Light, Listening, and Relationships

LIGHT, LISTENING, AND RELATIONSHIPS

Luke 8:16-21

I. LIGHT

Let us take a moment to hear the Bibles first record of God speaking.

Genesis 1:1-5 (NASB) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Then God said, “Let there be light.” If you read the passage carefully, the Sun and Moon have not been created yet. Where did the light come from?

Thumb ahead to a Messianic passage in Isaiah 60:19 (NASB) "No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory.

Isaiah six-hundred years before Christ looks ahead to God’s great recreation of all things. Finally, let us follow through to the end of the Bible, Revelation 22:5 (NASB) And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

The Bible often talks about the loss as wandering around in darkness.

Isaiah spoke of the coming of the Messiah as being a light that those wandering in the darkness will see.

Isaiah 9:2 (NASB) The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.

Matthew declared that Jesus would be that light. Matthew 4:16 (NASB) "THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED."

READ LUKE 8:16-21

II. SETTING THE STAGE

Luke is continuing to recount the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples and also the crowds that were following Him.

Luke 8:1-2a, 4 (NASB) 1 Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, 2 and also some women ... 4 When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:

JESUS AND PARABLES

Again, this week we will look at a parable of Jesus, the Parable of the Lamp. Let us quickly review what a parable is and why Jesus used them. The Greek word is paraballô and it simply means to throw alongside or to compare. It is a narrative of some fictitious or real event, in order to illustrate more clearly some truth that the speaker wished to communicate.[1]

Greek Word: παραβάλλω

Transliterated Word: paraballô

To throw alongside; to compare.

Luke 8:10 (NASB) And He said, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.

Jesus taught several times using the symbolism of light and lamps. One of the most famous “light” passages, if not the most famous is found in

Matthew 5:14-16 (NASB) 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

This passage helps better understand the parable here in Luke.

III. BEING LIGHT!

This verse follows the “good soil” explanation of the parable of the sower.

Luke 8:16 (NASB) "Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

The Greek word here for light is the Greek Word: φῶς , phôs [2] It simply is the object light or daylight.

A. CHRIST FOLLOWERS REFLECT THE LIGHT OF CHRIST.

We are to be light like Jesus is light.

Look at these following verses about Jesus:

· John 1:4-9 (NASB) 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

· John 8:12 (NASB) Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

B. LIGHT IS MEANT TO ILLUMINE

We let our light shine so people might see Christ glory!

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NASB) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Look at what Paul says in Philippians 2:14-16 (NASB) 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

To have an impact on the world we must act as He acts.

IV. LIGHT IS USELESS IF IT IS HID!

Luke 8:17 (NASB) "For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

Jesus reminded His followers that when you light a lamp, you do not hide it! You light a lamp to be seen. The Greek word here for light is a different word from the word, phôs. This word is Greek Word: φανερός, phaneros.[3] This word means to make visible or to manifest. It is what happens when you turn the light on.

You turn your lamp on or light a candle to reveal what is in the darkness.

You don’t hide your lamp.

A few years ago, Tena and I received a call from a deacon’s wife who said her husband would be care-flighted away to a distant hospital. We did make our way to the city and hospital were our friend was. He had taken a fall and ruptured his spleen. He survived, but how he was injured is interesting.

He got up during the middle of the decided and not to turn the lights on in their living room and tripped and landed on a table and that is how he ruptured his spleen.

Do you turn of all the lights at home after dark so you can walk around in it? No! you turn your lights on so you can see your way around.

If your light shines as it should you cannot hide it.

V. LISTEN UP!

Luke 8:18 (NASB) "So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him."

What is Jesus talking about here. He is not talking about losing your salvation, He is talking about having your salvation.

Remember the parable of the light is following the parable of the sower. Not all the seed went into fertile ground.

Luke 8:5-7 (NASB) 5 "The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 "Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 "Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

Let us go back to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:21-23 (NASB) 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Barna released a study recently that said that 1/3 of all evangelicals have walked away from their churches for good during the COVID crises.

VI. THE MOST IMPORTANT BOND

Luke 8:19-21 (NASB) 19 And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was reported to Him, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You." 21 But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

This in our culture might actually seem rude, but Jesus is not trying to be rude, He is telling us what is important.

Following Christ is more important than any family bond. Listen to the words of Jesus in

Luke 14:25-27 (NASB) 25 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

[1] Albert Barnes, Barnes' Notes on the New Testament, ed. Robert Frew, WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Matthew 13".

[2] New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

[3] Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.