Light For Our Eyes

October 12, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus

Sermon 3 of Series:

“I Am the Light of the World”

John 8:12 CEB

John 12:35-36 CEB

Matthew 5:14-16 CEB

“Here I Am To Worship” by Chris Tomlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVqR6kTu8lE

“Light For Our Eyes”

Let us pray…Pray for the Spirit’s leading and that God’s word would be heard…

Light of the world

You stepped down into darkness

Open my eyes, let me see

Beauty that made this heart adore You

Hope of a life spent with You

Have you ever been in a Fun House? Man they are creepy! You are walking in this dark place and then all of the sudden something jumps out at you. It is so dark in there. You can hardly see where you are going. Growing up all my friends wanted to go into the Fun House at carnivals.  I would go just because my friends wanted to go but boy was I scared. The dark can seem very scary at times. Not knowing if something is going to come out and grab you or something. I hate it when I am in a dark place. I always bump into something every time.

How about when you may be in a dark place on your faith walk? You don’t know what is around the corner and you feel pretty small in this “valley of the shadow of death.” When you are in this dark place it may feel as if the sun will never shine again giving you light for your path. Where can we find that light so that we won’t bump into things in the dark of the night?

We have entered into the Season that we begin to look forward to the manger…the Season that we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus is the Savior of the world but He is so much more than that. As we have been preparing to welcome in the babe in the manger, we have been looking at the seven “I Am” statements that Jesus made while He walked among us. My prayer is that as we do, we will realize what really happened that day, how that one day changed the tide of sin and death. It’s all about the name and what goes along with that very same name…not just who but what that name implies.

Last week we talked about how Jesus is The Bread of Life and about how Jesus fills us spiritually and that we never will hunger again for those Spiritual things that we need for our faith walk. We have talked about the name I Am and that Jesus, the Great I Am, is always with us even when we don’t feel His presence with us in those times when we feel we are walking in a dark tunnel and not seeing the light at the end. But we do have that light that shines on our walk…Jesus is The Light of the World…

Now I don’t know about you but I hate those dark times. They seem to go on forever. When I think of darkness I think of something that is scary and I feel lost and alone. When I think of darkness I am reminded of those times when I have walked through that valley looking for that light at the end of the tunnel and hoping it is not a freight train heading my way. But even in those times, we can have hope…we can have faith that we really don’t walk alone and that dawn will break forth again in our lives…by faith we can walk with faith, not by sight.

So why do we have this faith in those dark, dreary times? Well, from the John 8 and 12 scriptures that I read this morning we can walk with assurance of hope for the future. Jesus said…and still says today...I am the light of the world. When we follow Him we will not walk in darkness but will have light…His light…to pave the way for us. Jesus says that when we walk in the dark we do not know where we are going but…but…when we believe in the light we become people whose path is determined by that very same light.

When we walk in darkness it is pretty scary. We feel lost and alone. We feel as if the night will never end. We can feel that there is no hope. But even then we can have faith that Jesus is with us. Are you walking through a dark desert place right now? Well…the light of Jesus is there…just waiting for you to take hold of it and let it light your way…just believe…

King of all days, oh, so highly exalted

Glorious in heaven above

Humbly You came to the earth You created

All for love's sake became poor

So…if we believe in the light…we believe that Jesus is that light…we believe in the Light that came from Heaven…God’s Light…the Light that illuminates our walk…our journey on this celestial ball…if we believe that we never walk alone…what are we to do with that belief? What is our commission…our calling regarding this wonderful Light…what are we to do with this wondrous Light of Life? There is a scripture that tells us what happens and what we are to do with this light that we profess. It is found in Matthew 5 verses 14-16…listen to what the Word of God tells us about this heavenly light…

Matthew 5:14-16 Common English Bible (CEB)

14 You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.

We are to let our light shine for all to see.  There are people around us that are walking in darkness and they need this life giving Light to shine on their lives so that their paths can be lit with the Light above all lights… is their someone that you know…someone in your life…that needs this Light that dispels all darkness? Then let your light shine for them so they too can find light in the dark recesses of their lives… We are to let the Light of Jesus shine in and through us…sort of like how a Light House shines the light for sailors to find the safe way into the harbor we too can shine so that others can find a place to let down their anchor and be safe.

Beloved children of the Most High God…we have a mission…we have been given a charge…we have been commissioned to show our light. God is at work today as he has always been. God wants to bring those who walk in darkness to His glorious light. But how can those who are blind see if they are walking in the Fun House of the world?

And here I am to worship

Here I am to bow down

Here I am to say that You're my God

You're altogether lovely, altogether worthy

Altogether wonderful to me

This is part of our Worship of God…to believe and to share that light of Lights…To testify about the goodness of the Light…

I'll never know how much it cost

To see my sin upon that cross

I'll never know how much it cost

To see my sin upon that cross

But…but…this Light came at a great Cost to the world. It cost God the life of His Son…our Risen Lord Jesus Christ…How awesome is that love for you and me…for all of humanity… There is world out there that still walks in darkness. What will you and I do to bring light to an other wise dark hopeless existence? Maybe…just maybe we can make that change from dark to light in someone else’s life. Perhaps when we begin to realize the depth…the height…the expanse of God’s love for us we will shine even brighter. Let us go forth in the Light of Christ and light our world.

(Video by Kathy Tricoli)

Let us pray…pray for Christ’s followers to be the Light for the World…