Why Hide the Light?
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Song: This little light of mine.
Need: What is shining the light? Listening and obeying God’s Word.
Main Idea: The Word of God must not be covered
After the parable of the Sower. The word of God goes out. Hopefully into good soil. He will use a different illustration here.
Luke 8:16-21
Reason #1: The Word of God reveals what is hidden (16-17)
Exp. Notice the new illustration Jesus uses. You don’t cover a lamp after you light it. Verse 16. Light represents the Word of God. Fire could be dangerous. But it’s illogical. Lighting a room is the function of the lamp. To cover it after you lit it is illogical.
Ill. Like turning on the vacuum cleaner and sticking it in the closet. Or opening a book to turn on Netflix. It doesn’t make sense. To hide God’s Word around a confused and dark generation actually doesn’t make sense.
Exp. He continues in verse 17. Parallelism. Two lines meaning the same thing. That which is hidden, will be made known. What is being revealed:
The Kingdom of God. Luke 8:10
10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’
Jesus is the Messiah. Acts 2:36
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
The hearts of sinners. John 3:19-21
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. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Christ - Jesus is the Word, and reveals all that the OT was describing. He is also the light that shines to reveal the darkness of our hearts.
App. What do we do?
Shine the Word of God around you.
Shine the Word of God in you.
Reason #2: The Word of God fills those who hear (18)
Exp. After he defines the purpose of the light, he explains the result with a Hebrew proverb. Verse 18. “The one who has” refers to hearing. Means the more you hear, the more you will get. The less you hear, the less you will get. What does that mean? One commentator said that Christians are “leaky.”
Ill. Nissan Altima. Rebuilt engine. Put oil in every two weeks. Leaking oil all the time. Christians are like that. Putting in oil today won’t last. The quite time you had yesterday won’t last you four months.
Arg. Not only constant attention, we need to give deep attention.
The word of God cannot be given superficial attention; it must be engaged, weighed, pondered. Jesus’ audience is like a group of prisoners planning an escape, like mountaineers pursuing a perilous and solitary route to the summit. Success depends on hearing, learning, and remembering. - James Edwards
Christ - Nothing in this life will satisfy until we drink from the water of life. We are leaky Christians, in need of the water of life. Jesus, the word made flesh, is the water of life. John 4. Nourishes us.
App. What do we do?
To prevent the dryness:
Drink from God’s Word regularly. It matters little how you do it as long as you do. Not Tik Tok videos or Instagram. Small sips over time. Why we preach expositional sermons.
When you are dry:
Drink from God’s Word regularly. Don’t try to go fire hydrant because you’re behind. Small sips over time.
Reason #3: The Word of God unites a new family (19-21)
Exp. In the crowd, Jesus mother and his brothers try to get to him, but they can’t. Verses 19-21. What a shocking statement to this crowd. Imagine Christian teaching and Bethany and Ezra trying to get to him and he said that. One of the things to be revealed is his coming and uniting of the family of God. Family = those who hear the word of God and do it. Bookending how this all started with the parable. Remember, all the soils hear the word. But those who do it are family.
Ill. Like getting drafted in NFL. Brought onto a team. Then play like you’re a part of the team. Christians don’t have jerseys. People wear cross necklaces or cross tattoos, but that’s not what signifies a believer. Doing what the Word of God says to do.
Arg. Other Scripture points to this.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Christ - Jesus is the son who went out to bring in the family of God. The older son who went out and brought in new younger sons. The family of God forges new bonds in Christ. Many who have gone deeper with relationships within the body rather than their own family.
App. What to do? Act like you’re a part of the family of God.
Hear and do God’s Word.
Join into his family.
Conclusion
Whoever says obedience is unnecessary has missed the mark. But obedience isn’t the end. God’s Word is. We shouldn’t hide it. We should follow it. Obey it.
