Go! And Shine the Light of Christ - Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)
INTRODUCTION — LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
Imagine entering a room so dark that you cannot see your own hand. You reach for a wall, a chair, anything to guide you. But without light, you’re lost, stumbling, confused.
Then someone lights a single candle.
Suddenly the darkness shrinks back. One small flame reveals the reality around you. That one light changes everything.
The world right now feels like a dark room — confusion, anger, fear, brokenness. But God has always had a plan to shine light into the darkest places.
From the Menorah in the Tabernacle to the Hanukkiah used during Hanukkah, every flame points to a greater Light — Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.
Tonight we go on a journey from the light of the Menorah to the everlasting light of the Gospel.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT): “You are the light of the world — like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Jesus calls you — His followers — the light of the world. But before we can shine, we must know the true source of light: Jesus Himself.
POINT 1 — The Menorah: God’s Light in the Sanctuary
Exodus 25:31-40 (NLT): “Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. Make the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece—the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals. Make it with six branches going out from the center stem, three on each side. Each of the six branches will have three lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. Craft the center stem of the lampstand with four lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals There will also be an almond bud beneath each pair of branches where the six branches extend from the center stem. The almond buds and branches must all be of one piece with the center stem, and they must be hammered from pure gold. Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward. The lamp snuffers and trays must also be made of pure gold. You will need 75 pounds of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories. “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain."
The Menorah: A Holy Symbol
The Menorah was a seven-branched lampstand made of pure gold and placed in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. It symbolised:
God’s presence
Divine revelation
The life-giving light of God’s Word
The Hebrew word for light — ???? (or) — first appears in Genesis 1:3: “Let there be light.”
God speaks light into existence before the sun, moon, or stars existed — showing light comes from Him alone.
Psalm 36:9 (NLT): “For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.”
Only in God’s light can we truly see.
A tourist once visited an underground cave — pitch black. After a few minutes in darkness, fear set in. The guide lit a single match. The tourists gasped — the tiny flame revealed a massive cavern filled with beauty they couldn’t see before.
The light didn’t create the beauty — it revealed what was already there.
God’s light reveals reality: truth, sin, grace, hope.
John Piper said: “Light is the triumphant gladness of God’s glory revealed in Jesus Christ.”
Amen! The Menorah wasn’t about decoration — it was a visual sermon: “God is here. God is light!”
POINT 2 — The Hanukkiah: God’s Miraculous Light
Hanukkah remembers when the Jewish people rededicated the Temple after enemy forces defiled it (167–160 B.C.). They found only one day’s worth of oil, but God made it last eight days.
Thus, the Hanukkiah has nine branches — eight nights + one servant candle called the Shamash (“helper/servant”).
The Shamash lights all the others.
John 8:12 (NLT): Jesus spoke to the people once more and 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.”
Jesus — Our Shamash
Jesus is:
The servant (Philippians 2:7)
The one who lights every person (John 1:9)
The source of all spiritual light
Greek “Light” — f?? (phos) — the same word used for pure, victorious light that cannot be overcome by darkness.
A lighthouse keeper lived on a rocky coast. Each night he lit the lighthouse to save ships from destruction. During a storm, he ran out of oil — and three ships crashed. He later said, “I never realised how many lives depended on my flame.”
Our lives are like that lighthouse. When the light goes out, souls are at stake.
Max Lucado wrote: “Jesus came to be the light of the world, but He also came to put light into your heart.”
That means your light matters — because your light comes from Christ.
POINT 3 — Jesus, the Light of Salvation
From Tabernacle light…
to Temple light…
to festival light…
to the Light that stepped into the world — Jesus.
John 1:4-5 (NLT): “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
The World’s Darkness
The darkness of:
sin
unbelief
self-righteousness
spiritual blindness
But Jesus came not to condemn, but to save.
John 12:46 (NLT): “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.”
Gospel Truth
Jesus Christ — the Son of God —
lived a sinless life
died on the cross for our sins
was buried
rose again on the third day
defeating sin, death, and darkness forever
Anyone who repents and trusts in Jesus is transferred from darkness into light (Colossians 1:13).
Charles Stanley said: “The cross is the light that reveals the heart of God and the darkness of man.”
And the resurrection declares that the darkness did not win!
Go! And Shine the Light of Christ
Jesus said: “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see…” (Matthew 5:16)
Not to show off — like hypocrites seeking applause.
But to bring glory to the Father.
How do we shine?
-Share the Gospel boldly
-Love sacrificially
-Live differently from the world
-Serve joyfully even when unnoticed
-Keep Christ as your source — stay connected!
A lamp removed from the flame can’t shine.
A believer disconnected from Jesus cannot produce light.
Ephesians 5:8 (NLT): “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”
CALL TO SALVATION
Maybe tonight you feel like that dark cave — fear, confusion, loneliness.
But hear the Good News:
Jesus came for you.
Jesus died for you.
Jesus rose for you.
He offers forgiveness, new life, and eternal light.
You don’t have to earn it.
You don’t have to pretend you’re okay.
Just come to Him.
Repent and believe:
“Lord Jesus, I am in darkness. Be my Saviour. Be my Light.”
BENEDICTION — GO AND SHINE!
May the Lord ignite your heart like the Shamash ignites every candle.
May your life shine so brightly that others will see Jesus in you.
Go! And shine the light of Christ into every home, street, workplace, and nation — until the day darkness is gone forever and the Lamb is our eternal Lamp (Revelation 21:23).
