The Light of the World is Jesus – John 8:12

Christmas Carols Service Evangelistic Sermon 2025.

There is something warming and comforting about light. Christmas is celebrated with light, and it is fitting, as at Christmas we celebrate the coming of the Light of all lights, the Lord Jesus Christ. What you need more than Christmas lights is Christ the light in your heart and life. Tonight, let us consider five ways Jesus Christ is the Light and how we can receive Him as the true light into our hearts and lives.

The Source of Light (Gen. 1:3; Mal. 4:2)

Jesus is:

The Creator of Physical Light (Gen. 1:3; Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16)

1. The Bible opens with the creation of light. Genesis 1:1-3 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.”
2. All things were made by Christ (Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16)
   1. John 1:3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
   2. Col. 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible…”

The Author of Spiritual Light (Mal. 4:2; Jn. 1:4, 9 Heb. 1:3)

1. Light is found in the Living Word (Christ)
   1. Mal 4:2 “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings…”
   2. John 1:4 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
   3. John 1:9 “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
   4. Heb 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person…”
2. Light is found in the Written Word. Psalm 119:130 “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

The Promised Light (Matt. 4:12-17)

The Bible reads: “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Christ’s coming to this area, despised by the religious establishment in Jerusalem, fulfilled the ancient prophecy in Isaiah 9:1-2. Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah who brought light to people in:

The Place of Darkness

1. “The people which sat in darkness saw great light”. Notice that the people are described as those who “sat” (pres. Tense) in darkness. They were dwellers in darkness. We are all born into a place of spiritual darkness.
   1. The region of this darkness – the region as noted above was the Greater Galilee region, the place of the Northern kingdom. The Northern kingdom became infamous for its apostasy from the truth. It became a stronghold of paganism under the Northern kings and was consequently taken into captivity by the Assyrians.
   2. The representation of this darkness – the spiritual darkness that covered this region was a representation of the spiritual and moral darkness that envelops the world.
      1. We are sinners by nature and practice (Rom. 3:10, 23; 5:12; 1 Jn. 3:4a)
      2. We love darkness because of our sin nature. John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” It is not hard for us to recognize darkness and depravity in our world. What is harder is for us to come to terms with the darkness and blackness of our own sinful hearts.

The Place of Death

“and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” Notice that the people are described not only as dwelling in darkness but also in the shadow of death. Darkness and death are connected. The realm of darkness is the region of death.

1. The region of death – The people of this region are described as sitting under the shadow of death. This had been a region of death and destruction due to numerous invasions from the north, but what is most evident is the spiritual condition of the people.
2. Death’s dark, long shadow has been cast over humankind ever since our first parents sinned.
   1. Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
   2. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Prince of Life

Jesus is called “the prince of life” (Acts 3:15) and “the prince of peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Christ came that we “might have life and…might have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10). John 20:31 puts it so beautifully, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” We know that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah because He perfectly fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. Prophecies like:

1. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
2. Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

The Only True Light (John 1:6-9, 8:12, 9:5, 12:46)

The Only Light (Jn. 8:12, 9:5, 12:46)

Christ is not one light among many. He is “the light”. Hear the words of the Lord Jesus:

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”

The True Light (Jn. 1:6-9)

Hear the Word of God. John 1:6-9 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

1. Jesus Christ is the Truth
   1. The true bread (John 6:32) – only Christ satisfies.
   2. The true vine (John 15:1) – only Christ is the source of true spiritual life.
   3. The true witness (Rev. 3:14) – only Christ can be trusted.
   4. The true God (1 Jn. 5:20) – all other gods are false.
   5. Jesus Christ is the truth! (John 14:6) He is called “Faithful and True” (Rev. 19:11)
2. Watch out for false, deceitful lights!
   1. Remember that Satan is the master deceiver and deceives multitudes with false lights. Satan and his ministers appear as angels of light, but in reality, they are agents of darkness and destruction. 2 Cor. 11:13-14 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
   2. Illustration: The False Lights used to lure ships to ruin
   3. Satan deceives many through false lights. People are drawn to promises of light only to find out that they have been lured into a trap. Any light Satan promises will lead you to darkness in the end, and ultimately damnation. Don’t be deceived!
   4. Watch out for the false light of man-made religion and ritualism.
   5. Watch out for the false lights in the “isms” that abound – atheism, secularism, humanism etc…

The Pure Light (1 John 1:5)

John 1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

1. Jesus Christ is Sinless (1 Jn. 3:5)
2. Jesus Christ is Spotless (1 Pet. 1:19)

The Redeeming Light (Acts 26:16-18; Col. 1:12-14)

Only Jesus Christ can rescue you from the darkness of sin and Satan. Hear the Word of the Lord:

Acts 26:16-18 “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

Col. 1:12-14 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

Christ can Save you from the darkness of Satan

1. You may feel like you are living, but in reality, you are imprisoned in Satan’s castle and need to be set free! Satan offers life and freedom, but in the end, gives death and destruction.
2. John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Christ can Save you from the Darkness of your Sin

The darkness in our own sinful hearts is perhaps the most disturbing of all!

1. Christ came to save us from our sin – Matt. 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
2. Christ died to save us from our sin – Rom. 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Cor. 15:3-4 “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Conclusion

Repent of your sin and self-righteousness and receive Jesus Christ by faith! Jesus preached, “..repent ye, and believe the gospel”.

Sermon Audio Id: 1220252156282031