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It’s Time to Eclipse
Matthew 5:14-16
Jesus said “You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14 In a world of darkness, Jesus send us as light. The question I have for you today is will you continue to be satisfied with your light, or would you like to intensify and shine more brightly than ever before to bring Father God more praise?
Jesus stood before a group of simple people, Palestinian peasants, an entirely unimportant group of people from the world’s standpoint. Jesus was preaching the sermon on the mount to this people saying you were spiritually depraved, you have much to mourn over in this world, other people take advantage of you and the world hates you, they will insult you and harass you. Yet, you are the light of the world; you and you alone will shine light to people lost in spiritual darkness. It is fascinating how the 1st beatitude of the kingdom people that we were spiritually depraved, we were lost in the spiritual darkness, we were the ones insulting, harassing, and persecuting those who shone light; but, now we have embraced the light and we are spiritually rich and we in fact have become light to those in darkness. Sometimes you and I fear the spiritual darkness, we fear that they will say terrible things, think less of us but we were them; we were lost but now we are found; someone had to shine light on us for us to find our way out of the darkness; and now that we have found the light, we are to help those who we lived in darkness with. The same people we ran in darkness with, we are to help them from darkness to light. Our calling, our assignment, is to illumine darkness so people who God has chosen can find their way out of darkness and into the light.
The use of light in the bible is significant; it is both in the OT and NT. Why is this contrast between light and darkness so important to God? And, what does God want us to appreciate about the light? We must first understand that God is light. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5 This can mean that God is absolute truth and there is no lies in him; it can mean that God alone is holy, sinless, pure. Jesus came on the public scene and linked himself to the triune God and said, "I [Jesus] am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) God is light and Jesus is light, but then Jesus in the sermon on the mount called you, me and every follower of Jesus “you are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14). It is essential that we understand that we as followers are not originating sources of spiritual light. Our spiritual light is a reflection of the light of God. We are holy as believers only because God places His holiness in us. We are spiritual light only because God places his spiritual light in and through us. Here is a great way to see the difference between Christianity being a religion and a relationship. God placing his light in and through us demonstrates the intimacy and relationship of how God inhabits our inner spiritual being. Consider this closeness and how we are intertwined as the Holy Spirit abides, He lives within our bodies, the temples of the HS.
Let me help you understand that God is the sole source and originator of light while his light inhabits us and radiates through us we only reflect light as we stay in the pathway of where God’s light is directed. Our sun is the source of light on earth; do to the rotation of the earth it appears that the sun goes down and the moon rises radiating light. But where does the moon’s light come from? The moon’s light is only a reflection of the one source of light which is the sun. God’s light is like the sun originating sunlight and shinning on his followers, so we are like the moon which lights up do to the light shone by the sunlight. Followers do not have their own light, but we appear to have spiritual light as God abides in us and shines through us. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9
As the sun shines light on the moon, the moon’s greatest reflection of the sun’s light is called a full moon. As a believer in JC, I shine forth the greatest light as I walk in the path of God’s light. As I live an obedient life to God’s Word, God shines his light on and through me. As I walk the path of God’s will, the psalmist wrote that God will light a lamp unto my feet. As I do and go where God desires, he lights up my pathway and I am not in darkness. We got to get on God’s path before we shine God’s light. God’s light pointed toward seminary in 2000, so I took a step. God’s light pointed toward full time ministry in 2001, so I began to pray, be open to the idea and look for open doors. God’s light pointed toward Romeo in 2004, so I left my career. Are you walking in God’s lighted path? As he points you in a direction are you obedient to go where God wants? This can be getting great grades in school to open doors for college. This can be being a mom who raises her children in the ways of God – teaching them God’s truth throughout the day as they watch you. We often think of the big things, but walking in God’s lit path also requires this…“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…” Philippians 2:14-16 You have to get on God’s path before you can shine God’s light. [Diagram] It is so vitally important that we shine with greater intensity because we have an audience that watches us live our lives. God has brought people like family, neighbors, teachers, students, co-workers into our lives that watch us live out our walk with Christ. This audience is privileged to experience God’s light through you as you walk God’s path of obedience and good works.
Houston we have a problem. Did anyone complain or argue this past week? Here is the problem, we shine God’s light as long as we stay on his lit path, but what happens when we don’t live perfect lives? Living as children of the light is not a one time salvation decision, instead it is an every day, every moment, following Jesus decision. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. [God is calling us to choose to live in the light] Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. [God is saying it is possible for believers to do the deeds of darkness] …Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:8-16 Jesus called us light, yet apparently we can still do the deeds of darkness. As we ever so slightly veer off of God’s lit path, the brightness of our light dims. When the moon is half way around the orbit but in a direct line of the sunlight’s path, we see a full moon. As the moon moves around its orbit, that is as it moves outside of a direct line of the sun, we see only half of the moon. As the moon continues to move in its orbit, we see varying parts of the moon. We may see a quarter crescent or just a sliver of the moon. Likewise, as we move further and further away from God’s lit path, the brightness of God’s light in and through us dims. We have less and less effect in this world. We move off of God’s full moon path as we choose anything other than what pleases God. Are your buying something – does it please God? Are you changing jobs – does it please God? Are you trying your best in school – does your effort please God? Further, our everyday sins move us off God’s lit path; it may be a small sin yet it veers off slightly off course and dims our light which has less effect on my friends lost in the darkness.
Here is the call – get back on God’s path, so you can shine. Second, intensify your shining by choosing only that which pleases God; do what he says to do; stop disobeying him for our spiritual failures dim our light, they renders us less and less effective. We have a great calling on our lives, Jesus tells all of his followers in the sermon on the mount that you do not live for yourself, you do not merely live for your family, instead you live for your city. Shine in front of your family, shine in your neighborhood, shine among your co-workers, shine at the supermarket, shine in your schools, shine as you drive…shine as you live in this city. Why does Jesus want us to shine, what is the big deal, here is what Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
God lights you up for a reason – not a simple reason, not a lowly reason, not an irrelevant reason – God lights you up and commands you to shine throughout this city for a cause bigger than ourselves, bigger than our jobs, and bigger than our families. God commands us to shine so that those who live in darkness will praise God the Father in heaven. There is nothing in your life to live for that compares to this cause for living. You might be really important at your job, you might be really important politically, but being a light to help people praise God the father is more important. On the other hand, you might feel worthless, you may have already lost your dignity, you may have had thoughts of killing yourself because you have nothing to live for, but I am here today to tell you there is a cause worth living for, you can play a significant part in God’s master plan to shine in our city’s darkness to cause people to praise God the father. Zechariah was filled with the HS and prophesied over his son John, yet I believe this prophecy is also said to you today. “And you, my child…will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun [Jesus Christ] will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness…to guide our feet into the path of peace." Luke 1:76-79 Every believer has this assignment – let God guide your path by making decisions that please God in so doing you will prepare the way for Jesus into the heart of some who are lost in darkness.
Some of you here today are doing a good job, might I say a very good job in following God’s path and brightly shining to your audience in the darkness. Yet, there is something even greater than walking the full moon path. It’s time for you to eclipse. During a solar eclipse, our moon moves between us (on Earth) and the sun and blocks the sunlight. There are times that I have seen where a follower of Jesus has had such intimate relationship with God, at a time in his life does only that which please God, and for that time sin has been conquered that there is unity in God’s light and the believer’s light. The result is amazing. The light illumines the follower’s good works more powerfully than ever before; the glory of God’s light becomes one with the follower and God uses that believer in a miraculous way. It is time for you to eclipse. Stay in the full moon path consistently and then pray that God would allow you to eclipse that is to use your walk, your light, your good works more powerfully than ever before to cause others to praise God in heaven.
Salvation: Are you tired of living in spiritual darkness? Maybe today you have seen Jimmy and the band’s light shine as they praised God; maybe you have seen my light shine as I heralded God’s bright light of truth. If you are in darkness, then you are seeing light today. God’s light has exposed your dark heart, but Jesus came to guide your feet to his path of peace. If you want to be a child of light, listen carefully. God’s people were slaves in Egypt, and when God wanted to free them, he sent down 10 plagues on Egypt to reveal the one true God. The final plague was that death would come in the darkness killing the first born child of every family. But, God offered light for His people. God allowed the people to take the blood of a sacrificed lamb and put it on the sides and top of their doorframes. When God saw the blood on the doorframes, the dark plague passed over that home. God permitted a sacrificed lamb to substitute for death in that home. Likewise, God offers Jesus to be your substitutionary lamb. If you believe and confess Jesus, then Jesus’ blood will be the substitution payment for your sin that would require your death. Is it time for you to leave darkness and come into the light of God. Believe what you have heard, confess Jesus as Lord, and turn away from darkness moving to God’s light and you can be saved.
Prayer - God is calling you to intensify your brightness. As you are off the path of obedience you are dim. Is there anyone here who desires to walk the full moon path to intensify your brightness? Lift your arm high and show God. It is incredible to walk such a walk, but to eclipse – to be used by God in powerful, powerful ways – is there anyone here who desires such an experience? Lift your arm high in the air to show God. Lift your eyes up here for the remainder of our prayer. This city’s darkness is crying out for light. God has young ones and older ones who he has called, who he has chosen, who he has elected and God has already placed in them a desire a cry for someone to show them light. Will you show them a dim light, or will you intensify your brightness?
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