According To Luke: Be The Light

According To Luke: Be The Light

Opening Illustration:

How Many Christians to Change a Light bulb?

CHARISMATICS: Only 1 - Hands are already in the air.

PENTECOSTALS: 10 - One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

PRESBYTERIANS: None - Lights will go on and off at predestined times.

ROMAN CATHOLICS: None, they only use candles.

BAPTISTS: At least 15 - One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken.

MORMONS (non-Christian of course): 5 - One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.

JEHOVAHS WITNESSES: None, too busy knocking on doors telling everyone they have the wrong lights.

UNITARIANS (non-Christian of course): We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, you are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

METHODISTS: Undetermined - Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or a dim bulb. Bring a bulb of your choice to the Sunday lighting service.

NAZARENES: 6 - One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.

LUTHERANS: None - Lutherans don’t believe in change.

AMISH: What’s a light bulb?

UNBELIEVERS: None, they’d rather sit in the dark.

Point:

No matter who you are or what denomination you are a part of, YOU NEED LIGHT! Light has always been a magnet to believers. Do you know how night services started in the church? Night services in church settings started around 1910 to 1920. Churches around the United States were install light bulbs in their sanctuaries. Pastors were so proud that they opened the doors of the church at night so all the parishioners could see the pretty lights! Thus, the night service was born and Baptist were given a new time for a pot luck meal. 

In just a moment you will hear more about light. We all know that light is mentioned constantly throughout the pages of the Old and New Testaments. This morning, answer this question, are you living in the light or suffering in the shade? Friends, Jesus wants us to live in His light, His truth, and His goodness. He came to liberate us from darkness and dark forces. 

Are You Living In The Light, Or Suffering In The Shade?

Background:

The past several weeks we have been talking about Satan and his demons. Yes, I believe that they are real. Yes I do believe that they possess worldly power, both supernatural and material. I do believe that Satan has influence of our world. However, we all know that Jesus is stronger and more powerful. Individually, Satan only has power with which we give to him. Jesus has just revealed to our unseeing eyes a portion of the spiritual world. Then in Luke 11:29-32 Jesus gives a warning to the current generation, calling it evil, always wanting a sign but never believing and never repenting. 

Then Jesus shifts gears and gives the hearers a helpful hand. He talks about light. He helps us understand what light really is, how it is beneficial, and how light can ultimately liberate us from darkness. So, let’s jump in to today’s Scripture from Luke 11:33-36.

Luke 11:33-36 ESV

33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.

3 Truths About Light

I. Light’s Value vs. 33

Luke 11:33-36 ESV

33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

Point:

We all know that light is an essential ingredient to life. Without light, there would be no life. Remember back to Genesis 1, after God created the heavens and the earth, God created light! Without light we are blind. Light gives off heat keeping us warm and allowing us to cook our food. Light is a key component of photosynthesis which provides oxygen for all life to exist. Without light, we toast as they say. 

Jesus draws upon and everyday occurrence in an ancient household. Of course they did not have light bulbs back in those days. They may not have had some of the modern conveniences that we have today but there is something that connects us to the ancient world…darkness. They had it and it is still a problem today. 

Jesus states that when darkness invades our homes, we light a candle. In our case, we flip a switch. No one of right and reasonable mind works in the dark. No one would say let me do my homework in darkness. No one would say let me read in the dark. For you carpenters out there, would you ever say let me use my band saw in complete darkness? Of course night. When there is work to be done, the lights are on. You would not conceal a light, hiding it. You would put the light in a prominent space. In doing so, you enhance you working or leisure experience and you give light to everyone else. 

Point:

Sometimes with Jesus you have to read between the lines. Jesus was brilliant at taking normal everyday occurrences and giving them deeper meaning. Jesus talked a lot about farming, sowing, and money to illustrate deep spiritual truths. Here is talking about light. Yes, Jesus is talking about a physical light but He is really revealing so much more. 

You see this light that Jesus is discussing has two different meanings. First, Jesus is talking about truth. Truth is light. Truth enhances our lives, gives stability to souls, and is helpful for all people. Light is light just like truth is truth. According to the Psalmist, all truth imitates from from God’s Word.

Psalm 119:105 ESV

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 

Point:

Some people think there is no absolute truth. “Truth” for them is simply what they think. Everything is relative, and what is true for them might not be true for others.

People have all kinds of ideas about truth. Whatever your view is, you would be wise to consider what Jesus Christ taught about truth. He taught not only that there is truth, but also that He is the Truth. In His words, “I am the way and the truth and the life. He also taught about lies and said Satan is the father of lies.

We are living today in a society that is trying desperately to deconstruct fundamental elements of truth. Is marriage true? Is gender true? Is sexuality true? Are all of these things fluid or is there some concrete truth that our lives can stand on. We wonder why our culture is degrading at such a rapid pace. People say that there is no truth all the while their soul hungers for it. 

Point:

Friends, make no mistake, Jesus is also talking about Himself. Jesus in the Gospel of John claims that He is the light of the world and all those who walk in His light will never walk in darkness but have the light of life living inside them. Jesus tells us in Luke 11 that no one hides the light. You put that light in a prominent place so that other can benefit. Friends, if you know Jesus, you know truth. If you know truth, you know light. Why hide it? You should shine Jesus at home, at work, on the ball fields, in the dance studio, in the theater, EVERYWHERE! Why? Because people need to see Jesus in you and discover the truth that Jesus loves them and died to save them. 

What is the value of the light? Light brings salvation. 

John 9:5 ESV

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

3 Truths About Light

I. Light’s Value vs. 33

II. Light’s Vision vs. 34

Luke 11:34 ESV

34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.

Illustration:

A pastor thought God gave Him an idea, and he presented it in the monthly deacons meeting. After giving his most impassioned plea and really “selling” the idea to the elder board, the board voted and voted down the pastors proposed changes 12-1. The chairman of the deacons looked at the pastor and said, “Well pastor, it’s 12 votes to 1. Looks like you’ve been out voted. Looks like time is up for the evening, so will you please close in prayer.”

The pastor, not wanting to give up yet on what he felt God was leading him to do then lead in prayer. As he prayed, he lifted his hands up to heaven and prayed, “Loooorrrdddd - I know my brothers here do not have the same vision you have given me. Please help them to see that this is not MY vision, but YOOOOUUUUURRRR vision!”

At that exact moment, a lightning bolt with a loud clap of thunder burst in through the window in the meeting room, striking the table, splitting it in two and knocking all the deacons to the floor. As the dust cleared, the pastor looked at the chairman of the deacons and said - so, what do you think about that?

The deacon chair, dusting himself off, sighed and said, “Well, I guess that’s 12 votes to 2, then...”

Point:

Vision is everything. I was in third grade when I received my first pair of glasses. Up until that point, I thought that my vision was really good. Then the doctor put that pair of glasses on my and and new world opened to me. The fuzzy world that I thought was normal was gone. I went from legally blind to having 20/20 vision. 3rd grade is hard you know. Kids pick on each other and make fun of anyone who is a little different. I got the Coke Bottle references and the 4 eyes a few times. It didn’t matter to me, I was not going back to living that blind life. Nope, I was seeing finally with clear vision. 

Point:

When we possess Christ, we possess truth. When we possess truth, we have clear vision. We see the spiritual forces that influence our physical realm. Just last week, there were two shootings. One shooting in Dayton and the other in El Paso. If you watch TV you will see people scrambling to find answers. If only we had more gun control. If only our politicians had done more. If only there was less demagoguery and racism. Friends, what I see happening in our country cannot be solved with more politics, more polls, or more rules. These people bent on murder and destruction are missing something in their lives. There are unseen evil forces at play here and if you see the world with spiritually true glasses you will see that our country needs Christ. We need Christ’s love, His correction, His receptive path for all people, and His TRUTH! 

Point:

According to Jesus, the window to our soul is our eyes. Paul tells us the prescription to keeping our souls clean and our truth from being stained by the world. 

Philippians 4:8 NASB

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

Point:

This is a hard question even for me to ask. What am I filling my eyes with today? Am I filling my eyes with violence? Am I filling my eyes with detrimental imagery. If Jesus were sitting with me today, sitting with me in my man cave or den, how would that effect my viewing habits? If Jesus gained access to my playlist, would I be embarrassed? If Jesus gained access to my internet history, would I want to run away? If I knew that Jesus was by my side on social media, would be so quick to type that statement or troll that supposed Facebook friend?

Brothers and sisters, we have to make sure that we are filling our eyes with light, not darkness. There is not room for both. It is either one or the other.

3 Truths About Light

I. Light’s Value vs. 33

II. Light’s Vision vs. 34

III. Light’s Victory vs. 34

Luke 11:34 ESV

34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.

Point:

Every single person, at some point in his or her life, goes through a time of darkness. Whether it be a darkness of failure, darkness of sin, or the darkness of sorrow, there’s no escaping the fact that darkness is all around us. This darkness causes many to wonder, “Will the darkness win? Will evil prevail?”

The answer to that question was given over 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ was born into the world. To many in that day, it looked like the darkness was going to win. And while most people were afraid of the darkness of oppression by the Roman Empire, Jesus opened their eyes to the reality of something even darker… the darkness of their own sin.

But in the midst of that darkness, God sent Jesus into the world to shine a great light… a light so bright and so overwhelming that those who experienced it were forever changed.

God sent a bold answer all those years ago that while the darkness may sometimes seem overwhelming, goodness will ultimately triumph over evil. Jesus was the light of the world, and whoever believes in Him already has victory over sin and death. Trust Him for that victory today.

Point:

Jesus wants to fill your life with light, revealing ultimate and absolute truth that your life can stand on. Have you been living in the dark? Have you been living on your own? Jesus doesn’t promise an easy, painless life but He does promise peace and truth. Remember He has overcome darkness!

John 1:5 ESV

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Let me share with you how you can know Christ?

1. You are a sinner. 

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fallen short…

2. Your sin separates you from God

Isaiah 59: 2

Your sins have separated you from God…

3. You cannot pay for your sin with good works

Isaiah 64:6

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

4. You need a Savior

John 14:6 

I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father unless he comes first through me.

5. Jesus is that Savior

John 3:16 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life.  

6. You must call out to him to be saved

Romans 10:13

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved

8. Once you have accepted Christ, you must make the decision to grow in your walk and obedience

Colossians 2:6-7

Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 

If it is the desire of your heart to know Jesus, live with Jesus forever when you die and to see Albert again, you can pray this prayer with me.  Its not to late.  It is never to late.  Will you bow your head with me now and pray in the stillness and quietness of your heart?

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

Invitation

Today, Shine Like The Savior!