In Pastor Rick Lentz's sermon 'The Light Has Come', he explores the significance of Jesus declaring himself as the 'light of the world' in John 8:12. He emphasizes that Jesus' light dispels darkness, symbolizing sin, and offers transformation and guidance to believers. The sermon highlights how followers of Jesus are called to walk in this light, which involves a profound relationship with Christ that changes lives. Lentz stresses the importance of being born again and receiving Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, noting the transformative power this has on an individual's life. He discusses the reluctance of some to accept Jesus, attributing it to a preference for darkness over light. Believers are called to be lights in the world, reflecting Jesus' teachings and living with purpose and direction provided by God's word. The sermon concludes with a call to let Jesus' light shine through believers' actions, glorifying God and influencing others.

Music Obviously we're still in the book of John. We will be for a while, which is alright. But the verse that I want to share with you this morning, that we want to look at is from John chapter 8 verse 12. 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." Father, as we ponder just the application of this truth to our hearts and lives, We would ask that your Holy Spirit would open up not only our ears and our eyes but our hearts, that we could apply the reality of your being our light in our lives.

In Jesus' name, Amen. We just finished up a portion where a bunch of scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus with this woman called an adultery. Jesus challenged them, this being the case and it was obviously a true accusation. He said, he who was without sin cast the first stone. And as we looked at that we recognized a reality that the Holy Spirit was able to speak to the scribes and Pharisees even in their unbelief because of their conscience, they all walked away.

And so Jesus challenged the woman as he challenged us last week, ghosts and no more." And I trust that you have pondered that throughout the week. But in a sense from this particular verse, although it just follows with right after 11, obviously, but the conversation picks up. But Jesus is now talking once again to the scribes and the Pharisees as he did in verse 20. These words Jesus spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple. No one laid hands on him for his hours not yet come.

So we have this time of transition, we don't know all that transpired in this time, but now we have Jesus declaring, having declared that he is the Messiah, John chapter 4, having declared that he is the bread of life in chapter 6, now he declares, I am the light. And as we read this morning, and I want to just continue to repeat these because these are very precious verses to all of us. This is John the Baptist in the Gospel of John and there was a man sent from God whose 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 have John proclaiming the light, And in my translations and the translations that you're looking at, I hope on both sides, you'll notice that the light is capitalized. And as Nola is learning in her grammar and the rest of us learn, when a letter is capitalized, that denotes a name, right? I mean, so this is Jesus being the light. And as he declared, I am the light of the world, he who walks in darkness shall not, I'm sorry, he men shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.

So as Jesus has proclaimed this, I am the light, He's asking all of us who hear these words to follow. I am the light of the world, He who follows me. And they won't walk in darkness, they're going to live a new way. When the light has come into a heart and life, there's a transformation, there's a change. And this change gives evidence of that light coming.

But it also talks about a relationship, because at the end it says, but have the light of life. That's a possessive verb. You know what I mean when I say it's possessive? You have that. It's yours.

And we read from John chapter one this morning again, as Rex read, he came into his own, and his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them gave he the light, the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. I'm glad Rex continued to read because it's an important two verses of Scripture for us. In John chapter 8 verse 12 he said, but have the light of life. In John chapter 1 he said, to as many as received him, that's possession.

So the question that all of us have to ask ourselves this morning is just quite obviously, do you, do I have the light? Have I been born again, as verse 13 explains, born not of God, blood nor the will of the flesh, but born by the will of not by the will of man, but of God. So have you been born again is the question. We know from 2nd Corinthians 517, we've quoted that often, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things become new. This is evidence that we have the Son.

Our life is to reflect a relationship. And that's a truth, people, that differentiates Christianity from every other religion in the world. Because when Jesus Christ enters our heart, He enters a power to change. Listen to what it tells us in Ephesians chapter 2. And you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sin, In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

And we're by nature children of wrath, just as others. This is a picture of all of us. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We all live this way, but for the intervention of Jesus Christ. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

And the only way to have our sin forgiven is by the shed blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross. That's the only way our sins can be forgiven. You can't work them out. You can't earn them out. You can't pay them out.

You must come to Jesus as a sinner and ask him to forgive you of your sins and invite him into your blood cleansed heart, but to as many as received him, to them gave you power to become the sons of God, to be born again by the Spirit of God and then walk as He has called us to walk. And as we look at this text this morning I want to look at it from the purpose or the function that this light, Jesus Christ, how he works in a heart and life. How does the light affect me? How does it affect you? Well, first of all, we should understand light always dispels darkness.

How many of you have night lights in your house? Yeah, good. There's a few of us who know what that means. Because you've woken up in the middle of the night and slammed your foot on something. But just a glimmer of light from these tiny little Christmas bulbs can dispel the darkness.

I mean that's the principle. And it's confirmed in God's Word in Isaiah chapter 42. It says, I the Lord have called you in righteousness, will hold your hand, I will keep you and give you a covenant for the people as a light to the Gentiles. This is a promise. This is a promise that God is gonna hold our hand, he's gonna give us a light, and this light is to the Gentiles.

That's unbelievers. You see, he wants us to be this light to the unbelieving world. Isaiah asked another question, Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of his servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light?

Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God. Because God will give him the light. We read that. In the Gospel of John, a little further on from where we are this morning, the Holy Spirit through John writes this, then Jesus said to them, a little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.

He who walks in darkness does not know where he's going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become the sons of light. A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light. One of the promises that we cling to in Scriptures is that as John was prophesying the death and resurrection of our Lord, we know the promise, He'll never leave us or forsake us.

And in that promise we have this light, and then He says, walk in that light. We have the confirming word in 1 John. This is the message which we have heard from him and declare 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. 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. Darkness, people, always speaks to sin. Walking in darkness means that you and I have chosen to walk in sin. It may be a habit, it may be just, Lord that's who I am, that's my inheritance, whatever, but it's a choice.

And the light exposes that darkness in my life and in your life. And as we present ourselves from Romans chapter 12, a living sacrifice, we understand that we must be open to the convicting power of His Holy Spirit. Let me share a personal account. 29 years old, married to my precious wife Beverly. We had three children.

I had a wonderful job selling pharmaceuticals. We had a three-bedroom home overlooking the Wisconsin River. I was very religious, went to church every Sunday. In fact, I was on the, they called them, what did they call them? Vestry, that's what they called them.

We call them elders, but they call them the vestry, but that's kind of the people who are overseeing the congregation. I was an active part of that. So I thought, Rick's in pretty good shape with God. All of these blessings are his. Life is good.

From our perspective, we had everything the world had to offer. And yet I hear these verses from Romans chapter 2. Oh, do you despise the rich of his goodness, his forbearance, long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance, but in accordance with the hardness of your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourselves wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render to each one according to his deeds. Facing the truth of his word, the light, Jesus, speaking these words to my heart I repented, Turned from my sin and asked Jesus Christ the light to come into my heart and life and he brought Change I Don't have to ask you if you think he's finished with me because I know he's not But the process has begun people and the process needs to have begun in each and every one of our lives. And you and I may ask why do people ignore that truth?

Why do People ignore the reality that Jesus Christ not only came to forgive us of our sins, but give us a new life. A life of transformation, a life of exchange life between my life and His. I no longer live but Christ living in me. Galatians chapter 2, we know these verses. But God gives us a reason why people neglect or reject that truth.

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 because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. Light exposing the darkness.

We live in a generation, we live in a culture that loves darkness. We're called to live differently. We're called to be different. Light exposes darkness. There's another function, another purpose that Jesus brings into our hearts and lives.

Just as light does, light gives direction. Sarah will confirm this because she works for the optometrist. But without light there is no vision. You can't see without light. So light comes into an eye and it gives vision.

Well, just as light comes into a life, it gives direction. And it's the truth of God's Word because it began in Exodus. The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud and led the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light. So as to go by day and by night, he did not take away the pillar or cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. God led his people with his light out of Egypt through the wilderness into the promised land.

That's a picture of our lives. It tells us from Romans chapter six that even as the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, you and I are slaves to sin. And God sent a deliverer, Moses. God sent a deliverer for you and me, Jesus Christ the light. And as he instantly took them out of Egypt into the promised land by the light, he led them through the promised land.

That's our lives here on earth. Being sanctified, being transformed, being changed to prepare us to enter into the promised land, Heaven, the Light. So we can declare, Psalm 27 declares, 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? You have delivered my soul from death, you have not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living." You see, we walk before God.

You can read that throughout scripture, the applications of that. Workers, work unto the Lord. I've probably told you this story many times. I'll tell it again, because I like it. Many years ago a lady from our fellowship gave me a little plaque.

It's about that big. It's still on my desk. And the plaque says that Jesus Christ is my boss. It says My boss is a Jewish carpenter. And I was working for a trucking company.

Fred knows who I was working for. And he came into my office and he looked at that plaque and he looked at me and he said, I'm not a Jewish carpenter. And I looked at him and said, you're not my boss. Because this is how we're to live. Walking before God in the light of the living.

And then we read in Psalm 119, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. A lamp to my feet just gives us the next step. Beverly is a big fan of Elizabeth Elliott. Elizabeth Elliott's one of her famous verses or quotes is, do the next thing, take the next step. You and I are to take the next step, whatever it might be.

I'm not here to tell you what it is in your life, but God has a step-by-step process for each and every one of us as we walk through life. And He tells us, your word is a lamp to my feet, and then He says, and a light to my path. So we not only have the next step, but we also have the light at the end of the tunnel that we're walking towards. Our eternal life with Jesus Christ. And Ephesians chapter 5 clearly outlines this.

For once, for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth, finding out what's acceptable to the Lord. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light. For whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore, he says, awake you who sleep arise from the dead and Christ will give you light. You were once, I was once, darkness. And if you've been born again by the Spirit of God, now you are light in the Lord.

And the admonition is obviously to walk, walk in the light. We read this earlier, but we're gonna read it again. And Jesus said to them, a little while longer, the light is with you, walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtakes you. He who walks in darkness does not know where he's going. And while you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." He gives us the direction.

In Proverbs it says without a vision the people perish in the King James version and in the New King James it says dwell carelessly, but that's without the light. People live carelessly. But God wants his people to have this direction, this call, this purpose, if you will. And that's why we looked at principles and precepts last year on our Wednesday night's time. That we might learn his ways and then walk in them.

Teach, show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. On you I wait all the day. Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. A lamp unto my feet, a light.

1 Peter chapter 2, you are a chosen generation. Just ponder this as we recognize what God has called us if we've been born again by his Spirit, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation. Why? To praise Him who called us out of darkness, our sin life into His marvelous light, into a relationship with Him.

And people, if we've embraced this reality, if we've embraced the reality that this light, Jesus Christ, is coming to my life and your life to expose darkness, this light, Jesus Christ, is coming to my life and your life to give us direction, purpose, calling. I can hardly wrap my mind around this, but listen to the dramatic transfer. In John chapter 8 verse 12 he said to them, I am the light of the world. Listen to what he says in Matthew chapter 5. You are the light of the world.

You, it's including all those who have been born again, all those who claim to be His, who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, You, me, are the light of the world. A city that's set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Let your light, Jesus Christ, so shine before men." It's interesting. He's not called us to be reflectors.

You know a reflector, I had some on a bicycle once, all you have to do is kind of clean up the outside. Jesus said something about that, he called them whitewash sepulchers. It's more than just cleaning up the outside appearances. It's a heart thing. It's a heart transplant.

Jesus the light living in me and through me. And then shining. David probably said it best for all of us, created me a clean heart of God, renew a steadfast Spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence. Do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

Psalm 51 is Nathan's confrontation to David after David's sin and David's praying, God, I need a new heart. I need a clean heart. Renew that spirit within me. We read it before, we're going to read it again. For you were once darkness, but now you are the light of the Lord.

Walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. That's our call. That's our challenge. Will we walk as children of light?

Because Jesus, who declared he is the light, has come into our heart and life. I love the words from Isaiah. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, deep darkness the people. But the Lord will arise over you and his glory will be seen upon you.

The Gentiles shall come to your light, kings to the brightness of your rising." The promises of God that you and I can influence and become beacons of light, of hope, of direction. The Gentiles shall come to you, to your light, Jesus Christ as kings to the brightness of your rising, as he declares, arise, shine for your light, Jesus Christ has come. Father, allow us this morning not just to say, Lord, You are the light of the world, but to hear that You've Come to impact and permeate my life, our lives, that we might be who you've called us to be, and let you, our light, shine before men, that they would see our good works and glorify you. Lord, it isn't for our praise or our acclaim, it's for you and you alone. And we surrender to you, Lord Jesus, even this day in your name.

Amen.