A Proper Response to the Light
Notes
Transcript
Opening Comments:
Opening Comments:
Please make your way to Luke 11:33-36 in your copy of God’s word. If you are using one of our church Bibles located in a seat rack near you that is found on pg. 817. This is God’s Word, lets read it together.
33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
Prayer:
Prayer:
"Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You today, praising You as the Light of the world, the Illuminator of our souls. Your radiance shines brighter than any darkness, and Your truth guides us on our journey. As we delve into Luke 11:33-36, may Your Spirit enlighten us, convict us, and transform us. May we reflect Your light, that others may see Your glory and give You praise.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen."
Introduction:
Introduction:
The passage we have just read together is a continuation of a confrontation Jesus has been having that began all the way back in v.14 when Jesus cast a demon from a man. The demon had made the man unable to speak and once the demon was gone, the man spoke and praised Jesus. In the crowd of onlookers there were some who immediately began to accuse Jesus of being in cahoots with “Beelzebul the prince of demons” (essentially they were saying that Jesus was working with the devil.) Once Jesus put that accusation to bed in v.14-27; he then turned (v.28-32) to others in the crowd who were not engaged in open and blasphemous accusation of Jesus but were instead mocking him by asking for a sign from Heaven.
We saw last week that Jesus condemned them for this behavior, that he had already given them numerous signs and they were only going to get one more. That sign would be the definitive sign that would prove his deity without a doubt; that would be the sign of the resurrection (the sign of Jonah.) He also pointed to both the Queen of Sheba (briefly explain) and the men of Nineveh (briefly explain) and said they would stand in testimony against the people if Israel in Jesus day. They had much less to go on than these men did and yet they repented of their sins and turned to the Lord. The people before Jesus that day would have no excuse in the day of Judgement.
We are no different than them because we have even more evidence and still many reject.
That is where we pick up the confrontation today in v.33 as Jesus begins now to simultaneously teach the greater crowd that had gathered while cautioning the religious elite not to be blinded to the light that is right in front of them.
Jesus does this by likening everyday things people were familiar with; lamps and their own eyes; in order to teach spiritual truth.
We will notice in our time together:
The purpose of light. (v.33)
The reception of light. (v. 34)
The caution against darkness. (v.35-36)
1.) The purpose of light. (v.33)
1.) The purpose of light. (v.33)
33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
In this time period the primary way in which people would light a home or space would be through the use of an oil lamp.
This is the kind we are familiar with in our time. (Light the lamp) but the ones used in Jesus day would have resembled this.
Similar to what you see pictured hear.
The purpose of that lamp was to provide light. So, when you lit the wick, you then would place the lamp up onto some sort of stand in order to illuminate the room or space. It would be completely pointless to light that lamp and then hide it under something or place it in a closet.
Sing “This little light of mine” - particularly the hide it under a bushel part.
Why? Because its purpose is to provide light so that everyone can see.
Jesus is likening himself to that light. In fact, over and over again throughout the pages of scripture we see God described as either light or dwelling in light.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
Psalm 119:105 declares that God’s word is:
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
However, the must significant presentation of God being light is found in the person of the Lord Jesus.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Why is this significant?
Remember, their are people in the crowd who we saw Jesus address last week who demanded a sign from Heaven to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. These people were essentially declaring that Jesus had not done enough to convince them. As if he was hiding some part of his deity from them.
The whole point of Jesus using the illustration of a lamp and light is to say that it would be completely foolish and nonsensical for Jesus to withhold evidence of his deity from them.
That, in fact, they had plenty of light in order to believe.
Furthermore, upon his resurrection from the dead, that light would shine brighter and further than it ever had before.
The problem wasn't with the light, but with their lack of sight.
2. The reception of the light. (v.34)
2. The reception of the light. (v.34)
34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
The light of Christ was shining all over the nation of Israel, enveloping it in light. But these religious people were too spiritually blinded to see it.
They were so overexposed to the tenets of their religion that they had become dull to the light of Christ.
Jesus illustrates this point by moving from an illustration of a lamp giving off light to the eye receiving light.
He calls the eye, “lamp of the body”. Meaning that it is the way that light enters your body.
Scientifically speaking, light enters the brain through the eye, which in turn brings comprehension to all of the things the light reveals. When our eyes are healthy we are able to see everything.
But, if the eye is bad (sick) it cannot take in that light.
Talk about Roxy and her cataracts.
Talk of my step father being legally blind.
This is a metaphor for spiritual perception. If our eye is good (uncomplicated by sin) it will admit the light of Jesus in and our entire life will be illuminated by it.
But, if our eyes are bad, the outcome is disastrous, we blind our sleves to the light of Christ and his word.
The light of God’s glory found in Christ.
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The light can become completely obscured to those whose eyes are blinded by sin. You can’t see Jesus because you’ve allowed yourself to become so infected by the disease of sin.
In other words, if we miss seeing Jesus for all he is, the problem isnt with him, its with our blinded eyes.
3.) The caution against darkness. (v.35-36)
3.) The caution against darkness. (v.35-36)
35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
It seems as if Jesus knew what the response to his saying, “if you don’t accept me its because of you're sinful condition not me giving you enough evidence”, would be. He knew this would cause them to be indignant.
“How dare you say we’re blinded because of sin.”
So, he tells them to “Be careful” the NASB says “Watch out”.
It could also be translated as “Keep an eye on” or “note carefully” or “pay attention to” or even “be concerned about.”
Jesus was calling them to do some self examination because they were in danger of thinking that the darkness in them was actually light. They were self deceived by their religiosity and missing the light of the gospel.
Sadly, this same thing happens today. There are many today who think the darkness of the sin they are walking in is actually light. That is a terrible place to be.
Jesus and his death, burial and resurrection is the light of God. It is the only path of salvation, seeing any other light than this is in fact darkness.
So, watch out! Don’t refuse to turn from your sin and turn to Christ.
But, for those who do turn to Christ his light opens up countless windows of blessing.
Notice the Lord’s language here in vs.36 (READ IT AGAIN)
Turning to Jesus as Lord and Savior opens your spiritual eyes.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Friend, Jesus is the light of the world; He is the light to which we must open our blinded eyes too. I plead with you today to come into the light. Don’t miss Jesus.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Jesus message here about lamps, light and eyes, is a call to those who are blinded by sin to turn to him, the light of the world for salvation.
But, there is also application here for those who have received light, who are already christians.
Jesus call to “be careful lest the light in you becomes darkness” has application to you as well.
You see if we’re not careful, we can let sin creep back into our lives and dull the light we have received.
Not that sin can take away the light of Jesus, but it can obscure the light to the point it affects our walk with the Lord and to the point, that perhaps we cant even tell if we’re christians or not.
How do we keep this from happening?
Practice healthy introspection. Look inwardly, examine ourselves to see where we are being hindered by sin.
We must be people of prayer. - Confess our sin, when needed and ask the Lord to keep our eyes clear.
Read the word of God with expectancy.- Asking God to shine his light upon us. Spend real quality time in the word, fully concentrating on the light it brings.
When we do this, we will keep our eyes healthy.