Being Light
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Being Light
Being Light
God sent Christ as a light
men lived in darkness
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
Light Guides- It shows the way
Jesus came so that world might find a new life no longer dwelling in darkness, but walking in the light of a new life
What the new Life?
Forgiveness of sins-
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Adoptions into God’s family-
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
A life with Hope and a future and a purpose-
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
God also gave us His word which guides our steps and His Spirit which produces fruit in our lives
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
God also uses us to be a light to the world
Matthew 5:1-16 Jesus does a teaching that we call the sermon on the mount:
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus begins with blessed are- which means “happy” or “fortunate”
And then he goes on to list some things that don’t sound so blessed life Those who Mourn, or the pour in Spirit.
What does a life that shines look like?
The pour in Spirit- A happy ilife or a fortunate life is one that is spiritually bankrupt:
The Pour in Spirit:
The Pour in Spirit:
are those who consciously depend on God, not on themselves; they are “poor” inwardly, having no ability in themselves to please God
They are fully dependent on God, and recognize their need or dependence on Him for all
They know the source of life in only in the creator of all things and turn to him
“God Without you I have nothing.”
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Those who mourn:
Those who mourn:
recognize their needs and present them to the One who is able to assist.
They turn to God before anything or anyone else-
They put their faith in Him and it is shown through their dependence upon him
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The meek:
The meek:
are truly humble and gentle and have a proper appreciation of their position.
Jesus is the ultimate example of Humility:
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
most of us hate this- we don’t want to be humble
When other’s hur us we want to fire back, We want revenge and justice
But Jesus prayed on the cross “Father Forgive them.”
Can we walk like that?
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness:
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness:
have a spiritual appetite, a continuing desire for personal righteousness.
They know the importance of the word of God being a light for the their feet
they desire the things of God above all else
their Prayer is “God make me more like you!”
John the baptist said “He must increase and I must decrease”- John 3:30
The Merciful:
The Merciful:
extend mercy to others, thus demonstrating God’s mercy which has been extended to them.
They show mercy because they have been shown mercy
The pure in heart:
The pure in heart:
are those who are inwardly clean from sin through faith in God’s provision and a continual acknowledging of their sinful condition.
They know that without the grace of God in their lives they would be lost.
The Peacemakers:
The Peacemakers:
show others how to have inward peace with God and how to be instruments of peace in the world. They desire and possess God’s righteousness even though it brings them persecution
They declare the gospel to others around them even in the midst of being persecuted
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Jesus then adds
Jesus then adds
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
This is the impact that people who live like these beatitudes list make on their world: They are salt and light
Salt could mean two things here:
To create thirst- or to create a thirst fro greater information on why they are so different
Why they have hope
why they have joy
what makes them so unique
or be a preservative against the evils of society
they stand out by the way they live
What happens when it is no longer slaty it is unless and thrown out-
Jesus said something similar in John 15:6
If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
Light: is meant to shine and give direction
Light: is meant to shine and give direction
When we live the way Jesus describes in verses 3-10 we radiate and point other t the proper path.
The influence or that life cannot be hidden like a city on a Hill or a lamp in a room
you see it
The Final result of living like that is others glorify God
The Final result of living like that is others glorify God
Following Christ is more then just going to church it is walking in this dark world like no one else and pointing others to Christ.
We have the ministry of reconciliation
How are we living?
are we walking around still in darkness fumbling and tripping over everything
Or are we a light pointing others to our Hope and salvation.
We can lead others to where we haven’t been and we can give the world what we don’t have.