SPEAKER_03: Welcome to City Church Dublin Seman Archives.
SPEAKER_03: Join us this week as we continue to walk through the Book of John in our series, The Gospel of John.
SPEAKER_00: Well, a warm welcome to you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: My name is Duncan.
SPEAKER_00: As was said, I'm one of the leaders here at City Church.
SPEAKER_00: And it's great to uh be with you.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, if I don't know you, uh, well, it's great uh that you are here, and hopefully I'll get to uh meet you and get to know you as well.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, but as we come to our passage, please do uh keep that open if you have a device or if you have an actual Bible.
SPEAKER_00: Um please do have that open as we consider what God has to say to us through his word uh this morning.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know whether you enjoy sports, uh whether you enjoy uh the rugby.
SPEAKER_00: Uh now yesterday was a big day.
SPEAKER_00: Uh the six nations kicked off.
SPEAKER_00: And I have to say, Areland crushed Wales, which was even better.
SPEAKER_00: Areland uh for me are just wonderful to watch.
SPEAKER_00: I am always for them uh through the years.
SPEAKER_00: I have supported Ireland, I've followed them both in the highs that we're seeing in these days, but also some bad days, some very bad lows.
SPEAKER_00: You see, I I love watching them, I love seeing them win to beat other teams, especially the English.
SPEAKER_00: And I've enjoyed following them.
SPEAKER_00: And maybe rugby isn't your thing.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you have another team that you support in a different sport, but we follow teams.
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you follow a band, an artist.
SPEAKER_00: I find it strange how uh in our culture and society we we have names for those who follow certain people now, don't we?
SPEAKER_00: Believers, I believe, who follow Justin Bieber.
SPEAKER_00: I'm one of them.
SPEAKER_00: No, I'm not.
SPEAKER_00: Or directioners, it's so sad they broke up as a band, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe Swifties, good old Tay Tay.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, she just speaks to us, doesn't she?
SPEAKER_00: We follow people around as we follow teams, we follow individuals.
SPEAKER_00: And we understand this concept of following.
SPEAKER_00: Whether it's a sports team, music group, whether it's a famous person, or maybe just one of the great thinkers maybe of our day, like Jordan Peterson, is someone who people follow.
SPEAKER_00: They like to listen to what he has to say.
SPEAKER_00: As people, we often find ourselves following others.
SPEAKER_00: And what Jesus is communicating to us today is that there is nothing and no one more important to follow than him.
SPEAKER_00: That is what he is saying.
SPEAKER_00: And when all is said and done, the option is clear for us.
SPEAKER_00: We either follow him or we don't.
SPEAKER_00: We either are going after him or we're not.
SPEAKER_00: And he is seeking here to help us see why we would follow him.
SPEAKER_00: As the Pharisees, these religious leaders seek to question and judge Jesus, he continues to proclaim who he is in this text.
SPEAKER_00: It can be hard for us to actually feel the weight of what is being said as we we begin this passage.
SPEAKER_00: As Jesus declares these words, we can hear them and not really appreciate them.
SPEAKER_00: As he proclaims, I am the light of the world.
SPEAKER_00: As we sit here, I know it can be hard to know what is being said, but the people, as they would have listened to Jesus say this, they would have been shocked.
SPEAKER_00: Shocked by what he is proclaiming.
SPEAKER_00: In light of the present context they were in, but also their historic context.
SPEAKER_00: See, as you notice in the passage, the the passage begins with again.
SPEAKER_00: Again Jesus spoke.
SPEAKER_00: So the the present context is actually back in chapter 7.
SPEAKER_00: This is happening in the feast that is taking place at the time, the feast of booths or tabernacles, as it was known.
SPEAKER_00: And the present context adds so much significance to Jesus' words.
SPEAKER_00: At this time during the feast, there were four huge lamps that they would light in the temple, you see.
SPEAKER_00: They were in the court of the women.
SPEAKER_00: And this court was known as the middle court in the Jewish temple.
SPEAKER_00: Positioned between the court of the Jews for the men and the court of the Gentiles.
SPEAKER_00: And right in the center, you have this court with these huge lamps lighting the night sky.
SPEAKER_00: At the time, you can imagine how how surprising and shocking in terms of it would have lit the night sky.
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, at this time, there are no street lamps, there's no electricity.
SPEAKER_00: So the light of these lamps would shine over Jerusalem, the fire burning, and devout men would dance and sing under the light of these lamps, holding torches in their hand, celebrating throughout the night.
SPEAKER_00: You see, light right here in this moment, in this context, was so central to what they were about, what they were doing.
SPEAKER_00: And as Jesus comes speaking these words, he speaks it into that sort of context.
SPEAKER_00: But there's also the historic context for the Jewish people.
SPEAKER_00: Because throughout the Old Testament, light is an image that is constantly used.
SPEAKER_00: It is an image of God's presence, it is an image of Him leading, protecting, saving.
SPEAKER_00: You can think back to Exodus, and there we see the pillar of cloud.
SPEAKER_00: And you consider the Israelites in the wilderness in Exodus, and they've been rescued from Egypt, and this pillar of cloud is leading them to the promised land.
SPEAKER_00: And at night it becomes a pillar of fire.
SPEAKER_00: It says it was a light to guide them.
SPEAKER_00: Or you consider Psalm 27, the song that would have been sung by the people.
SPEAKER_00: These words of Jesus land with a huge weight behind them.
SPEAKER_00: Both with the present and the historic implications for these people.
SPEAKER_00: Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
SPEAKER_00: This declaration is not just for those who are present, but this is a global declaration, a declaration of who Jesus is, inviting you to follow him, to come to him as the true light.
SPEAKER_00: Because whether we admit it or not, we are all longing for this.
SPEAKER_00: We are all wanting this to feel like our lives have a purpose, have direction to it, to feel satisfied in life, to know that there is substance to our life.
SPEAKER_00: And the truth is outside Jesus we will not find that.
SPEAKER_00: Today, Christian, let me encourage you to be reminded.
SPEAKER_00: Reminded of who Jesus is, the one who leads you towards life itself.
SPEAKER_00: You don't need to stumble around in the darkness trying to find your own way.
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you're here and and you do not know Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: You you you're here and you're like, maybe I want to know Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: You wouldn't call yourself Christian.
SPEAKER_00: Let me invite you to consider him, to hear his cry to you, to say, come follow me.
SPEAKER_00: Stop wandering in the darkness.
SPEAKER_00: I want life for you.
SPEAKER_00: Because the rest of this passage is seeking to give us confidence that Jesus truly is the light of the world, that Jesus is worth following because of the authority in which he speaks, the authority in which he judges, and the authority in which he acts.
SPEAKER_00: The authority in which he speaks.
SPEAKER_00: As Jesus proclaims these incredible words, you can imagine the tension in what I have said that the Pharisees stood there hearing Jesus state himself to be the light of the world, the one that people should follow, the one they should follow.
SPEAKER_00: These religious rulers, the ones who were full of pride.
SPEAKER_00: And it's not surprising how they respond to him.
SPEAKER_00: Look down at verse 13.
SPEAKER_00: So the Pharisees said to him, You are bearing witness about yourself, your testimony is not true.
SPEAKER_00: We could hear this objection, we can think, well, that seems reasonable, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_00: Of course, they they are just questioning what Jesus is saying, questioning the substance of his claim.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus' response is striking.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Even if I do bear witness 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 come from or where I am going.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the issue we have here is one of authority.
SPEAKER_00: The Pharisees are not merely asking in a way of humility, asking Jesus with a posture of humility, wanting to really know what Jesus has to say.
SPEAKER_00: But rather they are subjecting Jesus underneath their judgment of his word.
SPEAKER_00: Others come to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: We see this throughout the gospels.
SPEAKER_00: Others come to Jesus and they ask Jesus questions and he engages with them.
SPEAKER_00: But here they are not wanting to hear from Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: They are designed to shut him down, to completely discount him.
SPEAKER_00: But do you notice Jesus responds in a way that shows they cannot do this?
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't seek to offer more evidence of his word through others, but rather proclaims his word to be true, to declare his word to be enough evidence.
SPEAKER_00: And this is because of who he is.
SPEAKER_00: When we think about the substance of someone's word, you can think about people you listen to.
SPEAKER_00: We often judge it on the base of who they are.
SPEAKER_00: Whether you consider the Taoiseach or a judge or a famous person or even someone you love, you base it upon who they are.
SPEAKER_00: We listen because we have placed value upon what they have to say.
SPEAKER_00: And what Jesus is wanting us to know is when he speaks, he speaks with complete authority.
SPEAKER_00: There is no greater, no more significant word than his word.
SPEAKER_00: He cannot seek to find anyone else that is greater, more significant to testify.
SPEAKER_00: Because he is God.
SPEAKER_00: That is what he is proclaiming.
SPEAKER_00: John has already exposed us to this.
SPEAKER_00: Back in chapter one, we know that Jesus is the word made flesh.
SPEAKER_00: The word that has always been, the word that has always existed with God eternally, the word that is God.
SPEAKER_00: What Jesus' words tell us is he has complete understanding of who he is.
SPEAKER_00: I know where I come from and where I am going.
SPEAKER_00: You do not.
SPEAKER_00: Declaring that though I speak, it is as though the Father is speaking, the Creator God of all.
SPEAKER_00: He stands here being questioned by these men.
SPEAKER_01: Yet he knows as he sees these men that they only have been because of him.
SPEAKER_00: That as they question him, as they engage with him, as they judge him, it is only because he allows them to.
SPEAKER_00: Because he is the word.
SPEAKER_00: All things are held together through him.
SPEAKER_00: Yet sadly, we can so easily be like these men.
SPEAKER_00: We do not humbly come to God's word.
SPEAKER_00: So often we assume we know best.
SPEAKER_00: So often we think our way is better than his way.
SPEAKER_00: Living according to our thinking, our wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: So often we can just neglect the word.
SPEAKER_00: Neglect this book.
SPEAKER_00: We can trust, we can just treat it, sorry.
SPEAKER_00: Like we can pick and drop what we want.
SPEAKER_00: I'll take that because that sounds nice, but I won't take that.
SPEAKER_00: That's too hard, too difficult.
SPEAKER_00: We are in serious danger as Christians if we treat God's word like this.
SPEAKER_00: Because Jesus' word, Jesus as the word, has a clear purpose for us to lead us toward life.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know how else to say, but Jesus' invitation to follow me, Jesus saying here that He is enough for us should lead us to hunger to know His Word deeply.
SPEAKER_00: Because when I look at other Christians, when I see brothers and sisters who are struggling in the faith, or even I consider my own life of times and seasons and moments of struggle, often there is a key component to neglecting the word of God.
SPEAKER_00: Often wondering why God seems so distant, often wondering why they feel as though they are drowning.
SPEAKER_00: And you might ask them, how's your time in the word?
SPEAKER_00: Oh, well, I'm not really in the word.
SPEAKER_00: What else do we expect?
SPEAKER_00: When you treat God's word lightly, when you choose to prioritize other things above his word, what do we expect?
SPEAKER_00: Is this not what he is warning you of?
SPEAKER_00: It is obvious why you feel you are wandering around in the darkness in those moments, feeling far from him.
SPEAKER_00: We can make excuses and you can tell me why you struggle to read God's word, but if we truly and rightly see his word for what it is and truly and rightly see him, you will grab hold of this.
SPEAKER_01: You will long to be here.
SPEAKER_01: It's crazy.
SPEAKER_00: Just imagine if if we were to walk down to the liffy and you were to fall in.
SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't push you, don't worry.
SPEAKER_00: You were to fall in.
SPEAKER_00: But the issue is actually you can't swim.
SPEAKER_00: And there's a life boy, so it's like, oh, don't worry, here you go, and it's right there.
SPEAKER_00: And you look at it, and you're there.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna drown.
SPEAKER_00: Nah, I think there's a better way.
SPEAKER_00: I'll find a better solution to my issues, and it's right there.
SPEAKER_00: That is how we would look at that person, and we believe we would be like, how foolish! What are they doing?
SPEAKER_00: Brother, sister, right now you can be sat there and you can feel like you are drowning, maybe.
SPEAKER_00: Overcome by anxiety, worry, fear, feeling just inadequate.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus comes declaring, I am the light of the world.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus comes longing for you to follow him, longing that you would hear from him, longing that you would have life.
SPEAKER_00: When we allow our lives to be shaped by his word, when we are submersed in this book, our lives will be changed, they will be transformed.
SPEAKER_00: We will find help in times of need.
SPEAKER_00: We will know his sustaining power towards us day by day, moment by moment, through his word by his spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Practically, I would encourage you, set a time and set a space.
SPEAKER_00: Set a time that you do not give up for anything.
SPEAKER_00: A time that you know I can be in the word and I'm not giving that up.
SPEAKER_00: A space that allows you to not be distracted.
SPEAKER_00: My time is every morning.
SPEAKER_00: I go down, make myself coffee.
SPEAKER_00: I love coffee, it's great.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe tea is for you.
SPEAKER_00: But that's okay, I won't judge.
SPEAKER_00: And I get in my chair.
SPEAKER_00: I love my chair.
SPEAKER_00: The chair was bought for my birthday.
SPEAKER_00: And I sit in that chair and I open up the word, and I'm like, oh, help me.
SPEAKER_00: Let me to see you now, right now, as I open this book, let me know that you are real, you are true, you are the one I need.
SPEAKER_00: Speak to me, breathe life into me by your spirit through your word.
SPEAKER_00: We need to see this, that we need Him to lead and guide us.
SPEAKER_00: And if we are not coming to the Word, if we are not prioritizing His Word, what do we expect?
SPEAKER_00: I'm not here trying to burden you, trying to dishearten you.
SPEAKER_00: But lovingly, I want to encourage you to take Jesus seriously because if you do, if you believe Him for who He is, this will be seen in how you prioritize this book.
SPEAKER_00: This will be what prepares you for the darkest days that you might face.
SPEAKER_00: This is where you will run to for guidance when you have tough decisions to make.
SPEAKER_01: Because honestly, I don't know where else you would go.
SPEAKER_00: When I have moments of maybe a day, two days, and sadly I've I've miss my time in the Word.
SPEAKER_00: I actually genuinely feel that, and that's not a credit to me.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just saying, I actually don't understand how Christians can live outside of this.
SPEAKER_00: I need this.
SPEAKER_00: This is where I find life.
SPEAKER_01: This is where he sustains me.
SPEAKER_00: The time we spend here on Sunday, the time we spend Community groups, though they are good, profitable, and we should invest in them, they cannot replace your own personal devotion, your own time seeking Him.
SPEAKER_00: Allowing yourself to be shaped by Him through His Word by the Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: It won't always be easy.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it won't feel natural.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you'll come to it and you'll read it and be like, I read it.
SPEAKER_00: Not feeling much.
SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
SPEAKER_00: We all have those moments.
SPEAKER_00: What Jesus goes on to express, though, is the authority in which he judges.
SPEAKER_00: Look down at verse 15.
SPEAKER_00: You judge according to the flesh.
SPEAKER_00: I judge no one.
SPEAKER_00: Yet, even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.
SPEAKER_00: These Pharisees have sought to judge Jesus, and yet he is not having any of it.
SPEAKER_00: He is clear that the ways in which they are considering judging are not even comparable to the way in which he judges.
SPEAKER_00: If we are honest as people, we're so limited, aren't we?
SPEAKER_00: We are only able to judge based on the limited understanding we have.
SPEAKER_00: Limited wisdom, limited perspective.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus declares that his judgment is true.
SPEAKER_00: Because he roots his authority of his judgment in his relationship to his father.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't judge at all on our level.
SPEAKER_00: We can't equate ourselves with him because he's not on our level.
SPEAKER_00: We don't measure up.
SPEAKER_00: Later on in the passage, he explains how he is not of this world.
SPEAKER_00: That is how he can judge as he does.
SPEAKER_00: That is how his judgment is true.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus wants us to know that when all is said and done, no one will be able to say that's not fair.
SPEAKER_00: That Jesus as judge will execute his judgment in perfect righteousness.
SPEAKER_00: Because even though these religious leaders believe they are judges, even though they will continue to judge Jesus, even though they will bring him before them and put him on trial, he will have the last word.
SPEAKER_00: That all the evil we see, we experience, all the darkness of this world will be judged by him, will be dealt by him, and all things will be placed under him.
SPEAKER_00: Because the light has overcome the darkness.
SPEAKER_00: There is a day coming when we will all face him as the righteous judge.
SPEAKER_00: And trust me, on that day you won't be concerned about wasting time in, oh, I spent time in the Word.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I spent time in prayer.
SPEAKER_00: You'll be like, oh, why did I look at TikTok so much?
SPEAKER_00: We will see that He is faithful as He judges.
SPEAKER_00: What Jesus sees in these men, in these religious elite, is utterly devastating.
SPEAKER_00: Because they believe themselves to be set apart.
SPEAKER_00: They believe themselves to be closer than to God than anyone else.
SPEAKER_00: They believe themselves to be righteous.
SPEAKER_00: But what we find is the complete opposite.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 19.
SPEAKER_00: They said to him, therefore, Where is your father?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus answered, You know neither me nor my father.
SPEAKER_00: If you knew me, you would know my father.
SPEAKER_00: These words of Jesus are cutting.
SPEAKER_00: He's declaring, you think you know God, and you don't.
SPEAKER_00: You think you're in a right place before God and you're not.
SPEAKER_00: They think they are in a position to judge, and yet they are facing judgment themselves.
SPEAKER_00: It is easy for us to people as people, as Christians, to fall into this trap.
SPEAKER_00: If you've maybe grown up in church or been in church for many years, we can think this is what it is to know God.
SPEAKER_00: I just need to look the part.
SPEAKER_00: I just need to have a good knowledge of the Bible, had the right answers, and yet we can still not actually know God.
SPEAKER_00: These men are better than you.
SPEAKER_00: Sorry, I'm just gonna say it.
SPEAKER_00: They would have known by memory books of the Bible.
SPEAKER_00: If I invited you down and said, right, Genesis, let's go.
SPEAKER_01: In the beginning.
SPEAKER_01: That's all I got.
SPEAKER_00: They look the part, but they do not know God.
SPEAKER_00: Because there is a huge difference between knowing things about God and knowing God.
SPEAKER_00: And we need to know that.
SPEAKER_00: We need to be so careful that we are not just people who know things about God.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, isn't that great?
SPEAKER_00: Isn't that interesting?
SPEAKER_00: But rather, we are people who know our God, people who seek Him, who delight in Him, who experience Him and His presence in our life by His Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: The word and judgment of Jesus casts on these men is terrifying.
SPEAKER_00: Look at 21.
SPEAKER_00: I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin.
SPEAKER_00: Where I am going, you cannot come.
SPEAKER_01: You would think that these words would hit the Pharisees.
SPEAKER_01: And they would be like, oh whoa.
SPEAKER_01: And yet, as they hear it, they do not hear Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: They don't hear what he is saying, they completely miss it.
SPEAKER_00: It is as though they've heard the words and they reject them before they even come to them.
SPEAKER_00: Look at how they respond.
SPEAKER_00: So the Jews said, Will he kill himself?
SPEAKER_00: Since he says, Where I'm going, you cannot come.
SPEAKER_00: They just completely miss the point.
SPEAKER_00: The focus in their minds is upon trying to show that Jesus is not who he says he is.
SPEAKER_00: They are trying to divert it away from themselves and put it back on him.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know whether you've experienced that sort of situation before.
SPEAKER_00: Someone's done something, maybe it's someone close to you, and you're like, oh, come on, like, why did you say that?
SPEAKER_00: Why did you do that?
SPEAKER_00: And instead of just dealing with what they heard from you, instead of just saying, Oh, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: I mucked up, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00: And like, well, two weeks ago you did this.
SPEAKER_00: And it's like, oh, they're diverting away from themselves.
SPEAKER_00: They aren't actually dealing with what's been spoken.
SPEAKER_00: And this is what they are doing here.
SPEAKER_00: The Pharisees just try to shift it back to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus won't allow that.
SPEAKER_00: He won't allow them to avoid the truth of what he is saying, the truth of his judgment.
SPEAKER_00: He says again in verse 24, I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.
SPEAKER_00: That might sound harsh, but actually that is gracious.
SPEAKER_00: He's not allowing them to sidestep.
SPEAKER_00: He is once again saying, you need to hear this.
SPEAKER_00: You need to listen.
SPEAKER_00: These words should make us sit up and hear Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Because there is only two options for us belief in him or rejection of him.
SPEAKER_00: And the consequences are devastating.
SPEAKER_00: That Jesus is offering us freedom from the darkness.
SPEAKER_00: The darkness we all experience, we all taste that darkness in your life.
SPEAKER_00: I don't need to know you to know that to be true.
SPEAKER_00: That if we do not see him for who he is as the one who is the light of the world, we will remain in that darkness, facing eternity without him.
SPEAKER_00: The offer of Jesus is so beautiful, though.
SPEAKER_00: It is so beautiful to us, so gracious.
SPEAKER_00: The offer that says our need has been met, the offer that takes the burden from us.
SPEAKER_00: He is able to offer this because of the authority in which he acts.
SPEAKER_00: That is how he can do that.
SPEAKER_00: That is how he can say, I am the light of the world.
SPEAKER_00: That is how he can say, believe in me, follow me.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 28.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said to them, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
SPEAKER_00: And he who sent me is with me.
SPEAKER_00: He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.
SPEAKER_01: The question of authority is running throughout this text.
SPEAKER_00: The authority in which Jesus speaks, the authority in which Jesus judges, the authority in which Jesus acts.
SPEAKER_00: And what he has been seeking to display is that he speaks with complete authority, he judges with complete authority, he acts with complete authority because of who he is.
SPEAKER_00: As we consider Jesus' words here, his eyes are set, set toward the cross, set toward that moment in which he would be lifted up.
SPEAKER_00: And what is extraordinary is that he is going there, not unwilling, unable to fight against these powers.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus' life could never be taken from him.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus' life could never be demanded of him.
SPEAKER_00: No, Jesus lays down his life.
SPEAKER_00: He chose this, knowing that at the cross, his authority and glory would chiefly be revealed to us.
SPEAKER_00: Notice that what John states back in verse 20.
SPEAKER_00: No one arrested him because his hour had not come.
SPEAKER_00: The cross has never been a picture of Jesus' defeat, as if he's lost control.
SPEAKER_00: But in fact, that is the very reason he came to display his power to save.
SPEAKER_00: On the cross, Jesus declares himself to be the light of the world.
SPEAKER_00: That he enters into the darkness.
SPEAKER_00: That he takes it upon himself.
SPEAKER_00: The darkness you experience, you feel he did not need to enter in, but he chose to enter in.
SPEAKER_00: Chose that you might know that he is the light of the world.
SPEAKER_00: He is the one you need.
SPEAKER_00: He comes offering life itself, the declaration of Jesus saying that He is the I am.
SPEAKER_00: The I am who made himself known in the burning bush to Moses.
SPEAKER_00: The I am who is the word, the I am who all creation has been waiting for, the I am who all creation is sustained through.
SPEAKER_00: The I am the light of the world, the one to restore, the one to bring us back.
SPEAKER_00: To say, come follow me, I will show you true light, the life we all long for.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus stands here and he is ready and able.
SPEAKER_01: The question is, are we willing?
SPEAKER_00: Are we willing to truly follow Him?
SPEAKER_00: Are we willing to submit our lives to Him, knowing, you know what, this road isn't just simplistic, just filled with daffodils.
SPEAKER_00: No, it is hard.
SPEAKER_00: But I know this is life.
SPEAKER_00: It is only when we look to the face of Jesus, only when we see Him for who He is, will we know His transforming grace in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're here and you know Jesus, but you have been wandering far from Him.
SPEAKER_00: Hear His call.
SPEAKER_00: I am the light of the world.
SPEAKER_00: Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
SPEAKER_00: To walk in the light of Jesus is to walk in obedience to him, to take his word seriously, to know that the life that has been bought for you was purchased by his blood.
SPEAKER_00: It is not that you do not struggle with sin anymore, your brokenness, but you bring it toward him, knowing he will deal with it, he will deal with the depth of your sin.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't turn from it, he receives it.
SPEAKER_01: And says, I have overcome.
SPEAKER_00: Part of the call for us as Christians to walk in the life is a transparent life.
SPEAKER_00: A life in which other brothers and sisters are walking alongside you.
SPEAKER_00: A life that has people who you can be vulnerable with.
SPEAKER_00: You can be genuine.
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to put up a barrier or face.
SPEAKER_00: Brothers and sisters who are able to speak truth to you with love and gentleness, who you know they are for me.
SPEAKER_00: Even though they say this and this is hard for me to hear, they are for me.
SPEAKER_00: Christians have never been called to go it alone.
SPEAKER_00: We come toward our Savior, and as we come toward our Savior, we come toward one another.
SPEAKER_00: Community groups are a small picture of this.
SPEAKER_00: A place for genuine care to be felt.
SPEAKER_00: But I would encourage you, you need brothers and sisters who know you.
SPEAKER_00: Who love you.
SPEAKER_00: I have a handful of men in my life who who I love dearly and who love me.
SPEAKER_00: Men who have encouraged me and and challenged me, who've walked with me, and I with them.
SPEAKER_01: Do you know how precious that is?
SPEAKER_01: That is so key for us.
SPEAKER_00: Brother, sister, if you do not have fellow Christians, if you don't have a sister walking beside you or a brother walking beside you, or or whatever, please know that this is something you will need.
SPEAKER_00: We all need this, and it is a blessing.
SPEAKER_00: God has given this to us.
SPEAKER_00: That is why we gather.
SPEAKER_00: To point one another to Him, to encourage one another, to be a blessing, to use our gifts.
SPEAKER_00: Why are gifts given?
SPEAKER_00: For the building up of the body as we are the body.
SPEAKER_00: You need to find people who will do this, who will walk with you, who will bear with you, who you know you're just in that place, and you're like, right, I'm on the phone.
SPEAKER_00: I know I can call them.
SPEAKER_00: They will answer, they will come, they will be there.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe even just to sit with me.
SPEAKER_01: You might be here and you're not a Christian.
SPEAKER_00: You're coming along, maybe you've been invited along.
SPEAKER_00: I'm so thankful you're here.
SPEAKER_00: I'm genuinely thankful you're here.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've heard this and some of it you've been asleep.
SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
SPEAKER_00: It's okay.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know how with the loudness of my voice, but anyway.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus is here and he's declaring to you.
SPEAKER_00: He is come for you.
SPEAKER_00: He is the one who is come to bring life to you.
SPEAKER_00: To say, no, come.
SPEAKER_00: Follow me.
SPEAKER_00: Follow me and never walk in darkness.
SPEAKER_00: I will lead you to life.
SPEAKER_00: I will show you.
SPEAKER_00: I will reveal myself to you.
SPEAKER_00: This is what we've been made for.
SPEAKER_00: Nothing else in this world is gonna satisfy us.
SPEAKER_00: There are good gifts that we have, but he is the one we need.
SPEAKER_00: When we see Jesus and know Jesus, there is nothing for us to fear.
SPEAKER_00: He leads us, he protects us.
SPEAKER_00: And there is a day that we will all experience the fullness of the life in which He purchased for us.
SPEAKER_00: And what a day that will be.
SPEAKER_01: I am the light of the world.
SPEAKER_00: Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
SPEAKER_02: If you found this helpful or want to know more about City Church Dublin, visit our website found in the links below.