Isaiah #6 CHCC: 02-16-03
THE LIGHT
Isaiah 9:2-4, Isaiah 50:10-11, Isaiah 60:1-3, Matthew 5:14-16
SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 60:1-3, Matthew 5:14-16
SKIT: This Little Light of Mine
INTRODUCTION:
I like it when other people assist me by bringing a unique introduction to my sermon. Surely you’ve had those days when you felt like your light of testimony and example went out. Sometimes it goes out and seems hard to restart, kinda’ like your wick got wet in the process. But still Jesus says unequivocally that you are a light.
Jesus said “You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14 What exactly does He mean by that?
Scripture often uses the illustration of Light and Darkness to illustrate spiritual truth. What are the first words of God recorded at creation? Let there be light, and there was light. It makes sense that the Almighty God created physical light in a way that illustrates His own Nature. Listen to this description of the nature of physical light:
Light is constituted of three rays, or groups of wave-lengths, distinct from each other. No one of those three rays would be light without the others.
Each ray has its own separate function:
The 1st Originates
The 2nd Illuminates
The 3rd Consummates
Notice how these three rays illustrate the 3-part Nature of God:
The 1st ray, often called “invisible light,” is neither seen nor felt. (Just like God the Father who reigns in Heaven)
The 2nd ray is both seen and felt. (like God the Son who lived on earth. Jesus came to bring the LIGHT to earth in a way we could understand.)
The 3rd ray is not seen, but if felt as heat. (like God the Holy Spirit whose influence is felt but not seen on earth)
The Prophet Isaiah foretold that one day, the LIGHT of God would come to earth in a way that we could all see and understand. Look in chapter 9:
1. GOD’S LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2
Isaiah often presented his prophecies in past tense using what commentators call a “prophetic perfect tense”, a technique that stresses the certainty of the fulfillment. Isaiah was so sure that his predictions would come true that he spoke of them as if they had already happened.
. If there’s any doubt who Isaiah was talking about, look in vs. 1 of Isaiah 9: “..in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea along the Jordan.” Isaiah 9:1 Galilee was the area where Jesus grew up and where he did most of his ministry. These people were usually in darkness because they lived on the border of Israel and were often the first to suffer under foreign oppression. They were also very superstitious and often slid into the occult practices of the others who lived around them.To them Jesus appeared as a great light, just as Isaiah foretold.
He was predicting the coming of the Messiah. John recorded the fulfillment of this prophecy in John 1:4 & 5: In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:4-5
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
The Apostle Paul elaborates on Jesus who shines as light in darkness in II Corinthians: The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For 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 the glory of God in the face of Christ. II Corinthians 4:4-6
Isaiah spent a lot of time contrasting Spiritual Light and Darkness. Let me just take a minute to share with you some of these contrasts:
1. Characteristics of Darkness
a. Idolatry: not only the practices of the Canaanites involving idols, but the tendency of people today who focus on anything other than God or on themselves. It is all idolatry.
b. Bondage: People who live in darkness are enslaved to the things they focus on. They may not realize that the things they own and love actually own them
c. Blindness: Satan has clever ways of creating spiritual blindness so that those who are enslaved by him actually think they are free and living according to their own dictates. They are captives, but unable to recognize their own true condition
d. Foolishness: The Bible has much to say about the fool in the book of Proverbs, but the main characteristic of the fool is that he listens to and trusts only in himself. He refuses to seek for wisdom from any other source besides himself.
e. Confusion: Crooked path: The Bible reminds us that the way of sinners is hard. Because the one living in darkness is blind, bound, and blunders his way through life, sooner or later he will trip and fall on his crooked path. Confusion marks his every day.
2. Characteristics of Light
a. The presence of God: God promises to be part of any life that decides to include him. With God’s presence are many benefits.
b. Release from bondage: Jesus reminded us that when we know the truth, the truth will make us free. Since Jesus is himself, truth and light. He brings release from captivity to all who choose his light over darkness.
c. Restoring of Sight: Those whom Satan has blinded, are given back their sight as God removes the blinders Satan had put on those he took captive. Enlightenment is a promise of the New Age movement, but only God is able to actually enlighten the mind that is turned over to Him.
d. Wisdom from God: In the same way that Proverbs has a lot to say about fools, it also has much to say about wisdom, and all true wisdom comes from God. (Proverbs 3:5ff)
e. Crooked paths made straight: The way of the sinner is hard, but God promises to make the path straight for the one who trusts in him.
2. GOD’S LIGHT SHINES IN US
These are the changes we can expect when God’s light shines in us. But Isaiah also gives us a warning. We need to be sure we are walking in GOD’s Light – not in our OWN light.
Not YOUR OWN light!
But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment. Isaiah 50:11
J. Vernon McGee wrote, “Some time ago a man said to me, ‘McGee, I heard you on the radio, and I disagree with you about salvation. Let me tell you what I think about it.’ Well, he was ready to build a fire, and he wanted both of us to sit there and warm ourselves by his fire. It knew it was a phony fire, which would give off no heat or light. So frankly I told him, ‘I don’t mean to be ugly or rude, but I don’t want to hear what you think, because what you think and what I think are meaningless. It is what God says that we need to know and we need to walk in his light. If we reject him, then we generally walk in the light of our own little fire down here. But the Holy Spirit warns that you will lie down by that little fire of yours in sorrow, which means that you will be eternally lost.”
Isaiah lets us know what we need to do if we want to let GOD’s light sine in us.
How to let GOD’s light shines in us
Isaiah chapter 58 tells some of the ways we can put aside darkness and let God’s light shine (Isaiah 58:9-10) As you look through these verses, think of the way Jesus fulfilled this description during His earthly ministry.
If you want GOD’S light to shine in you, you must do away with:
• the yoke of oppression, and that means both your oppression of others and the oppression of things, habits, and addictions on you.
• the pointing finger, Oh, how we love to justify ourselves and point our fingers of judgment on others. That was the way of the Pharisees Jesus so roundly condemned.
• and malicious talk, Those in darkness try to comfort themselves by talking trash to others around them, but in the end it does them no good. Those in the light cease from that kind of talk, and say things that edify and build others up. The ministry of encouragement is a refreshing change from the talk of those in darkness.
And you must, instead
• spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
• and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
Isaiah 58 tells us, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
This is a picture of the way Jesus lived his life. And if we live like Jesus --- if His light shines within us --- we, too, will shine. That’s what Jesus was talking about in the sermon on the mount when he said: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:1
Then you can Rise and Shine:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60:1-3
CONCLUSION:
Here are a couple of other interesting facts about light:
Einstein said the reason he could construct the theory of relativity was because there is one thing in the world that is unchangeable. That one thing is the speed of light. Light travels at a rate of 100 and 86 thousand miles per second --- seven times around the world at the tick of a clock.
• The average lightning bolt contains a voltage of 100 million watts and the energy of four kilowatt hours. In other words, one flash of lightning would keep any house lit for 35 years, and could lift a huge Ocean Liner about 6 feet into the air.
“God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” I John 1:5
God --- who IS Light --- created physical light to manifest his omnipresence and power.
Isaiah often used contrasts to accentuate his message. Here he contrasts the darkness of Chapter 8 (vs.20-22) where the wicked Israelites had consulted mediums (who usually work at night) instead of consulting God. Therefore they were in darkness and were about to see only “darkness, distress and gloom and be thrust into outer darkness.” Then chapter 9 starts with, “Nevertheless” and light is introduced, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”
