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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to John's Gospel. We're in John Chapter 8. John 8, I'll read beginning in 
verse 1. We'll read to verse 20, and then our focus will be 
on verse 12. So beginning in John chapter 
8 at verse 1. But Jesus went to the Mount of 
Olives. Now early in the morning, he came again into the temple, 
and all the people came to him. And he sat down and taught them. 
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman caught 
in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said 
to him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very 
act. Now Moses and the law commanded us that such should be stoned. 
But what do you say? They said, testing him, that 
they might have something of which to accuse him. But Jesus 
stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger, as though 
he did not hear. So when they continued asking 
him, he raised himself up and said to them, he who is without 
sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. And again, 
he stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard 
it being convicted by their conscience went out one by one, beginning 
with the oldest, even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, 
and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised 
himself up and saw no one but the woman, he said to her, Woman, 
where are those accusers of you? Has no one condemned you? She 
said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither 
do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. Then Jesus 
spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. 
He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light 
of life. The Pharisees therefore said 
to him, You bear witness of yourself, your witness is not true. Jesus 
answered and said to them, Even if I bear witness of myself, 
my witness is true, for I know where I am, where I came from, 
and where I am going. But you do not know where I come 
from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh, 
I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, my judgment 
is true, for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who 
sent me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of 
two men is true. I am one who bears witness of 
myself and the father who sent me bears witness of me. Then 
they said to him, where is your father? Jesus answered, you know, 
neither me nor my father. If you had known me, you would 
have known my father also. These words, Jesus spoke in the 
treasury as he taught in the temple and no one laid hands 
on him for his hour had not yet come. Amen. Well, let us pray. 
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this time to gather together 
for your word. We pray that the ministry of 
the Holy Spirit would be amongst us, that he would guide us now, 
that he would shine the light upon the passage of scripture, 
and even more so upon our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, who is in 
fact the light of the world. We ask again for the forgiveness 
of all of our sin and unrighteousness, and we pray that we would see 
Christ as altogether lovely and as chief among 10,000, that we 
would know the blessedness of being found in him, not having 
our own righteousness, which is of the law, but that righteousness 
which is from you, granted by grace through faith. As well, 
we pray for the proclamation of your truth throughout the 
earth, that your gospel would run swiftly and be glorified. 
And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, remember, 
Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem, according to John chapter seven, 
at what was called the Feast of Tabernacles. It was a seven-day 
feast. And at the conclusion of the 
feast, according to chapter eight, verse one, he went to the Mount 
of Olives. Most likely he stayed with Lazarus 
and Mary and Martha. They lived in Bethany, which 
was near there. And now he comes back early morning to the temple. 
And we saw last week that they bring this woman that was caught 
in adultery, not because they're concerned with the law of Moses, 
not because they're concerned with this particular woman, but 
because they wanted to test Jesus. They hated him. They despised 
him. There's a growing animosity against him. And the gospel record 
is clear concerning that reality. Now on the heels of that, after 
he had forgiven that woman, we see what he says in verse 12. 
As I had intended, we were going to go from 12 to 20, but there's 
a lot going on in verse 12, consistent with John's purpose in his gospel 
as a whole. Notice, then Jesus spoke to them 
again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows 
me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. So 
in this particular response, Jesus highlights something that 
has been argued about. He highlights his identity. He 
highlights his authority. As well, he signifies his mission. And so John, as I said, in this 
gospel record, wants us to understand who Jesus is. Was Jesus just 
a good religious teacher? Was he just a fellow that lived 
in Nazareth in the first century and did some amazing things? Was he just like us in all points? Well, John, in his gospel, wants 
us to understand that while Jesus is truly man, Jesus is the second 
person of the Trinity. There's an old teaching tool 
called a catechism. It's the Westminster Shorter 
Catechism. And there's a children's version. 
And it asks the question, are there more gods than one? And 
the answer is there is but one only, the living and true God. 
And then the second question says, how many persons are in 
the Godhead? And it says there are three persons 
in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These 
three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and 
glory. Now, the men at Westminster didn't make that up. They didn't 
just say, wouldn't it be wonderful to invent the doctrine of the 
Trinity? They're reflecting upon the Bible. The Bible tells us 
that there is but one only, the living and true God. Deuteronomy 
6, verse 4. That was the central confession 
of Israel's faith. We see that repeated in 1 Corinthians 
8. But as well, as we move through 
the sacred witness, we see that the Father is God, the Son is 
God, and the Spirit is God. Yet not three gods, one God. 
So they're one in one sense, according to substance or essence, 
and three in another sense, according to person or subsistence. So it's not contradictory to 
say that God is one and three. It would be contradictory to 
say that he's one and three in the same way. He's one in one 
sense, he's three in another sense. And as I said, John wants 
us to get this. Turn back to John chapter one 
in what we call the prologue. So the prologue is verses one 
to 18. And what John does as a gospel 
writer, he gives us theology. Before he gets to the economy 
of redemption and what Christ does for his people, he first 
lets us go, as it were, behind the scenes and learn something 
of the true and living God. So notice in 1.1, he begins the 
gospel record this way. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So we see that 
the Word there is distinct from God the Father, and yet He is 
the same as God the Father. So again, there is distinction 
among the persons in the Trinity, and yet there is identity or 
unity. Now, the Apostle here doesn't 
leave us wondering who this Word is. Notice in verse 14. The Word, 
the one he mentioned in verse 1, that Word became flesh and 
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the 
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. So he 
wants us to know that in this true and living God there exists 
eternally three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the 
second person of the Trinity, the Word here, takes on our humanity 
in order to come into this world to live, to die, and to be raised 
again. Well, why does he do that? Because 
we are sinful people. And in order for us to enter 
into the presence of a holy God, there's only one means, there's 
only one way, there's only one remedy, and that's through our 
Lord Jesus Christ. because Christ assumed our humanity, 
He lived in perfect obedience to the law, He went to the cross 
as a sacrifice and a substitute, and then He was raised again 
the third day, so that every sinner who by the grace of God 
looks to Him in faith will have everlasting life. We'll be forgiven 
of our sins based on the blood shed at the cross, that perfect 
atoning sacrifice, but we'll also have a righteousness. The 
righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. It is given to us, received 
by faith alone, so that we'll be able to enter into the presence 
of our great God. So John the Apostle wants us 
to know that Jesus is the Son of God, not by creation, not 
by adoption, but rather by nature. The Father communicates the divine 
essence to the Son in the manner of eternal generation. So John 
1, 1 highlights the deity or the divinity of Christ. Turn 
to John 20. John 20 is the formal end of the book. Chapter 21 functions 
as a bit of an epilogue, but the formal ending of the book, 
I'm not saying that 21 isn't true, it's not formal, it's not 
right, it's just simply more of an epilogue, it summarizes 
some things that the reader wants to know. But the formal end is 
in his dealings with Thomas after the resurrection. Remember, Thomas 
was a doubter. Thomas said, unless I see, unless 
I touch, unless my desire for empirical satisfaction is met, 
I'll never believe. So Jesus meets with him. Notice 
in verse 26 in John 20. And after eight days, his disciples 
were again inside and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors 
being shut and stood in the midst and said, peace to you. Then 
he said to Thomas, incidentally, the exact thing that Thomas had 
said in the absence of our blessed Savior. Jesus says specifically 
that, reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach 
your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, 
but believing. Now notice the response from 
Thomas. Thomas answered and said to him, 
my Lord and my God, So in the beginning was the word, the word 
was with God, the word was God. What does John want us to know? 
He wants us to know that Jesus is God. He begins the gospel 
that way, he ends the gospel that way, and all throughout 
the gospel, he emphasizes that. And John chapter eight is no 
exception. So please turn back there and 
we'll look at verse 12, the declaration of the Lord. We see that declaration 
first in the first part of the verse, and then the second part 
of the verse gives us an implication. But in terms of the declaration, 
notice what Jesus says. Jesus spoke to them again saying, 
I am the light of the world. Now, in John's gospel, this is 
another vehicle by which he communicates to us the divinity of Jesus. When Jesus says, I am, there 
are several places in John's gospel where Jesus uses that 
phrase with reference to himself. He says, I am. And we'll look 
at that in just a moment, but it's very important that we understand 
the Old Testament background. What's the significance in the 
Savior confessing himself as I am? Well, if you turn back 
to the Old Testament book of Exodus, you can see this. Exodus chapter 3. Exodus chapter 
3, the children of Israel are in bondage. They are in slavery 
in Egypt. The Lord God Most High calls 
Moses, commissions Moses to be the man to lead his people out 
of that bondage. In other words, Moses will function 
sort of like Christ. Moses will be the mediator between 
God and these people. Moses will be the man that goes 
to Pharaoh. And Moses will be the man that 
ultimately does deliver. It's God does it, but does it 
through the instrumentality of Moses. And so in chapter three 
of Exodus, Moses has demonstrated that bit of an unwillingness 
to go. In other words, I'm not skilled, I'm not an orator, I 
don't have all this ability. So he asks this question of God 
after receiving the commission. Notice in chapter three, verse 
11, Moses said to God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh 
and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? So he 
said, I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign 
to you that I have sent you. When you have brought the people 
out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. Then Moses 
said to God, indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and 
say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you. And 
they say to me, what is his name? What shall I say to them? Now 
notice the response from the Most High in verse 14. And God 
said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, thus you shall say 
to the children of Israel, I am has sent me to you. Now that's 
an intriguing name. It's a bit different. I don't 
think we'd name our child I am, but it reflects who God is. Turretin says, since or rather 
since eternal existence, omnipotent power and immutable truth belongs 
to God alone. The name I am, which embraces 
these things ought to be peculiar to him alone. In other words, 
there is great significance and meaning. We've often translated 
that word as Jehovah, better translated as Yahweh, but it 
expresses who God is. It is an identification. God 
is what he is, I am, or Yahweh is who he is. And again, the 
idea of eternality, omnipotence, glory, majesty, power, all those 
things are conveyed in that particular title. Now turn over to the prophet 
Isaiah. Isaiah, we see that the Most 
High refers to himself using this same identification. So 
in Isaiah 43, verse 10, a passage unfortunately utilized by Jehovah's 
Witnesses, they get I am absolutely positively wrong because they 
deny the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, but their sort of text 
is 43.10. It says, you are my witnesses. That's why they call themselves 
Jehovah's Witnesses. Again, they're bad ones, they're 
horrible ones, they're heretical ones at witnessing and testifying 
to the Lord. But notice, you are my witnesses, 
says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that you 
may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me there 
was no God formed, nor shall there be after me. I, even I 
am the Lord, and besides me there is no Savior. I have declared 
and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign God 
among you. Therefore you are my witnesses, 
says the Lord, that I am God. Indeed, before the day was, I 
am He, and there is no one other, or no one who can deliver out 
of my hand. I work, and who will reverse 
it? Turn over to verse 25 in the same chapter. I, even I, 
am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not 
remember your sins. Turn over to chapter 45 and verse 
22. Look to me and be saved, all 
you ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. 46.9, we see the same or similar emphasis 
in terms of the I am and who is most high and most glorious. I'm sorry, 46.9. Remember the 
former things of old, for I am God and there is no other. I 
am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the 
beginning and from ancient times, things that are not yet done, 
saying, my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. 
So going back to John's gospel, When Jesus uses this convention 
to describe himself as I am, he is asserting unity or consubstantiality. That means being of the same 
substance with the father. And that's precisely how the 
Jews understand this, because at the end of John chapter eight, 
when Jesus says before Abraham was I am, what did the Jews do? They pick up stones to throw 
at him because he being a man made himself equal with God. 
So when we come to John's gospel and we see in verse 1 of chapter 
1, and we see a verse 28 in chapter 20, that John's great intention 
is that we understand the divinity of our Lord Jesus, that again, 
he's not the son of God by creation. He's not the son of God by adoption, 
but he's the son of God by nature. When we compare that with all 
of these I am statements in John's gospel, it's overwhelming. We 
might say of John, if he was a hammer, everything looks like 
a nail. In other words, he wants us to get who Jesus is. And if you look at our context 
in John chapter eight, well, if we go back into John chapter 
seven, this was the issue. Who is he? How does he have this 
authority? Who does he think he is? In fact, 
after teaching for a time here, notice in verse 25, then they 
said to him, who are you? They're ignorant, not from a 
lack of being instructed. They just won't receive it. They 
won't listen. They won't believe. They won't 
come to appreciate that He is, in fact, God of God, light from 
light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being 
with the Father, through whom all things were made, who for 
us men and for our salvation came down from heaven in order 
to live, to die, and to rise again. So back to John's gospel, 
there are several of these I am statements that I'll suggest 
are with a predicate. Now a predicate for you adults, 
kids that learn this in school, is something that describes the 
subject of a sentence. So if we have the ball is red, 
or the ball is big, or the ball is small, the red, the big, the 
small is a predicate. It tells us something about the 
subject, which is the ball. And then you have sentences where 
there's no predicate. If you just have this, the ball 
is, It tells us something, there's a ball, but we know not much 
about it. There's two classes of I Am statements that we see 
in John's gospel. There's these I Ams with a predicate, 
and then these I Ams without a predicate, where the connection 
to Exodus 3.14 is very strong and very solid. But with reference 
to the I Am with a predicate, Jesus in John 6 says, I am the 
bread of life. In other words, if you don't 
eat from me, if you don't eat me, he says specifically, and 
he's speaking metaphorically, he doesn't want us to take a 
bite out of him. He is speaking metaphorically for belief, but 
he is the bread of life. Here he says, I am the light 
of the world. In John 10, he'll say, I am the 
door of the sheep. In John 10, he'll say, I am the 
good shepherd. In John 11, he will say, I am 
the resurrection and the life. In John 14, he will say, I am 
the way, the truth and the life. And then in John 15, he will 
say, I am the true vine. So all of these statements, again, 
enforce the idea that there is this identity between the father 
and the son. Distinction to be sure, the father 
is not the son, the son is not the father, but they have the 
same divine essence. They have the same nature. Now these I ams without a predicate, 
you can turn back to John chapter four. John chapter four, where 
you see this. And again, the people that he 
was speaking to at times understood all too well what he said. And 
instead of bowing to him, instead of confessing him as Lord and 
Savior, they got upset with him, they got irritated with him, 
and they accused him of being a blasphemer. Not so in this 
instance with the woman at the well, but notice in John four 
at verse 25. The woman said to him, I know 
that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ. When he comes, 
he will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I who speak 
to you am. He uses that same conventions, 
two Greek words, ego, a me, I am. Again, the woman may not have 
gotten the significance of this, but we should. We should understand 
that in the beginning was the word, the word was with God and 
the word was God. Not the son by creation, not 
the son by adoption, but the son by nature. So that when he 
says I am, He is equal in power and glory with the Father. Notice 
in John chapter 6, this is interesting. If you read McShane's calendar, 
you read Psalm 77 today. And Psalm 77 tells us that Yahweh 
makes his path through the sea. He walks upon the sea. Well, 
in John 6, Jesus does that very thing. And then notice, when 
they see him, they're obviously surprised. Well, let's just pick 
up the narrative. Therefore, verse 15, when Jesus 
perceived that they were about to come and take him by force 
to make him king, he departed again to the mountain by himself 
alone. Now, when evening came, his disciples went down to the 
sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. 
And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then 
the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they 
had rode about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking 
on the sea and drawing near the boat, and they were afraid. You 
get that, right? You saw somebody walking on the 
sea, you'd be afraid. I've never seen that. I've never 
witnessed that. I've certainly never done that. And so if I 
saw that, I would be afraid. But notice how Jesus comforts 
them. He said to them, verse 20, in his eye, literally he 
says, I am. Now these guys knew Psalm 77, 
they knew Job, they knew the Old Testament, where God Most 
High was the ruler over the seas. They're watching Jesus walk on 
the sea, and then he identifies, his self-identification is I 
am. He is associating himself with 
the I am of Exodus chapter three and verse 14. You see it in John 
8, our very passage. John 8, 18, I am one who bears 
witness of myself and the father who sent me bears witness of 
me. Now that's not just a literary thing. It's not just, well, that's 
the only way he could have answered. The very subject of discussion, 
the very animosity of these people, it hinges on who he is. And as I said, the chapter ends 
with his assertion that before Abraham was, I am, and they take 
up stones to throw at him. He is doing this specifically. He is doing this in a self-conscious 
way in order that they may know that he's the only begotten son 
of the father who came into this world, sinners to say, but they 
will not receive it. Notice what he says in verse 
23. He said to them, you are from 
beneath. I am from above. You are of this 
world. I am not of this world. Before 
I got in the ministry and I lived in California, I worked at Northrop 
Grumman. It was an aerospace contractor. 
And one of my buddies there was a big fan of, you know, aliens 
and all these sorts of things. And he was just enamored with 
aliens and life and, you know, other planets and whatnot. I 
remember he had a book and he brought it to work one night 
and I was kind of scanning through it. And these people that are 
obsessed with aliens or, you know, life forms elsewhere, took 
this particular passage to underscore that Jesus himself was something 
of an alien. He was, you know, from the stars 
and his origin was from there and he comes down here. That's 
not the point. That's not what he's saying. 
He's come from the father in the incarnation, and he will 
return to the father in the ascension. But notice even more significantly, 
verse 24. Therefore, I said to you that 
you will die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I 
am. Now the translator supply he, 
because English demands it. But he says, if you do not believe 
that I am, you will die in your sins. So you see, it's not just, 
oh, Butler needs to fill an hour. If we don't get who Jesus is, 
we die in our sins. And to die in one's sins means 
everlasting hell. It means separation from the 
goodness of God. It means that place of weeping 
and wailing and gnashing of teeth. It means the reality that sin 
against an infinitely holy God receives an infinitely wretched 
curse And that curse is described in scripture as hell itself. 
So if we do not believe that Jesus is I Am, then we will die 
in our sins. But notice it doesn't stop there. 
Look at chapter 8, as I said, or in verse 28. Then Jesus said 
to them, when you lift up the son of man, then you will know 
that I am and that I do nothing of myself. But as my father taught 
me, I speak these things. When he says I do nothing of 
myself, that doesn't mean, you know, that he is not able. It shows her it's designed to 
underscore the unity he has with his father. Father and son work 
according to the same divine nature inseparably. But then 
notice in verse 58, I've already mentioned this most assuredly. 
Well, verse 57, then the Jews said to him, you are not yet 
50 years old. He was about 33. I guess being 
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief ages one, doesn't 
it? I just had an incident recently. 
I don't want to look in that direction, but how old were you 
on your recent birthday? Well, I'm 56. That's it? That's 
it? How old did you think I was? 
66? I mean, come on. There's this idea here that they're 
like, you're not yet 50. He was 33, and notice what he 
says. You are not yet 50 years old, 
and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, 
I say to you, before Abraham was, what's he do? I am. Then they took up stones to throw 
at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going 
through the midst of them and so passed by. See brethren, if 
he is a fake, if he is a fraud, if he is a lunatic, if he just 
has this messianic complex without any substance, then it would 
have been legit for them to take up stones and to throw at him, 
because blasphemy was a capital offense. But if he's true, if 
he is God from God, light from light, true God from true God, 
begotten not made, one in being with the Father, then all men 
everywhere should bow to him, and should worship him, and should 
confess him as Lord and Savior, and should receive the benefits 
that he secures for his people, forgiveness of sins and a righteousness 
by which we can enter into the presence of God. Look at one 
other instance of this use of the I Am without the predicate. 
There's others, but I want to point us to one more place in 
John 18. John chapter 18. This is where he is betrayed. 
This is where the soldiers come to arrest him. Now, remember, 
he had done nothing wrong, nothing at all. He's the only man that 
ever lived that was wholly harmless, undefiled, that always did what 
was pleasing to the father. He kept civil ethics. He kept 
religious ethics. He did everything properly. But 
again, that animosity rises to a fever pitch to the point now 
where they want to abduct him or they want to capture him. 
and they want to bring him before a mock trial, and they want to 
deliver him up to be crucified. So notice in John 18.1, when 
Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples 
over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he 
and his disciples entered. And Judas, who betrayed him, 
also knew the place, because Judas had gone with them to that 
garden before, where they would pray and where he would teach. 
For Jesus often met there with his disciples. Then Judas, having 
received a detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests 
and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons." 
That's like the feds, you know, invading the home of that pro-life 
guy yesterday. That's terrible. Jesus, therefore, 
knowing all things that would come upon him, went forward and 
said to them, whom are you seeking? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. 
Now notice, Jesus said to them, I am. And Judas who betrayed 
him also stood with them. Now notice verse six, this is 
not just the disciples, because they're not present here, or 
they are, but they're not, it's more comprehensive. There's soldiers 
here, there's pagan, there's either. So when he said to them, 
I am, they drew back and fell to the ground. Why do you think 
they fell to the ground? Why do you think they drew back? 
Because they were in the presence of God most high. Remember those 
men of Beth Shemesh who dared to open up the Ark of the Covenant 
to look inside? How'd that work out for them? 
How did that go with reference to them? Did God say, oh, go 
ahead, take a peek in? Oh, no. They were killed. They 
were slaughtered. What about Nadab and Abihu when 
they offered up strange fire to the Lord? Good commentators 
suggest they were trying to go into the Holy of Holies. That 
was their crime. That was the prohibition. That 
was the issue. What happens? God kills Nadab 
and Abihu. You must regard God as holy, 
because He is holy. So when these men hear the revelation, 
the self-revelation of our Lord, who says, I am, they draw back 
and they fall to the ground. And again, these aren't religious 
men. This isn't a worship service. This isn't everybody waving their 
hands in praise to Jesus. These were pagans. These were 
men that were skilled in the art of killing people. And yet 
they fall to the ground because of the manifestation of His glory. Then He asked them again, verse 
7, whom are you seeking? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you 
that I am. Therefore, if you seek Me, let 
these go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled, which 
He spoke, of those whom you gave Me, I have lost none. So going 
back to John chapter 8, when Jesus says, I am the light of 
the world, we need to understand that in the larger context of 
John's gospel. The stress upon the divinity 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word became flesh and dwelt 
among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten 
of the Father, full of grace and truth. He is the great I 
am, one God, one living and true God, three persons, Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit, equal in power and in glory. Now back to 8.12, 
what's the significance of his statement, I am the light of 
the world? Well, the Old Testament background, 
not just the Exodus 3.14 reference with reference to the I am, but 
why light? You can go back to Exodus. We're 
gonna look at a lot of passages. And I think it will hopefully 
shine the light on 812. In Exodus chapter 13, the Lord 
God is going to guide his people. The Lord God delivers his people 
from their bondage in Egypt. How do you think the Lord God's 
going to do that? Well, it's going to be through a manifestation 
of light. Light is often associated with 
the divine glory. And you see that in Exodus 13 
at verse 21, the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud 
to lead the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them 
light. So as to go by day and night, He did not take away the 
pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from 
before the people. you can turn to the Psalms, the 
book of Psalms, the Psalter. We sing some of those Psalms 
in a modern sort of a meter, but there are several instances 
associating light with the divine glory. Just a couple that we'll 
look at. Psalm 27, a Psalm of David, verse 
one, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Now I should suggest, or I should 
say, when the new King James, for instance, capitalizes that 
name L-O-R-D, it refers to Yahweh. It refers to what God reveals 
himself to be in Exodus 3.14. When you see capital L, capital 
O, capital R, capital D, that's the name Yahweh. It's a covenant 
name of God most high. When you see capital L and then 
lowercase O-R-D, that's used of God also, that's a reference 
to him as Adonai, or as Lord properly. So he is saying the 
Lord, Jehovah, Yahweh, the I am of Exodus 3.14, the Lord is my 
light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is 
the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Turn 
over to the prophet Isaiah. Several instances here, we see 
that light associated not only with the divine glory, but specifically 
with the mission of the Messiah who was promised by God to come. 
Notice in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 1, we always think of verses 
6 and 7. 6 and 7 is the response to the 
problem of verses 1 and 2. Notice in 9, 1 and 2, nevertheless, 
the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at 
first he light the esteem, the land of Zebulun and the land 
of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her by the 
way of the sea beyond the Jordan in Galilee of the Gentiles. The 
people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those 
who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a 
light has shined. Do you know what author in the 
New Testament takes that passage? The apostle Matthew, in Matthew 
chapter 4, when Jesus begins his public ministry, he begins 
it in Galilee of the Gentiles. So what is Matthew telling us? 
The dawn of the messianic light has come. The one promised in 
the prophet Isaiah, not just at verse two, but nine, six, 
and seven. For unto us, a son is given. Unto us, a child is born. The 
government shall be upon his shoulders. When Jesus begins 
his public ministry in Matthew four, Matthew connects that with 
the prophet Isaiah, and he underscores the light that Christ will bring 
to the world. Notice in Isaiah 42, one of the 
servant songs of Isaiah. Isaiah 42, there's four servant 
songs, 42, 49, 50, and 53. These are facets of the work 
of the Messiah, facets of the work of the servant of the Lord. 
That servant of the Lord is Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God, sent 
by God. Notice in 42.6, I, the Lord have 
called you in righteousness and will hold your hand. I will keep 
you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to 
the Gentiles. See, that's one of the functions 
of Messiah. Notice in 49.6, Isaiah chapter 49, specifically at verse 
6, same thing. Indeed, he says, it is too small 
a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes 
of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also give 
you as a light to the Gentiles that you should be my salvation 
to the end of the earth. And then in the prophet Ezekiel, 
we won't look there, but in chapter one, Ezekiel gets a vision of 
the glory of God. And over and over again, guess 
what is highlighted? The light, the radiance, the 
dazzling glory, the beauty, the majesty, the excellence. So in 
John 8 at verse 12, notice that Jesus says, I am the light of 
the world. John in the prologue has already 
tipped his hand. Look at John chapter one. He's 
already given us this information concerning the Lord Jesus. In 
John 1 verse 4, in him was life and the life was the light of 
men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness 
did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, 
his name was John. This man came for a witness to 
bear witness of the light that all through him might believe. 
He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that 
light. That was the true light, which gives light to every man 
coming into the world. So we see here that when Jesus 
says, I am the light of the world, it connects us to Exodus 3.14 
in terms of the I am, but this light of the world connects us 
to Yahweh in the Old Testament, but as well, it shows us something 
of the nature of the Messiah's work. He will be a light unto 
the Gentiles. And then one more thing before 
we move on, look at what Jesus says. I am the light of the world. He doesn't say light dwells in 
me, but rather he is light. This is consistent with theology 
proper. God is his attributes. God is 
his perfections. All that is in God is God. And 
in 1 John 1, 5, John tells us concerning God, that he is light. He doesn't have light. It's not 
that light dwells in him, but he is light. John tells us in 
1 John 4 that God is love. You can't say that about human 
nature. You can't say that about you. 
You can love, you should probably love more, but definitionally 
you're not love. God is his attributes. God is his perfections. All that 
is in God is God. And so when Jesus says, I am 
the light of the world, he's not saying I'm a good man and 
I happen to have some of God's light dwelling in me. No, he 
identifies himself as God with this statement, I am the light 
of the world. There's no wonder brethren, why 
at the end of the chapter, it ends with them with stones in 
their hand, wanting to kill him. because they understood all too 
well his claims. They understood all too well 
what he was saying. They understood it because they 
knew the Old Testament and this association of him as I am with 
Yahweh, and then this association with him as the light of the 
world. Again, not possessing it, but rather being light. I am the light of the world. 
So back to 8.12, what he does essentially is that he reveals 
two things. First, his identity, and secondly, 
his mission. Who is he? That's the question. Again, notice in verse 25, then 
they said to him, who are you? Go back to John chapter 7. at 
verse 14 or verse 15 and the Jews marveled saying, how does 
this man know letters having never studied? Notice in verse 
25, now some of them from Jerusalem said, is this not he whom they 
seek to kill? Well, look, he speaks boldly and they say nothing 
to him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? 
However, we know where this man is from, but when the Christ 
comes, no one knows where he is from. The Pharisees heard 
this, the Pharisees understood this, the Pharisees are put off 
by his language. Notice in verse 35, Jesus said 
to them, I shall be with you a little while longer, and then 
I go to him who sent me. You will seek me and not find 
me, and where I am, you cannot come. Then the Jews said among 
themselves, where does he intend to go that we shall not find 
him? Does he intend to go to the Spurgeon among the Greeks 
and teach the Greeks? You see, this is essentially 
the issue. Who is he? How did he get this 
authority? Imagine if you will, you're a 
Jew in the first century and you're in the temple. You've 
got your rabbi teaching you things and then all of a sudden this 
man shows up and he starts teaching people and everybody comes to 
him. But he's not like your rabbi. He teaches with authority. He 
teaches as one who knows that word better than any rabbi ever 
has. And then he has the gall, if 
you're an unbeliever, to suggest that he's equal with God, to 
suggest that he is God. Again, you can see their response, 
picking up stones to throw at him because they thought he was 
a blasphemer. So when he says what he says in John 8, 12, I 
am the light of the world, he underscores once again for them 
who he is and what he's come to do. Who he is, is God. He is the son of God. Again, 
distinction between the persons, one in essence, three in person, 
father, son, and spirit. Yet he is God by nature, so I 
am the light of the world. When he says, I am the light 
of the world, secondly, he is describing something of his mission, 
something that they were very much opposed to. Remember back, 
I just read it. Where does he intend to go that 
we shall not find him, 735? Does he intend to go to the dispersion 
among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? Yeah, that's precisely 
what he's gonna do. When he says, I am the light 
of the world, he's saying what we saw in 49.6 of the prophet 
Isaiah. It's too small a thing that he 
simply come to the lost tribes of Jacob, but I'm gonna give 
you as a light to the Gentiles. World in John means typically 
Jew and Gentile. So this would have been a further 
offense to these people. You're the light of the world. 
You're supposed to be the light of Israel. You're supposed to 
be the light of Jacob. You're supposed to be our special 
light. But it was always God's purpose 
that through Israel's Messiah, the world would be blessed. To 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in you all the nations of the earth 
shall be blessed. The Jews missed that. They excluded 
that. They didn't appropriate that. 
They didn't have faith in that. And as a result, they treat the 
bringer of light, the one who is light, as if he's an enemy. So when he says, I am the light 
of the world, he's identifying his person and he is describing 
his mission. In fact, Cyril of Alexandria 
makes this observation. He is cleverly threatening to 
depart from Israel and transfer his grace to the whole world 
and finally spread the ray of the knowledge of God on others. 
If you think there was an enmity between Jew and Gentile in the 
first century, come to church tonight, because that's what 
Paul is dealing with in Ephesians chapter 2. He is telling us, 
and he is there exclaiming to us, that the Gentiles were far 
off. They were strangers to the covenants 
of promise. They were aliens from the Commonwealth 
of Israel. They had no hope, they had no 
God, they had nothing in this world. But now in Christ Jesus, 
through the blood of his cross, those Gentiles have been brought 
nigh. Now we have not two peoples of God, but one peoples of God, 
one new man created from the two, Jew, Gentile, brought together 
under the banner of our blessed savior. So when Jesus says, I 
am the light of the world, as we trace through this particular 
chapter, we'll notice They are angry. They are upset. When they 
say in verse 25, who are you? I doubt it's like that. Who are 
you? It's probably like, who are you? Who do you think you are? Stand 
in our temple and irrigate to yourself the properties of divinity, 
claiming that you are God most high, claiming that you are Yahweh, 
claiming you're the I am of Exodus 3.14 who revealed himself to 
our father Moses. This is what's happening here. 
His identity is driving them bananas. His mission would have 
furthered that. I am the light of the world. There are going to be people 
from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation gathered before the 
throne on that day. A great multitude that no man 
can number. Jesus ends Matthew's gospel on 
that high note. Go therefore and make disciples 
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to observe 
all things that I've commanded, and lo, I'm with you always, 
even to the end of the age." That's the Lord Christ that is 
going head to head with these people, and He is not backing 
down. He is not trying to be politically 
correct. He's not sort of saying, well, 
I'm going to just veil my glory. I'm going to obscure myself so 
as not to offend. I am the light of the world. I am the one promised in the 
scripture. I am the one revealed in the 
scripture. I am God, and I am the one who 
has come to save his people from their sins. And if you do not 
believe that, Verse 24, then you will die in your sins. It's a pretty strong warning 
that he gives there. He's not saying, I know we have 
our differences in theology. I know you dot some I's and cross 
some T's in a bit of a different way than I do, but you know, 
let's just live and let live. No. And neither does he do it 
in John 14, 6. I am the way, the truth, and 
the life. No one comes to the Father except 
through me. Brethren, Christians are oftentimes 
accused of being prejudicial, or exclusionary, or bigoted, 
or whatever it may be. Christ is the one who laid down 
the gauntlet. Christ is the one who defines 
the terms. Christ is the one who says, unless you come through 
me to the Father, there is no hope of salvation. Again, in 
Ephesians 2.18, the apostle says, for through him, Christ, by one 
spirit, we come to the Father. This is consistent with what 
we find in scripture. One living and true God, Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit. So back to 8.12, the Lord Jesus 
declares who he is, he declares what his mission is, and then 
he draws out an implication of that in the latter part of the 
verse. So he says, I am the light of the world. He who follows 
me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. The one who follows Jesus does 
so not by grit of determination, not by pulling up their bootstraps 
and committing or resolving, I'm gonna follow Jesus. They 
follow by grace through faith. It is to believe on the Lord 
Jesus. Look back in John 7 at verse 
37. On the last day, that great day 
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, if anyone thirsts, 
let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me. So the 
metaphor is drink from him. The literal meaning is believe 
in Him, just like in John 6. You've got to eat my flesh and 
drink my blood. He's not endorsing cannibalism. 
He's not endorsing the ingestion of blood. He's endorsing faith. The Bible uses metaphors for 
faith. Oh, everyone who thirsts, Isaiah 
55.1, let him come to me and drink. So this following Jesus, 
again, doesn't happen by just determination. Well, I heard 
a sermon today and I'm gonna just resolve now to follow Jesus. 
You need to believe the gospel. You need to look to him in faith. 
That's what it means to follow. When you by grace believe on 
him, then by grace you will follow him wherever he bids you to go. 
And that blessed statement that he gives us, he who follows me 
shall not walk in darkness. Now the darkness here isn't the 
absence of light. You know, he's not saying, if 
you happen to have a bit of a phobia about the night and you need 
a nightlight, you're, you know, I'm the one for you. That's not 
the point. Again, it's metaphorically used 
by John for evil. Darkness is oftentimes in John's 
gospel ethically. It is an ethical reference. It 
has to do with evil. Go back to John one, go back 
to the prologue. You see this clearly. John chapter 
one. I'm sorry, John 3. John 3 at verse 18. He who believes 
in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned 
already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten 
Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into 
the world, and men loved darkness rather than light. Again, that's 
not a, you know, I like the dark. It's just a beautiful time of 
the day. That's not it. It's sin. It's evil. It's depravity. It's wickedness. It's lawlessness. 
It's the transgression of the commandments of God. This is 
the condemnation that the light has come into the world and men 
loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 
When you do evil deeds, you prefer the light or the dark. When you 
engage in evil deeds, you want to be hidden. You don't typically 
do that out in the open. We don't say, hey, brethren, 
meet at the church. I got a sin I want to engage 
in. I want everybody to see it. No, you try to hide that sort 
of thing. So the light has come from God Most High. He is light 
from light, true God from true God. And he comes into this world. 
What happens? It's kind of like when you have 
a kitchen full of cockroaches. I've never experienced this personally, 
but I've seen it. When those cockroaches are covering 
that kitchen in the darkness, the moment you turn on the light, 
guess what they do? They all scatter. They all scurry. They all run away. So the light 
comes from on high into a world filled with something worse than 
cockroaches, which is sinners, and that light shines, and what 
does the evil do? They want to hide. They want 
to run. They want to question. They want 
to suggest that he's not really who he thinks he is. They want 
to call him a madman. They want to call him a lunatic. 
They ultimately want to deliver him up, put him on a cross and 
crucify him. Why? Not because he was a criminal, 
not because he was a sinner, not because he had done anything, 
but because they're criminals, they're sinners, and he exposes 
them. That's how the Lord Jesus is using light in John 8. I am 
the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk 
in darkness. Turn over to 1 John, chapter 
1. 1 John, chapter 1. I mentioned this earlier. The 
context bears some repetition. Notice in 1 John 1 at verse 5, 
this is the message which we have heard from Him and declared 
to you, that God is light. Again, not God has light, not 
light dwells in Him. God is light, just like Jesus 
is the light of the world. There's a big difference there. 
Brethren, again, we may have some light in us by God's grace, 
but we're not light. If you think you are light, see 
me afterwards, because I'll disavow you of that notion. But notice, 
this is the message we have heard from him and declared to you, 
that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we 
say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we 
lie and do not practice the truth. In other words, if you confess 
faith in Christ, it will affect the way that you live. You're 
not going to be perfect. There's going to be remaining corruption. 
You're not going to be firing on all cylinders every moment 
of the day, I only ever do what God has called me to do. No, 
Romans 7, Galatians 5 tells us there is still that remaining 
corruption. But in principle, in terms of the overarching trajectory 
of a new man's life, what does he do? He dwells in that light. If we say that we have fellowship 
with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the 
truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, 
we have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus Christ, 
his son, cleanses us from all sin. Curious statement, isn't 
it? acknowledges the reality that there'll be remaining corruption, 
that God and His grace is even provided for that. We walk in 
that fellowship. We walk in that light. But when 
we stumble, when we trip, when we have issues, when we have 
problems, there is built into the gospel that provision for 
ongoing forgiveness. Praise be to God most high. John 
will later say, my little children, I write these things so that 
you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have 
an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. 
We cannot slug it out. We cannot make it on our own. 
There's no such thing as a maverick that makes it to heaven unaided 
by God's grace. It's always by God's grace through 
faith in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the emphasis 
in John 8, 12. I am the light of the world. 
He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light 
of life. This is given by our blessed 
savior. It is afforded by his work on 
our behalf in terms of life, death, and resurrection. Well, 
hopefully this makes sense in terms of the larger biblical 
narrative with reference to the Old Testament, the significance 
of the I am, the fact that Jesus is identifying himself as God 
from God, light from light, true God from true God, and that Jesus 
specifies the dimension of his mission. I am the light of the 
world. Everybody, every sinner everywhere 
needs to hear this gospel. They need to believe on this 
Savior. They need to have this message 
or else they will die in their sins. That's the emphasis in 
this section of John's gospel. I think John 8, 12 is helpful. 
First, to explain the wickedness that we find in the world. I 
mean, if we're not in Christ, if we're not living in union 
with Christ, if we're not believers in Christ, what's the flip side 
to that? The world's a mess, brethren. 
I don't know if you've seen that. I don't know if you've looked 
out a little bit. I don't know if you appreciate 
the waywardness, the depravity, the new ways they're thinking 
up to do evil. It's like every new day, it's 
something else, isn't it? It's like, wow, that now? This 
now? It's almost like they destabilize 
and demoralize you by coming at you at every level. I mean, 
not even talking about the first table of the law, which this 
culture absolutely repudiates, having no other gods before God, 
not being an idolater, not blaspheming, keeping the Sabbath day holy, 
come on. They don't even give thought 
to that first table. But when we turn to the second 
table, we talked about this on Wednesday night. Do you know 
that dishonoring parents, striking a parent according to the Mosaic 
code in Exodus chapter 21, Cursing a parent was a capital offense. 
We say, oh, that's barbaric. Is it? If a kid curses his parent 
or strikes his parent, do you want to work with him? Do you 
want to educate him? Do you want to serve him at McDonald's? I mean, if you get his order 
wrong, what's he going to do to you? The kid that doesn't have 
regard for the parental authority that God has established in his 
life is pretty consistent with what we see in this world. What 
about murder? Oh, they're thinking of new ways 
to murder all the time. We marched yesterday about abortion. There's euthanasia. I mean, euthanasia. Abortion is sickening, the thought 
of it. The most vulnerable among us 
is being terminated for destruction. The euthanasia, they're expanding 
the net. There was an article recently, 
not one of the right wing conspiracy nut job rags I read, CTV. CTV or CBC. You know what the 
headline was? We've saved this much money through 
May. You're saving money through euthanasia? You're not supposed to admit 
that. I mean, we all suspected it. They're saying the secret 
things out loud now. We saved all this money. We've 
eased the burden on the health care system. Wait a minute. I 
thought a health care system was to provide health for the 
people. Oh, no, no. Not now. The people are to protect 
the system. And if the people get in the 
way, they're better off gone. That's a pretty brave new world 
we've entered into. The seventh commandment, mutilation 
of children, brother. I don't know if you're not reading 
this or you don't know that this is happening. Teenagers are being 
castrated, top surgery. These things are happening, not 
for consenting adults, which is wrong and a violation of the 
seventh commandment altogether, but kids, children, little ones, 
like, I think John 8, 12 really does describe things for us. 
John 3, 19 does describe things for us. The Eighth Commandment, 
you shall not steal. That applies to governments too. 
Sorry if I'm getting political, but they're not supposed to steal 
from us. That is wrong. It's condemned by God. People 
say, well, the Bible doesn't produce an economic theory. Oh, 
it most certainly does. It dismisses socialism and it 
dismisses communism in the Eighth Commandment. There's a right 
to personal property you shall not steal. That is mandated by 
God Most High. No one can counteract that or 
counterdict that. What we have is an expression 
of what it looks like to have a world that walks in darkness. It is bleak, it is miserable, 
it is something that should evoke prayer from the part of God's 
church. Lord God, send the light of the 
gospel. Lord God, open hardened hearts. 
Lord God, cause them to see the glory of Jesus Christ as the 
one alone in whom there is salvation. God, bless the preaching of the 
word. Send forth the Holy Spirit, so that when we get together, 
it's not just a religious exercise, it's not just to write a passage, 
but it's God coming in power to save to the uttermost all 
who draw nigh unto God through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 
So we can build the ranks so that we can witness something 
of Colossians 1, where Jesus Christ transferred us from the 
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of his love. 
Brethren, you have to believe that if God is able to do that 
for you, he's able to do it for the apostle Paul who described 
himself as the chief of sinners, he's able to do it for a great 
multitude that people the earth right now. The gospel is the 
power of God unto salvation. We have a dark world, we have 
a sinful world, we have a morally perverse world. What's the answer? Better politicians, more gospel, 
more glory of Christ, more Jesus, being proclaimed and believed 
on. Certainly we want good politicians. I'm not bypassing that. But the 
primary emphasis necessary for today is the power of God unto 
salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to 
the Greek. For in that gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed 
from faith to faith, that as it is written, the just shall 
live by faith. That truth needs to be thundered, 
it needs to be heralded, and it needs to be proclaimed from 
every rooftop when we look at a world that has gone nuts, when 
we look at a world that has gone mad, when we look at a world 
that is further untethered from the glory of our blessed Lord 
Jesus Christ. And for the believer, this is 
the pathway. We confess faith in Jesus, we're 
supposed to live in a manner that is consistent with that. 
Right? Paul says that. Let your conduct be worthy of 
the gospel. Don't murder. Don't commit adultery. 
Don't steal. Don't covet. Don't lie. Don't do those things 
that are condemned and forbidden by God. Put on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its 
lusts. If we say we are in Him, we have 
fellowship with Him in the light, not continuing in darkness, not 
continuing in rebellion, not continuing in a path in, you 
know, abject rebellion. Again, remaining corruption, 
there's that provision for forgiveness from God in the gospel of our 
salvation. But the overarching tendency 
of the people of God is to follow the Lamb, to follow the Savior 
wherever He bids us. Well, how do we know? We read 
His Bible, we come to His church, We listen to the sermons, and 
we understand what God calls us to, so that we can be faithful 
in this world, and then by extension, do what Jesus did. He was a light 
unto the Gentiles. Intriguingly, the Apostle Paul 
and Silas, on the first missionary journey, when they were rejected 
by the Jews, they invoked that passage, and they see themselves 
as a light unto the Gentiles. Because you Jews reject it, we're 
going to go to the Gentiles, and we're going to preach the 
gospel to them. By further extension, you know what Paul tells the 
church in Philippi? You're to shine as lights in a crooked 
and perverse generation, holding forth the word of truth. If you 
are in the light, then by God's grace, it is your privilege to 
seek to extend that light. And may God help us because this 
world is in a desperate, desperate condition. Let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. 
We thank you that Jesus is the light of the world. And we praise 
you that by your grace, you have saved us. We know it wasn't good 
decision making on our part or wisdom or ingenuity or better 
performance than our neighbors. You reached down and pulled us 
out of the grave and gave us new life in Jesus. And we know 
that you can do this for a great multitude. We have the promise 
that you will do this for a great multitude that no man can number. 
We pray this would obtain even today through the preaching of 
the cross We pray that you would strengthen the people of God 
and help us to be faithful in our mission, to shine as lights 
in a crooked and perverse generation and to hold forth your word of 
truth. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. We'll stand and close 
by singing a praise to our triune God, number 568. Number 568, 
please stand with me. ♪ Praise Him, all creatures here 
below ♪ ♪ Praise Him, God, all people and below ♪ ♪ Praise Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ I'll read a brief benediction 
and then close in prayer. I'll also pray and thank God 
for the food, and then everybody can go upstairs and we can enjoy 
some food and fellowship. 2 Corinthians 13, 14, the grace 
of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion 
of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. Our Father, we thank 
you that you are God most high, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
We thank you that the second person of the Trinity came into 
this world, sinners to save. And we thank you that you've 
counted us in that lot. We pray now that you would be 
glorified in our local church. We pray again that you'd bless 
the preaching of the word as it goes forth through this earth 
today. And we thank you as well for the good food that you've 
provided, the benefit, the blessing, just the abundance that you have 
given to us in terms of food and drink. May you be with us 
now. May you cause us to rejoice in your goodness as we eat and 
drink and cause us to encourage one another. And we pray through 
Christ our Lord, amen. Well, please be seated for a 
brief time of meditation.