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Lighting A World of Darkness - 4.7.2024 Bulletin
Lighting A World of Darkness
As Christians we are called upon to walk in the Light as He is in the Light (1 John 1:7). God is the ultimate source of Light, and Light is what illuminates our pathway to Heaven and through this mortal life. Let's examine some aspects of Light.
First and foremost, it's bright. Even the light of a single candle can be blinding in a dark room, to the point that you cannot stare directly into the flame (more on that soon). Light radiates warmth and sight all around it, and even a single source of light is noticeable when surrounded by darkness. God and Christians are much the same. This world is not a domain of light, but when a Christian is present, it's quite obvious. If you are living your life the way you should, people will see your light shining without you even having to say a word. Consider the words of the formerly blind man in John 9. In verse 5, Jesus said that He is the Light of the world. After Jesus healed him, the pharisees demanded an answer from the blind man. In verse 25 "He answered and said 'Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." The blind man ironically had clearer sight than the supposed religious experts and scholars of the day. He could plainly recognize the True Light that was before him.
Secondly, light is incompatible with darkness. When light is present, darkness cannot be, and the light will drive it out. In context of a Christian life, this is most obviously seen in our lives. If you fill your life and soul with God's light, there will be no room for darkness. Consider Matthew 6:22-23. Jesus says that if your lamp is full of light, your whole body will be full of light. Verse 23 brings us to our next point.
According to the mathematical law of contraposition, "if something is true, the opposite must also be true". According to Matthew 6:23, if you fill your lamp with darkness, your body will also be full of darkness. Some would have you believe that God's light is so irresistible that you are unable to step outside of it or deny it, yet here Jesus warns us that we can indeed fill ourselves with darkness rather than light. This is true no matter how long you have been a Christian, so we must always be sure to be renewing our light from the Source.
For our third point, light can be painful. Just think about when you wake up in the morning and the sun shines directly into your window. It takes your eyes time to adjust, and for a period of time the light is too intense until you are ready for it. This is true of God's light as well. Yes, God's light casts out darkness, but that doesn't mean it's a painless process. Some are so used to the darkness that coming into the light is a considerable undertaking. Some simply prefer the darkness. And some are so deep in darkness that they will attempt to extinguish the light rather than come to it.
In John 3:19-21, Jesus said "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." As surely as Christians are children of light, those of the world are children of darkness, and some would rather put out the light than be exposed by it, or be changed by it. After all, they sought to kill Jesus rather than repent, and if they would do it to Him, we should not be surprised if they seek to put out our light too.
Lastly, light is intended to be seen. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus likens Christians to lights again. He quite plainly points out how nobody in their right mind lights a candle (in our modern day, turns on a light) and then covers it up. That makes no logical sense. The purpose of light is to illuminate and provide sight to those who are without it, and that is exactly what Christians are supposed to be. Whenever and wherever we are, we must reflect God's light to all we come across.
DY
- Glad_Tidings_4.7.2024_PDF.pdf (4.07 MB)
