Father, I pray that You would exalt Jesus Christ, our Messiah, in our hearts as we come to the Word of God now. Thank You for these great songs and these great hymns of the faith that set our heart and prepare our hearts to worship You in the Word of God. Come, Holy Spirit, and show us Christ. Work in our lives. Save and sanctify us through Your Word, we pray. The words of our mouths and the meditations of all of our hearts would be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. And it's in His name we pray, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. When I was 18 years old, I wanted to be a marine biologist because I absolutely loved the ocean and wanted to do some work with algae and figure out different medicines and all of that. But there was one problem. I was not fond of being underwater in the very deep, dark portions of the world. That's a big problem. Now, the deepest part of the depths of the ocean is known as Mariana Trench and reaches a maximum depth, listen to this, of 6.78 miles at the Challenger Deep. Imagine the tremendous pressure of the water at that depth. I mean, I go to 10 feet and my ears are already popping in a swimming pool. But worse than the pressure, the stuff of nightmares, is the deep and thick darkness at seven miles under. There is absolutely no shred of light, not one beam of light at that depth. In fact, there are monsters and creatures that mankind has yet to set eyes upon at that depth. This is a stifling darkness. An oppressive darkness. Utter darkness. No natural light. Now, physical darkness in the Scriptures is used as a metaphor for spiritual darkness. And let me tell you something, the spiritual darkness in this world, the spiritual darkness In our own hearts. This present darkness, as Paul calls it, is the stuff of nightmares more than the challenger deep. Suicide. And murder. And rape. And abortion. And trafficking. Slavery. Divorce, and adultery, and greed. We live in a spiritually dark world. Now, I just want you to listen. Paul describes this darkness in Romans chapter 1. You can write the reference down. Just listen. Let's get a picture of the spiritual darkness. Romans 1 verse 21. For even though they knew God, They did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips. slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful. And although they know about the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." This is Paul's description of that spiritual darkness. And I'm telling you, listen carefully, there's only one light that can penetrate that kind of darkness. There's only been one manned voyage to the Challenger Deep in history, so there's only one man in the history of the world who has brought light to this kind of utter and deep darkness in the history of this world. I'm telling you, no unprotected man could go to the bottom of the Challenger Deep and live. And only the One who is more than a man can penetrate the deep darkness in our souls. Take your Bibles and let's turn to John chapter 8. Our text will be verse 12. John chapter 8 and verse 12. And for those of you who are visiting today, I'm taking a break from our exposition of Luke to preach on the person and work of Christ for two weeks, correlating with our Fundamentals of the Faith study. And so I'm excited for this message, and it ties in to so many things we're celebrating today, even some of the symbolism in this pulpit that was built. John 8 and verse 12. Listen to these words. Therefore, Again, to them, Jesus said, saying, very emphatic, He was saying this probably more than once during this moment, I am the light of the world. The one who follows Me will never ever walk in the darkness. Strongest negation in Greek. He never will walk in the darkness, but He will have the light of life. I am the light of the world. Only the light of Christ, only the light of Jesus Christ can shine into the darkness of our hearts and to bring us salvation. There is no other light but Him. Only Jesus can bring light into this sin-darkened world. He is the light of the world. In John 8, here in this context, the Jews and Jesus are in Jerusalem and they are celebrating. It is a time of great rejoicing in John 8. It is the Feast of the Tabernacle. But in John 8, his pronouncement, I am the light of the world, it did not go over well. It's not going to go over like it's going to go over today in this church. Okay? They hated the implications of what he said. And if you keep reading this afternoon in John 8, and you should, by the end of the chapter, the Jews are picking up stones to stone him and to kill him. It went south. And in fact, in John chapter 5 through 7, there's more and more of an opposition against Jesus that plays out all the way through the end of John chapter 10. So what we're going to do today is something a little different. We're going to do biblical theology today. It's going to be fun. And we're going to look at John, just Jesus' amazing announcement in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles that sets off an attempted stoning at the end. We're just going to look at his tremendous announcement. I am the light of the world. And what we're going to do is we're going to first look at an explanation of that announcement and then we're going to draw an implication from that announcement. That's your simple outline. An explanation of that announcement followed by an implication of that announcement that I am the light of the world. Now, When we say light of the world, what comes into our mind? What comes into our mind when we say light of the world? Well, what comes into our mind when we say light is stuff that comes into our mind when we say light. Like the sun shining, or light bulbs, or fluorescent lights above the ping pong table, back in the 80s, tanning beds, or photosynthesis. There's many things that might come into your mind when you say the word light. But to establish the meaning, to explain what Jesus means by the light of the world, we're going to take three steps. And that's your outline. We're just going to take three steps. Number one, we're going to look to see how John uses the metaphor of light in his book. First, then we're going to go to the Old Testament background on light, and then we're going to look at the setting in Jerusalem. And when we've established this meaning, which is going to be amazing, then we're going to draw one implication for our life. That's what we're going to do today. So first then, the context in John. On the first heading, the context in John. of the light. Now, I am the light of the world is the second of seven famous I am statements. In John 6.35 there's an earlier one, I am the bread of life. But I want you to notice first, right there in that verse, that Jesus says I am the light of the world. There is a definite article, there's a the in front of the light of the world. So we are to remember, and this will come in important, that there is only one light. There is not a light of the world. He is the light of the world. Now, in John, we've seen this metaphor of light. So I want you to take your Bibles here in John 8. Put a marker in there. We're going to come back. But I want you to go to John chapter 1. And thank you for your patience today. This is a little bit of a longer service. And if your kids are just getting squirrely and you can take them out, you can take them back in, we'll get through it. It's a little bit of a longer service today. I'll do my best to keep this reasonable. John 1, verses 1-5, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God, and all things came into being through Him, And apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the light was the light of men. In Him was life, and the light shines in the darkness. And the darkness did not comprehend it. So, the light of the world is the light of men. And we know that the Word is Jesus Christ, don't we? Because verse 14 says in John 1, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. So, the Word, what does the word Word imply? Jesus is the Word. It means that He is speaking. That He is revealing that Jesus in some way is the revelation of God. Which brings us to verse 18 of John 1. No one has seen God at any time, John 1.18. The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. That's the word for exegesis. He is the exegesis of the Father. When we hear from Jesus, when we see Jesus, we see what God is like. He is the explanation of God. And so, Jesus by His words and deeds, is revealing the truth about God to a dark world. So the life-giving light, referred to in John, what is the light? Is the light of truth. The revelation of God that leads to salvation. That leads people out of darkness and into light. Are you tracking with me? You've got to be. Everything's connected. Without the Son, as you know, we would die. We would perish in physical darkness. And without the Word and His saving light, that is the revelation of truth, we would perish in spiritual darkness. So as the light, Jesus is the only the light of the world. He is the only source of revelation. He is the truth of God and that truth alone brings spiritual life. The light shining forth into the world is the revelation of the truth of God from Jesus Christ and Him alone. Where do we find Christ's light of truth? shining into this world. I'm right here. We hold in the book of God the light. The living Word has spoken. It's been inscripturated into the written Word. The Word of God, the Bible, is the only life-giving light that penetrates The challenger deep of our souls. The only word that can bring light into our darkness. S. Lewis Johnson, one of my favorite preachers, told a true story of a chieftain. He had recently been born again. He had been saved in the midst of incredible spiritual darkness. an island group in the South Pacific called the New Hebrides. And this island group, specific New Hebrides, was inhabited by pretty savage cannibals. Pretty savage cannibals. And this chieftain was saved. Isn't that amazing? First of all, And so he's saved there. This chieftain was peacefully reading the Bible, sitting there. And he was interrupted by a French trader who had come to that place. And he said in French, I'm not sure what the word is for that, but he said in French, why are you reading the Bible? I suppose the missionaries have gotten a hold of you. You poor, poor fool. Throw it away. The Bible never did anybody any good. True story. The chieftain replied calmly, if it wasn't for this Bible, you would be over there in my kettle by now. So the context in John teaches us when Jesus says, I am the light of the world, what he means is that Jesus is the only source of life-giving truth. that leads to the salvation from our spiritual darkness into the light of His glorious grace. That was the context in John. Secondly, the context in the Old Testament, the background of the Old Testament. What does the light of the world mean? Let's look at the background of the Old Testament and see if it works. The Word of God is described as a light in the Old Testament. Remember? Let me give you, you can write this down, Psalm 119, 105. Psalm 119, 105. Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. And so, just like in John, the Old Testament taught the word of God is light. Listen to how the prophet Isaiah describes the servant of the Lord, the promised Messiah, in Isaiah 49, verse 6. Take these references down. He says, Isaiah says in Isaiah 49.6, it is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. It's too small that you'll just save Israel. I will also make you a light of the nations. The light of the world. so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth, I am. the light of the world. So all these passages would not go unnoticed by any literate Jew of the day. They would flash through their minds and hearts of the Jews who had heard Jesus proclaim, I am the light of the word. He was claiming to be Israel's Messiah, Isaiah's servant of the Lord in Isaiah 49. He was claiming to speak on the same level of authority as the very word of God, the light of truth. So Jesus Christ He's the great light. He's going to illumine all the nations. He's the light of the world. He's not just for the Jews. He's for the Gentiles. Not just for Israel. He's the light of the United States. He's the light of Libya. He's the light of Japan. He's the light of Tanzania. He's the light of Austria. He's the light of Sierra Leone. He is the light of Zambia. He is the light of Indonesia. Jesus is the light of every tribe, and language, and every nation, and every tongue. Jesus is the light of the world. And John the Baptist was emphatic about this at the beginning of our book. In the book of Luke 1, 76-79. Luke 1, verse 76, Then you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, speaking of John the Baptist, He's going to be a prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. So, what did Jesus mean when He said, I am the light of the world? He's the revelation of God, the Word of God, the only source of truth that can penetrate our sinful darkness. He's the promised Messiah who will bring light to the Gentiles. Brothers and sisters, that's not all that Jesus is saying with this statement. There's more. In the Old Testament, the Lord God, praise God, you read this in the scripture readings, God. In the Old Testament, the Lord God Himself is called the light. In fact, the Israelites were trained to say in Psalm 27, verse 1, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Psalm 27, verse 1. But there's more. Listen to this. Go back to John 8. You're probably in John 1. Go back to John 8. The last word of the Pharisees In John 7, 52, if you're back in John 8, they were just going after Jesus because of the claims He was making. And they said, Nicodemus, you need to knock it off. Your trajectory is really bad. You seem to be having some sympathy for this man. But I'm telling you, He's a liar. No prophet has ever come out of Galilee. But what if He's more than a prophet? He is the Messiah, and much more than a human Messiah. Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 1. Listen to these words. You can turn there if you're fast, but just three verses. Isaiah 9 verse 1. But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt. But later on He shall make it glorious by the way of the sea on the other side of the Jordan. Later on, He'll make it glorious by the other side of the sea, by the other side of Jordan. Galilee of the Gentiles. Next verse. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine upon them. A few verses later, Isaiah 9, verse 6. Who is this light? For a child will be born to us, Isaiah 9, 6. A son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The light of the world is a child born, and the Word became flesh. And His name will be called Mighty God. And that is why Jesus says in John 8, verse 12, Ego eimi. I am the light of the world. Ego eimi. I am is the name of Yahweh. I am that I am revealed to Moses in Exodus 3.14. Thus he also said to the sons of Israel, I am has sent me to you. I am that I am emphasizes that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the eternal God, the one promised by Isaiah 9, verse 6. And Jesus Himself is claiming to be God. So that when the soldiers came to try to rescue Him, He simply said, Ego eimi. Are you the one that they call Jesus? I am. And they fell over as dead men before the thrice holy God. The Son of God in the book of John. He's claiming to be God. And so we have quite an announcement of Jesus, the only light of the revelation of truth that leads to salvation. The promised Messiah, not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. The one who can go to the bottom of our challenger deep. Because he's not just a man, he's the God-man who has come for sinners like us. I am the light of the world. Brings us to our third point now in the context of John chapter 8. Number three, then, let's find out what this means, the setting in Jerusalem. The setting in Jerusalem. Now remember, and we'll get more on this next week, this is, the context here is, in John 7, is the last great day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Now, you're in John 8, right? Look at verse 20. Find it. John 8, verse 20, Jesus says that He spoke these words in the treasury in the temple. Okay, did you see that? Okay, you got that. The treasury was located in the portion of the temple called the Court of Women. It's a large court, very busy, part of The temple with three large trumpet-shaped treasure chests there. And so here Jesus is. He's in the court of the women. It is the day after the feast in John 8. John 7 is the last day. John 8 is the day after the feast. On the eighth day, it was a special day the day after the feast, a high Sabbath, a holy convocation. And in this context, Jesus says, I am the light of the world in the treasury of the temple, the court of women. Now, there were two great ceremonies during the Feast of the Tabernacles. One, we'll talk about next week, come on back, was the water pouring ceremony and the other was the temple illumination ceremony. An impressive light ceremony in the temple. Where was the light ceremony performed, you asked? You guessed it. the center of the treasury, the court of women, where Jesus stood that day. Now, in the court of women, in the temple, in that area, were four enormous torches. I mean, okay, think of a torch in a dark tunnel, right? You're holding it, like in whatever, okay? These torches are as high as the tallest walls of the temple. And the top of these golden lampstands, these torches, were deep bowls holding, listen to this, 65 liters of oil. And there would be a ladder to each of these torches in these four, a ladder, so they could get up and periodically refill them throughout the night by young priests that would carry in large pitchers of olive oil. Now, the Feast of Tabernacles began In the middle of the lunar month and the harvest moon is out, there's a crisp clear sky in the autumn. And in that backdrop, the light ceremony in the Feast of Tabernacles would be breathtaking. Now this ceremony was repeated every night. The second through the sixth night would have this wonderful ceremony. And on the seventh day, the last day, would be the great day of the feast, and then they would have the water-pouring ceremony, and then the last and most glorious light ceremony of all. And here it is, this light ceremony. There was nothing in ancient Israel like it. Nothing that compared to it as I researched this. It was so spectacular that the rabbis said, quotes, of this light ceremony, that hath not beheld the joy of the Shimcha b'dhasho avgah, that's the light ceremony, hath never seen joy in his life. Now, with joy and celebration, as it would become dark all night long, the elders of the Sanhedrim, I'm so glad that our elders don't do this, The elders of the Sanhedrin would do amazing torch dances all night long. And the Levitical orchestra played long into the night with huge, steady, yellow flames from the top of those four torches providing light for The whole celebration, just not only flooded the entire temple and the court of women, but that would flood into the streets of Jerusalem, that would flood into the hills surrounding the temple. And this brilliant light would pierce that darkness. Imagine Jesus standing there the next morning with charred, smoldered torches still in place. Maybe even just some smoke still coming out of them. And Jesus stood right in the middle of the court of women, raised His voice and proclaimed, I am the light of the world. There can be no more dramatic way for Jesus to announce who He was and what He came to do. And what was the purpose of lighting those large lamps and rejoicing with song and dance into the late hours of the night? Well, the Feast of Tabernacles, listen, commemorated God's past goodness and provision during the exodus out of sin and slavery, right, exodus out of Egypt, and it commemorated and celebrated God's providential care during their wanderings in the wilderness. And to celebrate this during the seven days, the Jews would not only do these ceremonies, but they would build small shelters to camp out in during the week while they were there. And those were called booths, and they were built with really thin walls. So that the light from these lamps would come in, and the stars could even be seen through them at night. To remind the Jews how they were out there alone in a tent, wandering in the wilderness. But they did not wander aimlessly, actually, they were to remember. They were not alone in the wilderness, they were to remember. No, they followed the Shekinah glory of Yahweh Himself. Exodus 13, verse 21 says, The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them on the way, and a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night. from before the people. So here is Jesus Christ standing in the court of women with wisps of smoke still coming and bellowing from those four huge lampstands. Lampstands that symbolize the pillar of fire. The Shekinah glory of the Lord. The presence of the Lord in the wilderness. And He says, I am the light of the world. And Jesus was saying in effect, do you remember the awesome pillar of fire that came between you and the Egyptians and saved you from utter death? Do you remember that pillar that protected you, that guided you, that led your wanderings in the wilderness? I am that light. I am that pillar of fire. I am Yahweh standing before you. I am Emmanuel. God has come to you. God is with you in me. God's presence was seen visibly in the cloud with flashes of light during the day. God's presence was seen at the night with flashes of fire from the pillar of fire by night. In the wilderness, the Israelites saw the glory of God and in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is revealing Himself. He's revealing the Father. He's revealing His glory. This glory sheathed and fleshed. So that John can say, the Word became flesh and dwelt tabernacled among us. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father. He has explained Him. He has exegeted Him. And so when we see Jesus, we see what God is like. We see who He is and what He is like. We see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So, when we see Jesus changing the water into wine, we are to remember, this is the Creator God who is creating the water and into wine. When we see Him gently come to the broken, sinful woman by that well, we are to remember this is God's great heart for sinners like you and like me. And when we see Him Weep by the tomb of Lazarus. We are to see that this is God's heart for sinners trapped in the darkness. But when we see Him say, Lazarus, come forth, we are to see that this is the power of God over death itself. And when we are to see Him restore a discouraged fisherman by the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Peter, do you love me? Feed my sheep. We are to remember that it is this great heart for fallen believers like you and me. For when we see Jesus, we see what God is like, who He is, and what He has done. And we see His glory. And John was given a glimpse of this glory, the Shekinah glory in the person of Jesus Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. Do you remember? When he burst forth and they saw his Shekinah glory. And I'll tell you, at the end of the day with all the little, we'll build you some feasts of tabernacles. We need some booths here. This reminds me of the Feast of Tabernacles, Peter said. And he's probably right. But Jesus says, close your mouth. Elijah and Moses are going away. They're done. They have been fulfilled in Him. This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. And do what? Listen to Him, for He is the light of the revelation of the very Word of God. So, this is what Jesus means when He says, I am. the light of the world. No wonder we preach only the Word of God and the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The glory of the cross. For the last few minutes, that is the explanation of His announcement. Now, what does it mean for us? Well, the implication of Jesus' announcement Let's just think about this for us. First, brothers and sisters, our world is in utter darkness. And if you've been born again and you're saved here, you know you were in utter darkness. If you don't know Christ today, I know you probably do some outwardly good things, and you're trying to be a good citizen, and you're working really hard, and you're better than the next guy, and you're very sincere in what you believe, but you are locked. in challenger deep darkness. You are. But you don't have to be. You don't have to be. Jesus is alive. He's still shining His light today. And He will shine into the darkness of your heart and He will give you the light of life. Everlasting life. I know you're comparing this book and that book and this piece of evidence with that piece of evidence. I get it. There's false lights that rise up all around us and attract our attention. There's the light of reason, the light of philosophy, and the light of tolerance, and the light of sincerity, and the light of good works, and the light of humanism and liberalism and the light of darwinism and the light of hinduism and buddhism and the list is overwhelming of mankind's attempts to shine some kind of a light into the darkness of our souls but i'm telling you there's only one light that can penetrate your darkness there is one and his name is jesus and he's alive and he will shine into your hearts to give you an understanding, a knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He will free you. For the Word became flesh and we celebrated at Christmas and He dwelt among us. And He still saves sinners like us. He's still bringing people out of the darkness and into the light of His glory and transferring them into the kingdom of His beloved Son today. He's alive and well. Believers, are you bored with this? No way! Rejoice that you've seen the light through the power of God. That the light of the Word has risen like a morning star in your hearts. That you've been born again through the light of the Living Word. Remember the joy of the Feast. I hear the Levitical choirs, see the festive dancing, the joy of the presence of Yahweh, the Shekinah glory of God lives in you through the Spirit. What? He leads us, He saved us, He protects us, just as the pillar of fire led the Israelites through the darkness of the light. No wonder Jesus says, The one who follows me. Because if the pillar of fire went to the left, what did the Israelites do? They went to the left. If the pillar of fire said stop, what did they do? They stopped. He who follows me will never ever walk in the darkness, but, strongest contrast in Greek, will have the light of life. So remember, dear believer, the joy of your salvation. How are you doing with that? I'll start. Not well. A lot of days. There is in my own heart and in your own heart some pretty stubborn darkness, isn't there? There are besetting sins and anxieties that are real. And I was encouraged, and I want you to be encouraged, Jesus is not done with us. He is still shining His light into our hearts. We're still beholding 2 Corinthians 3.18, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ so that the darkness is still being dispelled from our hearts and lives. Does that not give you hope into your challenger deep of your anger? Into your challenger deep of your anxiety? Into your challenger deep of your rejection and broken relationships? Praise God that we've seen the light by His grace, but He's not done with us. And dear brothers and sisters, sometimes you feel like you're stumbling in the darkness with the sickness and the trials, I know those doubts that plague you. There's fear often instead of joy. There's anxiety instead of peace. There's weeping instead of dancing. What do we do? We've got to come to the light. We've got to remember that we've got to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And in the context of 2 Corinthians 3, you know what we're beholding? There was a veil over the Jews' eyes in the Old Testament when they read the what? The Scriptures. They could not see the glory of the Messiah. But for us, we see Him as an emir. We behold the glory of Christ in the Scriptures still. We see His glory in the Word of God. And the text says, We are being transformed into His image, into the likeness of Christ, from glory to glory. Do you believe it? That He can actually shine into that darkness? He can, and He will. Pray for it, because He's promised it, because He is the light of the world. And I admit, That it's imperfection that we see in a mirror now, and we still have some stubborn darkness, but I'm telling you, we have a great hope there will come a day when the Lord Himself will be the light for His people. For John, the author of our book, wrote the book of Revelation. And he wrote in Revelation 21, verse 22, I saw no temple in it. For the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple, and the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine upon it. For the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb, the light of the world. And the nations, next verse in Revelation 21, will walk by its, the Lamb's, light. Does that describe your destiny? Are you in Revelation 21, 22 through 24? Oh, please, come to Jesus today. Believe unto Jesus. You know it's dark in there. You know you've tried to pour all kinds of false lights and the batteries have run out. They don't work. Nothing can shine the light. Come to Jesus today. Let him shine the light of his truth. You know, Jesus went to the cross of Calvary and He took your darkness in your place. All of that challenger deep darkness, past, present, and future was placed upon the Son of God at the cross of Calvary. And He said, it is finished. And He took your hell in His own body in your place, your darkness. And He rose from the dead and He proved that your darkness is gone. For all who believe, there's power in the cross still to save sinners like us. Come to Him. You don't need to do anything. Just let Him shine His glory upon you. Believe unto Him. And let's go together and let's follow Him. We'll figure out if it's right or left. You need Jesus today. And that's why Jesus just a couple chapters later in John 12 said, while you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light. John 12, 36. So admit that you've been trapped in darkness and helpless in darkness all your life. And then believe that Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the Lord of glory, who died to overcome your sin and darkness, but He's alive. He calls you by name. Come to me, all who are weary laden, and I will give you rest. Confess that you can't do it anymore. No more works. Just come with the empty hands of faith and look to Jesus. Trust in Him. Come to the light. I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life. And there is no other light but Him.