May 31, 2026, Glynwood Baptist Church, Prattville, Al

James Jackson, Pastor

Light of the World (VBS 2026:

Intro—talk about why I love VBS

Motto (with motions)

Jesus is the Light!

Bible Verse:

John 8:12 (CSB)

12 Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

[motions]

Review days points:

Day 1: Jesus is God’s promised son. Answers  the question “Who is Jesus”

Day 2: Jesus is God’s Perfect Son. Answers the question, “Was Jesus just an ordinary man?”

Day 3: Jesus is the powerful Son of God. Answers the question, Was Jesus just a teacher?

Day 4: Jesus is the proven Son of God. Answers the question, Was Jesus just someone who lived a long time ago?

Day 5 (Which will be our family night) Jesus is God’s plan for forgiveness. Answers the question, How do I respond to Jesus

So this morning, I want to kind of set the stage for where the kids are going to be going this week. And for that, we’re going to be in John, chapter 8.

[READ]

[PRAY]

The first thing I want us to talk about is that Jesus is the Light

Here’s the scene. Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. This was one of the three feasts in which every Jew in Israel was expected to come to Jerusalem. The purpose of the feast was to remember how God had provided for them during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

Do you remember how God guided them from place to place? By day, there was a pillar of cloud. By night, there was… what?

Right— fire. So during the feast, four enormous lampstands were lit in the Court of the women outside the Temple. Ancient Jewish sources describe them as so bright that they illuminated much of Jerusalem. The lights commemorated the pillar of fire that guided Israel through the wilderness after the Exodus.

And so one day during the Feast, Jesus is teaching in the Court of Women. We know this because verse 20 says He was teaching “by the Treasury,” which was in the court of the women. And this is what he says:

Jesus is the Light (John 8:12)

John 8:12 ESV

¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Apostle John loved to talk about how Jesus was the light. You see it all through his writing. Here are just a few:

•     “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:4–5

•     “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
John 1:9

•     “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”
John 12:46

•     “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all… if we walk in the light, as he is in the light…”
1 John 1:5–7

•     “The city has no need of sun or moon… for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
Revelation 21:23

But this isn’t just in John. The prophet Isaiah described the coming Messiah as “a light for the nations” (Isaiah 49:6). It was part of Jesus’ birth announcement when Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah would “give light to those who sit in darkness” (Luke 1:78–79).

Think about what light does. Light protects us. It comforts us. It keeps us warm. The light of the sun makes things grow. There are warning lights on your dashboard. There are emergency exit lights in airplanes. There are traffic lights telling us when to go and when to stop.

Light helps us see. It protects us from danger. It guides us when we don’t know where to go.

That’s exactly what Jesus does.

Just as God led Israel through the wilderness with a pillar of fire, Jesus leads us through the darkness of this world. When we don’t know which way to go, He shows us the path. When we are afraid, He reminds us we are not alone. When we are lost, He leads us home.

Jesus is the Light of the world.

C.S. Lewis said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

But that raises a question. If Jesus is the Light, why don’t more people see Him?

That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in.

The Holy Spirit is the Illuminator

Seeing Jesus is more than seeing Him with our eyes. It is understanding Him with our hearts.

The Apostle Paul explains it this way. In 1 Cor. 2:14, he wrote,

But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it..

Without the Holy Spirit, we can read the Bible and miss its message. We can hear a sermon and not understand what God is saying. We can know facts about Jesus without truly knowing Jesus.

Jesus promised His disciples:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…” (John 16:13)

Notice what Jesus does not say. He doesn’t say the Spirit will draw attention to Himself. The Holy Spirit is like a spotlight.

I remember as a kid my parents took me to Washington DC. I remember one night we left our hotel after supper, and Dad drove us all around the city at night. All those monuments were lit up by these enormous spotlights, and it was so beautiful.

When we passed the Washington Monument, what do you think I said? Did I say, “Dad! Look at those incredible spotlights?” Of course not. I said, “Dad! It’s the Washington Monument! It’s even more beautiful than what I’ve seen in pictures! 

A spotlight doesn’t call attention to itself. It shines on something else so everyone can see it clearly. That’s what the Holy Spirit does. He doesn’t shine the spotlight on Himself. He shines it on Jesus.

A few weeks ago, on Easter Sunday, we talked about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Do you remember the story? Jesus is walking with them, listening to them talk about their experiences over the past few days. They know the facts. They know the tomb is empty. They know the reports. But they still didn’t understand.

Then after supper, as Jesus broke bread with them, Luke tells us that, “their eyes were opened, and they recognized Jesus.” (Luke 24:31)

Suddenly they could see.

The Bible hadn’t changed. Jesus hadn’t changed. But their eyes had been opened.

That is what the Holy Spirit still does today. He helps us understand God’s Word. He helps us recognize truth. He convicts us of sin. He points us to Jesus.

If Jesus is the Light of the World, the Holy Spirit is the One who opens our eyes so we can see the Light.

And that matters because lots of people have Bibles. Lots of people know Bible stories. Lots of people can quote Bible verses.

But only the Holy Spirit can make those truths come alive in our hearts.

The Church is the Lighthouse

When Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life,” He never turned around and told the disciples, “You are the bread of life.”

When He said, “I am the Good Shepherd,” He never said, “You are the good shepherd.”

When He said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” He never said that about us.

But listen to what He said in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

Each verse is a separate slide!

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

So how can we shine the light of Jesus into the world? Jesus gives us several answers right here in Matthew 5.

First, be bold. Jesus called us a city on a hill, not a city in a hole. Cities on hills are meant to be seen. Don’t hide your faith. Don’t be ashamed of Jesus. Let people know whose team you’re on.

Second, be busy. Jesus said that when we let our light shine before others, they will see our good works. The gospel is something we proclaim with our lips, but it is also something we demonstrate with our lives. Lost people need to hear about Jesus, but they also need to see Jesus in us. This doesn’t mean we are saved by good works. The Bible is clear that we are saved by grace through faith. But we are saved for good works. As Ephesians 2:10 says, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand for us to walk in.

Third, be humble. When people see our good works, what happens? Jesus says they will glorify your Father in heaven. It isn’t about you. It isn’t about me. It isn’t about getting recognition, applause, likes, followers, or a pat on the back. The goal is not for people to walk away talking about us. The goal is for people to walk away talking about Jesus.

And let me add one more. Be holy.

Do you guys know how a lunar eclipse works?

I’m going to have some friends come up and demonstrate this. [Call up Brannen and Silas]

The moon has no light of its own. It simply reflects the light of the sun. That’s what we do as Christians. We reflect the light of Jesus.

But what happens during an eclipse? Something gets in the way.

And the same thing can happen in our spiritual lives. Sin gets in the way. Selfishness gets in the way. Bitterness gets in the way. Pride gets in the way. Worldliness gets in the way.

When those things come between us and Jesus, our witness grows dim. The light hasn’t changed. Jesus is still shining. But something is blocking the reflection.

1 John 2:15–17 ESV

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

So if you want to shine brightly for Christ, stay close to Him. Walk with Him. Obey Him. Let the Holy Spirit continually remove anything that stands between you and the Light.

Because a dark world desperately needs to see Jesus.