Key Takeaway
Jesus is the light and He is in you, so you become light. As you shine, you'll show others the way to Jesus.
The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon of all time. It's an inside message of what it looks like to be a believer on planet Earth. Matthew 5:14-16 is the heartbeat. From the house, the light radiates to the world. Continuing with the metaphor, the light of our lives will shine before the world. Our calling is to illuminate to everyone around us the light of Jesus. God wants to build you into a house that shines for His glory.
Jesus is the light of the world. In John 12, He said that about Himself. He's not a light or one of the lights, but The Light. Whoever walks with Him will never walk in darkness, they will take possession of the light of life. Jesus said He is the singular source of life. Our connectivity with Jesus centers around the idea of light. Our salvation is an event of light, it's moving from darkness to light.
Ephesians 5:8-10 says we were once in darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. It wasn't a process. It's done. Now, we are children of light since we were born into Jesus. Our identity has changed. Our mission in life is to walk as children of light and find what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 5:11-14 says as we move from death to life, we become children of light and Christ shines on us. Light exposes darkness. When you are in the darkness, you look for a beacon of light. Isaiah 9:2 is a prophesy about Jesus and since he is the light of the world, He is our beacon.
Our mission is to be the gift of the light of the world. It's Jesus' life in us that becomes that. We are the dwelling place of the Spirit, so the light and love of Jesus is in us. It's our reason for being; to illuminate a darkened world. A light is put on a stand so everyone can see it. Jesus has set us to be a city on a hill for the world to see. Without you the world is dark, but with you, the world can see. Jesus is not currently on planet Earth, but we are, so, He is if He lives in us. The world sees because of you and me.
This breaks up the myth that faith is a private thing. It also breaks up the myth that we are ever fully going to be approved by this world. It's not the nature of light to be hidden. It's to be shared. We want our lives to shine before men. God wants people to notice you. If your light shines well, they'll praise God and not you.
John 3:16-20 says everyone is under the weight of sin and not one of us can out from under that weight. When we put our faith in Jesus, we move out from under condemnation and over to being under the grace of Jesus. But some people love darkness more than The Light because they want to continue in their evil deeds rather than have their hearts exposed. So those that love evil hate the light, so they really don't like you if you're light.
We don't seek shelter from the world. We're not afraid of the darkness, we're meant to shine a light into it. We want to be Christ-followers, Spirit-filled people, empowered by God so we can walk into the world knowing we're not going to be loved by everybody, but knowing that we are raised up on a stand to illuminate some people's darkness. At least some people will want to find the light of Jesus.
Ask God to put you on a stand. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of the Lord, and He will exalt you at the proper time. He does this so that His light in you can illuminate the most people to come to know Him. We strive to be the best at what we do in life so we can be seen to point others to Jesus.
The method is to walk in the light. We want to be in the puddles of goodness, righteousness, and truth. This causes us to shine. Have nothing to do with walking in darkness. Our wattage can increase with both our victories and failures. When you are honest about the cracks in your life, people can see Christ in you. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says we have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God through the face of Jesus Christ. We have this treasure in jars of clay, imperfect pots with cracks so that the glory can go to the treasure more than the jar. We become a display because the cracks are a way that the light escapes into the world. Then, the world wants to know what is inside you.
Our story is "Christ is in me. I'm moving towards Him and I believe He is building me to be a house that is a light that points others to Jesus." Some are a lighthouse that people look to for guidance. Others are a campfire where people can gather and be comforted. Still, others are like a headlamp that can focus and illuminate an issue.
Is there a connection in you to the light of Jesus?
Is there in you an embracing of the reality of the times and the urgency of the message?
Is there a distinction in your life that people can see your light?
Discussion Questions
1. How is Matthew 5:14-16 the heartbeat of the Sermon on the Mount?
2. Why did Jesus come into the world as light according to John 12:46?
3. Using Ephesians 5:8-10, what happened to us the very second we put our faith in Jesus? What is our life mission because of it?
4. What does light do? See Ephesians 5:11-14.
5. How does Isaiah 9:2 prophesy the coming of Jesus? How is Jesus described?
6. How does being a lamp on a stand or a city on a hill destroy the myth that our faith is a private thing?
7. What does John 3:19-20 tell us about the reality of some people in the world? Why are you not going to be loved by everyone all the time?
8. Why does God want people to notice us?
9. How can we point people to Jesus in our successes and failures? Why does God call Jesus the treasure in jars of clay?
10. Is there a connection in you to the light of Jesus? Is there in you an embracing of the reality of the times and the urgency of the message? Is there a distinction in your life that people can see your light?
