Matthew 5:14-16
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. 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.
Here Jesus, is talking to His followers. Not unbelievers.
When Jesus told us that we were to be the light of the world, He was implying that the earth in its natural state was in darkness.
We once dwelled in the darkness, but the Lord has called us out of it, separated us from it, and is now sending us back into it as light.
We once were darkness but now we are light in the Lord.
If you were standing in a dimmed room, it would appear light. Your eyes would be correctly adjusted and used to the dim light. However, if you were to enter into the bright sunlight, your eyes would imminently hurt from the stark contrast of exposure. You would realize where you were standing was not light at all, but there was a whole new level of darkness. Are we standing in a dim view of Christ, or a bright one?
The world says it is enlightened. That our multitude of knowledge has increased so much and our education is so much better. They claim they are close to finding the answers to all of their question. I think most people have small truths, indirectly speaking of Christ, but just won’t admit that it is Christ or know things that are only partly true. It’s that dimmed light that they are seeing. And when they realize it gets brighter towards Christ, they back off and say that cannot be the answer. However, Christ is the only light. All other light is false. The highest intellect that exists is knowledge of God.
Light drives out darkness by nature. When a light is turned on, the light does not suddenly remember that it might run out the darkness. It is not a battle that is fought. Simply, light drives out darkness. Jesus is light. He does not possess the light, He IS light. Where Jesus is, darkness cannot be. When we allow Jesus to work radically through us by proclaiming His name and displaying the beatitudes, darkness WILL be cast out. This does not mean you will walk down a street being “light” and everyone will become a Christian. This is because God has given each of us the choice to believe in Him or deny Him. So although the light will always expose the darkness, it does not the means that the previous darkness will choose to become a new vessel for light for Christ.
Okay, so what is the light?
Good works are the light. This is why it says “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.”
The problem is, as Christians, we have discarded anything that has to do with works. You’ll hear people say “Hey man, I’m not into works, I’m saved by grace through faith.” If we are to think that works have no part of our Christian lives is radically misinformed concerning what the New Testament teaches. Works are not the means by which we are saved, the works are the result of our salvation. The byproduct.
Paul told Titus:
“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.”
We are called to good works. We are not trying to earn our salvation through works. Remember, this is God’s instruction for us, His followers. In James 2 it says “So faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
Our works are not our means of salvation, but rather our works are a result of our salvation. If are not living out the Beatitudes, we must check and see if the Spirit really is in us. When we know Jesus and love Him, we will obey Him. His love too powerful for us to merely wade through. It’s like a roaring river that sweeps our feet out from under us.
Why is it that non-Christians seek to be “better people”? Why do they even care to be kind with no underlying motive? Because there is a deep satisfaction in living a godly life. Non-Christians can get a taste of that with good works. A flicker of that light. If there were a group of people lost in a cave, and a man walked through with a torch, everyone would run to the light. The light is desirable to people in the dark. God has placed in mankind a desire to be like Him, and a desire to do good works. People see that in us and desire that. But although the light is desirable to those who are in the dark, many will reject it. Light exposes our sinfulness, and it hurts. It’s convicting. Although the light is desirable to those not in it, it also is condemning because they are not yet in the light. This is why many will attempt to block it out. Adjusting your eyes to a lighter environment is painful, and many will simply walk back into the dark.
Grace is never an excuse to live in sin. It is God’s desire for us to do good works. Grace is not a license for ungodliness. We live with a mindset that is wrong to say when something is wrong, and where tolerance is elevated above truth. From a parents perspective, would we neglect to teach our kids good values and disciplines simply because God’s grace would suffice for their sinful behaviors?
If someone were to ask “Why are you letting your Child act like that?”
We wouldn’t respond “Well in our family we believe in grace. So Jesus is fine with all of our outbursts of rage and violent tendencies.” That’s ridiculous. So why do we do that with ourselves?
Sin is a result of our distraction from God. If we are living as Christ has commanded, we will be pure in heart and focus, and we will not waver our gave. That is God’s will for us as Christians, and we must pursue that. Not just flash out your grace license every time you mess up.
The spirit consists of the beatitudes. When it says “In the same way” it refers back to the statement “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.”. Our good works are a result of the spirit being in us. With the spirit comes that power. We are a light by our good works through Jesus. The Beatitudes, and other Christlike characteristics.
We might not have any “big” sins, and besides know, God probably doesn’t notice the small ones as much, right? He probably didn’t pick up on that selfish motives, or that thought I had concerning another person. The word of God does not say “Walk in the spirit, and ya know, once and awhile be in the flesh.” Indeed it is the flesh, but we must crucify our flesh. We must die to our will and desires. Jesus tells us “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” He didn’t say “Put your desires in the back seat just in case you see something you want or if you get upset about where we’re going.” This is what breaks our witness before the world. The small sins. People pick up on these things. They notice. The small sins that you think isn’t that big of a deal. In fact, they might pick up on those more so than the other ones.
Are we really displaying the beatitudes?
Are we displaying the fruit of the spirit?
Are we hungering and thirsting for righteousness?
Are we merciful towards others?
Are we peacemakers in the face of conflict?
Are we pure in heart with dedication towards Christ?
Are we self-controlled beyond reproach?
Are we seeking opportunities to put others first?
Are we really turning the other cheek? Going two miles when forced to go one?
Giving our tunic when our cloak is taken?
The beatitudes are instruction for us on how we must function. God’s word made this very simple for us. We have our task and the instructions right next to each other.
In our cultural context, we think of light as something like a light bulb that you simply switch on. When Jesus said let your lamp be burning brightly, the true meaning is found when we understand the culture and how lamps would function. There are two things essential for a lamp. One is oil, the other is a wick. You can’t have a lamp without both. When Jesus said let your lamp be burning bright, the lamp must be full of oil and the wick must be trimmed.
The oil is symbolic is of the Holy Spirit. All throughout scripture you see the Holy Spirit shown as the anointing of oil. We have to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We must be seeking the Lord to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Through dedicated prayer and studying God’s word and Worship.
The wick being trimmed is important. If the wick wasn’t trimmed it would produce smoke instead of light. If we are not disciplined, we are not producing Godliness in our lives, but smoke. Confusion. Disorder. Confusion for us and those looking upon us. If we are not trimmed, we can ask God to trim us. God is always trimming us, using through hardships and trials. But it is necessary. God says to examine ourselves and judge ourselves according to His word and Jesus’s example. Again, we can examine ourselves according to the beatitudes.
We must act on our convictions as well. Noticing where we are weak is only half the battle. We examine ourselves against scripture, we often will not make the necessary changes to be trimmed.
But to be a lamp of God’s light, we need both. The Holy Spirit, and to be trimmed.
Are our lives lived in a manner much different than those not of faith? Are we distinctly different from those in the darkness? If we are not shining brightly, we simply end up giving a false view of Christianity. We become a group of hypocrites. A group of people who think themselves better with no foundation of values. Instead of being a light, we are just a confusion that others will avoid altogether.
Have we reduced the light to simply a night that we might sleep more comfortably at night? Not able to do much more than be in complete darkness?
We are like rechargeable flashlights. We go to Bible studies, spend time in God’s word, go to church, receive Biblical counsel. That’s us charging up. But we never turn our light on. How often do we actually change sometime in our lives after being convicted of something? We like the feeling of motivation, but we don’t like acting on the feeling. I heard a successful motivational speaker say it is so frustrating to him how he will see the same people reading or watching his stuff day after day. He doesn’t want people to watch him day after day. He wants them to watch him for one day and go do something about their lives.
We should continue to recharge, but what use is it if we don’t actually go be a light in the world. If a man went to school to be a doctor but stayed in school the entirety of his life, he would save no one. he might become the most knowledgeable person on the plant but what use is he unless he acts on what he learns? Let’s turn our light on. We don’t need more motivation to be a better light. Every one of you has the potential to be a light for Christ. A brighter light. The Holy Spirit gives us everything we need. That takes a step of faith guys. But we can do it.
Let’s give God the Glory He deserves
