Sermon On The Mount # 2 Let There Be Light!

From the beginning of time, God wanted light to exist. He said, “…let there be light” and the Bible says, “…and there was light”.

In Gen. 1:3, the Lord is talking about the light of the sun that separates the days from the nights. But this is not the only place in the Bible where the Lord expressed a desire for light.

In Matthew 5, the Lord said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 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. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

WHAT IS THE LORD SAYING IN THESE VERSES? He is saying to Christians what he said at Creation, that is, “Let there be light”. We live in a dark, sinful world and God has placed us here to let our light for Him shine.

Illus: As children, we were taught to hold our finger up in the air and sing, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine; this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine."

But in all actuality, this little light is not mine! We are neither the light nor its source, we are a reflection of the Light.

Eph. 5:8 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”

Paul reminds these Christians that once the Lord saved them, He who said once said, “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”, now says to Christians, “YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.” Paul tells these Ephesian Christians that they are not to walk in darkness, but to WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT.

When the Lord said we are the “Light of the world”, what did He mean? He certainly had something in mind when He said we are “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD” and we are to WALK IN THAT LIGHT.

For example, He probably had in mind that -

I. LIGHT DRIVES AWAY DARKNESS

Illus: You can walk into a building that is so dark that you can put your hand in front of your face and you can not see it. But you can take a flash light out of your pocket and turn it on, and the darkness in that room will flee. That one little light may not fill the room with light, but it will make it’s presence known in a very powerful way.

• One Christian who walks in the light in a sinful home will make a difference

• One Christian student who walks in the light in a sinful public school will make a difference

• One Christian employee who walks in the light on a sinful job site will make a difference

• One Christian in a church who walks in the light will make a difference

But listen, can you imagine what a difference it would make if ten or twelve were walking in the light in these places?

Illus: Robert Bellah, a sociologist who teaches at the University of California at Berkeley, is very interested in the influence of religion on the community.

In an interview in Psychology Today, he said, "We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a new vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a culture may be changed when 2 percent of its people have a new vision."

Many more than 2 percent of the people in our country are Christians.

• Why aren't we having more effect?

• Why aren't we having more influence?

I pray that God will call you to permeate this non-Christian society for Christ, to take your stand there uncompromisingly with the value system and moral standards of Jesus. Light will drive back darkness every time.

Some have the idea that the church is on the defense. Peter had proclaimed that Christ was the Son of God, and in Matthew 16:18, the Lord said, “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

God never meant for the church to be a little group of frightened people hiding in the corner. We are not on the defense, we are on the offense, and the Lord says as the army of God marches forward, the GATES OF HELL WILL NOT STOP HIS CHURCH.

God’s Word says in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Illus: Have you ever watched a Trapeze show? If you have, I am sure that as you watched, it was breathtaking. In most cases there is a net to catch them if they fall. But still, we can not help but watch them and gasp at their near misses.