Introduction
In the first sermon of this series, Jesus has told us that because this world has rejected Him this world is full of darkness and evil. But Jesus says that He is the Light of the World and that those of us who are Christian can escape the darkness and evil and walk in His Light.
And we talked about some of the ways that God shines His Light on us. God will shine His Light on our unconfessed sin. God will shine His Light on us when we break fellowship with other believers. And God sheds His Light on the decisions we make to show us the right path.
In the second sermon, we expounded on God shinning His Light on the decisions we make. On our present decisions, God will allow us to see what is happening from a worldly perspective and also a spiritual perspective. As I look back at my life, I can see how things happened to draw me into a closer relationship with Him. And finally, God allows me to see dimly what heaven will be like so that it will influence my present behavior.
In both of those sermons, it was about what God was going to do to shine His light on us. Today, we want to look at what we must do to ensure that we are walking in the light.
So, I ask you to stand as we begin our study by reading Luke 11:34-36.
Scripture
Luke 11:34–36 (NKJV)
34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
Point #1
Each one of us determines what we take into our body through our eyes. Don’t let the devil puts things in front of us to see that are unhealthy for the body.
35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
It matters what we take into our body through our eyes. The eyes are one of the gateways through which information enters our body. And the devil knows that and so the devil tries to use our eyes against us. He will put things within our eyesight that are spiritually unhealthy for us to view.
In the Old Testament, the Bible says in 2 Samuel 11 that King David’s sin of adultery begun when he could not sleep and walked out onto the roof of his palace. And from his roof, he saw (with his eyes) Bathsheba bathing- a woman who was very beautiful to behold. His sin of sexual immorality begun when he let into his eyes something he needed to turn away from.
In the New Testament, there is the parable of the rich fool. Jesus says that this man’s ground yielded plentifully. And it says that he thought to himself, but before he could think to himself, I believe that he had to see with his eyes a crop beyond his wildest imagination. And so, he thought to himself to tear down his old barns and build greater ones. And God says he was a fool because he was storing treasures for himself on earth, and he was not rich toward God. His eyes seeing all those crops caused him to be greedy. The eye was the gateway to this man’s greed.
Listen, you young people today have so many more ways the devil can use your eyes against you. All those social media sites that you go to. SnapChat, Instagram and Tik Tok to name a couple of those sites. But in fact, there are currently 18 popular social sites that teenagers use at the present time. A lot of times there is stuff on those sites you don’t need to be seeing because you are a Christian, and you are letting the wrong thing into your body.
But not to leave the adults out, with Directv and Dish, it is easy for you as an adult to be flipping through the channels and come across a channel that you should not be watching but you pause a little longer than necessary and your eyes see junk you know you should not be letting in as a Christian. I cannot tell you how many people have told me that an addiction that may be fighting had begun innocently enough- like pausing too long on a channel that they have no business watching.
Use your eyes to read the word of God. Use your eyes to see the needs around you. Use your eyes to see how God is working in the world. Pray to God and ask Him to help you see what He wants you to see. In fact, discipline your eyes to limit the devil from taking you down a path you don’t want to go.
I like what Job did in Job 31:1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes.” Today, will you make a covenant with your eyes not to look at anything that would displease God?
Point #2
If we truly understood all that God has stored up for us in the riches of heaven, and we truly understood all God is doing in our life right now, we would want to keep our eyes on Him and not on the junk of this world.
Ephesians 1:16–19 (NKJV)
16… making mention in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.
On April 6, 1974, I married Anne Rau. I will never forget as she walked into the room where we were having the ceremony, she had on a beautiful wedding dress with a cameo cut out, and I can tell you from that point on in the service the only thing I saw was Anne. I could not take my eyes off of her. She was breathe taking. I didn’t see who was there, but I know people were there. I know I had a best man, and she had a maid of honor, but I did not see them after Anne walked in that room. I know someone performed the service, but I could not tell you one thing about that person. I was just in awe of Anne; she was going to be my wife. And my eyes were fixated on her.
And Paul in this passage in Ephesians 1 is praying for these Ephesians Christians that they can see with their spiritual eyes and understanding in their soul the depth of God’s love for the. God loves them so much that He has riches stored in heaven for them beyond their wildest imagination. They cannot even imagine all that God has for them. And if that was all, it would be more than enough, but there is more. God is working in a surpassing great way in my life this very moment. So, do you know what the Apostle Paul is thinking. My eyes should be fixed on Him that I see nothing else but Jesus.
I cannot let junk come into my life through my eyes because Jesus Christ is just so great. That is why in Hebrews 12:2 Paul says fix your eyes on Jesus, the originator and perfecter of our faith.
Point #3
God’s desire for my life is that I be filled with so much light (filled with so much Jesus because Jesus is light) that there is no room for darkness to creep in.
36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
Awhile back I was talking with a black preacher and the conversation was about Jesus. And he made the statement, do you realize how big God is that he cannot move? Because wherever He desired to m move, He already is.
Now that is full. And God desires that for my life. I got so much light from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes that there is no place for darkness to enter my life.
And if you got that much light, people would see it and they will want what you got.
Conclusion
The ball is in our court. The other two sermon is what God does for us. This sermon is about what we must do. Are you going to let light into your body or are you going to let darkness.
You know God ‘s desire for you- that you be filled with light.
