Take Care How You Hear

Remember that this is still the same topic as the parable of the sower. Jesus hasn’t changed topics yet. He is now giving further information to those who accept the word as good soil giving further instruction.

Take Care How You Hear

The warning at the end of this passage ties into the parable of the sower.

Don’t assume that you are the good soil. Listen the description that Jesus gives and discern what type of soil you are.

If you are good soil, then when he speaks of the light. He is speaking to you. If you are the good soil, you will let your light shine.

The light

When electricians go through a house to see where to put lights, they use obsolete locations to place a light. They will place lights in enough area’s so that everything in the room is lit.

Before modern electricity came about they would use lamps, I don’t know if you’ve used a lamp or a candle in the case of a power outage but one thing that you would notice is that they are greatly under powered. They do not illuminate very much which would make it even more necessary to have the lamp in a smart location. Make sure that you were making the best use of the light you had.

In the same way if you are the good soil you need to let your light shine.

What is the metaphor of light. What is Jesus saying we should not be covering up?

Light illuminates things, it exposes the unseen. It has been used to describe knowledge, truth, goodness, and understanding.

John 8:12 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

He is the one who exposes the truth, he is the one who shows us the meaning of life. He is the one who shows us what is right, and what is wrong.

Everyone has a worldview, the lens which you look at the world through, and that world view governs what we believe is moral, what is right and what is wrong.

Your worldview must be through the lens of Jesus, through the lens of what we are told in the bible.

It is through the truth, the light that we find in scripture that we can begin to see so we can navigate through this world.

People don’t want to come to the light

John 3:19 ESV

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.

People don’t want to have their sins exposed, they don’t want to be told abortions are evil. They want to live their lives the way that they want and believe they are good people. When we come to Jesus, to the light we realize the agonizing truth, that we are sinners, we are not inherently good people.

When we come to Jesus, that light is in us. We are not the source of the light, we are to reflect the light.

Ephesians 5:8–11 ESV

8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

We are not to participate in the works of darkness, we are to expose the darkness for what it is.

Cosmic treason against an almighty God.

This is how we let our light shine for all to see.

Is this a scary en devour?

Ya it is,

Matthew was run through with a spear, after he had converted much of Egypt.

James the brother of John was beheaded. However his devotion to Jesus was so great that the one who brought him to be judged by the council became a christian and was beheaded with him.

Many of the prophets were killed because they shined the holiness of God, they showed people their sin and called them to repentance.

But we are not of this world, we are here for a reason, then we go to the real life. Eternity.

Are you shining for Jesus?

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and savior, knowing that He is the only name by which we might be saved, no other way.

If yes, then do you shine for Him?

Are you being an encouragement?

Phone calls, text messages, your posts on social media. Is your goal to be a light for Jesus?

Are we calling for repentance?

There are so many things that are going on that are against the commands of God.

Even though people might not believe or want to obey the commands of God, they will be judged according to them.

We have this disease going around, I’m not going to presume the will of God, but in the bible God would use thing like this to wake up the people.

If people are afraid of death or the unknown because of this, it could be a time to point them to Jesus and call them to repentance.

Jesus would heal people, forgive people, and leave them with go and sin no more.

Nothing is Hidden

This is why we are called to repent.

We get away with nothing. The things you do in secret, even your secret thoughts, God knows.

Hebrews 4:13 ESV

13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

One day, everyone else will know.

Examine Your Life

Don’t just assume that you are the good soil. You must examine your life.

If you are the good soil, are you being light. Are you showing people the love of Jesus, are you being an encouragement.

Are you calling people to repent, and showing them how a holy God wants them to live.

We are to reflect the light of our savior. Remember, Jesus wasn’t crucified because He was a nice guy who never wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings.