First Baptist Church of Tampa Sermons

S1 E18: The Light of The World

• First Baptist Church of Tampa • Season 1 • Episode 18

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Sermon Overview

Series: VBS Week

Title: The Light of The World

Text: John 8:12-20

Date: June 7th, 2026

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THRIVE?

We want to help every person make a genuine commitment to follow Jesus and then follow through with that commitment in Connecting People to a Thriving Life in Christ. These Thriving disciples should Dig In to the Bible, Grow Up in Christ, and Branch Outinto the community.

Our Mission: To Connect People to a Thriving Life in Christ. What is a thriving life in Christ? Scripture says that Jesus Christ came “that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Our mission in the city of Tampa is to make disciples who follow the pattern of the believer in Psalm 1 and desire God’s glory above all things.

NEXT STEPS

Are you looking to get connected or learn more about First Baptist Tampa? We would love to help you find your place in our community.

STAY CONNECTED

Wherever you are in life, you have a purpose. First Baptist Tampa wants to help you find your next step.

Our Student & Young Adult Ministries:

SPEAKER_00

As you're being seated, if you would join me in the Gospel of John this morning, we're taking a break from our series through the Gospel of Mark, and we're going to focus on our text from Vacation Bible School this morning, John chapter 8. This morning. John chapter 8. If you don't have a Bible with you, there are some there in the pew back in front of you. We're going to be on page 961 in that Bible. If you don't own one, that's our gift to you. Please take it with you. John chapter 8. You guys are now comfortable and used to me saying that vacation Bible school is my favorite week of the year. It continues to be, although as I get older, it's one of the more challenging weeks of the year, just from an emotional and physical standpoint. But it is still an amazing opportunity that we have as a congregation. And beyond all the bells and whistles, beyond all the crafts and the games and the decorations and the fun and the music and all the things that we do with the kids, at the heart of it is an opportunity to share the gospel with over 200 children. At the very heart is an opportunity to teach children about who Jesus is and what he came to do. Having an opportunity to sit down with third graders and fourth graders and fifth graders and walk through the gospel with them is something that I cherish. The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. Simply stated, the gospel is that God created all things, and when he created it, he created it perfectly. But man has sinned. Sin came into the world. We rebelled against God's design. We went against God's commandments and we brought sin into the world. Sin has led to darkness, sin has led to destruction. The wages of sin is death. We look around our world and we see we live in a dark world. We see we live in a sin-filled world where people harm one another. We recognize that religion cannot save us. We recognize that ritual cannot make us right. We recognize that works fall short and that we need grace. We need forgiveness. And God's grace is sufficient. The gospel is the good news that Jesus left heaven, came to earth, died upon a cross, bearing the weight of our sin upon himself, paying the price for our sin. And if we will place our faith in him, we can be made right with a holy God. Grace is necessary, and grace is sufficient. The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. It is based on who he is and what he came to do. Our text for Vacation Bible School, our theme verse is John chapter 8, verse 12. Jesus told them, I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. For them to see that, begin to take seed in their hearts and to grow is a beautiful thing. I pray that that same message is true for you. That you have examined the truths of who Jesus is and what he claimed to do, and that for you, Jesus is also the light of the world, and that you would no longer walk in darkness. In that verse, Jesus gives us a remarkable proclamation. I am the light of the world, and he gives us an extraordinary promise. If you follow me, you will never walk in darkness, but you will have the light of life. This morning I just want us to examine those two truths. This remarkable proclamation of Jesus, I am the light of the world. What does that mean, and what are the implications of it? And then that extraordinary promise that he says, if you will follow the light of the world, you will never again walk in darkness. Jesus came to dispel darkness. He came to destroy darkness. And light dispels darkness. Famous Scottish novelist Robert Lewis Stevenson, famous for writing Treasure Island and Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hyde, recounted that when he was growing up in Edinburgh, Scotland, that he enjoyed watching the lamp lighter do his work. Along his street were gas lamps. And each night this lighter would walk along with a ladder and a light. And he would go lamppost to lamppost, lighting the lamps. And Robert Lewis Stevenson says, I recalled one night watching that in awe and telling my nanny, look, he's punching holes in the darkness. Jesus didn't just come to punch holes in the darkness, Jesus came to dispel darkness. And then he tells us, just as he is the light of the world, those of you who follow me, you are the light of the world. I want you to live amongst the darkness as though you are lights, punching holes in the darkness wherever you go. This is the meaning behind what Jesus tells us in John chapter 8, verse 12. With clarity, with conviction. Jesus tells us today, I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you will no longer walk in darkness, but you will have the light of life. How many of us have walked in darkness? How many of us have felt the gloom and the weight of the darkness all around us? Perhaps the darkness of an addiction. The darkness of a temptation. The darkness of evil. Some of us walk in the darkness of loneliness, some of us walk in the darkness of depression. And Jesus says, if you'll follow me, you never have to walk in darkness again. How many of us can testify and say, I was in darkness, and Jesus has brought me to the light? I was in death, but Jesus brought me to life. This is the truth that we wanted the children to understand this week, and it is the truth that I wanted to take time just for a few moments before we go to the Lord's Supper table to remind ourselves that Jesus is the light who will dispel the darkness in our lives. If you're willing and able, will you stand with me as we put this verse in context? John chapter 8, we'll start in verse 12. Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. So the Pharisees said to him, You are testifying about yourself, your testimony is not true. Jesus answered and said to them, Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I came from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh, I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone in it, but I and my father who has sent me. Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am he who testifies about myself, and my father also, who sent me, testifies about me. So they were saying to him, Where is your father? And Jesus answered, You neither know me nor my father. If you knew me, you would know my father also. These words he spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple, and no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come. Father, as we open your word, let your light shine into our hearts so that we might understand it. Open our blinded eyes so that we can see and comprehend. What did Jesus mean when he said he is the light of the world? What implication does it have on our lives if we claim this promise that he has that we would never walk in darkness again? Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to be the light of the world. Let us also poke holes in the darkness by reflecting his light wherever we go. Father, we pray this in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you. So just two things this morning: the proclamation of Jesus and the promise of Jesus. This proclamation that Jesus said, I am the light of the world, and then the promise that it has in our lives that we would not walk in darkness anymore. In verse 12, we begin to see this proclamation about Himself, and I want us to put it in context. It's always important, even when we're looking at one verse of Scripture, that we not pull it out and make it say whatever we want it to say, but let us put it in its historical and scriptural context so that we draw from it what God intends for it to say. The Bible is God's written word, it is his revelation to us. He is an author with an intended meaning. We can't just make the word say whatever we want it to say. Our job is to, through the power of the Holy Spirit, understand what Jesus is teaching us through his word, and so we need to place it in its context. So let's place this claim in its historical context first, and then in its scriptural context secondly. Jesus has come into Jerusalem. In John chapter 8, this is six months prior to his final entrance into Jerusalem that we're reading about in Mark right now. Jesus in six months' time will return to Jerusalem for the Passover. There, he will be arrested, there he'll be tried, he will be crucified, he will die, and he'll resurrect. But Jesus in this instance has come back to Jerusalem, and it is six months prior to that. And as he is teaching in the temple area, he proclaims this truth. I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness. And the Pharisees, the spiritual leaders of the day, the religious leaders of the day, confront him and say, What you're saying about yourself is not true. Your testimony is not true. You are lying. And Jesus says, No, I cannot lie. My testimony about myself is true. And they said, even if it is true, you need somebody else to back it up. You need somebody according to our law to say what you're saying is right. And Jesus says, Fine, you want another testimony? My father also backs up what I have to say. My father in heaven, who when I was baptized, said, This is my beloved son, and who I am well pleased. My father, who has given me the ability to cast out demons and to calm storms and to fight demons and to heal disease. He speaks on my behalf. If you knew him, you would hear his voice, but you don't know me, and you do not know my father. Jesus is confronting these false leaders of the day. In Mark's gospel, he often used statements that Jesus used that says, I am. In this case, he says, I am the light of the world. When he did that, Jesus was intentionally provoking the religious leaders of his day. I am is the name that God gave himself when Moses at the burning bush was told, go back to Egypt and deliver my people from slavery. And Moses said, Who should I tell them sent me? And God said, Tell them I am sent you. When he proclaimed this, he was proclaiming equality with God. He was proclaiming that God, the Father, and I are one. And the religious leaders understood what he was saying. Every time he said it, their response was to speak out against him and seek to destroy him. Sometimes they would pick up stones to stone him. Sometimes they were afraid of the crowd, so they determined, we've got to get rid of this man. We believe he is a blasphemer. Jesus is speaking to these Pharisees. Oftentimes when he uses an I am statement, he does so because of the setting that is around him. He looks at the circumstances and he looks at the culture and he looks at the immediate surroundings and he says, Let me apply something that is going on here. There are seven different ones in John's writing. He says, I am the true vine, I am the gate of the sheep, I am the way, the truth, and the life, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the bread of life, and I am the light of the world. When Jesus said, I am the bread of life, he had just fed 5,000 people. When Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, he had just told them in John chapter 14, I'm going to prepare a place for you, and where I go, I'm going to come again. You know where I'm going. And they said, We don't know where you're going. How can we know the way? And Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. As Jesus cries out, I am the light of the world, it's important for us to see the context in which that happens. Six months prior to Passover, another festival took place in Jerusalem every year. It was known as the festival of booths. It was a time when the nation would gather in Jerusalem and they would not live in their normal households. They would go out and they would build these little lean tos, these little structures, these little tents, if you will, and they would live in them, and they did so to remind themselves of how God had provided for them during the 40 years where they wandered between Egypt and entering into the Promised Land. It was a reminder every year that God says, I want you to remember that during that time I provided water for you, I provided bread for you, I provided protection for you, I led you along the way. And so every year they would go into this area and they would worship. Jesus enters midweek here because he does not want to rile the scribes too much. And he enters in during this feast that's taking place. One of the elements of the feast was the high priest every day would go out to the pool of Siloam and he would pour out water, symbolizing that during their wilderness journeys, God provided water. And then it was that moment that Jesus says, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, for I will give them water that is everlasting. Jesus often uses settings in order to get his point across. He does so in this instance, when he says, I am the light of the world. In fact, in John chapter 6, John chapter 7, and John chapter 8, we see these references to Old Testament wandering. In John chapter 6, Jesus tells them, I'm the bread of life. Just as the manna came out of heaven to feed you during the wandering, I am the bread that comes out of heaven. In John chapter 7, he says, I am the water, which if you drink of me you will never thirst again. Just as God provided water out of a rock, I am the water. And here in chapter 8, he says, I am the light of the world. Just as God led you in the wandering of wilderness, you did not wander aimlessly. During the day there was a cloud of a pillar of cloud, and at night there was a fire. I am the light that leads you. I'm the light that gives you direction. Now you have to understand exactly what was happening because not only is there a ceremony where they're pouring out water, but within the courtyard of the women in the temple, which was the outer courtyard. There was the courtyard of the Gentiles, then the courtyard of the women, there was the holy place, and then the holy holy, where the Ark of the Covenant was. And the court of the women was a very large court. This was where all the Jewish people could enter into. It was a massive part of the structure. And during this week, they did something that they didn't do any other time. And those of you that were part of vacation Bible school, what was the theme this year for vacation Bible school? What was it called? Illumination Station. What they called the ceremony was illumination of the temple. They set up four 75-foot menorahs within the courtyard of the women. Let me repeat that. Four 75-foot menorahs. Let's give you some context for those of you that are measurally challenged. If you were to stand here and go to the peak of our room, that's about 40 feet. These menorahs were almost twice the size of this room, filling the courtyard. And every night, priests would climb ladders and they would light these menorahs. And the light was so brilliant against the nighttime skies that it could be seen for miles around. And they called this the illumination of the tabernacle. And you say, why in the world would they do that? Because during the 40 years of wilderness, which this festival was celebrating, God's provision, they did not wander alone, but they followed the fire of God wherever they went. And it was to remind them, God is the light who leads me. And it is in that context that Jesus is standing in there, and he says, I am the light of the world. We've seen the historical context. I want you to see the background, the scriptural context of this and the content. Jesus says, I am. The Pharisees do not like when he says, I am. He's claiming, I am God. I am the transcendent one. I am one with the Father. I am eternal. I am equal to the Father. I am. But what does he say? I am the light of the world. When Hebrews hear light, they immediately think of God. They equate light and God. They equate light with the Creator. Psalm 27, 1 says, The Lord is my light and my salvation. 1 John chapter 1, verse 5 says, God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. Genesis chapter 1, verses 1 through 3. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. Then God said, Let there be light, and the source of light created light. John chapter 1, 1 through 5. In the beginning was the Word. The Word is Jesus, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and apart from him, nothing came into being that has come into being. Jesus created everything. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. The prophets said that the Messiah who would come would be light. Isaiah chapter 42, verses 5 through 7, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it, to the spirit, and the spirit to those who walk in it. I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness. I will also hold you by my hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who dwell in darkness from prisons. Malachi the prophet, chapter 3, says, This you will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on that day which I am preparing, says the Lord. That's actually not the right reference at all. I don't know what happened there. Malachi chapter 4, verse 3 says, The Son of righteousness shall rise with healing in his wings. Simeon in Luke chapter 1, when Jesus was eight years old, his parents took him to the temple to redeem him. All firstborn males had to be redeemed back. And Simeon began to cry out, because of the tender mercy of God with which the sunrise from on high will visit us to shine upon those who sit in darkness in the shadow of death to guide his feet into the way of peace. Throughout Scripture, there is a contrast between darkness and light. And when Hebrew people heard, when Jewish people heard light, they knew that It meant God. It meant the Messiah. It meant He's going to deliver us from our darkness. He's going to deliver us into light. We are going out of our desperation into light. And Jesus is proclaiming in the middle of the temple what's he saying? I am, I'm God. I am the light of the world. Anyone listening to him would have understood clearly what he was saying. But then we understand it's very personal because John tells us the light came into the world and the darkness didn't like it. In fact, we liked our darkness more than we liked the light. We got so used to our darkness, we got used to our sin. We got used to hiding in the darkness that when we were exposed by the light, we ran from the light. We hid from the light. Isaiah says that man has substituted light for darkness. Ecclesiastes tells us that the fool walks around in his own darkness. Jesus says, I am the light. Notice he doesn't say I am a light. He doesn't say I'm a good light. He doesn't say I'm a vital light. What does he say? I am the light. There is no other. There is no other out of your darkness. There is no other way out of death. Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. There is no other philosophy. There is no other way that leads to light. I am the light. Then he says this: I'm the light of some. I'm the light of a few. I'm the light of the Jewish people. I'm the light of Judah. I'm the light of good people. I'm the light of sincere people. Does he say any of those things?

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_00

What does he say, church? I am the light of the world. I am available to whomever will respond to my light. Not a particular group of people. Jesus says, You've taken my temple and you've turned it into a den of thieves. It's supposed to be a house of prayer for who? All the nations. And you're making it harder. We're going to see that next week when we come back to Mark's gospel, when Jesus goes into the temple and he overturns the money changers' tables because they've turned it into something he never intended it to be. And Jesus says, I am the light of the world. Now that's either true or it's false. That's an absolute truth claim. I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you'll never walk in darkness. Folks, that's either true or it's false. I believe it's true. I don't believe it's true because I feel it. I believe it's true because Jesus Christ, once killed, was resurrected from the dead. He's ascended into heaven. Anything that Jesus says is true. He cannot lie. I also believe it because I've experienced it. I've experienced being moved out of darkness into light. I've experienced my own heart drifting back into darkness. And knowing that the only solution to my darkness is not my personal self-will, it is not some program, it is not some goodness, it is not sincerity. The only thing that gets me out of my darkness is Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. That's this amazing proclamation. And then he gives us the promise. The implication: if you follow me, you will not walk in darkness. Did you know that your starting point isn't light? Your starting point is darkness. Your starting point isn't that you're good. Your starting point is that you have fallen short of the glory of God. Your starting point is not that I'm good, and if God doesn't give me heaven, then he has done something wrong. No, the starting point is I'm a sinner deserving of sin, and only out of God's goodness does he allow me into heaven. The starting point isn't light, the starting point is darkness. Our sin leads us away from God, away from light. Doesn't take long to look around our world to see that there's darkness everywhere. Doesn't take long to look around and see how people treat one another and nations treat one another and say, wow, not a whole lot of light here, is there? A lot of darkness along the way. Our natural condition, the Bible describes as lost, sick, dead. Describes us as slaves to our own sinful nature, describes us as blind along the way. And here's Jesus' promise: if you follow me, you will not walk in darkness. Colossians chapter 1, verses 13 and 14. It says that he has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of light. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 8. It says, Stop walking around in your former darkness. You are now children of light. Here's Jesus' promise: follow me, trust in me, believe in me that I am the light of the world, and you will no longer walk in darkness. How does God move us from light to dark or from dark to light? How does he move us from death to life? John 3.16 is a good place to start. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. That whoever would believe in him, whoever would follow him, would not what? Perish, but have everlasting life. Turn in your Bibles to John chapter 1. Just turn back a couple pages. Look at John chapter 1. We already started reading the first five verses of this, but I want you to see this really quickly before we go to the Lord's Supper table. John chapter 1, verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Who's the Word, Church? Jesus. He was in the beginning with God. Jesus has always been. He's not a created being. He is the eternal part of the triune Godhead. All things came into being through Jesus, and apart from him, nothing came into being that has come into being. Jesus created everything. In Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men. The light Jesus shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend it. Verse 6. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. This is John the Baptist. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. There was the true light, Jesus, which coming into the world enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him. Verse 12, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. As many as received him, to them he gave the right to be called children of God. How does God move us from darkness to light? The light came into the world. He died for our sins, and as many as believed in him, he has moved us from darkness into light. I told the children this week that when I was young, I was terrified of the dark. That's true. When I was a little guy, man, I did not like it. When my parents put me in bed, turned the lights out and shut the door. Did not like it at all. Cried my little eyes out, cried for them to come back in the room. I did not like the dark at all. And I told the kids, my parents got so tired of it, they came in and they punished me every night because I was scared of the dark. They didn't come in and punish me. My parents are not evil people. You know what they did for me? You know what they did for me. They bought me a nightlight and they plugged it into the wall. And you know what a nightlight does? It dispels darkness. Somewhere along the way, I began to see that I was a sinful person and I was afraid of my sinfulness. And once again, my parents came to me and they didn't punish me because of my sinfulness. They showed me a light that would take away my darkness. They introduced me to Jesus Christ. And once I started walking in the light, you know what I found? That as long as I carry the light in front of me, you know what I never walk in? Darkness. If you have a flashlight or a lantern and you hold it out in front of you, you know what you will never walk in? Darkness. This is the promise of Jesus Christ. I am the light of the world. He doesn't promise us religion, he doesn't promise the world. You know what he promises us? Himself. This is my promise. If you follow me, you'll never walk in darkness. What action steps do we need to take? Number one, we need to examine: is this true? Some of us have already examined this. We've already gone through this and we've said, you know what, here's his testimony, here's God's testimony of him. Is this true? What he says, is it true? I need to examine this because it's the most important thing we'll do. And if you've never examined the truth of the claim that Jesus is the light of God, he is the Son of God who came to dispel darkness. If you've never examined that truth, let me encourage you. Let me challenge you. Let me plead with you. Examine it. Check it out. Look into it. Ask questions. Read the word. Read the Bible. Find out, is it true? The second thing we need to do is we need to follow the light. Because I promise you, when you examine it, you will find that it is true. And that his amazing proclamation, I am the light of the world. Once we know that, we need to follow Christ. And when we do, he tells us in Matthew chapter 5, I am the light of the world. And you know what he tells us? You are the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't walk in darkness. And if you're not walking in darkness, wherever you go, there is light. You are now the light of the world. Like a city set up on a hill, you cannot be hidden. Therefore, go punch holes in the darkness with your life. Go take my light which is shining in you into those places where other people are experiencing the same darkness that you experienced. Go into those places where nobody else will go. Go into those depths of depression where somebody else is in darkness and shine the light of Christ into their life. Because you are the light of the world. Philippians chapter 2 tells us that we live amongst a crooked and perverse generation. And we are to shine like light in the midst of that generation. So here's our take-home. Examine the truth. Is it true? If it is, start following Jesus and don't ever stop following Jesus. Because when you follow him, he will lead you in light. And when you have the light, take that light to places that desperately need it, to people who desperately need that light. As we prepare our hearts to go to the Lord's Supper table this morning, I just want us to just examine and pray. God, thank you for showing me the light of Jesus Christ. I pray that your eyes have been open to that truth and that you've accepted it, that you're following him. And before we go to this table and remember what he's done for us, I just want us to take a moment. Darren and the team are going to come back and lead us in a song. Just a time of reflection to say, God, thank you for being my light. And if he's not your light, today might be the day you say, God, I don't want to be in darkness anymore. I want to accept the light of life. I want to trust in Jesus Christ. And you can cry out to him, not me, but to him. God, I'm a sinner. I'm in darkness and I need Jesus. I believe he's my light.