This Little Light of mine....
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a
hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a
lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on
a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your
Father in heaven.”
Jesus in Matthew 5: 14-16.
Light: it’s a metaphor.
But what did Jesus mean?
Jesus did NOT mean:
Use your gifts and talents
Jesus did NOT mean:
Promote a message,
fight a campaign or
declare oneself
empowered.....
Jesus did NOT mean:
Self promotion
Matthew 6:1-6
"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be
seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in
heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured
by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But
when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by
others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when
you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,
who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will
reward you.
Matthew 6:1-6
"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be
seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in
heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured
by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But
when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by
others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when
you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,
who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will
reward you.
So what did Jesus mean?
Let your light shine.....
It’s not about me and my light!
It’s about Jesus .......
And about the life of Jesus in me.
So what did Jesus mean?
Let your light shine.....
In the Bible light is a
metaphor for:
It’s not about me and my light!
It’s about Jesus .......
And about the life of Jesus in me.
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God’s Presence
God’s Glory
God’s Salvation
God’s Revelation
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.....the
unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to
the simple. Psalm 119: 105, 130
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk
in the light of your presence, Lord. Psalm 89:15
Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord
rises upon you....Nations will come to your light......The Lord
will be your everlasting light... Isaiah 60: 1, 3, 19
For you have delivered me from death and my feet from
stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
Psalm 56: 13
2 Corinthians 4: 6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made
his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the
knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4: 6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made
his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the
knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
In other words......
God reveals himself to us through Jesus Christ
God is present with us through Jesus Christ
(Jesus said to Philip: “Don’t you know me Philip, even
after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14: 9)
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that
has been made.
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:9-13
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the
world did not recognize him.
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of
natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of
God.
John 8:2
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never
walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
John 8: 46
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no-one who
believes in me should stay in darkness.”
So we receive this light (God’s salvation, God’s presence,
God’s revelation) through faith in Jesus
Colossians 1: 12-13
.....giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to
share in the inheritance of his holy people in the Kingdom of
light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son he loves.
1 Thessalonians 5:5
You are all children of the light and children of the day.
We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
1 Peter 2: 9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare
the praises of him who called you out of darkness into
his wonderful light.
Why?
1 Peter 2: 9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare
the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light.
Ephesians 3:4-5
In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into
the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in
other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to
God's holy apostles and prophets.
Ephesians 3:8-12
Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace
was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of
Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this
mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created
all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the
manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and
authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal
purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and
through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and
confidence.....
Ephesians 3:16-21
.........I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen
you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that
you, being rooted and established in love, may have power,
together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide
and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know
this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to
the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within
us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
What is God’s plan?
Your Kingdom come......
Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Mat 13:24-33 The Kingdom of heaven is like........
Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed
good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed
weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads,
then the weeds also appeared. "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't
you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' "'An enemy
did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
"'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the
wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the
harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather
the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"
He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a
man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it
grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and
perch in its branches."
He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman
took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough."
Letting your light shine is not about trying
harder to be righteous
- To believe the right doctrines
- To have the right attitudes
- To exhibit the right behaviour
It’s about letting the life of Jesus be
lived out through me
Remember the Vine and the branches in John 15
Jesus said “without me you can do nothing.”
That’s the theory.
So how does this work in practice?
By trying harder to be like Jesus?
4 possible results:
Guilt and Misery
Failure
Hypocrisy
Pride
Success
Exhaustion!
Here’s a better idea:
Fix your eyes upon Jesus
Hebrews 12: 2-4
...........fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector
of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God.
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
How, in practice, do we “fix our eyes upon Jesus”?
Reading the Bible .........
Meditation ........
Prayer ........
Galatians 5: 22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. Against such things there is no law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the
Spirit.