According To Luke: Let Your Light Shine

According To Luke: Let Your Light Shine

Opening Illustration: Saved By The Light

In February 1954, a navy pilot set out on a night-training mission from a carrier off the coast of Japan. While he was taking off in stormy weather, his directional finder malfunctioned, and he mistakenly headed in the wrong direction. To make matters worse, his instrument panel suddenly short-circuited, burning out all the lights in the cockpit.

The pilot "looked around … and could see absolutely nothing; the blackness outside the plane had suddenly come inside." Nearing despair, he looked down and thought he saw a faint blue-green glow trailing along in the ocean's ebony depths. His training had prepared him for this moment, and he knew in an instant what he was seeing: a cloud of phosphorescent algae glowing in the sea that had been stirred up by the engines of his ship. It was the "least reliable and most desperate method" of piloting a plane back onto a ship safely, but the pilot—future Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell—knew that was precisely what he needed to do. And so he did.

While he did not articulate it this way, Jim's life was saved because of light. Not just any light, but "bioluminescent dinoflagellates," which are tiny creatures that contain luciferin, a generic term for the light-emitting compound. Bioluminescent organisms live throughout the ocean, from the surface to the seafloor, from near the coast to the open ocean.

Point:

Light is important. It was important for Jim Lovell because it lead him to life and salvation. Friends we live in a dark and dangerous world. Our world is filled with darkness and despair. What are we to do? Follow the light. Who is the light? Well of course it is Jesus but as followers of the cross, we are the light of the world. Question this morning, are we shining in the darkness? Would someone be able to follow our light leading to Jesus and salvation?

Fill in this blank this morning. 

Are You Shining or Shunning The Light?

Background and Context

Jesus’ message took the country by storm. Thousands of people came to hear Jesus preach, although they also came to see him perform miracles. A growing number of people believed Jesus and became his followers and disciples.

Toward the end of his Galilean ministry, about 16 months after he started his public ministry, Jesus told people a parable, the one we know as The Parable of the Sower. In this parable Jesus was showing people different responses to his message. Some hear the word of God and there is no response at all. Others hear it and respond superficially, but when testing comes, they fall away. Yet others hear it and respond to it, but as they go on their way the cares and riches and pleasures of life choke them, and they fall away. Finally, some hear the word of God and respond to it, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.Jesus continued to elaborate on responses to his message, the word of God. He gave another parable, The Parable of the Lamp, to teach people how to respond to his message.

Luke 8:16-18 ESV

16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Three Lessons From Jesus’ Message

I. The Lamp’s Purpose…SHINE! vs. 16

Luke 8:16 ESV

16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 

Illustration:

I late July a team from Eastern Shore Baptist Church went on a mission trip to Vermont. It was an exceptional time of fellowship as the team did two Vacation Bible Schools and saw 9 people accept Christ. It really was amazing. One night our team went deep into the hills of Vermont to star gaze. We went to a small town where there was nearly 0 light pollution and almost 100% visibility of the night sky. We went to one of the local observatories and saw stars, the milky way, planets, and even satiates as they passed overhead. It was a beautiful and oddly cold night. 

It was here that I learned a new word. Albedo! I had never heard that word before. It's a measurement of how much sunlight a celestial body reflects. The planet Venus, for example, has the highest albedo at .65. In other words, 65 percent of the light that hits Venus is reflected. Depending on where it's at in its orbit, the almost-a-planet Pluto has an albedo ranging from .49 to .66. Our night-light, the moon, has an albedo of .07. Only seven percent of sunlight is reflected, yet it lights our way on cloudless nights. Paul likens us to shining stars, and the word shine means to reflect. 

Point:

In a similar sense, each of us has a spiritual albedo. The goal? One hundred percent reflectivity. We are to reflect God’s very character everywhere we go. We are to reflect His actions. We are to reflect His Words. We are to reflect His very thoughts. Now this is a challenge for everyone sitting in this room. Even me. On a normal day, where everything goes my way, this is not difficult. Yet, how many days really go my way. Not many. So reflecting Jesus when someone wrongs us is hard. It is difficult when someone speaks untruths about us or even tries to trap us into making mistakes. 

Point:

We need to know that is when we shine the brightest. It is in the hard times that we can dial up the albedo of our lives. It is in those moments when Christ can best be seen in us. So, follow Paul’s advice to shine like the stars in the Universe. 

Philippians 2:13-15 ESV

For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good pleasure. 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing,5 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world…

Three Lessons From Jesus’ Message

I. The Lamp’s Purpose…SHINE! vs. 16

II. The Word’s Purpose…SPREAD vs. 18

Luke 8:18 ESV

18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Point:

Now we really need to take a careful look at what Jesus is saying. Just what does He mean by the lamp and the light? Who was he speaking to after all? Well we know that he was speaking to His followers. He was speaking to the disciples. 

The lamp and light that He is speaking of are His Words and Teachings. One might say that He is speaking allegorically of the Gospel. 

Essentially Jesus is saying to His Disciples that they have heard His Words and Teachings, what will they do with them? How will they measure His words? Where will they take the light of the Gospel? Will they shine it, spread it or hide it?

Point:

The fact is that many people hear the message of God’s word and it never makes any difference in their lives. The message goes in one ear and out the other. The gospel is meant to make a difference in our lives. 

The Gospel which we possess was not given us only to be admired, talked of, and professed, – but to be practiced. It was not meant merely to reside in our intellect, and memories, and tongues, – but to be seen in our lives.

Friends, if you profess to belong to Christ, the message of the gospel must transform you. When you hear the message of the gospel, the message of God’s word, you must hear it responsively. You must adjust your life in accordance with God’s word.

Remember James’ words…

James 1:22-25 NKJV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Point:

Jesus goes on to state the consequences for not following through with what we know. If we hear and do not do, if we do not obey, blessings will be taken away. It is not just our actions that are seen and measured by God but also our inaction. Our inability to follow through with obedience. Now that is something to think about isn’t it. It is my desire that we all hear the Word of God, experience transformation, and then we are totally reflective of God’s work in our lives. We become totally sold out. 

Matthew 5:16 ESV

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.

Three Lessons From Jesus’ Message

I. The Lamp’s Purpose…SHINE! vs. 16

II. The Word’s Purpose…SPREAD! vs. 18

III. The Light’s Purpose…SHOW! vs. 17

Luke 18:17 ESV

17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 

Illustration:

I was reading the newspaper the other day and came across a funny story about a Dad from Boston. He was driving downtown with his 5 year old son and he was trying to make it though a stop light. He was driving his wife’s brand new car. As he approached the light, if flickered from yellow to red. Instead to stopping, the busy Dad gunned it and sped through the intersection. He made it through and eventually made it home. No big deal. About an hour after he and his son made it home he received a knock on the door. It was the police. 

The police informed him that they had received a phone call from his residence concerning a traffic violation that had taken place earlier that day. The police, because they respond to all calls that come in to the station, came to the house to check and make sure that everything was ok.  

So who made the call to the police? You got it, it was the man’s five year old son who had witnessed the crime and felt compelled to point out his Father’s wrong doing. The Dad thought he had gotten away with it after all. The police let him off with a warning and made the man’s son and honorary deputy. 

Point:

Sometimes we think we are getting away with it don’t we? One of my favorite lines from Scooby Doo is when the villain is finally revealed and he or she states that they would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for those pesky kids. 

Point:

Light provides a lot for us doesn’t it. Light provides guidance. 

Psalm 119:105 ESV

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

Light provides warmth and draws people close. 

I John 1:7 ESV

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Light illustrates knowledge. 

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Think about light in surgical terms. Many of you have had laser surgery. Focused and intense light that is used to cut away cancerous tissue, malfunctioning organs or even damaged eye site. Light is really a healing mechanism. 

Isaiah 58:8 ESV

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Point:

Light is something essential to life. Without sunlight, everything would die. Without fire, we would not be able to cook our food. Without light, our world would be dark. Light has one more crucial element that needs to be discussed. Light exposes that which is in the dark. 

Light exposes the sin in our hearts and lives. What we think we do in the darkness, God sees plainly and clearly. God knows our hearts and minds better than we do. 

Point:

I want to ask you a scary question? Do you have a secret sin that you think no one will ever find out? Do you have a sin that you feel that God Himself is not paying attention to? If the answer is yes, confess it, loose it here on earth so that you will not be bound to it in eternity. The light of Christ will expose our sin, our disobedience, and our unwillingness to comply to God’s righteous standard. Nothing will be hidden from God. 

Application:

So what’s the application of today’s message. Remember, you are the light on the hill. As a follower of Christ, you are here to draw people closer to God, not further away. Next, remember that you possess the light of the Gospel. The purpose the words of Christ are to spread them. Let them illuminate the darkness. Shine them with your actions, words, and thoughts. Lastly, ask God to use the light of His Word to illuminate the dark places that exist in our own lives. Show us, reveal to us the areas of our lives that need improvement. Use the light to cut away in sinful parts of us so that we can live lives that might glorify King Jesus. 

Go…Light Your World!