The Urgency of the Light

Jesus didn't whisper His invitation—He cried out with urgency because He knew tomorrow the crowds would disperse. Today we'll explore why responding to the Light is a matter of life and death.

John 8:12, 24 "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.' Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

Picture the scene with me. It's the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles—the great day of the feast. The young Levitical priests are climbing ladders, carrying massive torches. The people are dancing, shouting, playing instruments. There's this hushed moment of anticipation as the priest reaches the top of the ladder, torch in hand, about to throw it into the massive bowl of oil that will set the whole city ablaze with light.

And in that moment, Jesus cries out with a loud voice: "I AM the light of the world!"

He's not whispering, "I'm the light of the world if anybody wants a savior." He's crying out with urgency. Why? Because tomorrow the crowds will go home. The aunties and uncles and children will disperse. And with mounting urgency comes climactic passion from the Savior.

God is sovereign over salvation—we've talked about that before—but He is not indifferent to the plight of the lost. Jesus looks at these crowds and knows that many of them are about to walk away, back to their villages, back to their lives of darkness, and they may never have another opportunity like this.

So He shouts: Do you recognize you live in darkness? Do you sense the corruption in your own heart? Do you chase lights that flicker and fade? These lights will be out tomorrow! Do you want a guide through this life to the eternal Promised Land? Do you long for the presence of God? Do you need deliverance—not from the bondage of Egypt, but from the bondage to your sin? Do you long for the glory of God?

Then I AM the light of the world!

What's at stake here? Verse 21: "I go away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin." Verse 24: "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

Since I've been at this church for about a year and a half, several people have died and gone home to be with the Lord. Psalm 116 says, "Precious in the sight of God are the deaths of His saints." That's one way to die—to die in Christ and immediately enter His presence.

But there's another way to die. Jesus says you will die in your sins. And if you die in your sins, you will go to hell for all eternity.

At Christmas time this year, millions of people will go to church. They'll turn the football game off and show up on Christmas Sunday. They'll say "Amen" to the warm and fuzzies of Jesus being the light of the world. But here's the reality: unless they've yielded to Him and been saved from the darkness, there are no warm and fuzzies. It's tragic.

Because it's not enough to appreciate these truths. Jesus doesn't say, "I am the light of the world—recognize me." He makes these great claims and then gives an invitation, but the invitation is given in the imperative form. He says, "I am the bread of life—COME EAT. I am living water—COME DRINK. I am the light of the world—COME FOLLOW ME."

He doesn't present Himself as an option. He knows the plight of the wicked, and the wicked is anybody outside of Jesus Christ. Anybody outside of Jesus Christ is living in darkness, stumbling toward eternal destruction. That's why there's urgency in His voice.

Are you still in the darkness? Have you responded to the Light? Because every day you delay is another day closer to the moment when it will be too late. The door of mercy won't stay open forever.

Stay dialed in.