“BE A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS” ~ Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good
deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
My wife and I often visit lighthouses. We would hear stories of great shipwrecks that occurred
before the lighthouses were built. In the darkness and storms of the sea many ships would lose
their way and crash into the rocks. Many lives were lost because there was no light to guide the
ships into safe harbor. Today I want to talk about the deep darkness that surrounds us and the
great need for believers to Be A Light in the Darkness.

What Light? “You are the light”

… Every Believer
Jesus said in John 8:12 … “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life.” From the moment that we trust Jesus Christ as our
Savior we have the light of life in our souls. As Paul the apostle tells us in Ephesians 5:8, “For
you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”. Like any
light, we receive light to shine out to others. Lighthouses were not built just to give light to the
light keeper. Jesus sends us out to spread our light in every dark corner of our lives. We do not
need to be scholars or well-trained teachers. Acts 1:8 tells us “But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We have been fully empowered with the Holy Spirit and
sent out to the whole world to be shining witnesses for the gospel. As children of God, we have
the light of Jesus within and spreading the light is a simple task that every believer can achieve
…

What Way? “In the same way,”

… Unhidden
No light is of any value when hidden. The cities surrounding Jesus were all built on hills. They
could be seen during the day, but especially at night. When all the homes and businesses were
lit up with lanterns and evening fire, the cities would sparkle with light like diamonds through
the darkest night. No homeowner would light lamps and place them under a bowl. They would
place them high up on a stand to spread light all around the house. In the same way, believers
who have the light of Jesus are expected to spread the light of Jesus Christ all around our world.
Jesus made no place for secret Christians.

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The price of spreading the light is often extremely high. Some pastor and many Christians in
India are being persecuted for spreading the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, there is no
persecution that will ever put the light out. Our Lord spoke earlier in this portion of Scripture
saying, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all
kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in
heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew
5:10-12) Every believer is a light and all believers joined together make up the church of Jesus
Christ that lights the whole world. When you shine for Jesus you make a lasting difference
wherever you may be…

What Place? “before men,”

… Everywhere
In this passage Jesus speaks of the homeowner who gives light to everyone in the house. Are
you giving light to everyone in your home? Before you can make a difference in your world, you
need to make a difference in your family. You may be the only believer in you home, but you
have the light of Jesus. What will you do with the light? Will you hide it under a bowl, or will
you let I shine like the noonday sun? Your whole world is lost in deep darkness and this includes
members of your family if they do not know Jesus Christ a Savior. Without Jesus they will be
without hope and lost eternally. Without the light of the gospel they will be just like those who
perished in the stormy seas without a lighthouse to show the way. Let your light shine at home
and then in every place you walk, work or shop. May every neighbor, friend and coworker see
and know that you have the light of Jesus…

What Purpose? “see your good deeds”

… To be Seen
So, what do people see when the believer’s light shines? Jesus wants us to be open and totally
visible in all our actions. As we read in Philippians 2:15-16… “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.” The Lord wants the world to see that we are true, honest, just,
pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy as Paul writes in Philippians 4:8. He
wants those who are broken and without hope to see lives that are full of the Spirit’s fruit. They
need to see real love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control as we read about in Galatians 5:22-23. After the Philippian jailor saw the
unhindered joy in Paul and Silas after they were beaten and were in bound in stocks, he sought
them out after the earthquake and pleaded, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:23-
30).

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When the world is caught in a storm of hatred, rage and unforgiving bitterness, they need to
see the light of God’s love that is patient and kind. They need to see a love that does not envy,
does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no
record of wrongs. Such Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). When a lost
soul sees this love shining in the believer’s life, they will yearn to know the God who poured out
His love into their heart. They will be ready hear about a God who “so loved the world that he
gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16) When a dark and troubled world sees the good deeds of a sincere, faithful Spirit led
believer they have no other choice than to praise the Lord …

What Gain? “praise your Father”

… To Honor God
So what? What is to be gained by a life of spreading the light? Jesus has given every believer the
incredible privilege to shine for Him. We do not shine for ourselves, but we shine so God is seen
and receives all the glory. David said in Psalm 139:13-14 … “For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully
made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Paul said to the philosophers in Acts
17:28 … “For in him we live and move and have our being.” He is our creator, but we were born
as sinners who needed a Savior. Jesus, the Light of the World came to save us and send us to
bring Glory to our God. Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 … “Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who
reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was
reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has
committed to us the message of reconciliation.” Every believer has been delivered from the
darkness and is a new creation and a minister, sent to be light in the darkness. You are a
lighthouse in a dark and stormy world. Let your light so shine, that that your family, friends and
neighbors will come to Jesus Christ, the light of the world, and bring praise to our heavenly
Father.