Keep Shining Your Light

That was the first song I learned to sing as a child in church… I can remember sitting in my first choir rehearsal at Center Baptist Church in Angie, La. and I couldn’t wait until Sunday came to sing that little song.

While that song is easy to sing… actually letting your light shine is often more challenging to do

Because being a change agent being the salt and the light the we are as disciples of Christ is not easy but it’s necessary.

Those who dare to be change agents must deal with the consequence of constant challenge.

Those of us who dare to be different must deal with being detested by the status quo.

Letting our light shine is not easy because our light often exposes the wrong that is done in the dark.

Letting our light shine is not easy because our light exposes injustice.

Letting our light shine is not easy because our light exposes lies.

Our light exposes the work of the devil.

Our light helps give direction to people who are trapped in darkness.

And sometimes the people trapped in darkness are bothered by our light because they’ve adjust to the dark it hurts too much for them to see.

It sounds good to say you are a change agent to say that you are the salt and the light but the truth of the matter is that sometimes it’s hard to let your light shine when you are attacked because you are shinning your light.

Whenever you shine your light, your light the truth of God, when every you live into your reason for being… challenge will come.

Joseph dared to shine his light and his own brothers plotted to kill him.

Shadrack Messhak.. dared to shine their light and they were thrown into a fiery furnace.

Martin King dared to shine his light...

And recently we saw what happen in Cali when a bro tried to shine his light.

But our text this morning shows us why we need to keep shining our light.

But in order to for us to see how Jesus keeps His light shining in Matt. 21 I need to show you the build up in John 11 and John 12.

Background

John 11:

Lazarus Dies

Jesus waits

Jesus raises Lazarus

Haters told the Pharisees

Pharisees get mad because Jesus’ light is causing people to follow up and have hope… they say, “we will loose our influence and the Romans will take our stuff… we’ve got to put his light out.”

They plot to kill Jesus

It’s days before the passover so Jesus goes into the wilderness to consecrate himself.

The Pharisees are looking for him because they want to put his light out… they can’t find him so they put an APB out for him.

John 12

Six days before passover, Jesus goes to Lazarus’ house because they are having a dinner to thank him.

The people find out the Jesus is there and a large crowd shows up to see both Jesus and Lazarus.

The Pharisees hear about it and decide the putting out Jesus’ light isn’t enough they plot to kill Lazarus too. Listen whenever you dare to be a change agent the enemy will not be content with simply putting your light out they will try to tarnish your work too.

The next day, Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem.

You would think that Jesus would go back into the wilderness because the Pharisees are looking to put his light out. But Jesus is determined to Keep Shinning His Light. As they get close the the city Jesus stops the crowd in Bethphage on the Mt. of Olives Jesus makes a strange request to his disciples. He tells them to go into the village in front of them and there they’ll find tied up a donkey and her colt untie them and bring them to him...

And the first thing this text is tailored to teach us is that with God promises are brought to light.

I. Promises Are Brought To Light

When I read this text, I was perplexed by something. Jesus sent the disciples and told them to to untie and bring to him both the donkey and her colt.

The question has to be asked, if Jesus is only going to ride on one, why did he ask for both of them?

It’s right in the text it tells you that it’s done to fulfill scripture.

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

I love it because it shows that Jesus was concerned with fulfilling the promises that was spoken years ago.

Hundreds of prophesies were made concerning Jesus in the OT. And Zech a minor prophet had something to say about this Sunday in the life of Jesus.

This shows us that no promise is too small for God to fulfil.

This shows us that our God keeps His promise.

Oh somebody missed their amen que.

Our Bible says that God is not a man that he should lie nor the son of man that he should repent.

In other words He’s so much God that if He spoke he can make happen.

If he spoke it He has the power to make it happen.

If he said he you can count on it.

The Bible says that all the promises of God are yea and amen. In other words you can bank out it… you can count on it.

This gives me joy because no matter how bad it might look right now… I know God’s promise concerning me will still come to pass.

Is there anybody in here today that can testify that God keeps his promise.

Is there anybody in here has seen Him keep his promise in your life.

He said he’d never leave more nor forsake me.

He said he’d keep me in prefect peace.

He said I’m the head and not the tail.

He said, weeping may endure...

He said he will supply all my needs according to his riches...

His word says I’m above and not beneath

I’m the lender and not the borrorer.

And I’m so glad that with our God no promise is too small, all His promise for me life matter.

Whenever you light your light shine Gods promise for your life will be fulfilled.

They were already in place.

This shows us that some things already in place for you…

II. Peace In Dark Times

They no longer have a king in 63BC the Roman General Pompey conquered them. 20 years later the Roman senate voted that “Herod the great” would be called “king of the Jews”. He was the little king of “Judea”. And everybody knew that Rome backed him.

At the time of Jesus’ birth it was Herod who had little babies murdered because he heard that one of the babies was supposed to be a king.

When Herod died the Romans divided the area between the sons of Herod and they all became little governors.

The people are oppressed…

Greek not Aramic was the language of the day.

They are forced t pay taxes to caesar.… not only that they are forced to pay reparations to the little governors for times when they tried to break free of oppression.

When ever they seem to get momentum the Roman soldiers would come in and crush their momentum.

Theses are dark times.

Not only is that is a dark time in society is a dark time in the life of Jesus because the Pharisees are trying to snuff out his light.

And it’s in this dark time that Jesus in Bethapage on the Mt. of Olives which is over 2,000 feet above sea level looks down at Jerusalem which is over 1,000 feet below sea level.

The people down in Jerusalem can look up and see the crowd and Jesus and Jesus can look down and see them.

Oh this is good because when they are looking for Jesus to put out his light, Jesus in essence says, I ain’t never scared… the positions himself so that everybody could see him.

Jesus is an example for us because he shows us that we ought not ever be afraid to let our light shine.

As salt and light you ought to position yourself like Jesus so that both those who need hope and those those who want to hate can see it.

Because God uses you and your testimony to show others that there is hope.

God uses you and your life to show somebody that they are loved.

God uses you and your life as a light to let somebody know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Jesus goes high that his light might shine brighter.

But watch this, how he does it is significant because he choose to come in riding on a donkey.

You need to know that a donkey was a sign of humility, peace and Davidic royalty.

This is major because Jesus does not come in riding on a horse like the Roman royalty.

III. Savior Shines Bright

The people put cloaks and palm branches on the street.

OT when Jahu was anointed as king the people laid their cloaks on the street to allow him to ride through the city.

And when Solomon was anointed as king they took palm branches and laid them in the street.

Here Jesus is in the tradition of the Old Testament kings.

This image was not lost on the people.

When the people see him they begin taking off their cloaks and laying them on the street.

Others grabbed palm branches and laid them on the street.

Then the crowd started shouting.

The crowd started shouting “Hosanna”

The word “Hosanna” means, savior!

Close

A man bought a house that was positioned high in this community and when he first got there the people like him, they welcomed him to the community but then he started making renovations to his house.... new flood lights… people complained to the HOA.

Reflection

1. Who are you shining your light for?

2. What challenges do you face in society when shining the light of Jesus?

3. How do you respond when asked to put your light out?

4. To whom will you shine your light this week?

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