LPBC Worship - July 19 - VBS Sunday - Pastor Chris McCombs

John 8:12 sets the whole week right in the middle of Jesus’ words: “I am the light of the world.” Jesus does not say he brings a little light or points toward light. Jesus says he is the light, and anyone who follows him will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

Light is naturally beautiful, useful, and powerful. Bright colors grab the eyes, sunlight lifts the body, and even a narrow little band of visible light fills the world with beauty. The electromagnetic spectrum shows that people only see a tiny slice of what is really there, and God may have blessings waiting that human minds cannot even picture now, maybe even colors nobody has ever seen. Light moves unbelievably fast, heals the body, gives vitamin D, sanitizes surfaces, and makes life possible.

Jesus fits that picture for real. Light enters a room and darkness does not wrestle with it. Darkness just flees. Jesus came into the world that way, and his light could not be stopped. John says the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. Revelation says the New Jerusalem does not even need sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates it, and “its lamp is the Lamb.”

Jesus is the promised light because Peter confesses him as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” The Old Testament had been pointing toward him for hundreds of years, with more than 300 prophecies fulfilled in his life. Jesus is the perfect light because at his baptism the Father says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The whole Trinity shows up there: the Father speaking, the Son in the water, and the Spirit descending like a dove.

Jesus is also the powerful light. Matthew shows the lame walking, the blind seeing, the crippled restored, and the mute speaking. Jesus does what sunlight can only hint at: he heals, restores, and even creates when he feeds thousands. Jesus is the proven light in his death and resurrection. The centurion sees the way he dies and says, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”

Acts 2 shows the light spreading. Peter calls people to repent, be baptized in Jesus’ name, receive forgiveness, and receive the Holy Spirit. The light of God comes into stained, sinful people only because Jesus wipes away sin. That light cannot stay hidden. The one way missionaries packed their belongings in coffins and carried Christ into places where there was no light. Peter Milne’s story says it well: “When he came, there was no light. When he left, there was no darkness.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus is necessary light Light is not just pretty decoration. Light gives life, heals, reveals, and makes survival possible, and Jesus makes that picture spiritually serious. Without Christ, darkness is not merely unpleasant, it is deadly because the soul has no source of life outside him. [54:41]
• 2. Darkness cannot outfight light Darkness does not push back when light enters a room. Jesus’ coming works the same way, because his presence exposes, cleanses, and drives back what hides in shadow. The church carries that light because Christ’s light is not fragile, and the gates of Hades cannot prevail against it. [55:10]
• 3. The Father delights in Christ Jesus’ baptism shows more than a religious moment. The Father publicly declares pleasure in the Son, the Spirit descends, and the Son fulfills all righteousness. Every hope of hearing “well done” rests on Christ’s righteousness, not on human purity pretending to be enough. [63:22]
• 4. The Spirit spreads the light Pentecost shows the light of Christ moving outward through forgiven people. The Holy Spirit fills stained sinners because Jesus has wiped away sin, and that makes mission possible. The gospel is not optional information for dark places, because Christ is the light people need in order to live. [69:25]
• 5. Mission carries light into darkness The one way missionaries understood that Christ’s light was worth a whole life. Peter Milne’s epitaph, “When he came, there was no light. When he left, there was no darkness,” shows what happens when the gospel plants itself in a place. Christ changes people, tribes, cultures, and histories because his light cleans, heals, and reclaims.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [48:54] - John 8:12 and the VBS Theme
• [49:52] - Light Is Beautiful and Good
• [51:10] - The Narrow Band of Visible Light
• [52:06] - Heaven and Unseen Glory
• [53:33] - Light Heals and Sanitizes
• [54:41] - Jesus Is the Light of the World
• [56:02] - Scripture Shows Jesus as Light
• [60:00] - Jesus Is the Promised Son
• [62:29] - Jesus Is the Perfect Son
• [64:40] - Jesus Is the Powerful Son
• [66:52] - Jesus Is the Proven Son
• [68:51] - Pentecost and the Spreading Light
• [71:41] - One Way Missionaries and No Darkness

Bible Reading

John 8:12
“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.’” [48:54]

John 1:4-5
“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.” [56:16]

Revelation 21:23
“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” [57:46]

Matthew 3:16-17
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” [01:03:04]

Acts 2:38
“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” [01:09:36]

Matthew 16:16
“Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” [01:01:10]

Mark 15:39
“And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” [01:08:19]

Observation questions

1. In John 8:12, what two promises are given to the person who follows Jesus, and what darkness is contrasted with those promises? [54:47]
2. In Matthew 3:16-17, what does each person of the Trinity do at Jesus’ baptism? [01:04:03]
3. In the passages and examples given, what are some specific ways light was described as useful or powerful, and how do those images help explain why Jesus calls himself light? [53:33]
4. In Acts 2:38, what does Peter call people to do, and what gifts does he say they will receive? [01:09:36]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus does not say that he merely shows the light, but that he is the light of the world. What difference does that make for how a person understands who Jesus is and what people need from him? [55:10]
2. John 1:4-5 says the darkness has not overcome the light. How does that help explain why evil, sin, and spiritual darkness never get the final word when Christ enters a life or a place? [55:24]
3. The Father says of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Why is that important for understanding Jesus as the perfect and sinless Son, and why does that matter for sinners who want to stand before God? [01:03:22]
4. Mark 15:39 shows a centurion calling Jesus the Son of God at the cross. Why might Jesus’ death, and not only his miracles, be central proof of who he is? [01:08:25]

Application questions

1. Jesus says that whoever follows him will not walk in darkness. Where does darkness most often try to settle into daily life right now—through fear, hidden sin, confusion, bitterness, or something else—and what would following Christ more closely look like in that exact place? [49:14]
2. Light exposes and cleanses. Is there anything being kept in the dark that needs to be brought honestly before God and, if needed, before a trusted believer? What makes that hard? [58:48]
3. The Father is fully pleased with the Son. When thinking about acceptance before God, is there a tendency to lean on personal performance, or to rest in Christ’s righteousness? How can that difference show up during an ordinary week? [01:03:30]
4. Christ’s light heals what sin has damaged. Where is healing most needed right now—in habits, thought patterns, relationships, shame, or discouragement—and what would it look like to ask Jesus for real help instead of just trying harder? [59:10]
5. The Holy Spirit is given to forgiven people, and that light is meant to spread. Who are the actual people nearby—family, friends, neighbors, coworkers—who may be living in darkness and need the gospel? What is one simple step that could be taken toward them this week? [01:10:38]
6. Christ’s light is not fragile, and darkness does not win when light enters the room. Where has there been temptation to act as if the darkness is stronger than the gospel? How might faithfulness look in that situation even without immediate results? [55:28]
7. Some believers treated mission as a one-way trip because Christ was worth their whole lives. Without comparing callings, what would greater seriousness about gospel mission look like in everyday life, schedule, giving, conversations, or prayers? [01:12:44]