So I'm gonna ask you to turn your Bibles first of all to John chapter 9 John chapter 9 verse 5 because this verse is just one of the verses that can be and Has been associated with the hymn that we will be looking at tonight, which is the light of the world is Jesus John chapter 9 verse 5 Because as Jesus and his disciples According to verse 1 if you drop back there real quick saw a man who was blind from his birth. In verse five, Jesus says these words. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. I am the light of the world. It is this verse and others like it that impressed Philip P. Bliss to write this simple but captivating hymn. Now, in a couple of weeks, we will learn more about the life and ministry of P.P. Bliss, which is how he liked to put his name over his songs. And he not only wrote a lot of lyrics to hymns, he also wrote a lot of the tunes for his hymns. But even though he was an American hymn writer, so we've crossed the pond now. We've looked at a lot of hymn writers from England. We will go back there, I'm sure. But right now we're in America. He was an American hymn writer, but he made as much of an impression in the English-speaking churches overseas as he did here. In fact, there was an Irish evangelist singer by the name of Ira Sankey, who you might be familiar with. He and P.P. Bliss were great friends. In fact, Iris Enke sang many of Bliss's hymns over there in England and Ireland and probably Scotland over there. And that's how P.P. Bliss became well known over there as well as here. But his impression of America was great and still is great. In fact, in our own hymn books, we have some 13 of his hymns, including this one. Because this is perhaps one of the most familiar hymns, which is hymn 213 in our hymn books. You can open your hymn books there if you want. We will get to it later. But if you want to have the actual hymn in front of you or on the side to you, you can have that as well. It's 213. You can see from that that Bliss wrote this hymn in 1875, which was just one year before his death, at the young age of just 38. But one of his good friends, Major Daniel Webster Whittle, who is also an evangelist and songwriter himself, he briefly tells us how Bliss came to write it in a memoir he wrote of Bliss just after a year after his death in 1877. This is what Webster writes, or Whittle writes. He says, the light of the world is Jesus was written in the summer of 1875 at Bliss's home Number 664 West Monroe Street, Chicago, which, by the way, I looked, is no longer standing there. It's kind of right there in the middle of Chicago, and so there's just another high rise. But then he adds, it came to him, it came to Bliss, all together, that is all at once, words and music, one morning, while passing through the hall to his room, and it was at once written out. And that's really all we know. That's really all that's recorded for us about how this hymn was written. It just came to him all at once. Words and music together. However, we might, I think, be able to fill in some of the gaps as to why Bliss was thinking about this theme on that particular morning. We know that this hymn first appeared in a short-lived periodical known as the International Lessons Monthly. It was designed to provide monthly Sunday school lessons. It's actually something that was very prominent in the late 1800s here in America. There were several of these periodicals. But they were designed to help churches and teachers in their ministries by giving them Sunday school lessons. Each month, a new biblical theme or gospel truth was presented to the subscribers. And Bliss, who was part of the publishing house, was asked to contribute a new song to go along with each monthly theme. And certainly that was probably a lot of work, to come up with a new hymn every month according to that particular theme that was assigned. In fact, that's how we received several of Bliss's hymns that we sing, and we'll look at those as we move along. But even though there are no known copies of the particular journal in which The Light of the World is Jesus was first published, it's pretty clear that that must have been the theme for that particular month. And most likely, one of the Bible passages on which the lessons were based was right here in John chapter 9. And of course, we were in John 9 not too long ago, but it's the very place where Jesus heals a man born blind. And he does so by anointing the man's eyes with clay, first of all, and then, if you look at verse 7, he tells that man, go, wash in the pool of Siloam, which is, by interpretation, sent. And so he, that man born blind, went his way, therefore, and washed, and came seeing." And I think as we learn a little bit more about the actual text of this hymn, we will see that that's probably what he is thinking about, along with other things. There are many other Bible references that shine through these words, but I think it's safe to say that Bliss was thinking on and meditating on the miracle of John 9 on that summer morning in Chicago. especially since he probably had a deadline, a deadline coming up to submit a song for that upcoming monthly. And certainly, when you have a deadline, that's what you're thinking about. You know, as I come up on my Sunday deadlines every single week, that's what I'm thinking about through the week. I'm sure that was the same here. But even though Bliss wrote this hymn as part of his work, his work was really his mission. He was a man of God who was devoted to God, And God certainly blessed him to challenge many through the truths of this and many of his hymns. So let's read the lines of this hymn, which after all these years actually remain unchanged from when Bliss first wrote them. You know the hymn. The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin. The light of the world is Jesus. Like sunshine at noonday, his glory shone in. The light of the world is Jesus. No darkness have we who in Jesus abide. The light of the world is Jesus. We walk in the light when we follow our guide. The light of the world is Jesus. He dwellers in darkness with sin-blinded eyes. The light of the world is Jesus. Go, wash in his bidding, John 9, and light will arise. The light of the world is Jesus. No need of the sunlight in heaven, we're told. The light of that world is Jesus. The lamb is the light in the city of gold. The light of that world is Jesus. And then, of course, the refrain, Come to the light, tis shining for thee. Sweetly the light has dawned upon me. Once I was blind, but now I can see. The light of the world is Jesus. So really the title of this song is the very theme of this song. And it's repeated nine times in this song so that it becomes something that the hearer and the singer just can't forget. You can't forget these words. And that was intended by bliss. Because the light of the world is and always will be the Lord Jesus Christ. And bliss encourages us to repeat it because this is actually something Jesus repeated. several times in his own ministry. Not only here in John 9, but if you go back just probably a page, in John 8, verse 12, Jesus says, again, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. I am the light of the world, Jesus says. If you go forward in John chapter 12, probably two or three pages away, in John chapter 12, verse 46, again, Jesus says, I am come, a light of the world, a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. Jesus is the light of the world, and certainly repeating it nine times is intended for us to never forget that truth. In fact, one day, it's clear that the light of Jesus shined on and deep into the heart of Philip P. Bliss, and he never got over it. This man loved his Lord and responded to His light, so much so that he wanted to share it with others. And that was really one of the main reasons why he wrote the songs he did. And so he wrote this beloved hymn, so that we might know some things about His light. So the first stanza that we come to, we learn about the illumination of the light of Jesus, even His great illumination. This is the entire theme of that first stanza that we just read. Of course, the need for that illumination and light is great in this world, isn't it? The need for Jesus's light is great. And that's a constant theme all throughout the Bible. This is what bliss captures in that very first line of that very first stanza when he says, the whole world was lost in the darkness of sin. In the Bible, darkness and sin are virtually synonymous, virtually interchangeable. Because sin is the darkness of the soul. And it pictures the spiritual depravity that we have in this world and in every soul in this world. Because every person who is born into this world is born lost. lost in the darkness of sin. Now, when we think of being lost, you might have experienced that in your life, where you went into the woods, and maybe it was unfamiliar territory, or you took a wrong turn on a wrong path, and you got lost. And so you're wandering around trying to find your way out to get back to where you should go. But that's not how Scripture describes and defines being lost. It's not talking about just wandering around in the darkness of sin. It's actually talking about being totally wasted in sin. In fact, in the New Testament, wherever you find the word lost, it is the same word for ruin, destruction, and even perishing. In fact, in John 3, 16, that favorite verse of us, it says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish. It's the exact same word for lost. It means totally wasted in sin. Not wandering, hoping to find your way out, but wasted and gone. So really, to be lost in the darkness of sin is just another way of saying that apart from Christ, you're dead in trespasses and sins, and you have no hope, and you are without God in this world. That is the desperate need of the light and the illumination of the gospel and of Jesus Christ. The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin. But why did Jesus come? In Matthew 18, 11, Jesus says, For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost, perishing, ruined, wasted in sin. And so the next thing that bliss brings out is the nature of Jesus's light and illumination, the nature which is even greater than our darkness. Praise God that His light does not match our darkness. His light is greater than our darkness. It outshines our darkness to the point that it eliminates our darkness. Because there in the third line of that first stanza, it's there in your message guide, like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in. What a beautiful, vivid description of the good news of the gospel. It's like the clouds of the sky, and it's dark and threatening with all of the rain and the sound of the thunder and even the lightning in the horizon, but all of a sudden you see just those clouds breaking and there is light coming and shining right through. That's the gospel into this dark, dark, dangerous, sinful world. His light is greater than our darkness. And we know this because His glory shone in this world when He first came to this world. And so we see the nature of His light in His coming to this world. Remember the passage in Isaiah 9-2? It was prophesied that the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light signed. Now, obviously, that was something that was yet to come. It was something that was prophesied of the messiah of Jesus and his incarnation and his birth. In fact, in the fourth gospel or in the fourth chapter of the first gospel of Matthew, he tells us that this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus, Matthew chapter four. And, you know, the world has never been the same because the light of the world is Jesus. But it wasn't just enough for Jesus and His light and glory to shine in the world. I mean, that's one thing. He also needed to shine His glory on and into the hearts of individual sinners. not just to come to this world, but to convert sinners to faith in Him. To convert. And I think that Bliss must have also been thinking about the conversion of the Apostle Paul, who was first known as Saul, on the road to Damascus that we find in the book of Acts. Because in Acts 22, verse 6, Paul gives his testimony and he says, It came to pass that as I made my journey, And I was coming nearer to Damascus about noon. About noon, he says. Suddenly there shone from heaven a great light around about me. And the light of his world was who? Was Jesus. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who are you, Lord? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. And when that happened to Saul, he was never the same again either. And so the nature of Jesus's light and illumination is infinitely greater than the need for it. Yes, the need of the entire world, but especially the need for our soul, your individual soul. The light of the world is Jesus. But then in the second stanza, bliss turns our attention not just to the illumination of his light, but then the importance of Jesus's light. His great importance. Because here we find the promise of His light in that very first line of that second stanza, which he adds, No darkness have we who in Jesus abide. Now, we've already spent a little time in John 15 learning about what it means to abide in Christ, right? To abide in Christ starts with faith, and it continues on in fellowship. And also with that fellowship comes faithfulness, and with that faithfulness comes fruitfulness. So all of this is involved in abiding with Christ. But then Bliss points out, no darkness have we who in Jesus abide. So he's talking to Christians. He's talking about believers. And he says, no darkness have we. Now, that might be hard for us to grasp fully. since even in our lives, even our everyday lives, even sometime this week, you will struggle with temptation. You and I will struggle with sin, but it's still the promise of Jesus's light. In fact, if you go back to John 8, verse 12, Jesus himself said, I am the light of the world. We saw this earlier. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. No darkness have we who in Jesus abide. You see, when you abide in Christ through faith in Christ, you are no longer lost. You are no longer perishing in the darkness. Instead, you have as your own present possession, Jesus says, the light of life. In other words, you have his light, which gives you life. And now, no darkness have we who in Jesus abide. And even when we are affronted by that darkness, or it seems like that darkness is creeping in, we always can go back to the light who is Jesus. Now we can live like it. Now we can love him for it. And now there can and ought to be even a pursuit of his light, a pursuit even of the light that he promises, which Bliss then describes in the third line of that stanza when he says, we walk in the light when we follow our guide. Do you realize that when you experience the wonder of His light in salvation, now you can walk in His light? The fact is, we cannot expect unbelievers to walk according to the light that they don't have. Sometimes I think we forget that. Unbelievers cannot walk according to a light that they don't have because they're still dwellers in darkness. They're still living in that darkness. They need the light of Jesus to shine upon them. But once it does, and once you respond to it, once you have faith and abide in the Lord Jesus Christ, now you can walk in his light, even as we're told time and time again in the scripture. In John 12, 35, again, Jesus says, yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light. Walk in the light, he says. You think, well, what does it mean to walk in the light? Paul echoes this in Ephesians 5-8 when he says, You were sometimes darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Don't we see the promise and the pursuit in that verse? The promise is you are light in the Lord. That's what you have in your heart. That's who you are in Christ. So walk like it, live like it, act like it. But how? John adds to this in 1 John 1 7. If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. And that's not describing just merely fellowship with other church members is talking about that that vertical fellowship with God, with Jesus. If We walk in the light as he is in the light. We have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son cleanses us from all sin. So again, time and time again, we're told and encouraged to walk in the light, walk in the light, walk in the light. And if walking in the light of Jesus is so important, then what does it mean and what does it involve? I think bliss answers this question with that simple thought in that phrase, we walk in the light when we what? We follow our God. That's all it means to walk in the light is to follow Jesus, to follow him, to follow his word, to follow his will, to follow after his way. Just follow Jesus, because Jesus is the light, not just of the world. He is the light of your world. He's the light of my world. But if his light is so great and so good for you, then wouldn't it be the same for others? Of course it would. Which is why in the third stanza, Bliss turns his hymn into a true gospel hymn. Now you might have heard that phrase, a gospel song or a gospel hymn. Well, these sort of came in vogue in the time of Dwight L. Moody, which was also a good friend of Philip E. Bliss and some of the other evangelists that Bliss knew. And truly, as they had evangelistic meetings, and when they went to churches, yes, they wanted to encourage and edify the saints, but they also wanted to evangelize the lost, whoever they might be, wherever they might be. And so a true gospel hymn takes the gospel truths, the gospel doctrines that we as believers feed upon, and then extends it in an offer. to the lost to experience that same light for themselves. And so that's what we find there in the third stanza, which is an invitation to the light of Jesus, even his great invitation. It's in fact the same invitation that Jesus gave to the man born blind in John chapter nine. Hopefully you're still there. Look at verses five through nine with me again. Jesus says, as long as I am in the world, John nine five, as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. We saw that. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, made some clay of the spittle, then anointed the eyes of that blind man with the clay and said unto him, go, wash in the pool of Siloam. which is by interpretation sent. That's the bidding of Jesus to this blind man. Go wash at his bidding. Go wash at his bidding. When Jesus bids you to do something, do it. When Jesus bids you to wash, go to him for cleansing. When Jesus bids you to go see, then go to him for his light. Go wash in the pool of Shalom. And what did the man do? He obeyed. He went his way, therefore, and washed. And what happened? Light will arise. He came out seen. Bliss wants us to give the same invitation that Jesus gave here to that blind man, because all sinners have the same problem as that blind man, but in a spiritual way. All sinners have the same problem as that blind man, but in a spiritual way. Yes, the whole world is lost in the darkness of sin. And you know, I think if you were to take a poll today, of just anyone out there, just go through the streets of Greenfield and ask somebody, do you think that the whole world is lost in the darkness of sin? I bet 100% of the people would say yes. I mean, that's one thing. I think everybody would agree to that, especially when you look at everything that goes on in this world. But then if you ask them personally, individually, and say, are you lost in the darkness of sin? Or are you a sinner that is blinded by sin? I think you'd get a whole different answer. No one wants to admit that they are blinded by sin. They'll admit that the world is, but not them. No one wants to admit that they are the ones who are described as you dwellers in darkness with sin-blinded eyes. But isn't that exactly what they need to hear? Isn't that exactly what sinners need to know? That they are spiritually and hopelessly blind? That's what they need. That's what they need, because only then will they be able to experience the same power of the Lord to obey his voice as the song then says, go wash at his bidding and light will arise. You see, when Jesus bid that blind man to go and wash, It was the words to that man that enabled God's work to be accomplished in that man. There's power in the word. There's power in Jesus's words. And that's why we don't water it down. That's why we don't try to change it. That's why we don't want to put our own in there. We give him his word. His word is powerful to change hearts and lives. And that is still true. Whenever the Lord speaks, God's word is never left to chance. Remember Isaiah 55, 11? The Lord says, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void. It will accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Jesus' word, when he bids, has enough power to change people and bring them to his light. even though they are still steep in that darkness. You see, the light of the world is the most powerful light there is. Now, there are a lot of powerful lights in this world. You know, we know that the sun is a very powerful light. You have lasers that are able to condense the waves of that light in a very strict beam that is so powerful and it can actually take down missiles if they really wanted to. The fact is, the light of the world is the most powerful light there is. And Jesus' light will only get brighter and greater for us because of what bliss reminds us next about in the fourth stanza, which is the increase of Jesus' light, the increase. Here in the fourth stanza, we're taken all the way up to heaven and then taken all the way over to the end, the end of this world and into the next. And so what does he say? No need of the sunlight in heaven, we're told. Why? Third stanza, because the lamb, Jesus, is the light of the city of God. You know, this comes right out of the book of Revelation. It comes right from Revelation 21, 23, where Jesus gives John the vision of a new Jerusalem, that new Jerusalem that is in the new earth that is created afresh by God. And it says in Revelation 21, 23, that that city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did shine in it. And the lamb, the lamb is the light thereof. Now we need to remember, that the greatness of Jesus's light and glory is infinite. There is no increase to his light in itself. It is infinite. That is, it is as bright as it will ever be and has ever been. Also, Jesus's light and glory is immutable. That is, he will never change. God is light and in him is no darkness at all. However, our grasp of Jesus's light and our grasp of Jesus's glory is not infinite. and it is not immutable. I mean, it will be someday, but not yet. But that's what makes this stanza and these words part of our great hope in Christ. One day we will see him in the fullness of his glory and his light. Now, we don't see that now. And sometimes we struggle because the gloom and the shadow of the darkness of this world seems to creep in even in the light that we do have. But that's why we pray that God will continue to increase our sight of his light. And he will. Praise God that he will continue to shine this in our hearts and our lives so that one day we will see him even as he is. And that's why we can sing, the light of that world is Jesus. The light of that world is Jesus. But then we come to the refrain. And this refrain was meant to be sung after every single verse. And so it's something that was meant to be sung four times in this hymn. But what can we learn from it? we can learn the impression of the light of Jesus upon those who sing this song. The impression of the light of Jesus of those who know that light. Because these are the very last words that Bliss wants us to hear and remember after his song comes to its end. So after sharing so much about the doctrine of Jesus as the light of the world in all four stanzas, here in the refrain, he actually turns back to the invitation. The invitation that he gave back in the third stanza. And so here in the first line, he offers a new call. He even says to thee, that is to the lost hearer of this hymn, and he implores them. He invites them. He pleads with them. Come to the light to shining for thee. Come to the light. Isn't this the same spirit of Jesus that we find in John 12, 36, when he says, while you have the light, believe in the light so that you might be the children of the light. Jesus wanted people to come unto him as the light of the world, as the bread of life, as the water of life, as all of those illustrations in the gospel of John that we've seen. Jesus wants people to come to him. Have you done that? If so, then Jesus is the light of your world. Are you doing that? It's not just a one-time thing, it's a continual thing. It's something that you continue to persevere and then grow in, in your faith in the Lord. Are you doing that? Then he is the light of your world. But then along with this call, bliss provides, I think, a bit of his own testimony. And that's why in the second line he describes next a new comfort. A new comfort that can only come from Jesus as the light of the world. I love how he puts it, sweetly, The light has dawned upon me. Have you ever gotten up dark outside, dark in your room? Maybe you had the door shut. Maybe you had the blinds down. You had it so dark in your room so you could sleep. And then you look at your clock or your watch and you realize you overslept. So you open up the door and boom, the light did not shine on you very sweetly. It was bold. It was blaring. It was light. And you're like, ah, it burns. I don't want to see that much light yet. That's not the kind of light that Jesus does. Yes, he shines brightly, but he also shines so sweet. He brings sinners to a knowledge of salvation in Him. Yes, there's that burden. Yes, there's that burden of sin that needs to be repented of. But once that is repented of and you find that grace to help in your time of need, oh, the sweetness of that light dawning upon you. Of course, this is an echo of other passages throughout the Bible. I think one of them is 2 Peter 119, where Peter writes these words. We have a more sure word of prophecy. where unto you do well that you take heed is unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arises in your hearts. You know, the dawning of a new day can be a very sweet thing when the darkness of the night has been a horror. In the last couple of weeks, we have seen protests on college campuses all across the country, and they always take place when? The dead of night, it seems like, right? Now, I'm sure that's going on through the daytime as well, but imagine those police and those authorities that are trying to keep peace and keep calm in those protests. Imagine how sweet the dawning of that new day comes. Because for those who are accustomed to evil, they love the darkness rather than the light, and we know that. But when the light comes, all that is in the darkness and hidden in the shadows has come to light. Oh, that's what we need in our hearts. That's what we need in our lives. The dawning of a new day can be such a sweet thing because that's who Jesus is. And that's what Jesus does. He is the day star of your heart when you turn to him and he will do for you what he did for that man born blind. In fact, he will do for you what he did for Philippi Bliss, he will bring a new change into your life and into your heart. And that's why bliss himself echoes the testimony of that blind man. When he says, once I was blind, but now I can see. Again, these are words taken right out of that man's mouth. John 9, 25. What does he say? One thing I know, whereas I was blind, now I see. Do we really know what this man knew? Do you really know Jesus as not only the light of this world? I mean, that's one thing. Not only the light of that world, which is the heavenly world. Do you know Jesus as the light of your world? And not just your world, but your time in this world, and your hours, and your minutes, and your moments in this world. If he is, and if you know this, then sing about it. Savor it and then share it like pee pee blisses in this hymn because the light of the world is Jesus We're gonna stand together and sing 213 as we close our service the light of the world is Jesus 213. We don't need the instruments. We'll just sing it acapella, but let's stand together and sing it. All right. Sorry. I should have told you that earlier And remember the truths that we just sing about or they just learned about 213 The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin. The light of the world is Jesus. Like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in. The light of the world is Jesus. Come to the light is shining for thee. Sweetly the light has dawned upon me. Once I was blind, but now I can see. The light of the world is Jesus. No darkness have we who in Jesus abide. The light of the world is Jesus. We walk in the light when we follow our guide. The light of the world is Jesus. Come to the light is shining for thee. Sweetly the light has dawned upon me. Once I was blind, but now I can see. The light of the world is Jesus. Ye dwellers in darkness with sin-blinded eyes, the light of the world is Jesus. Go wash at his bidding and light will arise, the light of the world is Jesus. Come to the light, it is shining for thee. Sweetly the light has dawned upon me. Once I was blind, but now I can see. The light of the world is Jesus. No need of the sunlight in heaven, we're told. The light of that world is Jesus. The lamb is the light in the city of gold. The light of that world is Jesus. Come to the light, it is shining for thee. Sweetly the light has dawned upon me. Once I was blind, but now I can see the light of the world is Jesus. Let's bow together in prayer. Oh, Father, I pray that that phrase that we just saying nine times, which was intentional by the writer of this hymn and certainly intentional by our Lord Jesus when he said it on a number of occasions. I pray that that will stick with us tonight and this week that Jesus is the light of the world, that Jesus is the light of that world, that heavenly world. But that if I know Jesus is my savior, He is and remains the light of my world. And now, Lord, I pray that we will go with the same invitation that Jesus gave to that blind man and that bliss gave in this hymn to those sinners who are still dwelling in darkness with sin blinded eyes, just like we had until your light shined in. Lord, may we be instruments of your grace to bring others to your light, even this week. And we ask this in Jesus' precious name, amen.