Let your Light shine
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Introduction: You are welcome at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ as Scriptures speak to us this week. Your comment and questions can bless others.
🙏 I pray that we shall not be castaway as we study and minister His words in Jesus name.
During our family devotion sometimes ago with above topic, our adopted daughter gave illustration that set me thinking. She said if there is darkness every where and our house is the only one that has lights, then there will be attractions towards the house. I thought about occasions in the past that it happened like that, but we fearfully put off the lights to avoid attractions from robbers and evil doers. This human wisdom to put off the lights and avoid evil attractions now propelled me to use this illustration in discussing “Let your Light shine” as commanded by the Master.
❓Who is the Light? How do we get lighted? What is to be expected when light shines? What happens when we hide light? Can light go down? What is the benefits of a shining light?
These and any other arising questions will be our focus this week.
🛑 Jesus Christ is the Light. Only followers of Jesus Christ can have light. Light is the brightness that helps to see and Light is synonymous to Life.
John 8:12(AMP) Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.
🛑 Any Christian or Believer in Jesus Christ who cleaves, trusts and relies ONLY on Jesus Christ shall not be in the dark.
I am not talking about Believers who make their spiritual fathers as light, or overtly excited when in contact with men of God who are to beam the Light but portray themselves as the Light. Even John the Baptist born as a witness to the Light openly declared that he was not the Light.
John 3:28(AMP) You yourselves are my witnesses [you personally bear me out] that I stated, I am not the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), but I have [only] been sent before Him [in advance of Him, to be His appointed forerunner, His messenger, His announcer].
John 1:6-8 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
I am not also saying that Christians who rely and addicted to social media or abide with tradition of men cannot dwell in darkness. ONLY Believers who cleave, trust and rely on Jesus Christ cannot dwell in darkness because the Light will be in such Christians.
John 12:46(AMP) I have come as a Light into the world, so that whoever believes in Me [whoever cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] may not continue to live in darkness.
🛑 ONLY the word of God brings light. Christians get lighted by the spoken and written words of God.
Psalms 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
John 1:1,4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Whoever has Jesus Christ receives revelational knowledge of the written words of God that bring light as long as he/she continually studies and meditates on the Scriptures that is now available both in hard and soft copies. No one can have light without the word of God.
Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 6:23(AMP) For the commandment is a lamp, and the whole teaching [of the law] is light, and reproofs of discipline are the way of life.
🛑 Whenever attention is shifted from the word of God, darkness enters immediately without invitation. That is why Jesus told His Disciples to keep on living by the word while still on Earth.
John 12:35(AMP) So Jesus said to them, You will have the Light only a little while longer. Walk while you have the Light [keep on living by it], so that darkness may not overtake and overcome you. He who walks about in the dark does not know where he goes [he is drifting].
Anytime a Christian falls, it is an indication of departure from the Light, that is the Word of God.
John 11:10(AMP) But if anyone walks about in the night, he does stumble, because there is no light in him [the light is lacking to him].
Walking in the night here means entertaining works of darkness due disobedience to His words. Loving the world is loving darkness and that’s what brings condemnation.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
❓Now what should be expected when the light is on?
There are two expectations;
1️⃣. Salvation for those seeking for the truth.
Isaiah 60:3(AMP) And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Acts 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
Anyone who loves the truth and desires the truth will be attracted by the light for directions and life.
John 3:21(AMP) But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are–wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence upon Him].
2️⃣ Persecutions from evil ones.
John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Ahab, husband of Jezzebel is an example of haters of the truth who will be willing to attack whoever bears the Light.
1 Kings 22:8(AMP) [Ahab] king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good for me, but evil. Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say that.
There are Christians who will also attack light bearers because of worldly pleasures and attachments to Flesh, Old-man, Sinful nature or Adamic nature that cannot please God and is evil in the sight of God.
Acts 13:45(AMP) But when the Jews saw the crowds, filled with envy and jealousy they contradicted what was said by Paul and talked abusively [reviling and slandering him].
❓Should Christians put off the light for fear of persecutions by evil ones?
Since Christians are commanded to allow light to shine, and should NOT put off light for whatever reason, then we are inexcusable putting off our lights.
Luke 11:33(NLT) “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, it is put on a lampstand to give light to all who enter the room.
Anyone who hides light for whatever reason has double life and can be regarded as Lukewarm Christian who is neither hot or cold.
Luke 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness..
❓Why are we afraid to allow light to shine? Why are we afraid to speak truth to sinners?
A senior pastor once said during exhortation that Stephen was not wise in defending his faith, that was why he died by being stoned to death. Christians in this end times preach the Gospel with enticing words of men thereby covering the light of truth.
Paul and Barnabas were not afraid of the Jewish leaders who persecuted them but allowed their lights to shine unto the Gentiles.
Acts 13:46(AMP) And Paul and Barnabas spoke out plainly and boldly, saying, It was necessary that God’s message [concerning salvation through Christ] should be spoken to you first. But since you thrust it from you, you pass this judgment on yourselves that you are unworthy of eternal life and out of your own mouth you will be judged. [Now] behold, we turn to the Gentiles (the heathen).
Disciples of Christ were not afraid of death despite the killing of Stephen, they continued to beam the lights of the Gospel. They were humiliated but continued to let the lights shine.
Acts 5:40-42(NLT) The council accepted his advice. They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus. And every day, in the Temple and in their homes, they continued to teach and preach this message: “The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus.”
Anyone who receives the Light of Salvation will not fear anything or anyone as he/she emits light.
Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
❓Can the light go down or gets dim?
Very well, once there’s no oil in the Lamp, it goes dim until totally put off. That’s exactly what happened to the five foolish virgins.
Luke 11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
🛑 The more Christians get acquainted with the word of God, the brighter the light shines along the path to the glorious day of meeting the Saviour.
Proverbs 4:18(AMP) But the path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared].
Anyone with God through Jesus Christ our Lord cannot be in darkness or comfortably tolerates works of darkness.
1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
✍ Finally brethren, darkness is always around, in fact darkness is at the door like sin and ready to enter without invitation immediately the light goes down. Christians still possess the Flesh or Adamic nature, also dwell among lovers of darkness. This is why our lights must not go down and we must let our lights to shine.
Hear what Isaiah discovered after the death of king Uzziah when he saw the Light.
Isaiah 6:1,5 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Our inherited sinful nature manifest works of darkness and we dwell in the world full of uncleanliness. We must let our lights shine to prevent manifestations of darkness. Darkness cannot enter where there is light.
John 1:5 (GNS) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
✋ Maranatha.
