We Are The Light House ( “Is Your Light ON”)In

Intro:

Isaiah 42:5–7 CSB

Matthew 5:14–16 CSB

14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Isaiah 42:6–7 ““I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.”

People of God, In days of old; sailors and fishermen would go out and travel the seas in search of food and freedom. They wanted better their community in which they lived better. They would spend days, and night out trying to make enough money to feed their families. They would come home before the dead of night. If they came home late at night; they probably knew the area and could navigate their way home!! But sometimes they were out and couldn’t come home but they had to lay anchor somewhere else but they didn’t know the dangers of the waters. Thus comes in the lighthouses. Let me give you a quick overview of what the Lighthouse does. Lighthouses or beacons are towers with bright lights and fog horns located at important or dangerous locations. They serve to warn mariners of dangerous and shallow and perilous rocky coast; they also safely being sailors in and our of harbors. Some of the messages were to warn them of Danger or to tell them to Come This Way. I ran across an article from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Assosciation in June of this year. They asked this questions, Why are lighthouses important; or Do light houses still serve a purpose? In a time now where sailors have fancy equipment and technology might be advancing to the point that there is no need for a lighthouse. But If we don’t have a lighthouse then the sailors will have trouble. No matter how the world may be advancing there will still be a need for a lighthouses. But Min. Frank, this is all good information and all but we don’t have any lighthouses in Greenwood or in Mississippi. Well might I suggest to you that there might not be a physical lighthouse but there are spiritual ones. We are the Lighthouses. Yes, we the church as a whole and you as an individual are lighthouses. God has uniquely called us to let our light shine before men. We are called to shine bright! But just as the government is asking Whats the use and purpose of the lighthouse. The world is asking the same. Whats the purpose of the church and What’s the use of the church.

But I’ve come today to encourage Living Faith and those that are watching us online that We are the lighthouse. We are those that are called to be the light of the World. We are the ones that beckon them to come to Jesus. We are the ones that tells them of the danger of being away. But we have to know who we are. We are to shine bright with the Light of the Lord.

Help me tell my title to someone next to you. We Are The Lighthouse.

That person didn’t get it. Hey, did you know that we are the Lighthouses. Give God a shout of Praise

We have a Purpose

In a world and in a time where people are seeking new identities and new purposes in life. But its important for us know that we are not a people without purpose and identity. Our purpose can only be affirmed in Christ Jesus. We can try and seek for who we are in the world but it will not suffice. It’s only when you fully trust what God has to say about you and your purpose will you find fulfillment. We read earlier Isaiah 42 . It says in verse 6 that God called us for a righteous purpose. One version says that he called for us to live right. This purpose that the church is called to is a righteous purpose. We just have to be confident of what God has called us to. Phillipians 1:6 says that being confident of this very thing that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until that day of Jesus Christ. So there is nothing we can say or do that will stop us from becoming all that God has for us to be. In that same verse of Isaiah 42 God says I will hold you by your hands; watch over you and appoint you as a light to the nations. Just like a parent does with a child. When the child gets to the point of walking you are always there watching with hands ready to catch that baby from falling. This is the same way that God does for us. He will give us an assignment and a purpose, but he will not leave us to ourselves. He will watch over us and lead us and guide us. He arms are not to short to where he can’t save us. This is the righteous call that God has called us to. We are called to be a light to the world. Through our walk, our talk, our character. God has called us to open blinded eyes, to bring out prisoners and to deliver those sitting in darkness. How are we suppose to do that Minister Frank. By being the lighthouse. The devil may have us deceived that our purpose is not going to be fullfilled but the devil is a liar. We will rise to the place that God has called us to. We are the lighthouses. We do have a purpose sent by God and with his help we will complete the assignment.

We Can No Longer Hide

Now that we know that we have a purpose as a body of Christ and also as individuals. There is something else that we must know. If we are to be the Lighthouses that God calls us to be. We can no longer hide!!! We are called to shine as Brightly as possible. But what happens when we hide our light. When a lighthouses light is hidden; it potentially puts those that are are looking toward it at risk of running a ground. So we can’t hide our light because some one needs it. I know that the light of God brings about for some of us unnecessary attention. There are some of us that like to sit on the sidelines. But God says that I placed you on a hill. You can’t be hidden. But I hear you, But that’s not my personality; thats not who I am. I’m soft spoken, I’m reserved. That’s all well and Good but It’s time out for hiding. We use to let sing a song that says This little light of mine i’m going to let it shine. Now there are some that say that I’m only going to let it shine on Sunday and the other six days I’m going to hide who I am.

While we may be shocked that some might say that. We sometimes unconciosly do it with out knowing that we are. We hid When are at our jobs, and in the stores, and in our neighborhoods. We act as if we are secret Christians.

A secret Christian is as incongruous (out of place) as a hidden light. Lights are to illuminate, not to be hidden; to be displayed, not to be covered.

John F. MacArthur

But God says, that I sat you on this hill at an elevated position so you can be seen. You have to be seen. Someone needs you. Someone needs your testimony, someone needs your yes. We have to come out of hiding. (Share your vision)

We have to Share this Light

Now that we have come to grips with us having a calling and a purpose. We have stopped hiding now we have to share this light.

How do we do that?!

We have to now live out lives as God would have us to. Our lives have to exemplify Christ. God says that We have to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works, our right life, and glorify the Father.

We have to live with Integrity.

The three most important ingredients in Christian work are integrity, integrity, integrity.

Charles Colson

Integrity is what you do when nobody else is looking.

We sometimes think that just because nobody can see me. That God doesn’t know!! God is everywhere we are!! We have to live with that knowledge.

If we want to be with that Lighthouse that God is calling us to be. We have to be Intentional and Integreous to all that God has called us too. Then and only then will we shine as bright as God wants us too.