Motivation
At my local church, we had a Youth Sunday in April and the theme of it was: Shining Light. I had the priviledge to give an exhortation around it based on Matthew 5:14-16:
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
There are 2 references to light as it pertains to us in the text:
- “You are the light”: This is talking about something you are
- “Let your light shine”: This is talking about something you have
This suggests you cannot be light without first having light. And then this light is the light shines through your good works. And so by the grace of God, we will be exploring this. The title of my message is: The Light I have: The Light I am, the Light I give.
The Light I have
If you haven’t guessed it by now, Jesus is the light I’m talking about. We see this a lot in the book of John where Jesus is referred to as the light in a lot of places. And we’re going to see it for ourselves. In John chapter 1, John the beloved describes Jesus as 2 things:
- The manifestation of the word of God that was made flesh and dwelt among them
- Light
Let’s take a look at it in John 1:1-5:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome (1:5 Or understood it.)
Further down 8-9 apostle John talks about John the baptist’s ministry he says:
8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
In fact Jesus himself declares that he is the light in John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus is that light that we have as his followers. As we follow him we no longer walk in darkness. And the darkness being referred to is Spiritual darkness - a disconnection from God. He is the light of life as he puts in another place he is the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. Jesus is the way to do life rightly in the eyes of God. He reconnects us to God and gives us the assurance of eternal life.
And that is why as christians, the message of salvation is such a powerful message that it is meant to transform every aspect of our lives - every nook, cranny and crevice. It affects the how, what, where and why of our thinking, speaking and doing.
When Paul started out explain God’s salvation through Jesus in the book of Romans, he started by first establishing that ultimately it is God that we are accountable to. In Romans 1 starting from verse 20, Paul explains that:
20 Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made so that people are without excuse.
Don’t you ever experience something beautiful and just marvel at the awesomeness of God? A couple of years back, I visited Banff for the first time with some of my friends. We took went on the Gondola ride to the peak of one of Sulphur mountain. The I was completely blown away by the views there. I got to see ice caps of the other mountains around and just marvel at how all this came to be.
I’m sure you all have those wow moments where you’re just like “This is a wonderful creation”. Even looking at technology, medicine, artists creating wonderful arts, all these things point to a creator. This is what Paul was describing in verse 20.
But then, it goes on to tell us in verse 21 that even with this, men have refused to glorify him or give thanks to him but instead, have become futile in their thinking and that their foolish hearts have become darkened.
It further goes on to say in verse 24 that God gave man up to their sinful desires. Another part of the Bible describes the heart of man as desperately wicked:
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 NIV
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 KJV
This is the state that we were in before accepting the redemptive work of Jesus. And even after accepting Jesus, we know that we are a work in progress. [That is why Paul talks about the renewing of the mind].
This state that we were in, is a state of darkness. There are many terms used to describe the state of being disconnected from God - death and darkness are two very prominent ones.
Paul in the book of Romans tries to make us first understand that this was the state that we were in and not only that, there was eternal damnation waiting for us as a result. And this was why God decided to send His Son, Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sinful state. To take on the punishment that we deserved. Not because of any work or good deed or act of service that we performed. In fact, Romans 5:8 tells us that:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
So when we accept what Jesus has done for us, we not only accept his gift, we accept him. Jesus is the light.
The Light I am
Recall John 8:12 tells us that whoever follows Jesus no longer walks in darkness will have the light of life. As part of reconnecting us to God, this Light - who is Jesus - makes us more like Him. And there are 2 scriptures that we will look at to explain this.
The first is, Romans 8:28-29
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
The second is 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate 3:18 Or reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
From these two scriptures, the Bible makes us understand that a process has been initiated since the beginning by God, to conform us to the image of his Son. The second passage tells us that this is a present-continuous thing that gets us closer and closer to Jesus who is the Light that we are becoming.
Also, 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us how the process takes place in us. It tells us that it is through the Sprit of the Lord - The Holy Spirit.
With our submission to God, His word and commands and His salvation through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit works in us to become Christlike. See what Philippians 2:13 says:
For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
This is all done through:
- Prayer
- Studying God’s word and teachings
- Being connected to a healthy Christian community
With all these Holy Spirit begins to convict us of what to do and what not to do. What to say and what not to say with justifications from the word of God. As we obey those convictions listen to those convictions we begin to see our lives transformed. For example when watching something that normally you wouldn’t have given much thought to but your hear in your heart that it’s inappropriate and you act on it by changing the channel. Or you’re playing but you get a conviction in your heart that you’re actually not prepared for the exam you have tomorrow and you act on it by going to study more.
The Light I give
And so, as our lives get transformed, to be like Christ’s, this is where the revelation of Matthew 5:14-15 becomes so powerful. Let’s look at it again:
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 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.
Jesus is saying, how do you have this Light, how do you have him and you’re hiding it. You’re shy to show him you’re shy to give him to the world. Jesus says your light will not be hidden. It can’t be! He working in your through the Holy Spirit cannot be hidden.
Let’s look at 3 ways Christ will be apparent. Let’s look at Ephesians 5:8-10
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.
Although this is not a comprehensive list, the Bible makes us understand 3 of the things that consist of the fruit of the light are:
- Goodness
- Righteousness
- Truth
These words all express the same concept of actions that are noble and pleasing to God but if we were to look at it closer:
Goodness
Being involved in things that are good and doing good work. This includes excellence. Doing work that not just you can be proud of but God as well. The kind of work that you’d be eager to give a presentation to God about.
Have you ever had to give a presentation on a project or assignment that you worked on but you knew you did not put in enough effort into it? Or you knew it was not done well? Picture goodness here as doing work in such a way that you would be proud to show God what you did, how you did it and the outcome.
Ephesians 2:8-10 says
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Part of the things involved here are excellence. Proverbs 22:29 says
Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.
Righteousness
Righteousness goes back to the Light you are - the light you are being transformed to. It involves doing what is right before God.
Truth
This involves standing for the word of God in words and action. Speaking it and living for it. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 tells us that:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: 5:17 Or Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
We must speak the gospel in the world and make Christ known. We must make his work of redemption known to everyone around us with our words and action.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Jesus is the light of the world. We become light of the word like him when we follow him. As we become more and more like Christ, we must give him to the world. We must stand out in goodness, righteousness and truth to those around us that they may see and hear of our actions and words and glorify God.
When I was younger, I used to pray a prayer: “Let my excellence be an evidence of Your existence”. I’ve come to see that it’s beyond just my excellence. It’s my whole life. It must reflect God and point to him through Jesus. And this must happen regardless of whether things are good or bad. I pray that we continue to be more like Christ and that God works in us the everything that is needed to help us reflect him in all we do or say In Jesus name.