Believing I AM The Light of the World (Week 3) What is the very first thing you do when walking into

o a dark room? You instinctively reach for the light. That action is so ingrained in me that every time the power goes out in a storm, I find myself walking through the house and reaching for the switch at least once, sometimes twice! As you study this week about Jesus identification as the Light of the World, my prayer is your reach for Him will become so instinctive that you discover yourself reaching out to Him before you even notice your outstretched arms. Day One: 1) To begin our study this week, lets examine Jesus I AM statement right away. Read John 8:12. What does Jesus say about Himself? 2) What does He promise for those who follow Him? 3) Immediately Jesus ties together the concept of light and life. John opened his gospel with this same concept. Go back to John 1:1-4. How is light tied to life in these verses? 4) How does Jesus say we will have the light of life? 5) Following Jesus means sacrifice; but it also means eternal blessing and reward. What does Jesus say about the cost of discipleship in Luke 9:57-62? 6) Each of these men requested to go back to live what they thought was life before they would commit to following Jesus. Yet, we see from John 1:4 in Him is real life. Compare the words of Paul in Acts 17:28 and Peter in John 6:68. What do these men know about Jesus and real life? 7) Let the Light shine on your own heart right now. What do you believe about following Jesus daily and having real life? Are you living out what you say you believe? Day Two: When Jesus spoke the words of John 8:12, He was standing in the Court of Women in the Temple complex. 1) To understand more specifically where He was, take a look at John 8:20. Where does this verse say He was teaching? 2) The treasury was a part of the womens court that was lined with large trumpet-shaped containers in which the worshippers placed their monetary offerings. It was called the Court of Women because it was as far as the women could go into the Temple. Jesus was teaching in this spot for a very specific purpose. Many, many people were present for the celebration that had just taken place in the Temple. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrated the provision of God during the 40 years the children of Israel spent in the wilderness. A major part of this feast was the lighting of giant lamps in the area of the Temple treasury. The people also carried lit torches and danced in celebration. The whole Temple mount would radiate the light shining from inside. Most likely, it was in this setting that Jesus motioned toward the giant lamps and made His magnificent statement, I am the light of the world. Immediately, those who heard would make the connection to the light in the wilderness commemorated in the celebration. To understand the connection, lets go back to Exodus 13:17-22. How did God lead the people? 3) As the children of Israel continued and Pharaohs army chased after them, how did God protect His people? (Ex. 14:19-20) 4) Lets look at one more reference that shows the light with which Jesus identified. Read Numbers 9:15-23. What did the cloud/fire represent for the people? 5) In presenting Himself with the title, The Light of the world, Jesus equated Himself with the leading, protection and very presence of God. He equates Himself with the Father. If you were there, looking up at the giant lamps, remembering the brilliant light shining in the Temple, picturing the pillar of fire in the Wilderness, would your desire be to follow the Light or to turn and hide in the shadows? How about today? Day Three: The wilderness is not the only place we see the light pointing to Jesus, the coming Messiah. Isaiahs prophecy clearly points to the Messiah as the Light. 1) Read Isaiah 42:6. What does God say about the Messiah (Jesus)? God repeats this Truth in Isaiah 49:6. Think about what God is saying. He

purposely sent the Light of the world to shine on You, in You and through you in the person of Jesus Christ. Stop for a moment and thank Him for the Light that shines in you today through salvation. 3) God speaks of His Light (Jesus) repeatedly throughout Scripture. Use the remainder of your study time today to explore what is said about light. Using a concordance, look up the word light and follow a few of the references. Record what you discover about the light.

Day Four: 1) As Jesus spoke in the Temple, His claim to be the Messiah, equal to God, challenged the hearts of those who heard to respond in one of the two ways: belief or unbelief. Lets explore the reaction of those hearing. Read John 8:13-30. How do the Pharisees respond to Jesus? What accusations do they make? What questions do they ask? 2) In His discussions with the Jews, Jesus continually links Himself with the Father. What does He say about their relationship? 3) Jesus makes a strong statement about their belief in verse 24. He also makes a claim to deity in saying, I am He. What does He say will happen if the Jews do not believe? 4) Verse 27 shows the rebellion in the hearts of the men. What Truth do they refuse to grasp? 5) In verse 28, Jesus speaks of His death. Not all of the Jews present disbelieved His words. What does verse 30 say about many who heard Jesus that day? 6) Read back todays passage and write a belief statement in response to what Jesus has said about Himself. For example, I believe Jesus is the Light of the world. I believe in following Him I will have the light of life Take time to reflect on your belief of each Truth He states in these verses. Day Five: Today we will dig a little deeper and see what happens when the Light of the world shines into the recesses of our heart. 1) Lets read John 8:31-59 all at once. Jump back to verse 31. To whom was Jesus speaking? 2) What do these people do in verse 59? 3) Lets see how these men move toward such violence against Jesus by examining the conversation that takes place between the two verses. Jesus speaks about discipleship in verse 31. How does He say true discipleship is demonstrated? 4) Verse 32 shines a light directly into the hearts of the men. Jesus speaks of Truth and freedom. How does their response show the pride and arrogance of their hearts? (Verse 33) 5) Jesus turns the spotLight right on their sin (verses 37-40). The Jewish men retaliate with words that imply Jesus was born illegitimately. Verse 45 shows the reality of their spiritual state. They believed Him intellectually, but had not believed Him spiritually. There was no heart change or heart belief to follow Him. 6) In verses 41-57, Jesus further explains the difference in a true follower of the Light and a person who believes in the Light. List some of the differences He points out. 7) Verse 58 shows Jesus clearly making His identification with the deity of the Father. He uses the same words God used with Moses. He firmly states, I AM. And, the men seek to do the impossible. They seek to overcome the Light with their darkness. Yet, as light is prone to do, The Light penetrates the darkness and passes right through their midst. Instead of following the Light, these men turned from Him and back to the darkness of their sin. How will you follow the Light of the world today?