A young boy went with his parents touring around Europe one summer. Part of their tour included visits to the great old cathedrals of the past. As he visited each cathedral he was impressed by the massive stained glass portraits of the disciples and of other saints. He stood amazed, as the sunlight poured into those huge but empty halls shining through the beautiful stained glass windows.
When he returned home, he was asked by his Sunday School teacher about his vacation and what he liked the most. He thought for a moment of those massive churches and their grand windows and he said, "I loved the sense of awe and the hugeness of who God must be, and I loved the stained glass windows with their images of the saints."
"And what is a saint?" his teacher asked. His mind went back to those beautiful windows and he said, "A saint is a person who lets the light shine through."
(From a sermon by David Moore, It’s Better To Light A Candle Than Curse The Darkness, 6/9/2010)
That is a good definition of what a saint of God is supposed to look like. We seem to have created a new definition of what a saint is. For most, a saint is a person who is in their 80s or 90s and who serve the Lord daily. A saint is any person who has received Jesus and surrendered to Him. Like the young man said; “A saint is someone who lets the light shine through.” We have no light of our own, but like those stained glass windows, we are to allow the light of Jesus to pass through us and shine on a lost and dying world.
This week I want us to learn one more thing about being “the light.”
Look at verses 14-15 again.
What I really each of us to see is that our witness/light is unavoidable.
Two things are said about the city, in this passage:
1. This city sits on a hill and
2. This city cannot be hidden.
Two things are said about the candle, as well:
1. The candle is put in a prominent place and
2. The candle gives light to all that are in the house.
I really want you to get this.
The light of every believer is IN THE WORLD… IT’S ON A HILL…and IT’S IN THE HOUSE.
In plain English…wherever YOU are your light is there!!
Several lessons can be learned from this passage.
1. We’ve already seen that Believers are shine as lights in their part of the world.
If we completely blacked out this room and lit one candle what would happen?
But what if each of us had our own candle, burning bright, what do you think would happen?
But there are a few things that I have learned about each of those lights.
2. Each light has different strengths.
It can be strong or weak, bright or dim. In fact, for some it may be so dim and provide so little light that a person could stumble and fall. (Hold up Streamlight & D cell flashlight) There nothing I can do to make the D cell light a Streamlight because that is how they were made… But you are not a flashlight and God made you to shine. Maybe you are supposed to shine brighter than you are. Maybe you’re as bright as you’re supposed to be.
You may not shine as bright as someone else but SHINE. You may not be using all of your potential because your battery is weak and needs to be recharged… PLUG IN.
You may never stand in front of thousands to preach or stand in a lecture hall, filled with learners to teach.
BUT YOU SHINE AS BRIGHT AS GOD MADE YOU TO RIGHT WHERE HE PLACED YOU TO BE HIS LIGHT…
3. Some places in the world are brightly lit; while others are dimly lit.
Some cities have many bright lights, other cities have only a few bright lights. Some homes have strong light, while other homes have weak light.
Every city, every home, and every business, every place on this earth where there is a witness of a Christian believer--has some light. It may be weak or it may be strong but there is light. Sometimes I wonder if God puts the brightest lights in the darkest places. If that is you then ask yourself this question, “Am I shining to the best of my ability?” Maybe we’re like those stained glass windows but the light can’t get through because someone forgot to keep the glass clean. Maybe we need to wash our windows so His light can penetrate the darkness around us.
4. A light can become weak and useless. I had a spot light that would light up the tops of the tallest tree around but it quit. It didn’t quit suddenly but over time it gave up. There was nothing wrong with the bulb and I couldn’t really blame the battery.
What caused the light to quit was this. I failed to keep it connected to the power source.
The instructions for this light plainly stated that it had to remain connected to the charger unless in was being used. I allowed my light to be disconnected and put in a closet. No one is to be blamed for that but me. I knew what the instructions said and did nothing…
Many believers are like my spotlight, either dead or dying because they failed to stay connected to their source of power…
Stay connected to the power so you don’t end up like that light. For some it’s laziness that causes them to fail to stay connected. For others it may be just too hard or inconvenient for them. Please don’t let serving the Lord be an inconvenience to you. “Well pastor, right now is just not a good time for me.” If not now, when? If not right where you are then where? When will the time ever be right? When will the place ever be perfect?
5. A light is meant to be seen and give light.
Your light is to be visible so many can see it but more than just to admire how marvelous your light is. They need to see it, admire it and receive it. The light we display should be so awesome that people around us would seek it out to be their very own. Your light should draw them so they desire to walk in the light and reap the benefits of the light.
2Cr 4:6-7 NIV - 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
Eph 5:13-14 NIV 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible--and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
Are you shining the light of Jesus in a dark and dying world?
Look at verse 16: The Purpose of the Light.
Did you know that every believer can refuse to let his/her light shine?
You can turn it off, refuse to turn it on, shade it, darken it, turn it away, direct its beam in another direction.
Let me show you two reasons for letting our light shine.
1. Believers are to let their light shine in order to show forth good works.
The command "Let your light so shine" means let your good works be seen. The believer is to show good works to the world, but at the same time we must be careful how we do these works before others
[Jas 3:13 NLT] If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
[Tit 2:7 NLT] And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.
2. Believers are to let their light shine in order to to glorify God.
This is the ultimate reason we are to place our light before people: to cause people around us to glorify God.
God is glorified when believers get out into the darkness where the lost are.
The good works of believers are NOT to be done within sheltered walls with other lights BUT out in darkness where it will do the most good!
Light is not seen unless it is placed in front of people.
If there are no people, there are no eyes to see the light.
You can’t be a closet light...
Other lights do not need light.
It is the people in darkness who need light.
Believers are not to be secluded in the church, moving only among other lights. The more light that is put out in the darkness, the more the darkness is eliminated.
Are you shining your light in the dark for others to find their way?...
Are trapped in the dark and looking for the way out?...
