You Are the Light of the World
(This sermon was adapted from message by Pastor Roger Griffith for another website. He also has some sermons posted here at Sermoncentral.com)
Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick and it giveth light to 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."
The world is a dark place and it’s growing darker every day. Years ago, when I was still young in the Lord, working in whatever ministry God would give to me, I never dreamed that we would have ever had such open sin in America as we have today.
Homosexual and Lesbians roam the streets in open defiance of God’s Law and of the Law of the land. We murder unborn and partially born babies by the thousands in the name of scientific research so that others may live just a little longer. The thought of terrorist attacks on our soil is an ever present point of anxiety for so many of our citizens. And yet, it has only begun. The day is yet to come when peace will be utterly gone from the face of the earth. How far down will man go into his depraved state of sin?
None of us could have imagined how much immorality would increase and that sinners would have such liberty to blaspheme the name of God and to live in the perversion and filth as we have everywhere today. The name of my Jesus, my Lord and Savior, has become nothing more than a curse word. He is not called upon in prayer but he is cursed in anger and frustration.
Surely a gross darkness is covering the world and men are becoming more blinded by sin than ever before. Morality is thought of as a prudish thing that only the “old fashioned” will even take into consideration. Immorality rules in the hearts of our youth, our kids and in all of society.
Truly the scripture is being fulfilled right before our very eyes, marking the end of the Church Age and we can sense that Jesus will soon be coming in the clouds of Glory.
1 Timothy 4:1-2, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron…"
Who can deny the fact that our nation has lost its conscience? Guilt and conviction of sin has been replaced by arrogance and self-righteousness, even in the church!
Now we have a generation of children who are growing up in homes where mom and dad are not mom and dad at all, but mom and her girlfriend, or dad and his boyfriend. Our kids are growing up in a darkness of sin that we, as older people, never knew in our time.
Yes, thinks are looking mighty dark out there, but I want you to know that there is some Good News! That’s what I’m here to preach to you about tonight – the Good News!
What is the Good News? The good news is that if you are truly a born again, blood bought, child of the Living God, then your light is going to keep getting brighter and brighter in the darkness of this old sinful world, that is, unless you decide to cover your light and hide in fear.
What do I mean when I say that your light is going to shine bright?
How many of you have ever stepped into a dark room and turned on the light? What happened? The darker that room was, the brighter the light seemed.
Sometimes, even the light of a single candle, or a small flashlight, can be blinding to those who are in utter darkness.
If you were to take that same little candle, or that flashlight and light it outside on a bright sunny day, the light would be there but you it really wouldn’t have much of an effect.
I want you to know that the darker in sin this world goes, the brighter your light is going to shine for the Lord and you can’t help but be a bright light in a dark place.
Jesus didn’t say in this verse that He was the light of the world. Now we all know that the only real source of Light is the Lord, and the only light we have is the radiant glow of the Spirit of Christ within us and the reflection of His glory upon us. But Jesus’ own words to His disciples, and to each of us were, “YOU ARE THE LIGHT of the World!”
YOU are His witnesses and your light is supposed to shine. Wherever you go and whatever you do, if you belong to Jesus, He must shine through you.
Some people are afraid of letting the world know who they really are in Christ! They are afraid that maybe someone will ask them to pray at a meal, or pray on the job, or ask them a question about the Word of God. Now that last one really strikes fear into a lot of Christians because they haven’t spent time studying and learning the Word of God and they can’t even answer their own question much less those of a lost and dying world!
Don’t try to keep the world from knowing that you belong to Jesus. Learn to shine for Him instead. The world needs hope, and you have the only source of hope there is, so let the world know your hope.
The world has NO light but YOUR light. The world has no hope for its darkness except through Christians.
DON’T BE ASHAMED OF JESUS - Twice in the Word of God, both in Mark 8:38, and Luke 9:26, Jesus gave us a solemn warning, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Don’t be ashamed of your witness. Why would you be ashamed of your life in Jesus, unless you don’t have a life in Jesus? I am convinced that the reason most Christians don’t witness for Jesus is because they don’t live their life as a Christian and they know that most people around them won’t respect them. You can’t be a witness without having witnessed living for Jesus first.
We ought not to be ashamed to talk about Jesus. When people begin to talk about religion, do you run and hide? I know that the Bible says that we shouldn’t partake in “doubtful disputations”, but that was being said to Christians who liked to argue with Christians. When you are talking about Jesus to a sinful world, that’s not a doubtful disputation; it’s a message of hope. If you truly love Jesus, and you are living for Him, don’t be afraid to let others know it.
I think that many Christians have forgotten their MAIN PURPOSE in life! What is your main purpose?
A lot of Christians think that their main purpose in life is to make money. It’s evident in their attitude. They will miss church to work an hour of overtime or an extra job because they just have to have a new car, a new home, new clothes, the latest in electronic sound and audio gear, the latest DVD release or the neatest lawn on the block.
20 or so years ago this whole area wasn’t much more than a glorified cow pasture. Now we think that we have to compete with the heady, high-minded and social elite of the big cities. We can’t let them have better, earn more or live a higher lifestyle than we go. We don’t want them to think that we just came in on the pumpkin truck this morning!
There are a lot of Christians who think that their main purpose in life is to climb the ladder of success. After all God wants them to prosper, as their souls prosper, doesn’t He? Yes God wants you to prosper, but don’t forget the second part of that verse, “as their soul prospers”. Getting more recognition from the world; getting all the “at-a-boys” on the back; getting that next promotion; and rising up the corporate ladder are not prospering by God’s standards unless your life is becoming more like Jesus every day and you are learning the Bible and living by it’s precepts.
What is your main purpose? - I remember a few years ago going to a seminar where Pat Riley, the coach of the Orlando Magic NBA Basketball team at the time, made this statement: “I strive to teach every player to keep the main thing, the main thing; not to be distracted by everything and anything else that seems so important. Their main thing is to play basketball and nothing else. Anything else makes them a loser.”
Your main thing, and my main thing, for being on planet earth, is to be a light for Jesus Christ to a dark, sin-ridden and dying world!
THIS LIFE WILL SOON BE OVER! There’s an old saying that goes like this:
“Only one life, twill soon be passed. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
I’m looking forward to the day when there will be no more sighing, no more crying, and no more dying. I’m looking forward to the day when we will all stand before Jesus. I want to hear him say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant!" But that’s not going to be the words that I will hear unless I let my light shine for Jesus!
You, my brother and sister in Christ, not just the preachers, pastors, teachers, prophets, evangelists and apostles; but you – the born again, Spirit filled child of God, you are THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!
YOU’RE THE LIGHT of Jesus when those around you are sick!
We let the world know that it’s not God’s will for them to be sick, for God said, “…I am the Lord that healeth thee.” We shine a light on the fact that Jesus bore their sicknesses and their diseases and that “by His stripes we are healed”. We shine a light on the fact that they can be healed for Jesus is the Great Physician, and when the doctors have given up hope, and medicine has done all it can do and it’s not enough, that’s when Jesus can begin to heal and deliver.
YOU’RE THE LIGHT when it comes to spreading the message OF SALVATION
We reflect the light of Christ and shine as a light on their only hope for eternal life.
We shine the light of Christ and rightly divide the Word of Truth revealing that good works can’t save them. We shine the light of Christ and reveal to a world caught up in religious liturgy that being religious can’t save you.
We shine a light on the fact that they must be born again to get into the Kingdom of God. We shine the light that there is only one way, and it’s not works or Religion, or morality, but Jesus, and He is the only way!
You are also THE LIGHT that reveals who JESUS is to the world!
Acts 1:8 says "You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto ME."
Jesus said, when you get full of the Holy Ghost and He is living in you, controlling you, leading you, teaching you; that you shall be turned into witnesses. So if you aren’t being a witness for Jesus, maybe you need a new experience in the Holy Ghost!
How long has it been since you really prayed through? How long has it been since you spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave you the utterance? I don’t mean some little repeating of a “sick-am-I, sick-am-I” phrase, but a good old outpouring of a heavenly language that just flows like a river of living water from down deep inside! That’s what it takes to be a real witness, and not some fake spirituality that crumbles at the first fiery dart of the devil.
That verse doesn’t say you will GO and DO witnessing; It says YOU will BE a witness. It’s as though you don’t have to do anything but walk around living like you do every day and your life will be a witness just because that’s what you are! You don’t have to force it; it comes natural!
You ARE witnesses! Wherever you go, wherever you are, you ARE a witness! You just go around like a lighted candle, burning brightly all the time, and your natural characteristic is to shine for Jesus all the time. You don’t have to tell the light to shine. It shines automatically, because that’s what light does.
You don’t just shine when the church comes together... or just when you feel like it... or when you are on your knees praying … or only when you get the chance to show off your spirituality or dazzle someone with your knowledge of the Bible. You are to shine for Jesus all the time because You ARE a witness!
We need to learn to glorify Jesus, praise the Father in Heaven and walk under the leadership of the Holy Ghost. We need to glorify God in everything we do – even on the job; even in the line at Walmart; even in the traffic jam; and all the time.
SOME CHRISTIANS WONDER WHY THEIR WITNESS ISN’T VERY STRONG AND THEY CAN’T WIN SOULS TO THE LORD. THE REASON IS THAT THEY GLORIFY GOD WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR ACTIONS GLORIFY SOMETHING ELSE!
They glorify their denomination – nobody can be saved unless they live the way “I” believe. Well since when did God give you the power to choose who will be saved and to see into the heart of man.
They glorify their music – only “my” kind of music can really reach into the heart and stir the soul. That old stuff, or that new stuff, just doesn’t minister to me at all. Well, isn’t it strange that God made every one of us just a little different from everybody else? Some He made a little stranger than others. We all have our own personal preferences, personal convictions and personal beliefs so what makes us the judge of where the line is drawn? Who decides what is right or wrong. The only real test is, - Does it glorify Jesus Christ and not man!
Some people glorify their preacher. Oh I hate to burst your bubble, especially if you are a member of this church. I know that I’m next to perfect, but when I stand next to perfection, only found in the person of Jesus Christ, then I’m nothing at all. I don’t care how great a man can preach, or how interesting, educated and exciting his sermon may be, he is still just a man, a sinner, saved by grace like anyone else. Don’t glorify the preacher. Glorify the One who called him to preach and gives him the anointing to preach!
Some people glorify the church. In fact, in our day and time, the church is seen as the ultimate entity to glorify. There are church building seminars on every TV station and on the bookshelves at the store, but all they glorify is numbers, programs, buildings and whoever has the biggest just has to be the best. None of those things should be glorified. Glorify Jesus who is the very foundation of the church. Glorify Him who gives the church a reason to even be called a church.
Jesus has anointed us to SHINE FOR HIM and to GLORIFY only Him! Why do we worship the creation when we can worship the CREATOR?
A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T SHINE! THEY AREN’T A WITNESS FOR JESUS! THEY ARE A WITNESS FOR ANYTHING ELSE BUT JESUS!
They would rather talk about the weather than talk about Jesus.
They would rather talk about business than talk about Jesus.
They would rather talk about their latest pain, sickness, operation or doctor’s visit than to talk about Jesus.
They would rather talk about their neighbor, or their brother and sister in the church, than to talk about Jesus.
They would rather have the preacher for lunch, and I don’t mean to feed him chicken, than to talk about Jesus.
They would rather talk about politics and campaign for the man that they think will be the answer to the world’s problems, than to talk about Jesus, the only real answer to the world’s problems.
I’m here to talk about Jesus! There is nothing more important than Him!
GOD’S GRACE IS STILL AMAZING! HIS BLOOD HAS NEVER LOST ITS POWER! HE IS STILL IN THE DELIVERING BUSINESS, SAVING BUSINESS AND LIFE-CHANGING BUSINESS!
God’s grace always AMAZES THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW HIM
Think of how amazed the drug addict will be when he finds out that he doesn’t have to
depend on drugs anymore because he has been set free by the power of God!
Think of how amazed the alcoholic will be when he finds out that he doesn’t have to live his life out of a bottle anymore.
Think about how amazed the distressed, depressed, and oppressed will be when they find out that they don’t have to live that way anymore.
They will be amazed at God’s amazing grace that comes to them through your witness of Jesus Christ in your life.
Jesus said that you are to be a Bright Light in a Dark Place! Are you a witness? Are you on fire for God? Does everything about you portray Jesus in you?
WHAT DOES YOUR LIFE SAY ABOUT JESUS? - AT WORK – IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD – BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS OF YOUR OWN HOME?
We need to go out and be a Bright Light in a Dark Place!
The world needs your light to shine so get out there and burn for Jesus!
