Sermon Tone Analysis

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Entice: Basic needs can provide some of the best explanations for the most profound issues.

When the electricity is out...

we are in the dark.

When we are not given relevant information at work or miss a session in school...

we are in the dark.

Some who suffer emotional distress or some kind of deep spiritual anguish describe the experience as

being in a dark place.

When a nation, culture, or society regresses or falls behind its peers...it enters

"the dark ages."

Engage: Are you now or have you ever been scared of the dark?

John reminds us that whatever the darkness harbors it should not make us doubt or fear:

In that Epistle he was reflecting upon and applying words he had first heard spoken by Jesus.

Not as a dubious claim about a far-off and possibly disinterested God.

Nope.

Jesus Himself, claiming the divine prerogative tells all who will hear than when He is present and where He is present the fully glorious, creative, dark-defying reality of the Lord of Light is present.

Expand: This is, of course, one of those places in John's Gospel where Jesus makes absolute claims about His own divinity using the phrase "I am".

Two things are often overlooked in discussing these "I am" sayings, so let me make mention of them.

First of all each of these affirmations of deity are linked to specific, concrete human realities or needs: bread, light, door, good shepherd, the vine, life itself , and resurrection.

Even though they are extremely rich metaphors, we are equipped to understand them.

Secondly, they clearly allude to OT understandings of God's relationship to humanity.

Consequently, grounded in both scripture and human experience, these affirmations serve us both as individual believers and as a community of faith finding the fullness of God in Jesus.

Excite: Today's focus reminds us that one of the greatest sources of terror for people, whether physically, mentally, spiritually, culturally, or socially is met and defeated by Jesus.

Explore:

Whatever form of darkness you fear Jesus has dispersed it.

Explain: In these brief words Jesus states three facts about Himself...

Body of Sermon:

1.

He Is Light.

1.1.

Who.

1.2 What

1.3

Where

2. He Will Lead

2.1 Light in OT

Structure

Guidance

Majesty

2.2 Light in John

Illustration: Getting up at night.

Stumbling, stubbing toe, become disoriented.

Following Jesus the light keeps us from stubbing our spiritual toes, stumbling in the darkness, or becoming lost and disoriented.

3.

He Gives Life.

3.1 Instead of the risks of the dark we participate in the reality of the light.

3.2 At the heart of this reality is life...

In the book of Revelation John affirms this illuminating realty explaining that for the redeemed the order, guidance, and majesty implied by the heavenly bodies and illustrated by every lamp, torch, bulb or spotlight we behold is found eternally present in Jesus.

Shut Down:

Are you walking in the light?

This question is actually the same as asking: "Are you in Jesus?"

Jesus invites all of us to participate in His very own life-giving light.

The glory of God, present in a body died upon the cross to give us life, to give us light.

This is God's Word for us today, February 20, 2022.