You Are the Light of the World
Tom Shrader explores Jesus' 'I Am the light of the world' declaration in John 8 alongside the Sermon on the Mount's 'You are the light of the world' in Matthew 5, drawing out the distinction between Christ as the self-generating source of light and believers as reflectors of that light. He then turns to Romans 12 and Philippians 2 to call Christians toward humility and non-conformity to the world as the essential posture for letting that light shine. The story of George Washington Carver illustrates the humble, God-dependent spirit that should mark a believer's life, with communion closing the service as a response of the heart.
“Humility is the most foundational Christian virtue.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Standalone Teachings
Recorded: 2000 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 43 min
Themes: light, humility, identity in christ, witness, christmas, non-conformity, reflection, communion, new believer, feeling unworthy, struggling with pride, wanting to make a difference, young adult, long-time churchgoer, searching for purpose, feeling spiritually dry
Scripture: John 8:23-24, John 8:12, Exodus 3:14, John 6:35, John 9:5, John 10:9, John 10:11, John 10:14, John 11:25, John 14:6, John 15:1, John 15:5, John 3:16, John 3:19-21, Matthew 5:3-16, Romans 12:1-2, 1 John 2:15-16, Philippians 2:3-8, Ephesians 4
Theological Themes: christology, incarnation, i am statements, sanctification, becoming holy, imago dei, divine self-existence, believer's calling
Full Transcript
The Light Has Come Into the World
This message flows out of a series of discussions with a couple of people, but especially with Gary. Gary and I were talking about a variety of things — music, what I'm doing in private living — and out of that conversation came what I want to talk about tonight. When we talk about Christmas, we're clearly talking about the birth of Jesus, and for us as Christians, we're talking about God becoming flesh and dwelling among us.
Tonight I want to talk to those of you who would consider yourselves Christians. In other words, you believe that Jesus is who He said He was, you believe His promises, and you plan for your life and death accordingly. You have come to Christ in repentance and faith. You've acknowledged that you're a sinner, separated from Him by your sin, and that if you remain in that condition, you will spend eternity in a place called hell. You've made that commitment in your life — I want to talk to you.
Jesus and the "I Am" Claims
Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees in John 8, and He says, "You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. I said therefore that you shall die in your sins — unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." Now, when Jesus spoke these words, we might try to figure Him out and even be somewhat confused, but when the Pharisees heard them, there was no confusion at all. What they heard was simply: *I Am.*
In Exodus 3:14, God said to Moses, "I am who I am," and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I Am has sent me to you.'" When a Jew heard the phrase "I Am," they knew it spoke of the self-existent, eternal God. They understood immediately that Jesus was claiming to be God — Yahweh. They did not struggle in any way to understand this.
I still meet people who say Jesus never claimed to be God, but that is exactly what He did. When Jesus said "I Am," these Jews knew precisely what He meant. That is why, on many occasions, they picked up stones and began to stone Him. In fact, at one point Jesus said, "What good work did I do that you are stoning me for?" And they replied that it had nothing to do with good works — it was because He claimed to be God. They called it blasphemy.
The Seven I Am Statements in John
In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes a series of I Am statements. In John 6:35, He said, "I am the bread of life." In John 8:12 and 9:5, He said, "I am the light of the world." In John 10:9, He said, "I am the door." In John 10:11 and 14, He said, "I am the good shepherd."
He continues in John 11:25, "I am the resurrection and the life." In John 14:6, He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." And in John 15:1 and 5, He said, "I am the true vine."
One author writes of these statements: "Christ's deity is asserted in the series of the I Am claims. In the I Am statements, Christ made implicit and explicit claims to be the I Am — Yahweh of the Old Testament. These are the strongest claims to deity that Jesus could have made to these Jews." When Jesus said "I Am," they understood exactly what He meant. He was saying: I am God.
I Am the Light of the World
What I want to do, in light of our emphasis on the incarnation, is to pick one of these I Am statements and put what I think is an interesting twist on it. In John chapter 8, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Jesus says that if you follow Him, you will not walk in darkness — you will have the light of life.
When we think about light, we can identify at least three things that light does. The first is that it gives life. Decades ago, when nuclear weapons were poised at one another between us and the Soviet Union, we feared not only a launch that might kill directly, but a nuclear winter that would block out the sun. Without the sun's rays, there would be death, because light is required for life. Jesus says He is the light of the world — He is life.
The second thing light does is serve as a standard. We measure using light — light years, beams of light used to calculate distance. When the astronauts went to the moon, they placed a device on the lunar surface, and from earth a beam was shot up, struck that device, and returned. By timing that beam based on the speed of light, the distance could be precisely calculated.
Light Reveals Things as They Really Are
Light allows us to see things as they really are. We even use the phrase, "Let me shed a little light on that," meaning we are going to allow you to see things as they really are. So when Jesus says, "I am the light of the world," what He is saying is: I am the one who gives life, I am the standard by which everything else is measured, and I am the one who reveals life as it is really meant to be lived. I am the light of life. Now you have life, now you can measure life, and now you can see things as they really are.
John 3:16 and the Nature of Love
Jesus speaks of this issue of light in John chapter three. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." That word "so" speaks to the intensity of the love that God has. So powerful, so demanding, so driving is the love that God has for the world that He sent His Son.
Love always moves quickly to a verb. Love always moves to action. If you say you love someone, there will be an action. I think of couples I have sat with in counseling. The wife says she doesn't think he loves her, and the husband says he told her he loves her — he said it a couple of times. And she says, "He says he loves me, but he doesn't show it." We know instinctively that love will move to a verb. Love is proven and evidenced by action. God so intensively loved the world that He acted. What did He do? He gave. He gave His only begotten Son.
Light Exposes Darkness
"And this is the judgment, that light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light." He is not talking about Christians here. He is talking about natural men and women, people apart from Christ. They love the darkness because their deeds are evil. Have you ever noticed that the places you know you are not supposed to go frequently have no windows and are very dark? Parking is in the back. You slide in and slide out so nobody can see you. You want to move under the cover of night, because your deeds are evil and the light will expose them.
He continues in verse 20: "For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest their deeds would be exposed." When Jesus Christ comes into a life, the first thing He does is help you see what a wretched sinner you are. It is not at all uncommon for me to hear someone who has come to Christ in repentance and faith say they feel like more of a sinner now than when they were a non-believer. That is not actually the case — what has happened is that God now shines His light into their life and their deeds are exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the light. He wants the light, he prays for the light. We pray, "Father, show us where we are deficient. We want to know that so we can please You."
While I Am in the World
Jesus says, "I am the light of the world," here in John 8, and He says it again in John chapter 9, verse 5 — except He adds a caveat. He says, "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." He is preparing the disciples for His departure. He is preparing them for the time when He will no longer be present with them. He is telling them that He is going to Jerusalem, that He is going to suffer and die there. But He says, while I am with you, I am the light of the world.
You Are the Light of the World
Now here is the twist. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus lays out the Beatitudes, beginning with "Blessed are the poor in spirit" — the heart of a believer. It begins with spiritual bankruptcy, an acknowledgment that I am nothing before God. And then, as He summarizes and comes out of the Beatitudes, Jesus says this: "You are the light of the world." A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket, but they put it on a lamp stand and it gives light to all that are in the house. You do not light a lamp and then cover it up. You light a lamp and put it on a stand so that light can do what it was designed to do — so it can benefit everyone in the house, so that light can shine into every nook and every cranny of that home.
Notice that subtle difference. Let me lay them side by side. While I am here, Jesus is saying, I am the light of the world — but when I am gone, you are the light of the world. Jesus comes in the flesh, fully God, and takes up residence in a human body, fully man, like us in every way: hungry, thirsty, weeping, growing tired — like us in every way except in sin. And He says, while I am here, I am the light of the world, but when I am gone, you are the light of the world. He is speaking to His people — speaking to those of you who follow Him.
You Are the Light of the World
Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do men hide a lamp under a peck measure, but they put it on a lampstand and it gives light to all in the house." In Matthew 5:16 He continues, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they see your good works." In other words, we are supposed to live in such a way that people look at us and see something good, something distinct, something different.
If you say you are a Christian, there ought to be evidence of it all around you. There should be people who, on a consistent basis, are looking at your good deeds — the good deeds produced in your life — and when they come, as they will, they will want to give praise to you. Here is what Jesus says: let your light shine before men so that they see your good works, but they do not glorify you. You deflect that praise and admiration. You say, "No, it's not me — it's the Father who dwells in me."
He wants those good works to magnify the power and the grace and the supreme calling in your life, which is to glorify God. There is to be a distinctiveness and a difference in your life that is visible to any casual observer. And when people race to you to praise you — and they will — you say it is not you. Notice the phrase Jesus uses: "my Father." It speaks of an intimate, special relationship. And "in heaven" speaks of His majesty and His holiness.
The Sun and the Moon: Two Kinds of Light
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world," and now He says, "You are the light of the world." There is a difference there, and this is how this whole lesson got started. It began in a conversation with Gary about that distinction in general terms, and he pointed out that it connects to the comments we have been receiving about the carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." We sang it again today: "Mild He laid His glory by" — there it is again, the incarnation — "born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth, risen with healing in His wings, light and life to all He brings, hail the Sun of Righteousness."
It is that line — "hail the Sun of Righteousness" — that generated emails, phone calls, and notes from you. Ever vigilant, you wanted to point out the apparent misspelling: "Don't you understand He is the Son of God — S-O-N?" What is interesting is that this launched Gary into a search, and as far back as he could go through all the hymnology, all the books, that word is consistently spelled S-U-N — Sun of Righteousness.
When Jesus says "I am the light of the world," He is saying He is the light just like the sun — the S-U-N. He is the power source that generates life, that generates light itself. He is a self-existent generator of light. You, by contrast, are the light of the world not like the sun, but like the moon. The moon does not generate light — it reflects light. Jesus says He is the light of the world: He generates light, gives life, sets the standard, and reveals things as they really are.
You are the light in the sense that, as He lives in you and as His Spirit dwells in you, you give forth light — but it is light that reflects His glory and His magnitude and His brightness. That is the difference. And because we are the light of the world, He says there should be a difference visible in how we live.
Therefore: Living in Response to What God Has Done
Paul takes up this theme in Romans 12: "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." He says he urges, beseeches, pleads. The word "therefore" is doing significant work in that sentence. The "therefore" refers back to the previous eleven chapters of the book of Romans.
You see this pattern in Philippians, Ephesians, and Colossians as well. Paul lays out great doctrinal truths for half the book, and then he says, "Now, because this is true, therefore live in such a way." In Romans, because of this magnificent story of redemption told in those first eleven chapters — God making His power and glory evident through creation, the fact that no one is good, no not one, that all deserve death, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, that in His sovereign grace and mercy He extends salvation to His people, that He chose us before the foundations of the earth not because of anything in us but for His own good pleasure — because all of that is true, therefore, Paul says, I urge you.
He urges us to present our bodies — everything that we are. It is even that act, that presentation, which is done by the mercies of God, by God's power and God's grace. We present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice. Not a sacrifice as payment for sin, because that sin is already paid for, but a sacrifice — an offering — in response to what God has done in your life. Because God has saved you from your sin, because when you were dead He brought you to life, and when you deserved death He gave you life, because that is true, you present your body.
Eugene Peterson paraphrases that first verse in The Message this way: "So here's what I want you to do. God helping you. Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going to work, walking around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him." Paul calls this your spiritual service of worship. Some translations will say "your reasonable service." The idea is that it is simply the logical thing to do.
Transformed by Humility
Because of what God has done, because of all of His mercies and all of His blessings that have been extended to us, the only logical response is to come back and give Him everything that you have. Whether you are awake or asleep, whatever it is you do, you do for the glory of God. What makes that difficult is verse two: do not be conformed to this world. The world is aggressively pursuing you to sidetrack you.
One translation says, "Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold," and you get from that the active nature of this pressure. Ken Taylor in the Living Translation says, "Don't copy the behaviors of the world." When Paul speaks of the world here, he is speaking of the world system — its philosophies, its ways of thinking. You are distinct. You are different. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
All of those works, all of those actions flow out of a mind that has been changed, a heart that has been changed. You now look at the world differently. John says something very similar in 1 John 2:15: "Don't love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father's not in him. For all that's in this world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but it's from this world."
If you have affection, devotion, and commitment to the things of this world, John says that cannot coexist with the love of God. Just as light and darkness cannot coexist, love of the world and love of God cannot coexist — they are mutually exclusive. John says, and I realize it is harsh, that if you love this world and this world system, then the love of God is not in you. Because if you did love the Father, you would despise the worldly philosophies and the culture of this world.
The Mind of Christ
In some churches, the person leading the music will meet with the person doing the teaching early in the week, and they will collaborate — coordinating what will be taught and how the music will tie it all together. That is not our strategy. Our approach is simply to say, "God, move us and bring us together." I trust that God is moving in Gary's life, and I hope He is moving in mine.
Almost every week, and this week perhaps more than most, God just brings it all together. Gary mentioned Philippians chapter two three times this morning, which is exactly why I smiled at eight o'clock when he used it — because that is exactly where I am going. "Have this attitude, have this mindset in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus." I want you to think of the world as Christ thinks of the world. I want you to live as He lives.
Here is the example Paul gives. Christ, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. The structure of that sentence tells us that Jesus Christ was God, that He is eternal, that He existed with the Father — and He did not cling to that. Instead, He emptied Himself. Not of His deity — make sure we understand that He remained God when He came to this earth — but He emptied Himself of His glory. He was found in the form of a bondservant, made in the likeness of man, found in the appearance of man. And here is the key word: He humbled Himself.
The Foundational Virtue
If I am not going to be conformed to this world, if I am going to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, what must be at the core of who I am and what I am thinking is a humble spirit. There must be humility. In Ephesians chapter four, Paul writes about humility — or lowliness — and in a footnote on that passage, John MacArthur writes this: "Humility is a term not found in the Roman or Greek vocabulary of Paul's day. The Greek word apparently was coined by Christians, perhaps even Paul himself, to describe a quality for which there was no word available. Humility is the most foundational Christian virtue."
Consider what that means. Paul says, "I want you to think like Christ, I want you to be like Christ, I want you to be humble" — and the people of his day would have said they did not even have a word for that in their vocabulary. The most foundational virtue of the Christian life was entirely absent from their world. The opposite of humility, of course, is pride. Remember the definition we use — C.S. Lewis' definition: pride is a complete anti-God state of mind. James tells us that God resists the proud. If you are proud, God says, fine, go at it on your own.
What God is looking for is a broken and humbled spirit. We live at a time when the word humility is in our vocabulary, but it runs counter to the culture. As you go to seminars and meetings in your industry and hear how to get ahead, the message is constant: you do this, you do that, you push forward, you look out for number one. That is exactly the opposite of what Paul is talking about. As he leads into this section in Philippians chapter two, verse three, he says —
Humility as the Foundation of Light
"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with the humility of mind, let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but for the interests of others." At this Christmastime, when we talk about the incarnation and we understand that Jesus is the light of the world, there is an odd twist: you and I serve as the light of the world — reflecting, to be sure, not generating life, but reflecting it. And if I am to have that light in my life, I have to be humble.
George Washington Carver: A Portrait of Humility
George Washington Carver was a man born in 1864. His father died shortly before his birth, and his mother was taken away by slave raiders. He lived on the plantation, but because he was a sickly boy, he was not put out in the field. He worked around the house, doing household chores and gardening, and he developed a real love especially for the outdoors and for plants. He loved art and music.
In 1890, he enrolled at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, and after spending some time there, he was persuaded to pursue art and music at what is now Iowa State University. He was the first African American to attend Iowa State University, and there he was drawn to the area of agriculture. After his graduation, he became the first African American staff member at Iowa State.
In 1896, he received a master's degree from Iowa State and was persuaded by Booker T. Washington to join the faculty at Tuskegee Institute. There he began to explore and study agriculture. The result of his work was the creation of some 325 products from the peanut, more than 100 products from sweet potatoes, and hundreds more from dozens of other plants.
By the end of his life in 1943, he was recognized throughout the land as a genius. He was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, honored among the great Americans with commemorative stamps and coins, and much more.
Carver Before the Senate
In 1921, he was called before a Senate subcommittee to speak about agriculture. In his exchange with the senator, you may get a sense of the man George Washington Carver was. The senator asked, "How did you learn all these things?" Carver replied, "From an old book." The senator asked, "From what book?" Carver answered, "The Bible." The senator pressed him: "Does the Bible talk about peanuts?" Carver responded, "No sir, but it tells me about the God who made the peanut, and I asked Him to show me what to do with the peanut, and He did."
In his journal, Carver writes this — and I don't think it is myth, I think it is fact, that in all the time he went into the laboratory, the only book he ever took with him was his Bible. He wrote: "Years ago, I went into my laboratory and I said, 'Dear God, please tell me what the universe was made for,' and God answered, 'What you want to know is too much for a little mind like yours. Ask me for something more your size, little man.' Then I asked, 'Please, God, tell me what man was made for,' and again God replied, 'You're still asking too much. Cut down on the extent and improve the intent.' So then I asked, 'Please, God, tell me why you made the peanut.' And God said, 'That's better, but even that's infinite. What do you want to know about the peanut?' I said, 'God, can I make milk out of the peanut?' God replied, 'What kind of milk do you want? Good Jersey milk or just plain boarding house milk?' 'Good Jersey milk.' And then God taught me to take the peanut apart and put it together again, and out of that process has come forth all these products."
What a humble spirit. It is God who did that. That is the essence of humility. It is a complete anti-world state of mind.
The World's Way Versus Humility
The world would say there must be something special about you — what is it that sets you apart? The world's answer is that you studied hard, that you pulled yourself up by your bootstraps. I watched a riveting interview this week with Justice Clarence Thomas and a group of high school students. They are going to replay it again on the 30th. Thomas's answers were so simple, and I am drawn to that because I think we have a tendency to overthink everything and make it far too hard. He must have said to those high school students a dozen times, "Just do what's right. Just do what's right." He spoke about humility and humbleness half a dozen times.
Finally, one young girl asked the question I had wanted to ask, so it was perfect. She said, "How come you didn't ask any questions during these hearings?" He said, "Well, let me ask you a question. Did you think there were too few questions asked?" She said, "Well, no, I didn't." He replied, "You know, I've been where those guys were. That's a hard thing to do, to stand there when they're throwing questions at you. That's a difficult thing." He went on to say, "I never asked any questions in college, and I didn't ask any questions in law school, and here is what I've learned: if you are quiet long enough, your question will get asked by somebody." And then he said, "I think the only reason to ask a question is to get an answer. I don't think you should ask a question just so people think you have something to say."
Just a humble spirit. There has to be in you a sense where you don't care what other people are thinking of you. Consider how often, even when you are praising somebody else, somehow in the way you phrase the question or frame the comment, you manage to make yourself look good in what they did. It is a subtle way that pride slides in. It is a step toward being conformed to this world rather than transformed by the renewing of your mind. It is a vicious little thing.
Preparing Our Hearts
"Then God taught me to take the peanut apart and put it together again, and out of that came forth all these products." As we prepare tonight for communion, ask God to humble your heart before Him, to break down that pride. Let your light shine in such a way that people see your good works, and you —