Bring the Kingdom: Light
Bringing the Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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What do I believe God wants us to know? We are the light
Why? Light brings hope, life, wisdom, connection to God
What do I believe God wants us to do? Shine your light
Why? It leads people to Jesus, gives people hope, wisdom, delight
ME/WE
One of the desires we all have, believer, skeptic, critic is we want to make an impact on our world. We want our lives to count, to make a difference.
NOBODY’S GOAL IS I HOPE I JUST EXIST WITH NO GOAL OR AIM
Everyone says I want to impact the world in some way.
GOOD NEWS IS JESUS SHARES WITH US IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT HOW TO MAKE A POSTIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
LAST WEEK WE LEARNED ABOUT THE FIRST PART OF THIS BY LEARING WE ARE... SALT OF THE WORLD
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
We learned last
Salt… 3 things we learned enhances flavor, prevents decay, and heals
In similar way we are to
Enhance the flavor of the places we are being like Jesus and the fruit of the Spirit.
Prevent decay by preserving, standing on truth and sharing truth
We are to heal people physcially, emotoinally, spiritually, and relationally....We are doctors, surgeons, and nurses in the room...I need healing, you need healing.
Now Jesus is going to continue on and share another way we make a diffrence in the world.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
You are not can be...YOU ARE THE LIGHT...BECAUSE THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS, HIS LIGHT IS IN YOU
JESUS SAYS YOU ARE LIGHT...WHICH IS A POWERFUL STATEMENT AT THE TIME....MOUTH WOULD HAVE DROPPED, MINDS WOULD HAVE BEEN CONFUSED, HEARTS WOUDL HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGED.
WHY? becuase in that day those who were called LIGHT were A SELECT FEW CALLED LIGHT...WISE SAGES,RABBI, PRIESTS, PROPHETS...NOT “REGULAR PEOPLE”
WHY? BECUASE PART OF LIGHT MEANS THEY ARE ENLIGHTENED, THEY ARE BRIGHT, THEY ARE WISDOM, REVEALING OF TRUHT, EXPOSERS OF LIES
JESUS SAYS YOU ARE LIGHT, BECAUSE HIS TRUTH IS IN YOU, REVEALED TO YOU BY HOLY SPIRIT.
LIGHT IS NOT JUST A TRUTH REVEALER IT IS A MOOD ENHANCER LIGHT IS ALSO A MOOD ENHANCER...ANYBODY THROGHLY ENJOY TUESDAY IN CLEVELAND WHEN IT WAS 60 DEGREES AND SUNNY!...IT CHANGES THE MOOD OF GOOD.
JESUS SAYS TO US WE ARE LIGHT, WE ARE TO HAVE OUR LIGHT SHINE...
We are not to hide it.
We are not to undercover Christian a secret agent that no one is guessing or shocked…as a teen
The question is how do we make our light shine?
Two of the ways today
We let our light shine through
ATTITUDE
No, I am not referring to having an attitude of arrogance, negativity, or rudeness.
Having attitude of Christ, AN ATTITUDE HE WOULD WOULD HAVE HAS YOUR LIKE SHINE
What does that look like?
ONE aspect of the heart of Jesus like attitude
Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
Do all things…all things means...all things
Do all things without grumbling, the Greek word means muttering or argueing
At this point...we want to say ALL THINGS???
Everywhere????
Even when that person offends me
EVEN WHEN WE DON’T GET OUR WAY?????? LIFE IS NOT GOING MY WAY….
Even social media where it is full of grumbling and arguing...and it is a horrible and ineffective place to argue...I cannot recall a time when people argued online and thought that was productive.
Even at work??? The place where I have great difficulty with some people
YES.…
How am I suppose to speak then I I disagree? SOMETIMES the best advise is if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it all.
BUT they hurt me
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
But there times you need to speak and we need wisdom to know when to speak or not speak?
And When you do speak
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Why should we do this?
Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
Why should we do this?
We do this so we shine like stars into our world.
STARS are BRIGHT and part of why you will be bright is becasue our human nature likes to complain..
COMPLAINIG DROPS BOMBS and destroys bridges and relationships
And our flesh likes it
..NEWS STATIONS complain, socailly media complains, neighbor complains, our flesh wants to complain.
We see this all over the Bible
God delieverd Israel from slavary, give them mannan, food from the sky, and they we want to go back to slavary and we want meat.
Can you imagine if in our families, friendships, neighborshoods, social media, workplaces WE DID GRUMBLE or COMPLAIN???
at this point some people say I don’t know what to talk about
I have been there....there are some people I have had relationships with that our converstaions were around complaining about certain things and God convicted us to stop it and it was eye opening and convicting how much we were complaining...But w
Our workplaces and families would be radically different for the better…
IT WILL LIGHT UP THE ROOM
WE SHINE OUR LIGHT THROUGH OUR ATTITUDE
2. We can also shine through our ACTION/GOOD DEEDS
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
They may say our good works, good deeds, good actions and glorify God...they ask why are you so Good...because Jesus is inside of me.
What are good deeds?
Actions that reflect the character of Jesus…actions of LOVE, MERCY, GOODNESS
Where are some of the place and ways we can shine our light in ways that have action, that are good works?
There are numerous and I will cover a few.
We can shine our lights in our workplaces...Often this gets overlooked, but people you work with see you a lot and therefore you have a lot of opportunity to share your light with them.
How? By being good and kind worker
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
There are stories of co-workers who lead others to Christ because they are kind and good working.
Your workplace might have hired you but employeed you to shine light a start in your workplace.
If we are like the rest of the world why would it matter?
Why do you work like this? Jesus alls me to work as if He is working
Shine in action by
2. Encouraging someone
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
There are people who need the words God has given to share with them to encourage them. To put courage in them.
If someone is down….I think it safe to say for a lot of us our natural state of mind can be UP or DOWN??
Text them
3. Pray for them
Tell them you are praying for them, ask them what you can pray for them about Pray for people
People might be against Jesus but most people are not agaisnt prayer
4. Bless others
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
How? Talents
Gifts you are a gifted handyman or woman and someone needs helps with something you can bless them with your skills
Finanically
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
Someone has a need and you bless them financially
Bless them with time.
This week how can you make you light shine?
With your attitude....don’t complain or argue…get off of social media or news stations
With you actions…God how can I bless people today?
for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
