LIGHT UP YOUR WORLD
Matthew 5:13-17
Introduction:
During
our childhood in India, my brother and I spent most of elementary school years at
my grandmother’s house in a village. In that village electricity was only
afforded by wealthy people. There was no electricity in their house. One of my
chores was to clean the glass of a kerosene lantern, trim the wick, fill it
with kerosene and light it by dusk each day. Once I lit the lantern and placed
it on a high stool, though it was small the whole house used to be filled with light.
In that light now, we could carry out our other activities for the night.
When
you live in darkness, you not only have no ray of light, you don’t even know
where your home is or where you are going. That is the way it is for the
majority in the world. People would be happy if their dark nights are lit up
with light. But there is another darkness that is much thicker, and more
pervasive, who can turn that darkness into light?
A
little boy forgot his lines in a Sunday School presentation. His mother was in
the front row to prompt him. She gestured and formed the words silently with
her lips, but it did not help. Her son’s memory was blank. Finally, she leaned
forward and whispered the cue, "I am the light of the world." The child
beamed and with great feeling and a loud clear voice said, "My mother is
the light of the world!" Jesus is the "Light of the world," but
He certainly uses Christian mothers and fathers and children to let His light
shine in this dark world.
Last
week we looked into one of the most powerful metaphors that Jesus used to
describe the purpose and the scope of his disciples when he said, “You are the
Salt of the Earth.” Today we will look at another powerful metaphor, that is,
“You are the Light of the World.” We will learn what it means to be the light
in a world, which seems to love darkness and have an aversion for light. “Light Up Your World.” Matthew 5:13-17
I.
UNDERSTANDING DARKNESS
When
I talk about darkness, I am not talking about the darkness we experience every
night as a result of the absence of physical light. I am talking about a
powerful kingdom of darkness where Satan and his evil forces reign and rule. It
is a pervasive spiritual darkness that remains the hearts of unsaved people
until it is expelled by the light of the Gospel. As it has been the case with
all of us before we accepted the gift of salvation. Consider the following
scriptures:
Genesis
6:5, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick;
who can understand it? This was the accurate description of the human heart
after the fall. It has only become more corrupt in our times.
In
the N.T Paul while writing to the Romans describes how people behave when their
hearts and minds are darkened by the evil one. Romans 1:21-32, “For although
they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they
became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” He goes
on to explain the acts of darkness.
Vs
28-31 “They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are
gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of
evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though
they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to
die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” That
is the bad news, but the good news is true light is shining in the darkness.
II. TRUE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS
John
1:3-10. “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything
made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…The true
light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the
world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” Thank God, that true light Jesus
Christ, came into our hearts dispelling the darkness. The apostle Paul calls
this, “A kingdom transfer.” Colossians 1:13-14, “He has delivered us from the
domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
For
me this transfer took place when I was seventeen, in 1982. I am sure many of
you can recall your time of that transfer. What does this mean for us today? It
means that once we were in the Kingdom of darkness, chained and ruled by a
cruel and merciless master, but Jesus has delivered us from the clutches of our
enemy, and gave us a new identity in His kingdom of light.
III.
YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Matthew
5:14-16, “You’re the light of the world! A city can’t be hidden if it’s on top
of a hill. People don’t light a lamp and put it under a becket; they put it on
a lampstand. Then it gives light to everybody in the house. That’s how you must
shine your light in front of people! They will see the wonderful things you do,
and they’ll give glory to your father in heaven.” (TKNT) When Jesus made these statements, he was
referring to a prophecy about Israel. Isaiah 42:6, “I am the Lord; I have
called you in righteousness; I will
take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,”
For
all intended purposes the nation of Israel was to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the nations. History tells us how they have failed in their
mission. But God was going to fulfill it. Isaiah 49:6, we read, “He says: “It
is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of
Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for
the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
In
this passage the servant is referred to Jesus Christ. Jesus himself fulfilled the mission of the Lord’s servant
to be “a light for the Gentiles,” Now he was commanding his disciples to
be the light to the nations. In order to explain how practically it works Jesus
uses two metaphors. First, “A city on a Hill”: Many of the cities of Judea were
placed on the summits or sides of mountains and could be seen from afar.
Perhaps Jesus pointed to such a city and told his disciples that they were
placed like a city on a hill. All their actions were observed by the world. Similarly,
if we claim ourselves to be Christians, then everything we do or don’t do is
scrutinized by the world. By our actions we can either bring glory to God or
disgrace to his name. Let’s be mindful that our actions speak louder than our
words. In a highly polarized, secularized and politically charged world, the
actions of God’s children or lack thereof matter. Therefore, let us act wisely,
maturely, graciously and responsibly.
Second,
“Lamp on a stand”: In Jesus’ day people
used small clay lamps that burned olive oil drawn up by a wick, and that lamp
would be put on a lampstand to give light to the whole house. Similarly, Jesus
wanted his disciples not to hide selfishly the light they received from Him for
themselves only, instead they were to let their light shine in public so that
people living in darkness may come to know the true light, which gives them life,
life in abundance. Then he went on to say how they could practically let their
light shine in the darkness.
IV.
LIGHT UP YOUR WORLD.
Vs 16, “That’s how you must shine
your light in front of people! They will see the wonderful things you do, and they’ll
give glory to your father in heaven.” Shining our light in front of people
doesn’t mean to preach at them saying how wrong and sinful everyone is. It
doesn’t mean to protest or even lead a rebellion to dethrone a corrupt
government.
Jesus
the true light of the world is our prime example when it comes to letting our
light shine in front of people. We are not the true light but only the
reflectors of the true light. As the reflectors how are we to reflect the light
of Christ practically in this dark world? The following illustration of a lighthouse
better explains the importance of Christians in a dark world. “There is a mere
strip of sand called Castle Island near the eastern end of the Bahamas.
As
tiny and isolated as it is, Castle Island became prominent because of the
lighthouse. One day, a young man was sailing in the area. He anchored his
sailboat off of the lighthouse and swam to shore to exercise his legs on the
beach. The lighthouse keeper, Cedric Hanna, was surprised and delighted to have
company; he invited the young man to join him for some fresh-caught lobster and
a tour of the lighthouse. The young man climbed the winding staircase to the
lantern room at the top of the stairs; and, he was astonished at the size of
the light that signaled safe passage through the maze of large fish, rocks and
bars! The light was a tiny kerosene flame - barely bright enough to read by -
yet, with the aid of mirrors and reflectors, it was visible twenty-five (25)
miles out to sea.
What
if our light is a very dim one? What if our good works are few and small? Just
like in the story our little light is magnified in the immense mirror of
Almighty God’s Love! The story of Castle Island reminds each and every one of
us that even the most insignificant action or deed on our part - such as giving
up our place in the grocery store check-out line to a mother with a fretful
baby. Or a short two-line note in a neighbor’s mailbox - or, helping the
elderly neighbor with mowing the lawn or with a grocery trip to the store, or
dropping a meal to a family that is hurting, even such faint candles as these,
can be multiplied by Almighty God to shine like beacons in a dark world! Are
you hiding the light or letting to shine to the world?
At
her work Wilma was chatting with a person with an anxiety disorder, this person
told her “my Church had a picnic last week.” Did you go? Wilma asked. His
answer; “I would never go to something like that.” For heaven’s sake those of
us who are called to be the light of the world, let us be on the lookout for
people on the peripheries of our lives.
Let’s
do everything possible to welcome, invite, and include those who for whatever
reason feel like they don’t belong. Someone said, “Life is like an Ocean.” People
out there are navigating the hard currents of life. Their lives are tossed by
the waves and storms. Who can guide them safely to the shore? Only Jesus the
true lighthouse through us mere reflectors. My prayer is that we Christians
will let our little lamps shine through practical ways. So, that many will come
to know the true light of the world! Let’s go, and light up our world. Amen!
