IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT ANYTIME ANYONE ENTERS A DARKENED ROOM THAT THE FIRST THING THEY WANT TO DO IS FIND THE SWITCH TO TURN ON THE LIGHTS SO THEY CAN SEE.
OTHER THAN TO SLEEP, I HONESTLY DON’T THINK MOST PEOPLE ENJOY DARKNESS. IT IS ENVELOPING AND SUFFOCATING. IT CAN SOMETIMES BE UNDERSTOOD AS THOSE THINGS THAT REPRESENTS EVIL, SIN AND DEATH.
THE BIBLE USES DARKNESS FIGURATIVELY TO REPRESENT MORAL DEPRAVITY, PUNISHMENT, WICKEDNESS, TROUBLE, EVIL DEEDS, AFFLICTIONS, ETERNAL DAMNATION, AND FINALITY.
NO WONDER THEIR ISN’T THE GREATEST LIKING TO THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH DARKNESS BECAUSE, IN ESSENCE, IT IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHO WE ARE TO BE: PEOPLE OF LIGHT.
THE BIBLE IS VERY CLEAR ON WHAT WE ARE TO DO ABOUT DARKNESS. THE MOST OBVIOUS IS NOT TO LET THE DARKNESS BE A PART OF OUR LIVES AS EPHESIANS 5:8-9 TELLS US, “ FOR ONCE YOU WERE FULL OF DARKNESS, BUT NOW YOU HAVE LIGHT FROM THE LORD. SO LIVE AS PEOPLE OF LIGHT! FOR THIS LIGHT WITHIN YOU PRODUCES ONLY WHAT IS GOOD AND RIGHT AND TRUE.”
THE BIBLE ALSO TELLS US THAT WE ARE TO FOLLOW CHRIST IN ORDER TO AVOID THE DARKNESS AS STATED JOHN 8:12, WHEN JESUS SAID, “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. IF YOU FOLLOW ME, YOU WON’T HAVE TO WALK IN DARKNESS, BECAUSE YOU WILL HAVE THE LIGHT THAT LEADS TO LIFE.”
LAST, BUT DEFINITELY, NOT THE LEAST, IS THE REQUIREMENT FOR US TO COMBAT THE DARKNESS. VERSES 14 AND 16 OF OUR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE TODAY PROCLAIMS “YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD...LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE OTHERS.”
WHAT MATTHEW IS SAYING IS THAT WE ARE CLEARLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND MAKING A DISTINCT IMPACT IN OUR WORLD. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE IS NO CONFUSION AND PEOPLE HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU EXEMPLIFY AND MODEL JESUS CHRIST.
IF WE ARE TRULY A CHRISTIAN AND HAVE JESUS CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR, THERE CAN BE ABSOLUTELY NO MISTAKING THE EFFECT OUR “LIGHT” CAN HAVE UPON THE DARKNESS OF OUR SURROUNDINGS.
WHEN THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES IN AND THROUGH YOU, HIS LIGHT CAN BOLDLY AND UNABASHEDLY “MAKES ITSELF KNOWN” ALL AROUND YOU. THE LIGHT OF CHRIST IN YOU WILL ANNOUNCE ITS PRESENCE BY VIGOROUSLY DISPELLING THE DAKRNESS.
I HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT IT IS GOD’S DESIRE TO FILL YOU WITH HIS LIGHT. GOD WANTS YOU TO SHINE AS A BRILLIANT TESTIMONY OF HIS PRESENCE AND POWER IN YOUR LIFE, SO THAT THE DARKNESS IN THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND YOU WILL BE DISPLACED BY THE LIGHT OF GOD’S GLORY.
THE QUESTION THEREFORE REMAINS: ARE YOU BEING VERY DISTINCT WITH ILLUMINATING YOUR WORLD? ARE YOU MAKING A DIFFERENCE? DO YOU STAND OUT? ARE YOU PRODUCING RESULTS AND HAVING AN AFFECT ON OUR WORLD? BY WHAT YOU DO AND HOW YOU LIVE ARE YOU DRAWING ATTENTION TO GOD?
THE EMPHASIS IS ON BEING “OUT IN THE OPEN” RATHER THAN CAMOUFLAGED AND CONCEALED. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A “SECRET DISCIPLE” WHO WORKS “UNDERCOVER” FOR GOD.
THAT’S WHY WE NEED TO STOP AND ASK OURSELVES A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND US…OUR HOME, OUR COMMUNITY, OUR ENVIRONMENT AS A WHOLE AND THE AFFECT WE ARE HAVING UPON THEM AS CHRISTIANS.
THINK SERIOUSLY. IN THE PAST 5-10 YEARS, HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY DIFFERENCE? NONE AT ALL? SOMETHING? ANYTHING? IF NOT, OR NOTHING SIGNIFICANT, THEN LET’S CONSIDER THIS: IF THE WORLD AROUND US SEEMS TO BECOMING DARKER AND DARKER, DON’T BLAME THE DARKNESS!
THINK ABOUT IT: DARKNESS IS SIMPLY DOING WHAT DARKNESS DOES...BEING DARK! THE ONLY REMEDY FOR THE DARKNESS GETTING DARKER IS TO GIVE IT LIGHT!
WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS IF THE WORLD IS GETTING DARKER, THE PROBLEM IS NOT WITH THE DARKNESS. THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE LIGHT NOT BEING BRIGHT ENOUGH OR SOMETIMESNOT BEING PRESENT AT ALL.
I’LL REPEAT IT AGAIN: MATTHEW 5:14, JESUS SAID WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE “LIGHT OF THE WORLD.” WHAT AN AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY TO BE THE ONES THROUGH WHOM GOD WOULD WANT TO SHINE HIS DIVINE LIGHT AND DISPEL THE DARKNESS FROM AROUND OTHERS! WHAT A HUMBLING THOUGHT THAT WE HAVE BEEN INSTRUSTED WITH DISBURSING THE LIGHT OF CHRIST.
WE NEED TO SHINE OUR LIGHT AS JESUS SHINED HIS LIGHT. THERE WAS NO IGNORING THE WAY JESUS SHINED HIS LIGHT UPON THIS EARTH. NO MATTER WHAT AND NO MATTER WHERE DARKNESS WAS DISPELLED AND DEFEATED.
EVERYWHERE JESUS WENT AND EVERYTHING JESUS DID, WE SEE GOD’S TRUTH BEING BOLDLY PROCLAIMED, PEOPLE GETTING HEALED, HYPOCRISY GETTING EXPOSED, AND SINNERS FINDING FORGIVENESS. THE WORLD WAS NEVER, EVER THE SAME ONCE THE FATHER INTRODUCED HIS LIGHT THROUGH HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST.
SO, HERE IS WHERE THE “RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD” AND THE TOUGH QUESTION ASKED: CAN THE SAME BE SAID OF US? OF YOU? IF WE LOOK AT ALL THERE IS AROUND US, CAN WE SAY WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT OUR CO-WORKERS/NEIGHBORS RECOGNIZE THE LIGHT THAT IS WITHIN US?
DOES THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST RADIATE FROM OUR HOMES AND INTO OUR COMMUNITIES? DOES THE LIGHT OF CHRIST REFLECT FROM OUR MINISTRY, OUR GIVING, OUR EFFORTS, OR GIFTS THAT WE GIVE TO THIS CHAPEL, KEESLER, AND THIS GULF-COAST REGION?
IT IS MY PRAYER THAT WE WILL NOT “BLAME THE DARKNESS” FOR THE DARKNESS IN THE WORLD TODAY. IT IS MY PRAYER THAT WE WOULD NOT ALLOW APATHY AND ROUTINE TO EXTINGUISH THE LIGHT OF CHRIST FROM OUR LIVES.
MAY IT BE SAID OF US THAT OUR VIGOR, OBEDIENCE, LOVE AND SERVICE IS KEEPING CHRIST SHINING AROUND US GIVING DISTINCT, PROFITABLE, AND FRUITFUL GLORY TO GOD BECAUSE WE ARE ALLOWING OUR LIGHT TO ILLUMINE THE WAY TO THE FATHER FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW.
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO SAY IT: WHEN GOD’S LIGHT IS ALLOWED TO SHINE UNHINDERED THROUGH YOUR LIFE, THE DARKNESS AROUND YOU WILL BE DISPELLED AND GOD THE FATHER WILL BE GLORIFIED.
