Understanding Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Jesus as the Light of the World

What does Jesus mean when He says "I am the light of the world"?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon, when Jesus says "I am the light of the world," He is declaring that He can deliver people from the darkness of this world. Jesus is stating that He provides understanding for life's fundamental questions - understanding of ourselves, the world we live in, history, and even what lies beyond death. As Lloyd-Jones explains, "You can be given an understanding of life, you can be given an understanding of yourself. You can be given an understanding of the world in which you live. You can be given an understanding of history. You can be given an understanding of the future."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say we are living in a world of darkness?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that we live in darkness because we don't understand the world, ourselves, or what's happening around us. He states, "We are in a world of darkness. We don't understand the world. We don't understand ourselves. We don't understand what's happening in the world." This darkness is evidenced by moral confusion, ongoing conflicts, and humanity's inability to learn from past mistakes. Lloyd-Jones observes that despite tragic historical events, "man doesn't learn the lesson. Man still goes on in the same old way, and there doesn't seem to be any light."

How does one obtain the "light of life" according to the sermon?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' interpretation of Jesus' words, one obtains the "light of life" by following Christ through these specific steps:

1. Believe that Jesus is who He claims to be - the Son of God who came from heaven
2. Accept His teaching about why He came into the world - to save sinners through His death
3. Act upon this belief through repentance - acknowledging and confessing your sin to God
4. Turn away from the world and follow Christ - "Jesus, I, my cross have taken all to leave and follow thee"

As Lloyd-Jones states: "If you want to have the light of life, you've got to come out of that world. Leave it and all that belongs to it. Come into the Christian church, follow Christ, get hold of the doctrine, delight in it, read it, understand it."

What evidence does Dr. Lloyd-Jones provide that Jesus is different from all other humans?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones highlights several claims Jesus made about Himself that demonstrate His uniqueness:

1. Jesus claimed to know His origin and destination: "I know whence I came and whither I go"
2. Jesus stated He was "from above" while others are "from beneath"
3. Jesus declared He was "not of this world" while everyone else is "of this world"
4. Jesus claimed to speak words received directly from God: "I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him"
5. Jesus had foreknowledge of His death and what lay beyond it
6. Jesus claimed God the Father bore witness to Him through prophecy, direct voice, and miracles

Lloyd-Jones concludes that Jesus "stands out nearly 2000 years ago towering above all, before him and after him. You can't explain Christ. He's a root out of a dry ground. He's someone unique."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the purpose of Jesus coming into the world?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus did not come to condemn the world because "the world was already condemned" by God's law and by our own consciences. Instead, Jesus came specifically to save people from their sins. He quotes John 3:16-17: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."

Lloyd-Jones elaborates that Jesus accomplished this salvation through His death on the cross, where "he takes the poison and the sting out of sin and all its consequences" by "taking them upon himself." Jesus came "to die in a very special way... to taste death for every man that believes in me... to bear their sins."