I am he says the light of the world<\/p>\n
now I'm going to share a summary of what<\/p>\n
this statement means about Jesus and<\/p>\n
then we'll spend the rest of this sermon<\/p>\n
unpacking this core truth<\/p>\n
in proclaiming I am the light of the<\/p>\n
world Jesus is showing us his deity his<\/p>\n
divinity<\/p>\n
home<\/p>\n
by saying I am the light of the world<\/p>\n
Jesus is revealing himself as God<\/p>\n
in the Old Testament when the people of<\/p>\n
God Israel<\/p>\n
they were wandering through the<\/p>\n
wilderness<\/p>\n
and in the biblical account records that<\/p>\n
God led the people as a pillar of cloud<\/p>\n
by day<\/p>\n
and at night in the darkness of night<\/p>\n
God LED them as a pillar of Fire<\/p>\n
God LED his people through the<\/p>\n
Wilderness by Illuminating their way<\/p>\n
now the entire Bible points to Jesus<\/p>\n
Christ as the Fulfillment of all that<\/p>\n
God was doing to save this world<\/p>\n
the people of Israel were waiting for<\/p>\n
God to deliver them by sending the<\/p>\n
Savior the Messiah<\/p>\n
and the Bible reveals Jesus as that<\/p>\n
savior<\/p>\n
when we read the Old Testament we can<\/p>\n
see glimpses of this fulfillment coming<\/p>\n
and these instances that we see they're<\/p>\n
called types<\/p>\n
so God led the people of Israel as a<\/p>\n
pillar of Fire<\/p>\n
and that image that Pillar of Fire is a<\/p>\n
type in the Old Testament<\/p>\n
that points ahead to Jesus<\/p>\n
points ahead to Jesus revealing himself<\/p>\n
as the light<\/p>\n
the light that God would send into this<\/p>\n
world to lead us<\/p>\n
I'm going to read to us from John<\/p>\n
chapter one<\/p>\n
um<\/p>\n
okay you can read along in the beginning<\/p>\n
was the word and the Word was with God<\/p>\n
and the Word was God he was in the<\/p>\n
beginning with God all things were made<\/p>\n
through him<\/p>\n
and without him was not anything made<\/p>\n
that was made<\/p>\n
in him was life<\/p>\n
and the life was the light of men the<\/p>\n
light shines in the darkness and the<\/p>\n
Darkness has not overcome it<\/p>\n
there was a man sent from God whose name<\/p>\n
was John<\/p>\n
he came as a witness to Bear witness<\/p>\n
about the light that all might believe<\/p>\n
through him he was not the light but<\/p>\n
came to bear witness about the light the<\/p>\n
True Light which gives light to everyone<\/p>\n
was coming into the world Jesus in him<\/p>\n
was life the text says<\/p>\n
Jesus shining in the darkness and the<\/p>\n
Darkness has not and cannot overcome<\/p>\n
this light<\/p>\n
please<\/p>\n
when I was in college my friends and I<\/p>\n
used to go spelunking that's a new word<\/p>\n
maybe for some of you spelunking and<\/p>\n
caving<\/p>\n
and this is an opening of a cave we used<\/p>\n
to go to<\/p>\n
we would crawl through this little<\/p>\n
opening into a large Cavern that opened<\/p>\n
up Underground<\/p>\n
now this is not this is not me this is<\/p>\n
not a picture of my friends<\/p>\n
okay this is the cave<\/p>\n
and we would open up the ground open up<\/p>\n
and and one thing we like to do as we<\/p>\n
hiked deep into the cave<\/p>\n
we would sit<\/p>\n
quietly and we would turn off all of our<\/p>\n
lights<\/p>\n
you turn off the headlamps we turn off<\/p>\n
our flashlights<\/p>\n
and we would sit there in the dark<\/p>\n
and silence<\/p>\n
there was no light at all<\/p>\n
but all it took like this picture here<\/p>\n
all it took was for one or two lights to<\/p>\n
be turned back on and the whole Cavern<\/p>\n
would be illuminated again<\/p>\n
the light would shine into the darkness<\/p>\n
the light was more powerful than the<\/p>\n
in the book of First John<\/p>\n
sonship listen to this<\/p>\n
this is the message we have heard from<\/p>\n
him and proclaimed to you<\/p>\n
that God is light<\/p>\n
and in him is no Darkness at all<\/p>\n
if we say we have fellowship with him<\/p>\n
while we walk in darkness we lie we do<\/p>\n
not practice the truth<\/p>\n
but if we walk in the light as he is in<\/p>\n
the light we have fellowship with one<\/p>\n
another<\/p>\n
and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses<\/p>\n
us<\/p>\n
from all sin<\/p>\n
if we say we have no sin we deceive<\/p>\n
ourselves<\/p>\n
and the truth is not in US<\/p>\n
if we confess our sins<\/p>\n
he is faithful<\/p>\n
and just to forgive us our sins and to<\/p>\n
cleanse us from all unrighteousness if<\/p>\n
we say we have not sinned we make him a<\/p>\n
liar and his word is not in US<\/p>\n
looking at verse 5 again<\/p>\n
this is the message<\/p>\n
we have heard from him and proclaimed to<\/p>\n
you that God is light and in him there<\/p>\n
is no Darkness at all<\/p>\n
and Jesus said I am the light of the<\/p>\n
world<\/p>\n
and as we hear this statement we're<\/p>\n
going to consider three things briefly<\/p>\n
that the light reveals<\/p>\n
that the light restores<\/p>\n
and the light leads<\/p>\n
now<\/p>\n
how many of you grew up sleeping with<\/p>\n
the light on in your room can I see your<\/p>\n
raise you want to raise your hands<\/p>\n
by anyone anyone still sleep with the<\/p>\n
light on it's okay I see your hand okay<\/p>\n
you know perhaps yeah some of us still<\/p>\n
sleep with our lights on that's okay why<\/p>\n
you know why is that why why do we do<\/p>\n
that<\/p>\n
part of it's practical right if you need<\/p>\n
to get up in in the middle of the night<\/p>\n
you got you have some light on and<\/p>\n
some of us may be afraid of the dark<\/p>\n
right<\/p>\n
and that's understandable we have we<\/p>\n
have fears right in the darkness somehow<\/p>\n
Amplified can amplify our fears<\/p>\n
sometimes but what the darkness may be<\/p>\n
hiding right okay<\/p>\n
think about a spotlight like this<\/p>\n
picture here about a you know a<\/p>\n
spotlight trained on a dancer or a<\/p>\n
performer an actor on a darkened stage<\/p>\n
the spotlight is designed to illuminate<\/p>\n
that actor right that dancer foreign<\/p>\n
so John<\/p>\n
in the passage we read<\/p>\n
a moment ago and and is up again<\/p>\n
John writes that the True Light which<\/p>\n
gives light to everyone was coming into<\/p>\n
the world<\/p>\n
and the light of Jesus it actually<\/p>\n
reveals the Light of Christ reveals<\/p>\n
wanted to reveal Dewey<\/p>\n
in John chapter 3 we read this for<\/p>\n
everyone who does wicked things hates<\/p>\n
the light<\/p>\n
and does not want to come into the light<\/p>\n
does not want to come to the light lest<\/p>\n
his Works should be exposed you see<\/p>\n
light exposes<\/p>\n
the light exposes our sinful ways<\/p>\n
now some of you may have a mirror like<\/p>\n
this at home or maybe you've seen one in<\/p>\n
a hotel<\/p>\n
you know this<\/p>\n
if you've seen it in the hotel because<\/p>\n
it surprises you when you look in it<\/p>\n
you're like oh don't die right because<\/p>\n
it magnifies your face<\/p>\n
some of them even have Bright Lights<\/p>\n
like this one I think has lights around<\/p>\n
it so it like illuminates your face<\/p>\n
right and shine makes your face big<\/p>\n
and when you see your face really big<\/p>\n
it's like not normal size right<\/p>\n
and and we don't we may not like that we<\/p>\n
may not like to see ourselves in that<\/p>\n
kind of light in that kind of<\/p>\n
magnification<\/p>\n
or think about too<\/p>\n
um how when we go outside we have to be<\/p>\n
very careful about ultraviolet light<\/p>\n
right it can burn us<\/p>\n
yes light can be harsh and and sometimes<\/p>\n
we actually want to try to ignore it<\/p>\n
protect ourselves from it hide from it<\/p>\n
and so it's hard but the reality is that<\/p>\n
our lives in the spiritual light of God<\/p>\n
you know our sin is revealed foreign<\/p>\n
you know God's holiness actually<\/p>\n
illuminates and highlights our own<\/p>\n
sinfulness<\/p>\n
his goodness God's goodness exposes our<\/p>\n
failures<\/p>\n
Jesus the light of the world his<\/p>\n
Holiness reveals our sinfulness<\/p>\n
but the gospel is good news<\/p>\n
it's good news because as we see our sin<\/p>\n
we are led to repent of our sin to turn<\/p>\n
from it<\/p>\n
to ask God to forgive us<\/p>\n
and the good news of the Gospel is that<\/p>\n
God forgives<\/p>\n
there was a time in the gospel of<\/p>\n
Matthew when Jesus started teaching<\/p>\n
about the ten commandments of God<\/p>\n
and this is just a bit of what he taught<\/p>\n
but what it does is it shows us that<\/p>\n
we are sinners<\/p>\n
you have heard it said this is Jesus<\/p>\n
speaking teaching okay<\/p>\n
you have heard it said to those of old<\/p>\n
you shall not murder<\/p>\n
and whoever murders will be liable to<\/p>\n
judgment but I say to you<\/p>\n
that everyone who is angry with his<\/p>\n
brother will be liable to judgment<\/p>\n
you've heard it said that you shall not<\/p>\n
commit adultery<\/p>\n
but I say to you that everyone who looks<\/p>\n
at a woman with lustful intent has<\/p>\n
already committed adultery with her in<\/p>\n
his heart<\/p>\n
essentially Jesus<\/p>\n
was showing that we are incapable of<\/p>\n
keeping God's law<\/p>\n
hello<\/p>\n
we're all sinners in the True Light Of<\/p>\n
God exposes us for Who We Are<\/p>\n
we are guilty of sin our sin before a<\/p>\n
holy God<\/p>\n
so what do we do what do we do with our<\/p>\n
sin<\/p>\n
and the gospel is good news because it<\/p>\n
tells us what to do with our sin<\/p>\n
because the light that exposes our sin<\/p>\n
is also the light that brings<\/p>\n
restoration and healing<\/p>\n
the light restores<\/p>\n
in the medical industry<\/p>\n
like therapy or phototherapy is actually<\/p>\n
the practice of using light<\/p>\n
to stimulate and bring healing in the<\/p>\n
treatment of certain ailments<\/p>\n
neonatal jaundice if you know of<\/p>\n
children that have experienced this that<\/p>\n
would be an example neonatal jaundice<\/p>\n
oh<\/p>\n
babies that are suffering from jaundice<\/p>\n
are exposed to light for a time and it<\/p>\n
heals them it helps heal their body<\/p>\n
is<\/p>\n
earlier I talked about how the Sun can<\/p>\n
burn us right UV rays but also the sun<\/p>\n
is is important for our health<\/p>\n
you know benefits of sunlight include we<\/p>\n
know vitamin D<\/p>\n
vitamin D sunlight is good for bone<\/p>\n
health<\/p>\n
it's you know low it helps to lower<\/p>\n
blood pressure even helps promote good<\/p>\n
mental health<\/p>\n
active friends when we see ourselves for<\/p>\n
who we are when we see ourselves exposed<\/p>\n
sinners in need of saving<\/p>\n
and from that place we turn away from<\/p>\n
our sin we repent and ask God to forgive<\/p>\n
us save us heal us we come into his life<\/p>\n
and we are restored<\/p>\n
were restored in his light<\/p>\n
were brought out of Darkness out of our<\/p>\n
own darkness and brought into his light<\/p>\n
listen to these beautiful words from<\/p>\n
first Peter<\/p>\n
but you are a chosen race<\/p>\n
a royal priesthood a holy nation a<\/p>\n
people for his own possession that you<\/p>\n
may proclaim the excellencies of him who<\/p>\n
called you out of Darkness into His<\/p>\n
Marvelous Light<\/p>\n
God calls us out of darkness and into<\/p>\n
his light<\/p>\n
when Jesus spoke this I am statement<\/p>\n
about himself I am the light of the<\/p>\n
he then gave a promise the second part<\/p>\n
yeah<\/p>\n
Jesus says that those who follow him<\/p>\n
those that turn away from their own<\/p>\n
darkness and turn to him he says<\/p>\n
they will have the light of life<\/p>\n
Psalm 36 9<\/p>\n
reads this<\/p>\n
for with you is the Fountain of Life in<\/p>\n
your light<\/p>\n
in your light do we see light<\/p>\n
nice<\/p>\n
as we see the light of Jesus Christ at<\/p>\n
work in us we receive new life in him<\/p>\n
and we see how our lives are then led by<\/p>\n
him<\/p>\n
the Bible is full of passages speaking<\/p>\n
of light and encouraging the follower of<\/p>\n
Jesus to Walk in him to walk in his<\/p>\n
light in his way<\/p>\n
listen to Psalm 18 here for it is you<\/p>\n
who light my lamp the Lord my God<\/p>\n
lightens my darkness<\/p>\n
in fact the Bible<\/p>\n
with all these verses it seems to make<\/p>\n
it clear that those who are in Jesus<\/p>\n
will have lives that emanate with his<\/p>\n
on<\/p>\n
it makes sense that those that profess<\/p>\n
to love Jesus<\/p>\n
and to walk in his ways that yes they<\/p>\n
will have lives that demonstrate the<\/p>\n
love of Jesus right<\/p>\n
for you were once Darkness you were once<\/p>\n
Darkness<\/p>\n
but now you are light in the Lord walk<\/p>\n
as children of light<\/p>\n
and in Matthew<\/p>\n
Matthew 5 16 in the same way let your<\/p>\n
light shine before others<\/p>\n
so that they may see your good works and<\/p>\n
give glory to your father who is in<\/p>\n
heaven<\/p>\n
as God works in us and through our lives<\/p>\n
the good that is done through us<\/p>\n
will lead to God receiving the glory<\/p>\n
do you see how that happens<\/p>\n
God's good light shines through us<\/p>\n
it's not from us<\/p>\n
it's the light of Jesus Christ at work<\/p>\n
in US displaying the goodness of God<\/p>\n
so in summary of all of this you know<\/p>\n
Jesus proclaims himself to be the light<\/p>\n
he reveals himself as God<\/p>\n
it invites us to follow him<\/p>\n
to turn away from the darkness and to<\/p>\n
walk in him the light of the world to<\/p>\n
receive the light of life<\/p>\n
some time ago I was speaking with a<\/p>\n
friend<\/p>\n
about his life his work his family<\/p>\n
country but it's also a very difficult<\/p>\n
setting<\/p>\n
he was honest about<\/p>\n
some of the challenges they were facing<\/p>\n
and he said this when we were talking he<\/p>\n
said<\/p>\n
I know I know the light overcomes the<\/p>\n
but sometimes the darkness just seems so<\/p>\n
strong<\/p>\n
today do you feel that way<\/p>\n
you know like my friend who is a<\/p>\n
follower of Jesus<\/p>\n
you may be a follower of Jesus and say<\/p>\n
yes I I feel that way today I feel like<\/p>\n
the darkness is heavy<\/p>\n
and we know we believe that the light<\/p>\n
overcomes the darkness and yet the<\/p>\n
darkness just seems so heavy<\/p>\n
you feel that you know that weight of it<\/p>\n
day to day<\/p>\n
experience that difficulty<\/p>\n
well<\/p>\n
in the midst of that<\/p>\n
let us continue to encourage one another<\/p>\n
and to look to the light of Jesus Christ<\/p>\n
cling to him in the midst of darkness<\/p>\n
and hardship<\/p>\n
because he is the light<\/p>\n
he will overcome the darkness<\/p>\n
and some of you tonight you know would<\/p>\n
say I'm not a Christian I don't know<\/p>\n
what I believe about all this<\/p>\n
so we pray that you would understand and<\/p>\n
experience also that Jesus is the light<\/p>\n
for you<\/p>\n
in the midst of what you may be going<\/p>\n
through in your own life you might agree<\/p>\n
yeah the darkness is heavy I agree<\/p>\n
in our hope my hope our hope<\/p>\n
is that you would look to the light that<\/p>\n
is Jesus Christ<\/p>\n
that you would let his words of truth<\/p>\n
and hope speak to you even now right now<\/p>\n
and bring light and hope into your life<\/p>\n
that you would allow him to to light up<\/p>\n
your darkness and give you peace in the<\/p>\n
midst of what you're going through<\/p>\n
C.S Lewis wrote this in a book<\/p>\n
called the weight of Glory<\/p>\n
he wrote this he said<\/p>\n
I believe in Christianity<\/p>\n
as I believe that the sun has risen<\/p>\n
not only because I see it<\/p>\n
but because by it I see everything else<\/p>\n
friends the Bible points to the truth<\/p>\n
that the light of God shines bright and<\/p>\n
true<\/p>\n
his light is a beacon in the midst of<\/p>\n
Jesus said I am the light of the world<\/p>\n
come to him<\/p>\n
thank you for sending the light of the<\/p>\n
world Jesus to save us<\/p>\n
perfect life we cannot live and he died<\/p>\n
a sacrificial death to save us some<\/p>\n
help us look straight into the light of<\/p>\n
you<\/p>\n
in the midst of the darkness of this<\/p>\n
world the darkness of our own Hearts<\/p>\n
help us stare straight at you Jesus<\/p>\n
and may we be restored in you<\/p>\n
may we be healed in you<\/p>\n
and may we be made into those who share<\/p>\n
your light with the hurting world<\/p>\n
let me pray this in your holy name amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20230111","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TCTarATE7SI","video_id":"TCTarATE7SI","video_duration":"34:53","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=760"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":761,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760\/revisions\/761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}