Light of the World, Part 2

Introduction

Last week, we looked at the darkness of this world and the fact that those outside of Christ are in darkness. We looked at the eternal darkness that awaits those that reject Christ. We saw that Jesus described it as the outer darkness and a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. We finished last week by identifying Jesus as the light of the world.

This morning, we want to examine what Jesus said about us being the light of the world. He made it very apparent that we cannot hide our belief in Him. This morning may be another one of those sermons that the Lord uses to expose our inconsistencies. I hope and pray that you will evaluate yourself in light of our scripture this morning.

Please stand with me as we consider the words of our Lord as recorded in

Matthew 5:14–16 NKJV

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

You are the light of the world.

You are the light of the world.

A light is used to illuminate an area that needs to be seen.

If you want to see something in a dark area, you use a light.

A doctor will use a light to look in your ear, nose, and mouth.

We have lights in our homes to help us see at night.

If you are in an unfamiliar area in the dark, then you use a light to show you the way.

Many of us use the light on our phone to illuminate our path in the dark.

If you go to Savannah at night, often times you will see the light from a towboat.

They will use a spotlight to illuminate the bank of the river.

A light can bring focus to an object.

Theaters will use spotlights to bring focus to a particular character.

A light can be a signal.

Safety

Danger

Hazards

Caution

We are to illuminate the world, drive back the darkness.

We are to light the way to Christ.

We are to bring the attention of others to Christ.

We are to be a signal of the dangers of sin, and the harbor that is the church.

A hidden light is worthless.

A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

The lights from a city with a high altitude causes it to be seen from a far distance.

It is near impossible to hide a city on a hill.

You would have to organize the citizens to not use any light source at night.

Even then, the city would be visible during the day.

A lamp is not made to be covered.

It makes no sense to cover a lamp that has been lit.

You do not get the full benefit of having the lamp lit if you cover it.

It will not shine like it could or should.

Yet, this is exactly what we are doing.

When we hide our identity as believers in Jesus Christ, it is as if we are putting our lamp under a basket or trying to hide a city on a hill.

When we put our needs above others, including God.

The way you react to a situation that infringes on your rights.

While Driving.

At the bank.

In the store.

At church.

General selfishness.

Not giving God the time He deserves.

Not giving God the money He deserves.

Our Facebook posts.

Some of us need to ask ourselves, “What would Jesus think if He saw this on my Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter?”

Too many of us will come to church and be all churchy with social media on Sunday and then hide the light of Christ in our lives with our constant posts of worldliness, griping, blasphemy, and perversion.

Not growing in Christ.

Attending Sunday morning worship should lead to being part of a small group or Sunday School class. Being part of a Sunday School class should lead to serving in the church in some way.

How is your lamp?

A lamp with no oil will not burn.Parable of 10 virgins.Look at these two lamps.The Bible uses oil to represent the Holy Spirit of God.Without the Holy Spirit, the lamp will not burnWith the Holy Spirit, the lamp burns bright and cannot be hidden.Holy Spirit is present in those that have been born again.Let your light shine bright so that people will see what God has done in you and for you.

Matthew 25:1–13 NKJV

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

A lamp with no oil will not burn.

The Bible uses oil to represent the Holy Spirit of God.

Without the Holy Spirit, the lamp will not burn.

The absence of the Holy Spirit working in your heart is a clear indication that you have not been saved. It is impossible to be a follower of Christ without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

With the Holy Spirit, the lamp burns bright and cannot be hidden.

Holy Spirit is present in those that have been born again.

While the Holy Spirit is present in every person that is born again, the amount of the anointing and filling of the Spirit fluctuates based upon your fellowship with the Lord.

You can not have the reservoir of your lamp be full of sin, self, and the world and expect the Lord to fill you.

We need to empty ourselves of the world, sin, and self.

We need to invite the Lord to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to fill us with the Holy Spirit. He is the fuel that causes our lights to shine the brightest.

A lamp with an untrimmed wick will not burn.

Just as important as confessing our sins and asking the Lord to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, we must purpose in our hearts to abstain from sin, to be in the Word of God, and to spend much time in prayer.

You see, the wick, it draws the oil up out of the reservoir and it allows the oil to burn at the other end.

So, for our lights to burn brightly for the Lord, we need to be soaking in the Holy Spirit with sin, self, and the world trimmed from us.

We cannot just eliminate or attempt to eliminate certain or most sin from our lives, we must replace those things with the things of God. We must eliminate the things of darkness from our lives so that our lights can shine brightly and for God’s glory.

Glorify God!

We are to be different from the world.

We are to be as different from the world as light is from dark.

Rather than being influenced by the world, we are to shine brightly. We are not to hide our faith but display it for the world to see.

Now, I am not talking about having a fish sticker on your car, a cross around your neck, or any other fake display of your Christianity.

Let the world see Christ in the way that you live:

How you spend your time.

How you dress.

How you respond to adversity.

How your faith carries you through the most difficult of times.

Philippians 2:12–16 NKJV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Philippians 2:12-

The apostle Paul told us how to shine as lights in the world:

Do all things without complaining and disputing - God is working in us and through us for His good pleasure.

Everything we think, say, and do should be done for God’s glory.

If you will live your life for God and are a light to the world, your life will be a wordless sermon. Even the lost will observe the light and give glory to God.

Christian, if there is anything that I encourage you to do, it would be this: Quit being influenced by the world and give God preeminence in your life. If you will put Christ first, He will make sure that your light shines out and pushes back the darkness of this world!

Decision

Some of you have not been letting your light shine. You may have been trying to hide your faith at work or school. Maybe there are some friends that know you go to church, but they see no evidence of church making a difference in your life. I invite you to come to the altar and lay down whatever sin has been hiding your light. Repent of it, and ask the Lord to help you to shine brighter than you ever have before.

There are some here this morning that has never had their light to shine. When I touched on the absence of oil in the lamp was indicative of the Holy Spirit not being present, the Lord showed you that you need to be saved. I invite you to come this morning as we sing and meet Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Some of you this morning have been trying to live the Christian life without the filling of the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to come to the altar and repent of your sins and ask the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit so that your light will shine.