Sermon Central
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Being A Light In The World Today
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Jun 19, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: This world has a hard time talking to each other. conversations escalate and being the light in a dark world is tough but possible with the Lord's help
Being a light in the world today
Good Morning Everyone - it is really Good to see you and we are glad that you are!
Prayer- (being a light)
The Psalmist tells us;
The word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path… the light of God keeps us in a right relationship with Jesus.
A Lighthouse lit up out in stormy seas is guidance to keep ships from crashing unto the rocks.
Jesus tells us we need to be the light and we need people who are walking in the light of Jesus to help us navigate through life challenges. (Repeat)
The scripture this morning helps us see we need to be the light and how careful we need to be to make sure that we are walking in the light of Jesus.
Please turn to Luke 12:33-36 for the reading of God’s Word-
The point Jesus is making here is ...What does a light do?
It guides you down a path, right? It helps you to see.
So if the lamp of your body is your eye, then it's the type of eye you have that will determine how you walk, how you see things. Through what lens you are looking!
If you have a good and pure eye, things will appear good. Bad eye that desires to do evil, things will appear bad.
This isn't New Age stuff – positive thinking alone does not make it true –
Jesus is going to the heart of the issue and telling us that it's what we allow into our lives through our eyes and ears and into our hearts determines how we see the world and will determine what we do in our spiritual walk.
Illustration-
One day a man was walking through a beautiful church building with his 4-year-old son. As they walked, the young boy looked around. He stopped and was curious about the stained-glass windows that looked so beautiful with their bright colors. As he looked at the windows, he asked: “Who are all the people in the windows, daddy?” “They are saints,” said the father. “What are saints, daddy?” the kid asked. The father was stuck. How was he going to explain who saints were to a four-year-old boy? As the boy was still looking up at the windows and the father was still wondering how he would explain who saints are, the young boy shouted: “I know who saints are, daddy. They are the people that the light shines through.”
Who are the people in your life through whom the light of God has shined?
Who are the saints that have touched your life with the incredible love of Christ?
Maybe they are still alive.
Maybe they are members of this congregation.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
What we allow in is what's going to come out.
Christian who's spending their time filling your mind with what this world is telling you is right…it will influence how you think.
And what Jesus tells you and I is that it's what's going into our heart and mind through our eyes and ears makes us who we are.
If what's going in is good, the whole body will be good.
If what's going in is bad – it will affect how you think and act
Please don't think that you're not affected by what you see and hear, it affects you.
So as a Christian then, you're commanded to have nothing to do with things that are sinful (Phil. 4:8). (2) You're told to depart from iniquity (2 Tim. 2:19).
The first part of the text is that we are to be the light of the world, to know the Lord and be a witness of His great love for others and the second part (Luke 11:37-53) here is what is called the six woes! We will not have time to cover them all this morning!
Jesus was invited by a Pharisee to sit and dine at his table for a meal and the Pharisee corrected Jesus for not washing his hands. (Luke 11:3)
Can you imagine telling Jesus that he forgot to wash his hands and that is what the religious do here.
Though this man was not converted, Jesus did not refuse to recline at table with him.
Jesus accepted the hospitality of the Pharisee
Jesus did not fail to use the opportunity to speak out against the experts in the law.
The Pharisee “marveled” that Jesus had not first washed before coming to the table (LUKE 11:38). This was not so much a point of hygiene, as it might be in our society: but Jesus’ response in the following verse rather suggests that the attitude of the man was that it was somehow ‘unholy’ not to wash.
