Jesus said he was the light of the world.

However, the older we become the less afraid we are of the dark and the more afraid we are of the light. Pastor Nick used John 8:12-20 to reveal how Jesus sheds light into our darkness. We hunger to be set free from our sin, but the darkness that surrounds us keeps us safe from being known.

This week we are challenged to allow God to reveal our darkness in order to make way for the light of Jesus.

Let’s read together.

Grow Together

Read this from the Bible together:

*John 8:12-18  
12 Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.”

14 “Even if I testify about myself,” Jesus replied, “My testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I’m going. But you don’t know where I come from or where I’m going. 15 You judge by human standards. I judge no one.16 And if I do judge, my judgment is true, because it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am the one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”

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Some key statements and questions put forward that are important for us to talk about…

I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life. Following Jesus means that we have the light of his life within us. In what ways have you seen this light in your own darkness?

You judge by human standards. I judge no one. Jesus says that God the Father is our judge, which means that the love of Jesus is never based on our behavior. If shame has caused you to believe otherwise, confess areas where you’ve assumed you were loved less because of things you’ve done.

I am the one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me. If Christ is in you then you can not be rejected by God, because Jesus can not reject himself. Have there been times where you’ve rejected Jesus even though you’ve accepted him? What do you think that reveals about human nature and our propensity towards darkness?

Next Steps

Light will never stop pursuing you, not to condemn you, but to save you. Why do you believe we were made to “live in the light”? What does that phrase mean to you?

“We need a rescuer. Jesus doesn’t give us a road map and a pep talk, he gives us himself.”Do you believe you are in need of rescue? Do you approach the Bible like a road map or a place to find a pep talk? If not, what does the Word of God provide for you?

Someday there will be no darkness at all. What is an area of your life that you wish wasn’t subjected to darkness? Pray over one another for God’s light to find its way into that place.