THIS LITTLE LIGHT

The PROCLAMATION of light. (v. 14a)

Matthew 5:14 ESV

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

We are called the light of the world due to the world’s CONDITION.

2 Corinthians 4:4–6 ESV

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 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.

Acts 26:12–18 ESV

“In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

We are called the light of the world due to our new CLASSIFICATION.

Ephesians 5:8 ESV

for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Colossians 1:13 ESV

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

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.

It is the reality of the world’s darkness that makes Jesus’ pronouncement so thrilling. “You [emphatic: you alone] are the light of the world [and no one else!].” If we are truly believers, we are the light of the world! To say such a thing about ourselves without divine precedent and sanction would be the height of arrogance. But Jesus said it, and it is easily one of the most amazing statements to ever fall from Christ’s lips—especially realizing what we are like when left to ourselves. It is a fact—we are light. Jesus is the light; the world is in darkness; and believers are light. If we are believers, we will shine somehow, some way.

We are called the light of the world due to God’s COMMITMENT to the salvation of people from all people groups.

Isaiah 49:6 ESV

he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

The PLACEMENT of light. (v. 14b – 15)

Matthew 5:14–15 ESV

“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.

Light is not VIABLE if it is not VISIBLE

Our Lord dramatizes the function of light by giving two examples—a city perched on a hill and a light set in a home. First, believers are to function like a city set on a hill. Jesus says, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden” (v. 14b). There is no way to obscure a city on the crest of a hill. Cities on hills cannot be hidden. Believers are like this. They are visible. There is no such thing as an invisible believer. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones said, “If we find in ourselves a tendency to put the light under a bushel, we must begin to examine ourselves and make sure that it really is ‘light.’ ”3

That is good, gracious advice! Do we hide our light? And if so, are we really light? Christians are visible, and this visibility makes them like the beckoning lights of a city on a hill. Inside there is light and what goes with it—warmth and safety.

In addition to being like a hilltop city, Christians are like an ancient household lamp. Jesus goes on to say, “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house” (v. 15).

The point is unmistakable: The principal function of a household lamp, and of a believer, is to provide illumination to all around. This simple metaphor tells us so much. Light reveals things as they really are. All of us have at some time walked into an unfamiliar room and have felt our way to the lamp and turned the light on, discovering a room far different from what we imagined. Light also promotes life. Even broken bones mend faster if we can soak up some sunlight. Light is persistent. It constantly assaults the surface of the earth and will penetrate the slightest crack. The darkest place is not safe from it if the tiniest opening appears. Light also awakens us.

Jesus, our Captain and Model, did all of these things and more by bringing spiritual light into the world. He did not make the darkness darker—he simply made it felt. His life was such that men and women were made to feel what they could not feel before—their sin, imperfection, and impurity. Christ made possible a clearer distinction between good and evil. He eliminated the option of thinking ourselves good by comparison with others. He was and is the standard! At the same time his perfectly beautiful life drew men and women to him. We are lamps, and the Householder places us strategically. “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand.” The light is placed strategically so it can shine to best advantage. And God does the placing. We are simply to shine where we are placed. In fact, it is in the darker and less promising places that light has the greatest effect. Consider Dr. Boris Kornfeldt who shared his faith with the diseased and sickly Alexander Solzhenitsyn in the Russian Gulag. God calls us to shine where we are. “Brighten the corner where you are.”

How beautiful this all is! God has made us visible like a city on a hill. God has enabled us to illumine life like a lamp in a dark room. God has placed us where he wants us to shine to best advantage. Our presence is meant to reveal life, sin, and goodness as they are—to provide a light that draws others to it like a summer lamp. How beautiful it is when this happens. Some time ago a young man spent a week with my family. He had lived across the street from us a number of years earlier. He had been just a boy then but was a strapping 6’4” when he came to stay with us, visiting one of my sons. During that time he committed his life to Christ because of the light he had seen over the years. How wonderful it is when we see this occur.

The PURPOSE of light. (v. 16)

Matthew 5:16 ESV

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.

It DISPELS darkness through illumination.

Ephesians 5:11 ESV

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Men don’t know that they are living in darkness until they are exposed to the light. They don’t call it darkness but their need for enlightenment. This has been man’s quest for centuries. As stated in previous sermons; enlightenment does not come through outward corrections such as education or environment. Listen to Paul’s words in

Ephesians 4:18 ESV

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

We live in a world of darkness filled with because 2/3’s of our world, and this conservative estimate, have yet to come to the Light. Men perpetuate darkness because they have dark hearts. Man has head knowledge of what plaques him. However, he lacks sufficient power to change. Change is not wrought in our minds but in our hearts. Man does not need more knowledge but a new heart that can obey what he knows.

It gives DIRECTION to the lost through ILLUSTRATION.

Being rescued from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light gives an illustrative hope and while illuminating a path of salvation.

Acts 26:24–29 ESV

And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

Let me remind us all that people are not saved by our lives. However, our lives can either bring clarity or confusion. Is your life bringing clarity or confusion to the Gospel?

It DECLARES God’s glory through ILLICIT living.

Our light shines brightest and most clearly through illicit living. Illicit not meaning illegal but a behavior that is unacceptable by prevailing social standards. Our standard of living as declared by the Beatitudes is clearly unaccepted by today’s prevailing social standards. It is this type of living that brings clarity to our message.

The POWER of light.

It gives SIGHT.

Scripture tells us that we where blinded to the gospel by Satan and our own deadness. However, God in his sovereignty sought us through many means but mainly through those whom he calls “the light of the world.”

It gives SENSE.

It gives STABILITY.

It gives STRENGTH.

Light’s POTENTIAL.

What is the potential of our light? There is no limitation to our light potentiality. Paul states in

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

We must expose ourselves to Jesus, delight in his Word, and spend time in prayer soaking up his rays. As Paul says: If you want to shine in the night, keep your eye on the Light.

Not merely in the words you say,

Not only in your deeds confessed.

But in the most unconscious way

Is Christ expressed.

Is it a radiant smile?

A holy light upon your brow?

Oh no! I felt His presence

When you laughed just now.

To me, ’twas not the truth you taught,

To you so clear, to me still dim.

But when you came you brought

A sense of Him.

And from your eyes He beckons me,

And from your heart His love is shed,

Till I lose sight of you and see

The Christ instead.