Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

Introduction

We come this morning to a very important passage that will teach us the importance of perceiving the truth of God, and allowing that truth to pervade our lives and to have control over us in terms of how we conduct ourselves in this world.

When we look at the Scriptures, we find numerous contrasts that are given in order to distinguish between that which is good and that which is evil.

One of the key pictures that the Scriptures using order to convey this is that of light and darkness.

Satan is portrayed as that entity that stands for and represents darkness.

God is the one that is light and life.

In this passage that we have before us this morning, we find a picture of light and darkness coming into play.

At the outset this morning, I want us recognise that this passage that we’re considering this morning doesn't primarily refer to Christians being the light of the world, or the church shining in the world of darkness.

Scripture does certainly speak to those issues, but that is not his main point as he addresses his audience in this passage.

Rather, he is addressing individuals.

What is important for us to see over here is that individual people will either be illumined by that which is light, or they will remain in a state of perpetual darkness.

As he addresses this crowd that is before him in this moment, he is issuing a warning to them that they ought to be very careful to know if they are illumined within their lives with the light of God, or if they are actually lost in darkness.

For us as Christians today, this is also a very important question to keep in our minds.

We need to evaluate ourselves and our lives and ask ourselves if we are truly being illumined by Jesus Christ as we live out our lives in this world.

Of course we like to think that we are being illumined by the light of Jesus Christ.

We would honestly say to ourselves and to others that Christ is the one that is eliminating us and guiding us.

However we need to make a careful evaluation of ourselves in order to determine if this is truly the case.

So as we go into this study this morning, let us prayerfully consider our own lives and our own manner of life, and seek to answer the question honestly today, am I being illumined by Christ?

Background Context

As we come to this passage this morning, it's very important that we understand the context into which Luke was writing the words of Christ.

Christ was speaking here to the Pharisees and religious leaders, as well as many from the crowds that were around him.

The words of Christ in our present passage flow directly out of what is preceded and what we've looked at over the last two weeks.

This is not a new thought or idea.

Rather, Christ is speaking these words on the basis of what has just happened.

You will recall that Jesus had healed a demon possessed man.

A man was mute, he couldn't speak, and this was as a consequence of demon possession.

Jesus had spoken to this demon and cast the demon out of the man.

In light of that event, there were a number of different responses to Jesus.

One of the responses was to accuse Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Satan.

Another response came from a particular woman with in the crowd.

This woman said, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth.”

Jesus rightly corrected corrected her and said blessed are those rather who hear the words of Jesus and obey them.

That’s a very important statement even as we consider our text this morning.

But there was another group of people that asked Jesus to show them a sign.

They were convinced that Jesus had not sufficiently demonstrated and proved to them that he was the Messiah.

They wanted further proof, further evidence, and refused to listen to what Jesus had told them based on the evidence at hand.

Now, keep in mind what Jesus also responded to these people as he confronted them in their unbelief.

He reminded them of the sign of Jonah.

In particularly, they were told that when Jonah had preached the word to them, they had repented of their rebellion and sin against God.

However, Jesus said that he was greater than Jonah, and thus they ought to have been listening to him.

Similarly, Jesus reminded them about the instance of the Queen of Sheba that came to look at Solomon's wisdom.

She heard the reports that were given about Solomon, and so she prepared gifts and an entire procession and came and visited Solomon in order to verify what had been told her about Solomon.

When she arrived she saw and confessed that she had not even been told the half of Solomon’s great wisdom.

And so she had believed.

She went to go and check the facts to see if they were so, and she then perceived that they were indeed true… and she gave glory to God.

And then Jesus said to the crowds, someone greater than Solomon is here.

In other words, how much more so should you not be listening to me.

And that is precisely the context that sets the current discourse.

Christ is addressing those who will not believe in him.

Some have rejected him as a worker of Satan.

Some have asked him to show them a sign in order to prove who he was.

And Christ is essentially telling them through our passage that the evidence they have is enough…

Let’s consider that together from our text.

The First thing that we must see from our passage…

1.

The Light Has Been Provided (v.33)

As we turn to our passage under consideration, we note that Jesus begins by speaking about the purpose of a lamp within a household.

Jesus begins by reminding them of a very simple reality which they understood well.

We have looked at this previously in Luke chapter 8.

But in essence, the fact is that in the homes of the day, there was not a lot of light that would enter in.

They would light up lamps, and it would be necessary to put that lamp on its stand in order that it might light up the house in which they lived.

It was unthinkable that they would light such a lamp and then place it under a bowl.

In other words, the very purpose of lighting the lamp is to give light by which a person may see.

Notice also however, that Jesus says here that the purpose of lighting the lamp is in order that those who come in may see the light.

In other words Jesus is trying to emphasize the important point that the light is there in order to be a benefit to other people.

The question we must know ask ourselves is why he is saying this in light of the present context.

Essentially what Jesus is conveying to these people is that there is a light that has come into the world, and this light has not been hidden from them.

But the real question then becomes, are they going to see and understand this light.

Jesus is the Light

As Jesus speaks here, he is proclaiming to them that a light has come upon them.

He refers here to this light that is himself.

Christ is the one that is entered into the world as a light.

He is the one that is brought light to them as they stand there right before him.

We must keep in mind the prophetic words spoken by Isaiah.

In Isaiah 9:2, we read this:

Within their own Scriptures, the Jews were told that a light would dawn upon them.

This was even spoken in connection with Galilee… the very place where Jesus had spent most of his time ministering.

The Jews should have anticipated this light coming.

Returning to our present verse, Jesus says to them in verse 33 that no one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it is hidden away.

In the same way His coming to them as a light is not in some way hidden away from them that they are unable to see it.

Rather he has come into the world and he has demonstrated that he is the Messiah by shining this light of God in their midst.

This truth is very well conveyed in John’s Gospel in the opening chapter.

In these words we have perfectly conveyed to us what was taking place in the present scenario.

This world that was full of darkness received the Messiah, the one who is the light of God.

And the light was right there before this darkness.

And as he performed his miracles and as He engaged in his teaching, the question was, would that darkness perceive this light that was before them?

John very clearly states in his gospel that the darkness did not comprehend it, or understand it.

Just a little bit further on John writes these words,

Once again, we see this important truth that although the light was in the world and was there to provide the world with much light, the world did not know him.

Later on in the Gospel according to John, as Jesus was ministering to the people, he specifically testified to the fact that He, himself, was the light that needed to be followed.

And later on he would say to the crowds,

In these various references in Scripture, we see that Jesus Christ clearly portrays himself as the light that came into the dark world.

And yet despite the fact that he came as the light, the people of the world refused to believe in him.

This raises some very important lessons, even for us in our day.

One of the important lessons that we must learn from this is the extent of the darkness of the heart of man in sin.

We need to see this.

We need to see how spiritualy blind the natural man is.

In that passage, the revelation given was what is referred to as General Revelation - the revelation of the power and nature of God that is seen in the created world.

What Christ refers to is Special Revelation.

God’s specific Revelation to the world through His Word.