Light And Dark: What Is Shining Out Of Us?

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). Light must shine (vs 33)

(2). Light must illuminate (vs 34a)

(3). Light must not grow dim (vs 35-36)

(4). Light must be our goal (vs 36)

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• The brightest star ever found in the universe goes by the catchy name R136a1.

• It is 165,000 light years away from planet Earth.

• It is big, I mean big!

• It is more than 300,000 times bigger than Earth

• It would take 300 of our Sun to equal the mass of this star.

• This star is not just twice as bright as our sun,

• It’s not just 10 times brighter,

• It’s not a hundred times brighter,

• It’s not a thousand times brighter,

• And it’s not even a million times brighter.

• R136a1 is a full ten million times brighter than our sun!

• I don’t know about you, but my retinas hurt just thinking about it.

• TRANSITION: This is the third of three illustrations.

• It can stand alone but it is part of a triplet.

(ILLUSTRATION #1). JONAH (VS 29-30 & 32)

• The religious leaders kept on asking Jesus for a sign to prove that he was the Messiah.

• The only sign Jesus promised them was ‘The sign of Jonah’.

• That is death & resurrection!

(ILLUSTRATION #2). SOLOMON (VS 31).

• The emphasis in this illustration is on the wisdom of the king.

• The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings chapter 10,

• Made a long and uncomfortable journey to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

• Yet these Jewish hearers have someone even wiser in their midst,

• And unlike the Queen of Sheba, they did not have to travel anywhere,

• God has travelled to them in the person of Jesus Christ.

The important thing in these two illustrations is that they involve Gentiles:

• The word Gentile means, ‘of the nations.’

• The term Gentile doesn’t really describe who someone is, but rather who they are not

• It refers to anyone who is not Jewish.

• Jonah preached in Nineveh and the Gentile Ninevites believed.

• Solomon spoke to a Gentile Queen, and she marvelled and received his words gladly.

• So, Jesus said to his Jewish listeners,

• That at the judgement day these Gentiles will testify against you Jews.

• Because you have many, many privileges but you still refuse to believe!

• TRANSITION: We could say,

• These Gentiles were spiritually enlightened,

• While the Jewish people & leaders were in spiritual darkness.

(ILLUSTRATION #3). LIGHT (VS 33-36).

• This third illustration is not from history but from daily life.

• It is an illustration that Jesus has used before in his teaching.

• And he uses it here with a slightly different application.

(1). Light must shine (vs 33)

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.”

Ill:

• An old Yorkshire man,

• Was lying in his bed, he was dying,

• In a weak voice he said, “Is my wife here?”

• She replied, “Yes, I am here”

• He then said, “Are my children here?”

• They replied, “Yes father we are here”

• He then said, “Are my grandchildren children here?”

• They replied, “Yes granddad we are here”

• Punchline:

• He then said, “Then why is the light in the kitchen still on!”

• (in the UK Yorkshire people are said to be mean with their money etc).

Ill:

• One of the classic Dad lines that I still use often to my kids and my wife is,

• “What do you think this is Blackpool illuminations?”

• Lights on all through the house and no-one in any of the rooms!

• The point being why would you leave a light on in an unoccupied room?

• And even worse, why would you leave a light on in an empty garage or tool-shed?

• The woodlice or the mouse or the rat do not need it!

• TRANSITION: At the time of Jesus,

• Why would anyone go to the trouble of lighting a light.

• (remember no electricity, so no switch to flick).

• Then hiding that light under a bowl! That’s crazy!

• Jesus is of course teaching with humour,

• He is describing an ironic situation.

• No one in ancient Israel would intentionally do this with a real lamp in a real house,

• Yet, spiritually speaking, we all do this, all the time!

• This illustration spans across time in its relevance and application.

(2). Light must illuminate (vs 34a)

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light.”