YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Topic: YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Text: Matthew 5:14 “Ye are the light of the world...”

INTRODUCTION

Jesus in deep agony said;

“...the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table” Luke 22:21

It is rather unfortunately that Christians who are supposed to be high fliers crawl all over the place. Many are sickly when they should be carriers of healing virtues; hungry when they should be feeding many; merely existing when they should be living. Let me tell you the truth, you are a betrayal if you are living below the standard of Christ, John 13:15. That is why God has sent me to open your eyes to your true identity and I trust God that this eye opening will not only be permanent but also refreshing. Isaiah 60:1-3 reads;

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising”

God will never request from you what He has not empowered or equipped you with in other words, if there is anything God has or is requesting of you it is simply because He has equipped with it. You have it! For instance, when offerings are being taken in church it is because you have being blessed in the first place and it is a command you mustn’t come to the place of worship empty handed.

WHAT IS LIGHT?

Even the dictionary acknowledges God as light and the source of all other lights both great and small; furthermore, light is:

1. God: God as a source of spiritual illumination and strength 

2. Energy producing brightness: the energy producing a sensation of brightness that makes seeing possible 

3. Source of illumination

4. A path taken

5. Dawn: the arrival of the sun's brightness at the beginning of the day  

6. Traffic signal: a signal that controls the movement of traffic

7. General notice: general or public notice, attention, or knowledge

facts that only recently came to light 

8. Way something is viewed: the manner in which somebody or something is regarded, especially by the public

9. Something that ignites something: a source of fire 

10. Gleam in somebody's eye: a glint in somebody's eye that is taken to indicate a particular mood or expression

CHARACTERISTICS OF LIGHT

Joseph, Daniel, Paul etc being our case studies, let’s find out the characteristics of light also making references to our definitions above. However, the characteristics of light are innumerable so we will only be highlighting the core characteristics and they are as follows:

1. God is the source of all lights in other words; every light has its root traceable to God. Hence, without God you’ll live in darkness as well as privy to His blessings, John 8:12 

2. Light produces energy or power as it were, Deuteronomy 8:18 says it is God i.e. light who gives the power to get wealth. Act 1:8 says enough power will be produced in you to witness to the whole world when the Holy Ghost i.e. light producing spirit is come upon you. Paul received power to launch out on his God-ordained ministry when light shined on him on his way to Damascus; that light also changed the course of his life entirely, Act 9:3. Light produces the power to fulfil purpose.

3. Light is a source of illumination in other words, it gives precise direction. In Acts 13:11, Elymas having been cursed by Apostle Paul became blind and scripture states that he went about seeking one to lead him by the hand. However, as long as he had light he didn’t need the service of another to lead him. Light is an illuminator.

4. Light shows you the right way to go. In John 14:6, Jesus i.e. light said “I am the way...” in other words, I lead the way. Psalm 119:105 confirms light as the way to go. It doesn’t matter how much experience a driver might claim to have, he will be stalled if he tries driving in the dark with his head lamps off.

5. Light is used in telling times and seasons, Gen 1:14. Scripture says in psalms 30:5 that weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning in other words, the appearing of light signifies the dawning of a new day as it may apply to your various situations. Joseph’s light shone right from inside the prison and the King sent for him. Your light will shine for men to see and the King will send for you hastily in Jesus name, Gen 41:14.

6. Light helps to control your movement. When and when not to move, Psalms 119:105 says that light is received for movement in the right direction from the principal source of light i.e. God. You just know when to move. David said in Psalms 18:36 that; “Thou (God, the source of light) hast enlarged my steps under me that my feet did not slip”. Also Isaiah 30:21 says light instructs you in the way to go so, you’ll never make mistakes because you have light.

7. Light delivers and sets free. By this point I will be tying so many things together. Deliverance could occur in different endeavours of man’s life ranging from debt, enemies, through ailments to even death etc. Freedom accompanies light, John 8:32&36. Light sourced from God is capable of delivering you from any of these predicaments. I want to believe that no other case could be worse than death.  In Acts 12:5, we see light break the chains of prisoners effortlessly. In Daniel 3:25, when Light joined the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace, only their chains were burnt off leaving them without hurt. With the light, what hurts other has no power over you. This same light gave Joseph an edge over all the Senator and Governors in Egypt, Gen 41:38-44. By this same light Daniel and his colleagues became captains in the land of their captivity and were also found ten times better than their counterparts, Daniel 1:20. We can go on and on exploring the characteristic of light.

YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Interesting you are that light the world has been waiting to see. Rom 8:19 says;

“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God”

But all glory is to God because your light has come to shine now, Isaiah 60:1-3 says;

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising”

But it is not enough for you to know that you have light, you are admonished to consciously shine that light for men to see, Matthew 5:16. You are supposed to be a guide for others. That’s what makes leaders; they know who they are and they harness its benefits one of which is to lead other either as a nation, corporation, family etc. Until the light in you comes alive you’ll be nowhere to be found in ivory towers of life.

Furthermore, you are supposed to carry out all the characteristics above as a service or responsibility to others and sincerely, that is my motivation to you; that you wake up to your responsibility. However for some of you, your light might have gone out as it were, dedicate or re-dedicate your life to God now by saying the following prayer “Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner, please forgive all my trespasses, wash me in Your blood and give me a new beginning as I accept you as my Lord and personal Saviour from now on, Amen”. Now you can join others to rise and shine; study God’s word day and night, by so doing you will be making your light brighter and everything you’d ever desired will come to you on a free course.

Finally, the world will be a better place if a percent of us will arise to shine this already waiting light in us. If you are not shining the light in you then you are a part of the world problem. Please do read my series on “The waiting light” on my blog www.thekushite.blogspot.com and your life will experience a tremendous forward and upward shift in Jesus name. Shalom!