Theological Status: DEAD ORTHODOXY / DECISIONISM
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Sardis
❓ What do these grades mean?
🔍 Biblical Discernment: The 7 Church Parallels
The Cold Orthodox Parallel
Ephesus
Teaching that upholds doctrinal precision yet parallels the loss of the "first love"—the vital, motivating power of the Gospel (Rev 2:4).
The Compromised Parallel
Pergamum
Teaching that parallels churches tolerating the "doctrine of Balaam" through cultural accommodation (Rev 2:14), characterized by weak boundaries, sloppy theology, and worldly compromise.
Why strictly "Mark & Avoid"?
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This ministry's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This ministry's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
🧐 Overview
Theological Verdict & Summary
Sermon Summary: A call to reject shame and embrace the identity of being a chosen people, illuminated by the grace of Jesus.
Pastoral Analysis: The sermon offers a warm, encouraging message about Jesus as the Light of the World, effectively applying the concept of 'no condemnation' to believers. However, the theological foundation is critically compromised by a synergistic view of salvation (framing it as a human decision) and the use of irreverent, non-biblical language to describe Christ's character. Additionally, the sacramental liturgy lacks the necessary biblical warnings for self-examination.
Biblical Parallel (Archetype): Sardis — The sermon exhibits a 'name that it is alive, but is dead' condition. While it maintains orthodox language regarding Jesus' identity, it fundamentally compromises the Gospel by teaching Synergistic Soteriology (salvation by human decision) and using irreverent, non-biblical language to describe Christ's character, indicating a lack of true spiritual life and doctrinal precision.
Big Idea: Jesus is the Light of the World who dispels darkness, reveals grace, and offers hope to all who follow Him. [00:23:55 ▶️ 📄]
📖 How they Handle Scripture & Jesus
- Primary Text: John 8:12
- Usage Classification: Thematic
- Text-to-Talk Ratio: High
- Pulpit Decorum: ⚠️ CAUTION - The use of the phrase 'self-made God' and the 'sanctified imagination' of Jesus thinking 'go ahead, make my day' are irreverent and detract from the solemnity of the pulpit.
✝️ Christological Focus: Redemptive-Historical
"The sermon connects Jesus to the Old Testament 'I AM' and presents Him as the Light of the World who dispels darkness, though the connection is marred by the 'self-made God' phrasing."
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 13 | Referenced: 10 | Alluded: 0
📖 View 10 Passages Read Aloud
-
Matthew 21:10
[00:24:11 ▶️ 📄]
"when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, who is this?"
-
John 8:3-5
[00:27:46 ▶️ 📄]
"the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. Now, what do you say?"
-
John 8:7
[00:30:10 ▶️ 📄]
"when they kept on questioning him he straightened up and said to them if any one of you is without sin remember that phrase without sin without sin let him be the first to throw a stone at her"
-
John 8:9
[00:31:49 ▶️ 📄]
"at this, those who heard began going away one at a time, the older ones first."
-
John 8:10-11
[00:32:20 ▶️ 📄]
"then neither do i condemn you"
-
Romans 8:1
[00:33:15 ▶️ 📄]
"there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus"
-
Matthew 4:16
[00:36:41 ▶️ 📄]
"the people living in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned."
-
Psalm 27:1
[00:37:28 ▶️ 📄]
"the Lord is my light and my salvation."
-
1 Peter 2:9
[00:37:45 ▶️ 📄]
"you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood a holy nation that you may declare the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his wonderful light"
-
Romans 15:13
[00:39:00 ▶️ 📄]
"may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and belonging and believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope."
Key References: Exodus 3:14, John 8:12, Genesis 1:3, Acts 26:17, Romans 8:1, Revelation 12, Matthew 4:16, Psalm 27:1, 1 Peter 2:9, Romans 15:13
💧 Liturgy & Sacraments
Fencing the Table (Communion):
- Believers Only Stated: ❌ No (Open Table Risk)
- Warning Against Unworthy Manner: ⚠️ None Detected
- Verbatim Warning: "one of the things that we do every sunday morning is we share together in the lord's supper holy communion and and when we do this we're ---------------------------------------- recognizing the fact that god loved us so much that he sent his one and only son jesus and jesus loved us so much that he gave his body he gave his blood for us the scripture says that without the shedding of his blood there could be no forgiveness of our sins and so father this morning as we prepare our hearts to receive these little emblems the cracker that reminds us of the body of jesus that was bruised and broken for us as we prepare to receive that little cup of juice It reminds us of the blood of Jesus that was shed on Calvary's cross."
Altar Call / Invitation Observed: Yes
- Theological Conditions: repentance of sins, asking Jesus to be Savior and Lord, commitment to live for Jesus from that day forward
- Sinner's Prayer: "god i know that you love me because you sent your son jesus and he died on the cross for my sins today i repent of my sins i ask you to be my savior my lord and from today on i'm going to live for you and i pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen." 00:44:40 ▶️ 📄
- Pastoral Appeal: "I don't want you to leave this room today God doesn't want you to leave this room today without knowing beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus is your Savior and your Lord" [00:42:53 ▶️ 📄]
🎙️ Sermon Content & Delivery
Word Count: 3,891 words
📌 View 6 Key Topics Addressed
-
The 'I Am' Statements of Jesus
[00:23:23 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor introduces the series 'I Am' based on Exodus 3:14, noting Jesus used this holy name seven times, specifically focusing on 'I am the light of the world' in John 8:12. -
The Woman Caught in Adultery
[00:27:13 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor breaks down the story into three parts: Law (revealing guilt), Love (revealing grace), and Light (revealing hope), using Jesus' interaction with the Pharisees as the central illustration. -
Condemnation vs. Grace
[00:32:20 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor contrasts the accuser's voice (Satan) with Jesus' declaration 'neither do I condemn you,' citing Romans 8:1 to affirm that believers have no condemnation. -
Identity in Christ vs. Accusation
[00:33:25 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor contrasts the voice of the accuser (Satan) with the voice of God, asserting that believers are children of God regardless of past sins. -
The Light of the World
[00:35:43 ▶️ 📄]
> Using John 8:12, the pastor explains that Jesus' light dispels darkness, shame, and self-condemnation, offering freedom and hope. -
Hope and Salvation
[00:38:44 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor cites Romans 15:13 and Isaiah to define hope as being delivered from darkness into God's light, culminating in a prayer for assurance of salvation.
🖼️ View 4 Illustrations & Stories
-
Sermon Illustration
[00:25:24 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses a childhood analogy of a parent turning on a night light to explain how Jesus provides the 'light of life' to dispel the darkness of fear and shame. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:27:13 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor recounts the biblical story of the woman caught in adultery, highlighting the Pharisees' trap, Jesus writing in the sand, and the older men leaving first due to their accumulated sins. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:30:24 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses a 'sanctified imagination' to describe Jesus bending down and thinking, 'Go ahead, make my day,' while writing the sins of the accusers in the sand. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:34:56 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor references the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8), noting that while she was guilty, Jesus' light revealed grace and hope, serving as a metaphor for the congregation's experience.
🚀 View 8 Calls to Action
-
Pastoral Charge
[00:21:08 ▶️ 📄]
> Invite friends, neighbors, and coworkers to the church and pray for them. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:33:25 ▶️ 📄]
> Verbal affirmation of identity as a child of God. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:41:01 ▶️ 📄]
> Lift hand to receive forgiveness for lingering sins. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:43:15 ▶️ 📄]
> Lift hand to receive prayer for assurance of salvation. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:43:21 ▶️ 📄]
> Lift hand and verbally request prayer. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:43:34 ▶️ 📄]
> Lift hand to be included in the prayer. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:44:24 ▶️ 📄]
> Pray the sinner's prayer (repentance and acceptance of Jesus as Savior/Lord). -
Pastoral Charge
[00:45:25 ▶️ 📄]
> Attendees who prayed are instructed to go to the front of the room after the service to receive a 'goodie bag' containing a Bible.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Fundamentally in Error
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Gospel Presentation | ❌ FAIL | The Gospel Engine is broken due to the presence of Synergistic Soteriology. The sermon frames salvation as a transactional response to a human prayer and decision, rather than a sovereign, monergistic work of the Holy Spirit. |
| Soteriology | ❌ FAIL | The sermon teaches that salvation is achieved through a human decision ('I repent... I ask you to be my savior'), which is a form of Decisional Regeneration/Synergism, contradicting the biblical teaching that salvation is a gift of God's grace, not a human work. |
| Bibliology | ⚠️ WEAK | The sermon uses an irreverent, non-biblical interpretation ('sanctified imagination') to attribute modern, irreverent thoughts to Jesus, violating the principle of reverent exegesis. |
| Hermeneutic | ⚠️ WEAK | The use of the phrase 'self-made God' and the 'sanctified imagination' of Jesus thinking 'go ahead, make my day' demonstrates a failure to maintain biblical precision and reverence in interpreting Scripture. |
| Theology Proper | ❌ FAIL | The phrase 'self-made God' is theologically imprecise and potentially misleading, as it can imply modalism or a lack of proper Trinitarian distinction, whereas historic orthodoxy affirms aseity (self-existence) without the connotation of self-creation. |
| Sacramentology | ⚠️ WEAK | The sacramental liturgy omits the biblical and confessional requirement to warn participants against partaking in an unworthy manner, failing to distinguish between believers and non-believers or to call for self-examination before receiving the elements. |
| Confessional Depth | ❌ SHALLOW | The sermon lacks depth in its theological articulation, relying on emotional appeal and cultural analogies rather than a robust, biblically grounded exposition of the Trinity and Soteriology. |
⚙️ The Core Gospel Framework
What is this? This section checks if the sermon contains the essential building blocks of the Gospel. We look for explicit, substantive mentions of God's holy standard, human inability, and Christ's finished work on the cross.
Why it matters for the final verdict: A complete Gospel framework protects a sermon from becoming man-centered. If a preacher gives commands for good behavior but leaves out the grace and atonement of the Gospel, it often results in a 🔴 Critical or 🟠 Major error for Moralism (teaching human self-improvement rather than reliance on Christ). However, if these Gospel elements are missing simply because the pastor is preaching a highly focused, practical message to mature believers (e.g., instructions on biblical marriage), our system applies a "Safe Harbor" pardon, graciously reducing the omission to a 🟡 Minor error.
Why it matters for the final verdict: A complete Gospel framework protects a sermon from becoming man-centered. If a preacher gives commands for good behavior but leaves out the grace and atonement of the Gospel, it often results in a 🔴 Critical or 🟠 Major error for Moralism (teaching human self-improvement rather than reliance on Christ). However, if these Gospel elements are missing simply because the pastor is preaching a highly focused, practical message to mature believers (e.g., instructions on biblical marriage), our system applies a "Safe Harbor" pardon, graciously reducing the omission to a 🟡 Minor error.
❌ The Law And Wrath: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ Total Depravity And Inability: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ Active Obedience Of Christ: Not observed in the sermon.
✅ The Cross And Atonement:
"god i know that you love me because you sent your son jesus and he died on the cross for my sins today i repent of my sins i ask you to be my savior my lord and from today on i'm going to live for you and i pray all this in Jesus' name." [00:44:40 ▶️ 📄]
⚠️ Theological Concerns
🔴 Critical Synergistic Soteriology / Decisional Regeneration
Root Cause: Pelagianism
"today i repent of my sins i ask you to be my savior my lord and from today on i'm going to live for you and i pray all this in Jesus' name." [00:44:40 ▶️ 📄]
Description: The sermon frames salvation as a transactional response to a human prayer and decision, rather than a sovereign, monergistic work of the Holy Spirit. This undermines the biblical truth that salvation is a gift of God's grace, not a human work.
Biblical Correction: Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."
🟠 Major Christological Imprecision ("Self-Made God")
Root Cause: Modalism
"I am is the name that God gave to himself, declaring that he is the self-made God who is eternally existent." [00:23:39 ▶️ 📄]
Description: The phrase "self-made God" is theologically imprecise and potentially misleading, as it can imply modalism or a lack of proper Trinitarian distinction, whereas historic orthodoxy affirms aseity (self-existence) without the connotation of self-creation.
Biblical Correction: Exodus 3:14: "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
🟡 Minor Irreverent Hermeneutic ("Sanctified Imagination")
Root Cause: Modernism
"sometimes when i read scripture i have this sanctified imagination and and i can just imagine jesus bending down and looking up into the faces of these men thinking go ahead, make my day." [00:30:24 ▶️ 📄]
Description: Attributing modern, irreverent thoughts to Jesus trivializes His deity and the solemnity of His ministry, violating the principle of reverent exegesis.
Biblical Correction: John 8:58: "And Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."
🟠 Major Failure to Fence
Root Cause: Roman Catholicism
"one of the things that we do every sunday morning is we share together in the lord's supper holy communion and and when we do this we're recognizing the fact that god loved us so much that he sent his one and only son jesus and jesus loved us so much that he gave his body he gave his blood for us the scripture says that without the shedding of his blood there could be no forgiveness of our sins and so father this morning as we prepare our hearts to receive these little emblems the cracker that reminds us of the body of jesus that was bruised and broken for us as we prepare to receive that little cup of juice It reminds us of the blood of Jesus that was shed on Calvary's cross." [00:46:16 ▶️ 📄]
Description: The liturgy omits the biblical and confessional requirement to warn participants against partaking in an unworthy manner, failing to distinguish between believers and non-believers or to call for self-examination before receiving the elements.
Biblical Correction: 1 Corinthians 11:27-29: "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."
✅ Commendations
Pastoral Application | Identity in Christ
The pastor effectively applies the theological concept of Jesus as the 'Light of the World' to the congregation's identity, asserting that believers inherently possess this light and should reject negative self-perceptions.
Encouragement | No Condemnation
The pastor applies the concept of 'no condemnation' to individuals struggling with past sins or self-shame, urging them to accept God's grace.
📜 Full Sermon Transcript (Audit)
Use the 📄 icons next to quotes above to automatically jump to their location in this raw transcript.
[00:08:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:08:41] Amen. Such a sweet song, heaven and bay. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and we're here to worship and sing to him. Amen?
[00:08:48] Well, before you're seated this morning, turn around, high-five your neighbor, and welcome to Lake City Church.
[00:08:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:08:52] Welcome to Lake City Church. Happy Palm Sunday. If you're in the house or if you're watching online, it is so good to have you with us this morning.
[00:09:20] If today's your very first Sunday, fill out the guest card in your worship guide or online.
[00:09:26] Take it back to the Welcome Center to receive a very special free gift just for you.
[00:09:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:09:30] Water baptisms are happening here June 3rd at 6 30. So if you're ready to take that next step You can go on the church center app and register because we want to take that next step with you
[00:09:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:09:40] We want to invite you to our good friday service. This is going to be friday at 6 30 p.m I want you to come ready for worship and prayer everything points to easter sunday resurrection sunday here at lake city church
[00:09:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:09:53] We have an incredible media and tech team that operate behind the scenes to help create an environment for people to encounter christ from audio, from lighting, from cameras, even for what is being shown on the screen right now.
[00:10:06] They operate not just on Sundays, but also throughout the week.
[00:10:10] And you don't have to be an expert.
[00:10:12] We will teach you.
[00:10:13] If you'd like to be a part of the team today, go and sign up at LakeCityChurch.org.
[00:10:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:10:18] Well, that's all we've got for you this morning.
[00:10:19] Remember, we love you.
[00:10:20] God loves you.
[00:10:21] Make it a great day.
[00:10:23] Oh, you scared me for just a second.
[00:10:29] I was like, wait a second.
[00:10:30] Where's fourth service?
[00:10:32] How are you doing?
[00:10:33] Man, really, really good.
[00:10:35] It's almost like I forced you to say, no, I'm just playing.
[00:10:39] It's a great day to be in the house of the Lord.
[00:10:41] Amen?
[00:10:43] Well, today is a very special day because like Pastor Rob said to all the other services, it is Palm Sunday.
[00:10:49] Happy Palm Sunday.
[00:10:53] You'll get it.
[00:10:54] I'll give you time.
[00:10:54] You're worth waiting for.
[00:10:56] You'll get it.
[00:10:57] Behind me on the screen, there's four ways that you can give with us, four ways that you can partner with Lake City Church.
[00:11:02] If you're watching online, it is good to have you with us.
[00:11:05] You are more than welcome to worship with us and to give with us.
[00:11:09] I know every family does their own thing their own way.
[00:11:12] I know that everybody's generous all over town and you've got your own practices.
[00:11:17] But when you slow down and we give together, very special things happen.
[00:11:23] You can do all kinds of good things on your own.
[00:11:25] You can do all kinds of great things by yourself.
[00:11:28] But when we submit and we do it together as Lake City Church, I just I love watching it.
[00:11:32] I love seeing, man, what a biblically functioning community we are.
[00:11:38] Every generous person, every generous family, every giving heart, it's amazing to be a part of.
[00:11:43] Amen?
[00:11:44] Would you stand with me this morning?
[00:11:46] Before we get back into the music portion, I just want to pray over the offering and pray over you.
[00:11:53] God, we thank you today for every family represented, every gift and every giver.
[00:11:58] God, I pray a fresh blessing, a fresh encounter.
[00:12:01] God, I pray that you would just inspire in them on this Palm Sunday, a new generosity in their heart and their spirit. God, maybe it's not just financial. Maybe it's something deeper. Maybe it's something else. God, maybe they need to give something to you, something more. God, I pray
[00:12:17] that you would just speak to this family, speak to this church family. God, help us to be Lake City Church in Jesus name. And everybody said, amen. Well, God bless you as you give. Almost like
[00:12:50] I forced you to say, no, I'm just playing. It's a, it's a great day to be in the house of the Lord.
[00:12:55] Amen. Amen. Well, today's a very special day because like pastor Rob said to all the other services, it is Palm Sunday. Happy Palm Sunday. You'll get it. I'll give you time. You're worth waiting for. You'll get it behind me on the screen. There's four ways that you can give with
[00:13:14] us four ways that you can partner with Lake city church. If you're watching online, it is good to have you with us. You are more than welcome to worship with us and to give with us. I know every
[00:13:23] family does their own thing, their own way. I know that everybody's generous all over town and you've got your own practices, but when you slow down and we give together, very special things happen.
[00:13:37] You can do all kinds of good things on your own. You can do all kinds of great things by yourself, but when we submit and we do it together as Lake City Church, I just, I love watching it. I love
[00:13:47] seeing, man, what a, what a biblically functioning community we are. Every generous person, every generous family, every giving heart. It's amazing to be a part of. Amen. Would you stand with me this morning before we get back into the music portion? I just want to pray over the offering
[00:14:04] and pray over you. God, we thank you today for every family represented, every gift and every giver. God, I pray a fresh blessing, a fresh encounter. God, I pray that you would just inspire in them on this Palm Sunday, a new generosity in their heart and their spirit.
[00:14:22] God, maybe it's not just financial. Maybe it's something deeper. Maybe it's something else.
[00:14:26] God, maybe they need to give something to you, something more. God, I pray that you would just speak to this family, speak to this church family. God, help us to be Lake City Church in Jesus name. And everybody said, amen. Well, God bless you as you give.
[00:15:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:15:21] Your faithfulness, your goodness, your mercy, God, is made new every morning.
[00:19:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:19:33] Lord, thank you for this time. You are the king of our hearts, God.
[00:19:41] Prepare what it is you have for us today, in Jesus' name. May we receive it. Amen and amen.
[00:19:47] Come on, let's lift up another shout of praise before you're seated this morning.
[00:19:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:19:50] I am.
[00:20:20] Good morning, everybody. Here I am. How are you guys doing? Fantastic. Hey, happy Palm Sunday.
[00:21:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:21:08] yeah and you know this is palm sunday you know what happens next sunday right what resurrection sunday that's right and i just want to remind you uh if you haven't done it already take some of these invite cards we have a stack of them out in the lobby somewhere
[00:21:29] and invite your friends your neighbors your your co-workers fellow students whatever like i used to say if you don't have any friends make some enemies but but don't do that but invite everybody you can and then just pray pray because next sunday is one of those special days i believe
[00:21:48] there there is a unique anointing on on on resurrection sunday and if you will bring them if you invite them first of all they'll come and when they come god's holy spirit is in the house
[00:22:01] and he'll draw them to Jesus.
[00:22:03] We're going to preach the gospel and many people will come to Christ next Sunday.
[00:22:08] So thank you for praying over that.
[00:22:09] Also want to remind you that this Wednesday there will be no Wednesday Night Live because we are moving it to Friday night for the Good Friday prayer and worship service and it is so powerful.
[00:22:22] If you were here last year, you know the place was absolutely packed.
[00:22:26] We had people standing all along the walls, out in the halls.
[00:22:30] And so I just want to give you a little bit of a heads up.
[00:22:33] If possible, come a few minutes early so that you can get in the room and get a seat, okay?
[00:22:39] That's going to be so powerful.
[00:22:41] I don't want you to miss it.
[00:22:44] Okay, so you guys ready to dive into the Word?
[00:22:47] Okay, let's do this.
[00:22:48] Father, thank you so much for allowing us to be here today on this beautiful day.
[00:22:54] And Lord, thank you most of all that you're here.
[00:22:57] The presence of the Holy Spirit is here.
[00:23:00] we sense you and we just acknowledge your presence. And God, we ask that you would speak to us. May your word come alive to us today. May you do something special in each one of our hearts
[00:23:10] and each one of our lives. We pray all this in the mighty and the powerful name of Jesus. And everybody said, amen. Hallelujah. Oh, thank you. You guys, you guys, you yo-yo, you guys are the
[00:23:23] best yo-yos, I think, all day. I love that. So we're in this series called I Am. It comes from the statement that God gave to Moses in Exodus 3.14, where God said, I am who I am. Say this to
[00:23:39] the people of Israel. I am has sent me to you. I am is the name that God gave to himself, declaring that he is the self-made God who is eternally existent. Today is what we know as
[00:23:55] Palm Sunday, the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people were shouting, Hosanna, Hosanna, and they were waving palm branches. Matthew 21, verse 10 tells us, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city
[00:24:11] was stirred and asked, who is this?
[00:24:14] to that question jesus responds by saying i am declaring himself to be god in the gospel of john jesus used that holy name of god seven times so far we've looked at his statement i am the true
[00:24:32] vine we looked at the statement i am the good shepherd and today i'd like to look at the statement where jesus said i am the light of the world it's found in john 8 verse number 12
[00:24:47] and it says when jesus spoke again to the people he said i am the light of the world whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life and the old testament light conveyed god's presence and god's glory so in saying i am
[00:25:09] the light of the world, Jesus is claiming to be God, and he's claiming to be God's presence to the whole world. Here's a really cool thing. As a Christ follower, you have the light of life.
[00:25:24] I don't know if you realize it. You have the light of life. Remember when you were a kid and your mom or your dad tucked you into bed, and then they turned off the light, and the darkness filled
[00:25:37] the room and you were just a little bit afraid but then they turned on the night light or they cracked the door open so some light could come in from the hallway and everything was okay
[00:25:46] you just needed some light and that the fact is that we all need some light we need his light throughout scripture we see light contrasted with darkness before god even created man he said in
[00:26:02] Genesis 1.3, let there be light, and there was light.
[00:26:06] And he goes on to say, and he separated the light from the darkness.
[00:26:11] All through the Bible, God is called light, and our spiritual enemy, Satan, is called darkness, the prince of darkness.
[00:26:21] For all of time, there has been a conflict between light and darkness, between God and Satan.
[00:26:28] In fact, Acts 26, 17, Jesus tells Saul on the road to Damascus, he says, I am sending you to them, meaning the Gentiles, to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God.
[00:26:45] So God's desire is to deliver people from darkness into his light.
[00:26:52] it's a strategic statement when jesus says i am the light of the world whoever follows me will never walk in darkness it's strategic because this statement actually followed one of the most grace-filled accounts in the whole bible we know it as the woman caught in adultery and many
[00:27:13] of your bibles have that heading over that passage how many of you remember the story it's in also in john chapter 8 as you read the story it can be broken down into three parts
[00:27:27] the law the love and the light and each of these three parts provide teaching points for us number one the first part the law reveals our guilt in john 8 3 it says the teachers of the law
[00:27:46] and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.
[00:27:50] They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
[00:27:58] In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman.
[00:28:02] Now, what do you say?
[00:28:03] They were using this question as a trap in order to have a basis of accusing him.
[00:28:08] But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
[00:28:13] Now, I don't know if you've thought about it.
[00:28:15] I don't know how you feel about it, but when I read passages like this, to me this passage, this story seems a little sketchy.
[00:28:23] The fact that they just happened to bump into a couple having sex, that's odd, that's even creepy.
[00:28:30] I mean, and the fact that they just happened to only catch the woman, doesn't it take two?
[00:28:36] Where's the man, for crying out loud?
[00:28:38] He's gone.
[00:28:41] But anyway, they drag her out before the crowd of people, they humiliate her, they make this one of the darkest most shameful moments in her entire life and then they ask Jesus Jesus should we stone her
[00:28:54] according to the law was she guilty yes she was was she in the wrong yes but ultimately they were trying to trap Jesus if he said yep stone her then he would be operating under the law
[00:29:10] if he said no let her go he was condoning adultery so the first point we need to see is that the law the law of the old testament reveals our sin the law of the old testament reveals our guilt and for that reason it serves a purpose number two
[00:29:28] the second part the love reveals god's grace when the teachers of the law were trying to trap jesus he seemed to ignore their question and i you gotta love this he bent down he began to write
[00:29:43] in the sand with his finger it was like he was ignoring them and and and i just i i love that what was he writing is the question that everybody wants to know well we really don't know but i
[00:29:57] think it's very possible that he was writing down a record of the sins of the very very men who are accusing this lady john 8 7 says when they kept on questioning him he straightened up and said to
[00:30:10] them if any one of you is without sin remember that phrase without sin without sin let him be the first to throw a stone at her again he stooped down and he wrote on the ground now what i'm about
[00:30:24] to tell you isn't in scripture but sometimes when i read scripture i have this sanctified imagination and and i can just imagine jesus bending down and looking up into the faces of these men thinking
[00:30:36] go ahead, make my day. The first one of you who touches a stone, I will write your worst sins in the sand for everybody to see. Because Jesus knew their sins. By the way, Jesus knows
[00:30:50] your sins. He knows my sins. He knows all of our sins. In the Greek language, the words without sin don't just mean without sin. It means without even wanting to sin. So it's not just focusing on
[00:31:06] the outside behavior it's focusing on the inward desires what jesus was really saying is that any of you who have never done anything wrong even or even wanted to do something wrong you pick up a
[00:31:18] stone because only you are have a right to cast a stone so what happened these arrogant self-righteous judgmental guys who found it so easy to see sin in everybody else's life suddenly they began to see
[00:31:33] sin in their own lives. John 8 verse 9 goes on to say, at this, those who heard began going away one at a time, the older ones first. Have you ever wondered why the old guys got out of there first?
[00:31:49] I think it's because the older guys were a little wiser and also they had more time to rack up more sins. They were like, uh-oh, he's going to write them all on the sand. I'm out of here. So the
[00:32:05] older ones left first until only jesus was left with the woman still standing there verse 10 then jesus said woman where are they has no one condemned you no one sir she said then neither
[00:32:20] do i condemn you jesus declared him wow that is so powerful the most love-filled grace-filled words in all of history are these words, neither do I condemn you.
[00:32:36] And today I'm just wondering, have you heard him speak these words to you?
[00:32:42] Neither do I condemn you.
[00:32:45] Because if you've heard those words, it will change your life.
[00:32:51] Maybe you walked in here today with a little bit of darkness or shame over what you've done in the past.
[00:32:56] Maybe you have some darkness related to how you think of yourself.
[00:33:00] but you need to know that in Christ there is no condemnation Romans 8.1 says there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus He is the light of the world His love and His grace dispels all darkness
[00:33:15] and here's the good news for every one of us here today you are not what you did in the past you are not what the enemy says you are you are what God says you are
[00:33:25] and because of His love and His grace He says you are a child of God somebody say amen hallelujah you are a child of God yes there's an accuser his name is Satan and Revelation 12 says that he's the accuser of the brethren and the sistren and he's going to
[00:33:45] throw some insults he's going to throw accusations at you it's his voice that says after what you did God could never love you after what you how bad you messed up God could never forgive you after
[00:34:01] all the things you've done. God could never use you.
[00:34:05] Maybe he's saying after your divorce or after your infidelity or after your addiction or after your disobedience, after what you did, it's over.
[00:34:13] It's too late. There's no redemption for you, buddy.
[00:34:17] But you know what? That's the voice of the accuser.
[00:34:21] That's the voice of darkness, not the voice of light.
[00:34:26] The voice of light says, neither do I condemn you.
[00:34:30] hallelujah remember this light always dispels darkness yes this lady was guilty yes she deserved punishment but because of his love grace was revealed number three the third part the light reveals our hope and i hope you understand that as christ followers we are people
[00:34:56] of hope. We have the reason to be hopeful more than anyone else on the planet. We are people of hope. In John 8, 11, Jesus said to this lady, he said, go now and leave your life of sin. He was
[00:35:13] saying this to the lady, but really he was saying it to every one of us. He was saying, you don't have to stay in darkness. You don't have to stay in hurt. You don't have to stay in shame and
[00:35:24] self-condemnation. He says you can be different because I am the light of the world. And in that light you have freedom. In that light you have hope. Let's read his words again. John 8 12. He says I am the light of the world.
[00:35:43] Whoever follows me will never. Somebody say never.
[00:35:47] Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life the light of life means that the eyes of your heart is opened and divine light streams into your living spirits the light of light when jesus looked at the woman and he said
[00:36:13] neither do i condemn you at that moment he was no longer just the light of the world he became the light of her world. And in the same way, this morning, Jesus says, neither do I condemn you.
[00:36:30] Yeah, you, all of us. Neither do I condemn you. And he becomes the light of your world.
[00:36:41] Quoting from the prophecy of Isaiah, Jesus said in Matthew 4, 16, he said, the people living in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light
[00:36:56] has dawned. Brothers and sisters, that is the testimony of every person who has been born again. We have been delivered from darkness into His glorious light. Somebody say amen, hallelujah or something. We have been delivered from darkness into His glorious
[00:37:13] His wonderful light. David put it this way in Psalm 27 verse 1. He said the Lord is my light and my salvation.
[00:37:28] 1 Peter 2.9 makes this declaration about Christ's followers he says you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood a holy nation that you may declare the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his wonderful light
[00:37:45] did you hear that? you have been called out of spiritual darkness into his wonderful light hallelujah, if there was a bum bum bum bum hallelujah moment this is it folks i am so thankful so grateful that i have been called
[00:38:08] out of darkness into his wonderful light and so have you as a christ follower this passage in john chapter 8 shows us the effect of the law which is guilt it shows us the effect of the love
[00:38:26] which is the revelation of grace and this shows us the effect of the light which is the revelation of our hope and I love that as as I wrap it up I want to share with you my favorite my favorite
[00:38:44] scripture having to do with hope and it comes from Romans 15 verse number 13 where it says may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and belonging and believing so that by the power
[00:39:00] of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope. You may abound in hope. Folks, it's only through Christ that you can have hope. It's only in Christ that you can have hope. In a moment of time,
[00:39:16] his light illuminates your darkness. In a moment of time, his light forgives your sin. In a moment of time, His light can bring healing to your soul. And that's why Jesus said, I am the light of the world. The question this morning
[00:39:30] is, have you embraced Him as the light of your world? Have you embraced Him as the light of your world? Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word and thank you for the reality of who you really
[00:39:47] are. God, would you help us this morning to grasp this revelation that you are the light of my world. I thank you in Jesus' name. Would you go ahead and stand together with me? As we stand in this moment with our heads bowed and our eyes closed,
[00:40:09] I believe God is speaking to believers right now. And so I want to speak to believers. Maybe this morning there's still some darkness hanging around in your life maybe there's something from the past that keeps coming back
[00:40:30] and the enemy is trying to accuse you and bring that up again and maybe he keeps bringing it up but today God wants you to know that you are forgiven and he wants you to receive that forgiveness
[00:40:45] he wants you to receive his light the light of life and so while our heads are bowed and we're in this quiet moment if you say yeah there's still some things i i just want to receive god's full forgiveness from things that have
[00:41:01] happened maybe something you did or something you didn't do but it's still lingering there and and you need to receive god's full forgiveness would you just lift your hand i want to pray for everybody who says yeah i see hands all over the room father you see those hands and you know our
[00:41:17] hearts. You know what's going on inside. Lord, I just pray that today each one of us would take hold of this powerful, life-changing truth that you said, I am the light. Lord, may you be our
[00:41:36] light. And today we just receive your forgiveness. We receive the fact that we are who you say we are we are your child a child of the most high god lord i pray that everyone here would get that in
[00:41:50] their spirit and they would walk out of here on on a whole nother plane because they know that they know that they know that they are a child of the most high and you are my light the light of my
[00:42:04] world god i say thank you for doing that in jesus name you can take your hand down while our heads are still bowed and our eyes are closed I would be remiss if I didn't pray
[00:42:19] one more prayer.
[00:42:22] I want to pray for those who may be here this morning maybe you're here and you're not really sure about your relationship with God.
[00:42:30] The question I always ask is this if you were to die today like right now do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you're ready to stand before God?
[00:42:42] if you're not sure in just a moment I want to pray a prayer for you and pray a prayer for others but if you're not sure about your relationship with God you can be sure
[00:42:53] I don't want you to leave this room today God doesn't want you to leave this room today without knowing beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus is your Savior and your Lord so while heads are bowed
[00:43:06] Christians are praying really hard if you say I'm not sure Pastor Rob, I'm not sure but I want to be sure and I'd love to receive this prayer.
[00:43:15] Would you just lift up your hand right now?
[00:43:16] Just lift it up and say, please pray for me and I'll pray for you along with others.
[00:43:20] Just lift it up.
[00:43:21] Say, I need to be absolutely certain of my relationship with Jesus.
[00:43:25] Just lift it up.
[00:43:27] Yep.
[00:43:30] Anybody else?
[00:43:33] Just lift up your hand.
[00:43:34] Say, I want to be included in the prayer.
[00:43:35] I want to be certain.
[00:43:37] Yep.
[00:43:42] Thank you in the back.
[00:43:46] Anybody else?
[00:43:46] Last call.
[00:43:49] Now, Father, you've seen those who've responded and I ask, Lord, that you would give them the assurance of their salvation.
[00:43:57] In just a moment, I'm going to say a short prayer and I'm going to ask everyone in the room to repeat this prayer after me.
[00:44:04] But I'm going to ask that, I'm going to say a simple prayer and I'm going to ask everybody in the room to repeat this prayer after me.
[00:44:20] And if you raised your hand, just pray this prayer from your heart.
[00:44:24] Maybe you didn't even raise your hand, but there was a tugging on the inside.
[00:44:29] i want to invite you to pray this prayer with the rest of us pray it from your heart because god will hear you god will minister to you so let's pray this prayer together say god i know that you
[00:44:40] love me because you sent your son jesus and he died on the cross for my sins today i repent of my sins i ask you to be my savior my lord and from today on i'm going to live for you and i pray all
[00:45:04] this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Come on, y'all. Let's give God praise. Let's give God glory and honor. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Hey, if you prayed that prayer, I am so proud of you. And I want to ask you to do one more thing. On your way out in a few minutes
[00:45:25] after the service, right in front of the living room, we have a big sign that says, I said yes to Jesus. Some of our team members will be back there. And I've got a bag full of resources that
[00:45:40] I want to give to you. I call it a goodie bag because it's good stuff. And in that goodie bag, there's a Bible. And I want to give you this Bible. It's a special Bible that will help you
[00:45:50] understand what God is saying to you. So make sure after the service is over, go back there and get those materials you'll be so glad that you did amen if if you are a guest this morning thank
[00:46:04] you so much for being here welcome i hope you'll come back one of the things that we do every sunday morning is we share together in the lord's supper holy communion and and when we do this we're
[00:46:16] recognizing the fact that god loved us so much that he sent his one and only son jesus and jesus loved us so much that he gave his body he gave his blood for us the scripture says that without
[00:46:27] the shedding of his blood there could be no forgiveness of our sins and so father this morning as we prepare our hearts to receive these little emblems the cracker that reminds us of the body of jesus that was bruised and broken for us as we prepare to receive that little cup of juice
[00:46:49] It reminds us of the blood of Jesus that was shed on Calvary's cross.
[00:46:54] And God, I pray that once again, you would help us to just be mindful of your love.
[00:47:00] Lord, we are so grateful.
[00:47:02] And for the sacrifice of Jesus.
[00:47:05] Thank you, God, for loving us and for forgiving us.
[00:47:09] We receive your love.
[00:47:10] We receive your forgiveness.
[00:47:12] And we thank you in Jesus' name.
[00:47:16] Amen.
[00:47:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:47:17] The darkness, we were waiting, without hope, without light, till from heaven you came running, there was mercy in your eyes, to fulfill the law and prophets, to a virgin came the word, from a throne of endless glory, to a cradle in the dirt.
[00:48:07] For good, for the lamb that conquered death And the dead were...
[00:50:08] For today, God, we thank you for what you've done across all these services today.
[00:52:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:52:17] God, specifically in this one, thank you for your spirit.
[00:52:20] Thank you for your goodness.
[00:52:22] Lord, thank you that we have hope in you, God.
[00:52:26] And Lord, I pray today as we leave, you continue to use us as vessels for your kingdom, God.
[00:52:31] Lord, show us the way.
[00:52:33] And I thank you for what you've shared with our hearts.
[00:52:36] And, Lord, I pray we continue to chase after you.
[00:52:39] In Jesus' name we pray and we all say together, amen and amen.
[00:52:44] Well, Lake City Church, we love you.
[00:52:47] God loves you.
[00:52:48] Make it a great week.
[00:08:41] Amen. Such a sweet song, heaven and bay. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and we're here to worship and sing to him. Amen?
[00:08:48] Well, before you're seated this morning, turn around, high-five your neighbor, and welcome to Lake City Church.
[00:08:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:08:52] Welcome to Lake City Church. Happy Palm Sunday. If you're in the house or if you're watching online, it is so good to have you with us this morning.
[00:09:20] If today's your very first Sunday, fill out the guest card in your worship guide or online.
[00:09:26] Take it back to the Welcome Center to receive a very special free gift just for you.
[00:09:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:09:30] Water baptisms are happening here June 3rd at 6 30. So if you're ready to take that next step You can go on the church center app and register because we want to take that next step with you
[00:09:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:09:40] We want to invite you to our good friday service. This is going to be friday at 6 30 p.m I want you to come ready for worship and prayer everything points to easter sunday resurrection sunday here at lake city church
[00:09:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:09:53] We have an incredible media and tech team that operate behind the scenes to help create an environment for people to encounter christ from audio, from lighting, from cameras, even for what is being shown on the screen right now.
[00:10:06] They operate not just on Sundays, but also throughout the week.
[00:10:10] And you don't have to be an expert.
[00:10:12] We will teach you.
[00:10:13] If you'd like to be a part of the team today, go and sign up at LakeCityChurch.org.
[00:10:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:10:18] Well, that's all we've got for you this morning.
[00:10:19] Remember, we love you.
[00:10:20] God loves you.
[00:10:21] Make it a great day.
[00:10:23] Oh, you scared me for just a second.
[00:10:29] I was like, wait a second.
[00:10:30] Where's fourth service?
[00:10:32] How are you doing?
[00:10:33] Man, really, really good.
[00:10:35] It's almost like I forced you to say, no, I'm just playing.
[00:10:39] It's a great day to be in the house of the Lord.
[00:10:41] Amen?
[00:10:43] Well, today is a very special day because like Pastor Rob said to all the other services, it is Palm Sunday.
[00:10:49] Happy Palm Sunday.
[00:10:53] You'll get it.
[00:10:54] I'll give you time.
[00:10:54] You're worth waiting for.
[00:10:56] You'll get it.
[00:10:57] Behind me on the screen, there's four ways that you can give with us, four ways that you can partner with Lake City Church.
[00:11:02] If you're watching online, it is good to have you with us.
[00:11:05] You are more than welcome to worship with us and to give with us.
[00:11:09] I know every family does their own thing their own way.
[00:11:12] I know that everybody's generous all over town and you've got your own practices.
[00:11:17] But when you slow down and we give together, very special things happen.
[00:11:23] You can do all kinds of good things on your own.
[00:11:25] You can do all kinds of great things by yourself.
[00:11:28] But when we submit and we do it together as Lake City Church, I just I love watching it.
[00:11:32] I love seeing, man, what a biblically functioning community we are.
[00:11:38] Every generous person, every generous family, every giving heart, it's amazing to be a part of.
[00:11:43] Amen?
[00:11:44] Would you stand with me this morning?
[00:11:46] Before we get back into the music portion, I just want to pray over the offering and pray over you.
[00:11:53] God, we thank you today for every family represented, every gift and every giver.
[00:11:58] God, I pray a fresh blessing, a fresh encounter.
[00:12:01] God, I pray that you would just inspire in them on this Palm Sunday, a new generosity in their heart and their spirit. God, maybe it's not just financial. Maybe it's something deeper. Maybe it's something else. God, maybe they need to give something to you, something more. God, I pray
[00:12:17] that you would just speak to this family, speak to this church family. God, help us to be Lake City Church in Jesus name. And everybody said, amen. Well, God bless you as you give. Almost like
[00:12:50] I forced you to say, no, I'm just playing. It's a, it's a great day to be in the house of the Lord.
[00:12:55] Amen. Amen. Well, today's a very special day because like pastor Rob said to all the other services, it is Palm Sunday. Happy Palm Sunday. You'll get it. I'll give you time. You're worth waiting for. You'll get it behind me on the screen. There's four ways that you can give with
[00:13:14] us four ways that you can partner with Lake city church. If you're watching online, it is good to have you with us. You are more than welcome to worship with us and to give with us. I know every
[00:13:23] family does their own thing, their own way. I know that everybody's generous all over town and you've got your own practices, but when you slow down and we give together, very special things happen.
[00:13:37] You can do all kinds of good things on your own. You can do all kinds of great things by yourself, but when we submit and we do it together as Lake City Church, I just, I love watching it. I love
[00:13:47] seeing, man, what a, what a biblically functioning community we are. Every generous person, every generous family, every giving heart. It's amazing to be a part of. Amen. Would you stand with me this morning before we get back into the music portion? I just want to pray over the offering
[00:14:04] and pray over you. God, we thank you today for every family represented, every gift and every giver. God, I pray a fresh blessing, a fresh encounter. God, I pray that you would just inspire in them on this Palm Sunday, a new generosity in their heart and their spirit.
[00:14:22] God, maybe it's not just financial. Maybe it's something deeper. Maybe it's something else.
[00:14:26] God, maybe they need to give something to you, something more. God, I pray that you would just speak to this family, speak to this church family. God, help us to be Lake City Church in Jesus name. And everybody said, amen. Well, God bless you as you give.
[00:15:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:15:21] Your faithfulness, your goodness, your mercy, God, is made new every morning.
[00:19:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:19:33] Lord, thank you for this time. You are the king of our hearts, God.
[00:19:41] Prepare what it is you have for us today, in Jesus' name. May we receive it. Amen and amen.
[00:19:47] Come on, let's lift up another shout of praise before you're seated this morning.
[00:19:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:19:50] I am.
[00:20:20] Good morning, everybody. Here I am. How are you guys doing? Fantastic. Hey, happy Palm Sunday.
[00:21:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:21:08] yeah and you know this is palm sunday you know what happens next sunday right what resurrection sunday that's right and i just want to remind you uh if you haven't done it already take some of these invite cards we have a stack of them out in the lobby somewhere
[00:21:29] and invite your friends your neighbors your your co-workers fellow students whatever like i used to say if you don't have any friends make some enemies but but don't do that but invite everybody you can and then just pray pray because next sunday is one of those special days i believe
[00:21:48] there there is a unique anointing on on on resurrection sunday and if you will bring them if you invite them first of all they'll come and when they come god's holy spirit is in the house
[00:22:01] and he'll draw them to Jesus.
[00:22:03] We're going to preach the gospel and many people will come to Christ next Sunday.
[00:22:08] So thank you for praying over that.
[00:22:09] Also want to remind you that this Wednesday there will be no Wednesday Night Live because we are moving it to Friday night for the Good Friday prayer and worship service and it is so powerful.
[00:22:22] If you were here last year, you know the place was absolutely packed.
[00:22:26] We had people standing all along the walls, out in the halls.
[00:22:30] And so I just want to give you a little bit of a heads up.
[00:22:33] If possible, come a few minutes early so that you can get in the room and get a seat, okay?
[00:22:39] That's going to be so powerful.
[00:22:41] I don't want you to miss it.
[00:22:44] Okay, so you guys ready to dive into the Word?
[00:22:47] Okay, let's do this.
[00:22:48] Father, thank you so much for allowing us to be here today on this beautiful day.
[00:22:54] And Lord, thank you most of all that you're here.
[00:22:57] The presence of the Holy Spirit is here.
[00:23:00] we sense you and we just acknowledge your presence. And God, we ask that you would speak to us. May your word come alive to us today. May you do something special in each one of our hearts
[00:23:10] and each one of our lives. We pray all this in the mighty and the powerful name of Jesus. And everybody said, amen. Hallelujah. Oh, thank you. You guys, you guys, you yo-yo, you guys are the
[00:23:23] best yo-yos, I think, all day. I love that. So we're in this series called I Am. It comes from the statement that God gave to Moses in Exodus 3.14, where God said, I am who I am. Say this to
[00:23:39] the people of Israel. I am has sent me to you. I am is the name that God gave to himself, declaring that he is the self-made God who is eternally existent. Today is what we know as
[00:23:55] Palm Sunday, the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people were shouting, Hosanna, Hosanna, and they were waving palm branches. Matthew 21, verse 10 tells us, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city
[00:24:11] was stirred and asked, who is this?
[00:24:14] to that question jesus responds by saying i am declaring himself to be god in the gospel of john jesus used that holy name of god seven times so far we've looked at his statement i am the true
[00:24:32] vine we looked at the statement i am the good shepherd and today i'd like to look at the statement where jesus said i am the light of the world it's found in john 8 verse number 12
[00:24:47] and it says when jesus spoke again to the people he said i am the light of the world whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life and the old testament light conveyed god's presence and god's glory so in saying i am
[00:25:09] the light of the world, Jesus is claiming to be God, and he's claiming to be God's presence to the whole world. Here's a really cool thing. As a Christ follower, you have the light of life.
[00:25:24] I don't know if you realize it. You have the light of life. Remember when you were a kid and your mom or your dad tucked you into bed, and then they turned off the light, and the darkness filled
[00:25:37] the room and you were just a little bit afraid but then they turned on the night light or they cracked the door open so some light could come in from the hallway and everything was okay
[00:25:46] you just needed some light and that the fact is that we all need some light we need his light throughout scripture we see light contrasted with darkness before god even created man he said in
[00:26:02] Genesis 1.3, let there be light, and there was light.
[00:26:06] And he goes on to say, and he separated the light from the darkness.
[00:26:11] All through the Bible, God is called light, and our spiritual enemy, Satan, is called darkness, the prince of darkness.
[00:26:21] For all of time, there has been a conflict between light and darkness, between God and Satan.
[00:26:28] In fact, Acts 26, 17, Jesus tells Saul on the road to Damascus, he says, I am sending you to them, meaning the Gentiles, to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God.
[00:26:45] So God's desire is to deliver people from darkness into his light.
[00:26:52] it's a strategic statement when jesus says i am the light of the world whoever follows me will never walk in darkness it's strategic because this statement actually followed one of the most grace-filled accounts in the whole bible we know it as the woman caught in adultery and many
[00:27:13] of your bibles have that heading over that passage how many of you remember the story it's in also in john chapter 8 as you read the story it can be broken down into three parts
[00:27:27] the law the love and the light and each of these three parts provide teaching points for us number one the first part the law reveals our guilt in john 8 3 it says the teachers of the law
[00:27:46] and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.
[00:27:50] They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
[00:27:58] In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman.
[00:28:02] Now, what do you say?
[00:28:03] They were using this question as a trap in order to have a basis of accusing him.
[00:28:08] But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
[00:28:13] Now, I don't know if you've thought about it.
[00:28:15] I don't know how you feel about it, but when I read passages like this, to me this passage, this story seems a little sketchy.
[00:28:23] The fact that they just happened to bump into a couple having sex, that's odd, that's even creepy.
[00:28:30] I mean, and the fact that they just happened to only catch the woman, doesn't it take two?
[00:28:36] Where's the man, for crying out loud?
[00:28:38] He's gone.
[00:28:41] But anyway, they drag her out before the crowd of people, they humiliate her, they make this one of the darkest most shameful moments in her entire life and then they ask Jesus Jesus should we stone her
[00:28:54] according to the law was she guilty yes she was was she in the wrong yes but ultimately they were trying to trap Jesus if he said yep stone her then he would be operating under the law
[00:29:10] if he said no let her go he was condoning adultery so the first point we need to see is that the law the law of the old testament reveals our sin the law of the old testament reveals our guilt and for that reason it serves a purpose number two
[00:29:28] the second part the love reveals god's grace when the teachers of the law were trying to trap jesus he seemed to ignore their question and i you gotta love this he bent down he began to write
[00:29:43] in the sand with his finger it was like he was ignoring them and and and i just i i love that what was he writing is the question that everybody wants to know well we really don't know but i
[00:29:57] think it's very possible that he was writing down a record of the sins of the very very men who are accusing this lady john 8 7 says when they kept on questioning him he straightened up and said to
[00:30:10] them if any one of you is without sin remember that phrase without sin without sin let him be the first to throw a stone at her again he stooped down and he wrote on the ground now what i'm about
[00:30:24] to tell you isn't in scripture but sometimes when i read scripture i have this sanctified imagination and and i can just imagine jesus bending down and looking up into the faces of these men thinking
[00:30:36] go ahead, make my day. The first one of you who touches a stone, I will write your worst sins in the sand for everybody to see. Because Jesus knew their sins. By the way, Jesus knows
[00:30:50] your sins. He knows my sins. He knows all of our sins. In the Greek language, the words without sin don't just mean without sin. It means without even wanting to sin. So it's not just focusing on
[00:31:06] the outside behavior it's focusing on the inward desires what jesus was really saying is that any of you who have never done anything wrong even or even wanted to do something wrong you pick up a
[00:31:18] stone because only you are have a right to cast a stone so what happened these arrogant self-righteous judgmental guys who found it so easy to see sin in everybody else's life suddenly they began to see
[00:31:33] sin in their own lives. John 8 verse 9 goes on to say, at this, those who heard began going away one at a time, the older ones first. Have you ever wondered why the old guys got out of there first?
[00:31:49] I think it's because the older guys were a little wiser and also they had more time to rack up more sins. They were like, uh-oh, he's going to write them all on the sand. I'm out of here. So the
[00:32:05] older ones left first until only jesus was left with the woman still standing there verse 10 then jesus said woman where are they has no one condemned you no one sir she said then neither
[00:32:20] do i condemn you jesus declared him wow that is so powerful the most love-filled grace-filled words in all of history are these words, neither do I condemn you.
[00:32:36] And today I'm just wondering, have you heard him speak these words to you?
[00:32:42] Neither do I condemn you.
[00:32:45] Because if you've heard those words, it will change your life.
[00:32:51] Maybe you walked in here today with a little bit of darkness or shame over what you've done in the past.
[00:32:56] Maybe you have some darkness related to how you think of yourself.
[00:33:00] but you need to know that in Christ there is no condemnation Romans 8.1 says there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus He is the light of the world His love and His grace dispels all darkness
[00:33:15] and here's the good news for every one of us here today you are not what you did in the past you are not what the enemy says you are you are what God says you are
[00:33:25] and because of His love and His grace He says you are a child of God somebody say amen hallelujah you are a child of God yes there's an accuser his name is Satan and Revelation 12 says that he's the accuser of the brethren and the sistren and he's going to
[00:33:45] throw some insults he's going to throw accusations at you it's his voice that says after what you did God could never love you after what you how bad you messed up God could never forgive you after
[00:34:01] all the things you've done. God could never use you.
[00:34:05] Maybe he's saying after your divorce or after your infidelity or after your addiction or after your disobedience, after what you did, it's over.
[00:34:13] It's too late. There's no redemption for you, buddy.
[00:34:17] But you know what? That's the voice of the accuser.
[00:34:21] That's the voice of darkness, not the voice of light.
[00:34:26] The voice of light says, neither do I condemn you.
[00:34:30] hallelujah remember this light always dispels darkness yes this lady was guilty yes she deserved punishment but because of his love grace was revealed number three the third part the light reveals our hope and i hope you understand that as christ followers we are people
[00:34:56] of hope. We have the reason to be hopeful more than anyone else on the planet. We are people of hope. In John 8, 11, Jesus said to this lady, he said, go now and leave your life of sin. He was
[00:35:13] saying this to the lady, but really he was saying it to every one of us. He was saying, you don't have to stay in darkness. You don't have to stay in hurt. You don't have to stay in shame and
[00:35:24] self-condemnation. He says you can be different because I am the light of the world. And in that light you have freedom. In that light you have hope. Let's read his words again. John 8 12. He says I am the light of the world.
[00:35:43] Whoever follows me will never. Somebody say never.
[00:35:47] Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life the light of life means that the eyes of your heart is opened and divine light streams into your living spirits the light of light when jesus looked at the woman and he said
[00:36:13] neither do i condemn you at that moment he was no longer just the light of the world he became the light of her world. And in the same way, this morning, Jesus says, neither do I condemn you.
[00:36:30] Yeah, you, all of us. Neither do I condemn you. And he becomes the light of your world.
[00:36:41] Quoting from the prophecy of Isaiah, Jesus said in Matthew 4, 16, he said, the people living in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light
[00:36:56] has dawned. Brothers and sisters, that is the testimony of every person who has been born again. We have been delivered from darkness into His glorious light. Somebody say amen, hallelujah or something. We have been delivered from darkness into His glorious
[00:37:13] His wonderful light. David put it this way in Psalm 27 verse 1. He said the Lord is my light and my salvation.
[00:37:28] 1 Peter 2.9 makes this declaration about Christ's followers he says you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood a holy nation that you may declare the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his wonderful light
[00:37:45] did you hear that? you have been called out of spiritual darkness into his wonderful light hallelujah, if there was a bum bum bum bum hallelujah moment this is it folks i am so thankful so grateful that i have been called
[00:38:08] out of darkness into his wonderful light and so have you as a christ follower this passage in john chapter 8 shows us the effect of the law which is guilt it shows us the effect of the love
[00:38:26] which is the revelation of grace and this shows us the effect of the light which is the revelation of our hope and I love that as as I wrap it up I want to share with you my favorite my favorite
[00:38:44] scripture having to do with hope and it comes from Romans 15 verse number 13 where it says may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and belonging and believing so that by the power
[00:39:00] of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope. You may abound in hope. Folks, it's only through Christ that you can have hope. It's only in Christ that you can have hope. In a moment of time,
[00:39:16] his light illuminates your darkness. In a moment of time, his light forgives your sin. In a moment of time, His light can bring healing to your soul. And that's why Jesus said, I am the light of the world. The question this morning
[00:39:30] is, have you embraced Him as the light of your world? Have you embraced Him as the light of your world? Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word and thank you for the reality of who you really
[00:39:47] are. God, would you help us this morning to grasp this revelation that you are the light of my world. I thank you in Jesus' name. Would you go ahead and stand together with me? As we stand in this moment with our heads bowed and our eyes closed,
[00:40:09] I believe God is speaking to believers right now. And so I want to speak to believers. Maybe this morning there's still some darkness hanging around in your life maybe there's something from the past that keeps coming back
[00:40:30] and the enemy is trying to accuse you and bring that up again and maybe he keeps bringing it up but today God wants you to know that you are forgiven and he wants you to receive that forgiveness
[00:40:45] he wants you to receive his light the light of life and so while our heads are bowed and we're in this quiet moment if you say yeah there's still some things i i just want to receive god's full forgiveness from things that have
[00:41:01] happened maybe something you did or something you didn't do but it's still lingering there and and you need to receive god's full forgiveness would you just lift your hand i want to pray for everybody who says yeah i see hands all over the room father you see those hands and you know our
[00:41:17] hearts. You know what's going on inside. Lord, I just pray that today each one of us would take hold of this powerful, life-changing truth that you said, I am the light. Lord, may you be our
[00:41:36] light. And today we just receive your forgiveness. We receive the fact that we are who you say we are we are your child a child of the most high god lord i pray that everyone here would get that in
[00:41:50] their spirit and they would walk out of here on on a whole nother plane because they know that they know that they know that they are a child of the most high and you are my light the light of my
[00:42:04] world god i say thank you for doing that in jesus name you can take your hand down while our heads are still bowed and our eyes are closed I would be remiss if I didn't pray
[00:42:19] one more prayer.
[00:42:22] I want to pray for those who may be here this morning maybe you're here and you're not really sure about your relationship with God.
[00:42:30] The question I always ask is this if you were to die today like right now do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you're ready to stand before God?
[00:42:42] if you're not sure in just a moment I want to pray a prayer for you and pray a prayer for others but if you're not sure about your relationship with God you can be sure
[00:42:53] I don't want you to leave this room today God doesn't want you to leave this room today without knowing beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus is your Savior and your Lord so while heads are bowed
[00:43:06] Christians are praying really hard if you say I'm not sure Pastor Rob, I'm not sure but I want to be sure and I'd love to receive this prayer.
[00:43:15] Would you just lift up your hand right now?
[00:43:16] Just lift it up and say, please pray for me and I'll pray for you along with others.
[00:43:20] Just lift it up.
[00:43:21] Say, I need to be absolutely certain of my relationship with Jesus.
[00:43:25] Just lift it up.
[00:43:27] Yep.
[00:43:30] Anybody else?
[00:43:33] Just lift up your hand.
[00:43:34] Say, I want to be included in the prayer.
[00:43:35] I want to be certain.
[00:43:37] Yep.
[00:43:42] Thank you in the back.
[00:43:46] Anybody else?
[00:43:46] Last call.
[00:43:49] Now, Father, you've seen those who've responded and I ask, Lord, that you would give them the assurance of their salvation.
[00:43:57] In just a moment, I'm going to say a short prayer and I'm going to ask everyone in the room to repeat this prayer after me.
[00:44:04] But I'm going to ask that, I'm going to say a simple prayer and I'm going to ask everybody in the room to repeat this prayer after me.
[00:44:20] And if you raised your hand, just pray this prayer from your heart.
[00:44:24] Maybe you didn't even raise your hand, but there was a tugging on the inside.
[00:44:29] i want to invite you to pray this prayer with the rest of us pray it from your heart because god will hear you god will minister to you so let's pray this prayer together say god i know that you
[00:44:40] love me because you sent your son jesus and he died on the cross for my sins today i repent of my sins i ask you to be my savior my lord and from today on i'm going to live for you and i pray all
[00:45:04] this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Come on, y'all. Let's give God praise. Let's give God glory and honor. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Hey, if you prayed that prayer, I am so proud of you. And I want to ask you to do one more thing. On your way out in a few minutes
[00:45:25] after the service, right in front of the living room, we have a big sign that says, I said yes to Jesus. Some of our team members will be back there. And I've got a bag full of resources that
[00:45:40] I want to give to you. I call it a goodie bag because it's good stuff. And in that goodie bag, there's a Bible. And I want to give you this Bible. It's a special Bible that will help you
[00:45:50] understand what God is saying to you. So make sure after the service is over, go back there and get those materials you'll be so glad that you did amen if if you are a guest this morning thank
[00:46:04] you so much for being here welcome i hope you'll come back one of the things that we do every sunday morning is we share together in the lord's supper holy communion and and when we do this we're
[00:46:16] recognizing the fact that god loved us so much that he sent his one and only son jesus and jesus loved us so much that he gave his body he gave his blood for us the scripture says that without
[00:46:27] the shedding of his blood there could be no forgiveness of our sins and so father this morning as we prepare our hearts to receive these little emblems the cracker that reminds us of the body of jesus that was bruised and broken for us as we prepare to receive that little cup of juice
[00:46:49] It reminds us of the blood of Jesus that was shed on Calvary's cross.
[00:46:54] And God, I pray that once again, you would help us to just be mindful of your love.
[00:47:00] Lord, we are so grateful.
[00:47:02] And for the sacrifice of Jesus.
[00:47:05] Thank you, God, for loving us and for forgiving us.
[00:47:09] We receive your love.
[00:47:10] We receive your forgiveness.
[00:47:12] And we thank you in Jesus' name.
[00:47:16] Amen.
[00:47:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:47:17] The darkness, we were waiting, without hope, without light, till from heaven you came running, there was mercy in your eyes, to fulfill the law and prophets, to a virgin came the word, from a throne of endless glory, to a cradle in the dirt.
[00:48:07] For good, for the lamb that conquered death And the dead were...
[00:50:08] For today, God, we thank you for what you've done across all these services today.
[00:52:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:52:17] God, specifically in this one, thank you for your spirit.
[00:52:20] Thank you for your goodness.
[00:52:22] Lord, thank you that we have hope in you, God.
[00:52:26] And Lord, I pray today as we leave, you continue to use us as vessels for your kingdom, God.
[00:52:31] Lord, show us the way.
[00:52:33] And I thank you for what you've shared with our hearts.
[00:52:36] And, Lord, I pray we continue to chase after you.
[00:52:39] In Jesus' name we pray and we all say together, amen and amen.
[00:52:44] Well, Lake City Church, we love you.
[00:52:47] God loves you.
[00:52:48] Make it a great week.
