Matthew 5:14-16 (14) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (15) Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. (16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
I. While candles are now predominantly used as decoration or as a means of infusing fragrance. Historically they provided a vital source of light for homes and businesses, and were also used in religious and spiritual worship. Across the centuries, candle making has taken many forms. With different cultures using their own unique methods and ingredients to create these simple, yet hugely significant, products.
A. Like many aspects of modern life, candles owe their existence to the ancient Romans. They began producing dipped tallow candles in the year 500 BC. These early candles were made using tallow wax, which was derived from the meat of cows and sheep, and an unwound strand of twine.
1. While candles were popular in Roman times, the main source of light came from oil lamps. Olive oil was cheaper and more prevalent across the Empire. Candles were considered a luxury item, and were often given as gifts during Saturnalia. A festival celebrating the Classical Roman god, Saturn. In ancient China they had candles made from whale fat and some beeswax. In ancient India, candles were made using a combination of boiled cinnamon and yak butter. Creating the world’s first fragrant scented candle.
2. The ancient indigenous tribes of contemporary Alaska and Canada used the ‘candlefish’, as a source of light and heat. These small, smelt fish contain rich quantities of oil, which was ideal for sustained lighting. The indigenous people of North America would dry the candlefish on a long wooden stick before lighting it, creating a powerful natural candle, that just stunk.
B. After the fall of the Roman Empire, olive oil became a scarce commodity across Europe. Leading to a shortage of fuel for oil lamps and burners. This caused a surge in demand for quality candles. From there, the first commercially-viable dedicated candle makers were born.
1. Tallow became the go-to ingredient for candle making across Europe, but had its downsides. When burned, the glycerin inside tallow produced a strong unpleasant odor and its wax gave off a poor, dim source of light. Beeswax was discovered to be a much more reliable substance for candle production. Producing a clean, odorless burn and a brighter light. However, its expense meant that it was reserved only for the richest of the upper classes. With the common folk left to fill their homes with the stench of tallow for the next five centuries.
2. In the 18th century, as the global whaling industry began to grow. An oil was discovered in the head of the sperm whale which proved ideal in mass candle making. Like beeswax, it didn’t produce a horrible smell when burned. By the 19th century, candles were made on an industrial scale. This also saw the introduction of braided, rather than twisted, wicks. Which helped to produce better performing, self-trimming candles.
3. In the 1850s, Paraffin wax made from coal and oil shales was used to mass-produce candles that were inexpensive and offered a high-performing burn. Despite huge leap forwards in candle making, the industry began declining rapidly after the invention of the light bulb. People no longer needed candles as a source of light, making them more of a luxury than a commodity. Now candles are no longer burned for their light but more ornamental pieces. We use them to set modes and scenes, we use them for an aroma. Some have taken on a status symbol due to the brand or style.
II. We take candles for granted these days. When the power is out, we are quick to turn on a flash light or now our phones to guide us through the darkness. We may eventually light a few candles to overcome the darkness, but once the power is restored, they are immediately extinguished in favor of our modern lights.
A. There is something about a candle burning in the dark. There is a sense of warmth and comfort that comes from a lit candle. Phones and flashlights don’t feel the same in the dark as a candle does.
1. Artificial light can be distracting and off putting. It always seems to be overwhelming and blinding at times. Its light always seems to be harsh.
B. Careful attention is made to make a candle serve its purpose. From the wick to the type of wax. Candles come in all shapes and sizes but no matter how they look their main purpose is to give off light. It took centuries to produce a candle that didn’t distract from the light.
C. In Genesis when everything was being created God spoke it all into existence with the exception of man. Ge 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Ge 2:7 And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. He took the time to make man in His image. He crafted man from the dust of the earth in the image of the triune God-Head and finished the process by not speaking man to rise and live but by breathing in him.
1. The Psalmist said, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: God has made you to have dominion in the earth, but when you don’t know who you are; whatever you come up with to define yourself is usually wrong.
2. Ac 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; …, For we are also his offspring. It is not our doing; it is our being. God did not make us human doings. God made us human beings. Paul did not say "I do what I do by the grace of God.” He said, "By the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain;". If it’s in Him that we live and move and have our being, then we will never figure out what we are, or what our being is until we understand that it’s wrapped up in our understanding of Him.
a. Who we are is founded on and defined by who He is. The disciples asked among themselves after Jesus calmed the storm, “Who is this man?” “Even the winds and waves obey him!” Peter said it best when he said Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
3. God has already settled your purpose when He settled your identity. And His identity in you has been pushing you toward that purpose. That's what the Scripture means when it says, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. (Jer. 1:5) What God said to Jeremiah is true of all of us. Before we were born, He knew who we would be. He formed us specifically for our purpose. He does not allow us to come into the world and then just say, "Man, I what am I going to do with that one? Let's see if I can find a slot to stick that one in." God knew you before He created you. And He created you for a purpose. You’re not a distraction to the light but a bearer of it. Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
4. We are called "A joint heir". Eph 5:30: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. I am a a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new, That means that all that is in Jesus all that He has access to I do as well. I have access to blessings, healing, miracle, etc.
III. Which comes first, the day or the night? Most would say the day. Night comes when the day is over. That's what most people would say, when it gets dark it is the end of the day. That's how most people in the world see it. Day leads into night. But it's not how God sees it. If the day leads to night, then everything goes from light to darkness. Everything gets darker. To the world everything is in the process of darkening.
A. 2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
1. We go from day to night, from youth to aging, from strength to weakness, and ultimately from life to death. It's the way of the world, but it's not the way of God. When God created the universe, it was not day and night. It is written, Gen. 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. There was evening, and then there was morning. The day began with night. There was night and then there was day. With God, it is the night that comes first. That's why Jewish holidays always begin at sunset; not only Jewish holidays, but every biblical day. Each day begins at sunset. There is evening and then morning.
2. The world moves from day to night. With God, it is the opposite; He goes from night to day ...from darkness to light. The children of this world live from day to night, but the children of God should be living from night to day. They are born again in the darkness and move to the day. And if you belong to God, then that is the order of your life. You are to go from darkness to light, from weakness to strength, from despair to hope, from guilt to innocence, from tears to joy, and from death to life; every night of your life will lead to the dawn.
3. We are to live according to God's order of time, that your entire life should be always moving away from the darkness and to the light. God moves us from our problems not in to them. God is telling us to move forward, move out. Your life, job, health, home may be in darkness but you are the light that is to shine in those areas.
B. We were made to be lit. When we come to church, we, all shine together. Our light is intensified when we all come together in God’s house. It’s here that our light is renewed, it’s here that we gain our fuel, our wicks may be trimmed or extended to ensure that our light is always burning. It’s here that we become wrapped up, tangled up in Jesus. Ecc.4:9 Two [are] better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. (10) For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him [that is] alone when he falleth; for [he hath] not another to help him up. (11) Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm [alone]? (12) And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
1. (Interactive Illustration, will need candles, and will need to give every adult one candle) When a candle is made it is designed to give light. As I shared in the beginning. Candles were made in different ways and the process was perfected to ensure that the proper wicks and wax were used to maintain the flame. Like the candle God designed us to carry His light. David said, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Despite our sins He had invested everything we needed in us. Once we repented and began to walk out our Christian walk our flame was lit and His light could shine.
a. Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
2.(Have some come up to the pastor and light their candles) For some that flame may have been lit in a Church service where the Presence of the Lord drew you as you listened to the Word being preached and the Holy Spirit pricking your heart until you yielded and went to the altar.
3. (Have those that lit their candle from the pastor light the candle of those that didn’t) Others may have had a different experience, maybe you read a Gospel tract, had someone or a family member witness to you and that Word began to call out to you at home, on the street, in the bed, where ever you were when the Holy Spirit began to draw you with the Word of God and you yielded to God and began your Christian Walk. Notice that as we light our candles, we are sharing our light with each other; the light was passed to you and you are now in possession of the light. Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
C. Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1. Satan will use tactical deception to undermine what God has established. He uses your own sins in a hateful way. He seeks to make you feel helpless and hopeless. He gets you to focus your attention upon yourself and your sins. He drives you away from the cross of Christ. He wants you to experience regret and remorse, but not repentance. He moves you farther and farther away from the Lord by telling you that it’s too hard to be a Christian that you can’t follow all those “hard rules” and be “perfect”. He seeks to snuff out your light with criticism, backbiting, deceit and distrust.
a. In Zechariah 3:1-5 Satan accuses, seeking to undermine our confidence of forgiveness in Christ. In Genesis 3:1-6 and John 8:44 Satan deceives, seeking to cloud our vision of what is “good and acceptable and perfect.”
b. In 1 Thessalonians 3:5 and 1 Timothy 4:13-15 Satan tempts, seeking to displace God in our hearts with lesser pleasures. In Job 1 & 2 and 2 Corinthians 12:7 Satan afflicts with physical assaults, seeking to engulf our souls with the despairs of life.
c. In Luke 4:13 and Ephesians 4:26-27 Satan watches for our weaknesses, seeking to gain an opportunity for further stumbling. In Matthew 13:19 Satan snatches God’s word, seeking to hinder our reception of grace.
2. (Interactive illustration: blow out someone’s candle and make them relit it with the pastor’s candle repeat the process of blowing out their candle and have them to go back the pastor or someone else) The enemy wants your light. He will blow out your light with life. Then you got to go back to church and get relit. Then he blows it out again. Over and over this happens; your light is blown out and you wait until Sunday to get relit, or you might have a brother or sister in Christ that helps you get your light back. Be careful because not everyone is your brother or sister even in church there are those that will blow out your light. Mt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
a. This cycle is exhausting you until you stop going back to church, you stop praying, you stop reading God’s Word, you stop living for Him.
3. (Now go blow out someone else’s candle but instruct them before to let you do it but have them relight it and attempt to blow it out again but this time they protect the flame) We have to learn to protect our light, protect it from others extinguishing it, protect it from life. If it gets blown out you don’t have to wait until Sunday, you don’t have to wait until Bible Study, you don’t need the right song to play or need someone to walk with you to the alter. Because you know how to relit the flame. We are responsible for our light to remain burning. Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
D. Look around this Sanctuary, what do you see? Here in this room, you see light that is in harmony with its surroundings. Here in this well-lit room, your light blends in with the surroundings. This is our Christian community our culture and by all outward appearances we are in harmony with the light. Heb 10: 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (23) Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)(24) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (25) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
1. (Now turn off all the lights so that only the light of the candles is visible) Imagine now we are no longer in this sanctuary but outside these four walls. We are now in the world, where we live our lives. Now the light of the candle is no longer in harmony with its surroundings. It no longer blended in. As the room darkened, the candle stands out more and more dramatically. The candle hasn’t changed, but everything around it has. Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
2. When the lights were on that represents the believer who shines in the midst of a Christian community. Our lights blend with no distinguishment. The candle that shines in the daylight can hardly be seen, because we are surrounded by Light.1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
3. The candle in the night represents the Child of God who shines in the midst of a God-less people, an apostate world, an anti-Christian, anti-biblical, anti-God world. Now our Christian supports and the external props are removed. The light of the Gospel is no longer in harmony with the surrounding world. The surrounding world now stands increasingly in opposition to the light. The light cannot blend in. It must now stand out in contrast to its surroundings, and increasingly shine against the flow. Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Ps 112:4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: [he is] gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
4. 1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy [are ye]; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. The candle of the night is what changes the world. It is at this very time when it's hardest to shine the light, that it is most crucial that you do. It is then that the light is most needed. Eph. 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.(14) Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. And that is when the light becomes its most powerful.
a. So never fear the darkness. You're a light. Shine into it, especially into the night…and you'll light up the world. Ac 26:18 To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
b. Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. (2) For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (3) And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine!
