Sermon: Light of the World
Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16
In this week’s lessons we learn that as Jesus is the light of the world, so he calls us to be lights as well.
Theme: Turning Toward the Light
Finally, you should also see men and women turn to Jesus himself through your testimony. In his day the apostle Paul taught this by means of an illustration drawn from the Old Testament. In 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, Paul refers to when Moses was with God on the mountain, and his face shone with transferred glory as a result of being with God. The glory was so bright that later, when Moses had come down from the mountain, he had to cover his face so that it would not dazzle the people. Using this theme, Paul then argues that we also should shine with the same glory as a result of spending time with Jesus Christ, and that others should be able to see him as he is reflected by us. Paul concludes by saying, “God, who first ordered light to shine in darkness, had flooded our hearts with his light. We now can enlighten men only because we can give the knowledge of the glory of God, as we see it in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6, Phillips).
Do men see Jesus Christ in you? They will not find him in the world—in the world’s literature, culture, or pastimes. They will only find him as you look to Jesus, as you spend time with him, and thereby allow some of his light to be reflected from your life to those about you.
I suppose as I write this that there are some reading who are dismissing this task as applying only to “special” Christians. But the whole point of the illustration is that it applies to every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ said, ‘Ye are the light of the world,” who were the “ye’s” who heard him? They were not the important people alone, not even his disciples exclusively. They were the whole mass of those who followed him—rich and poor, small and great, educated and uneducated, Jews and Gentiles, free men and servants, women and children. These were all to reflect Christ’s light. And the nobodies (in the opinion of the world) were among them.
The Bible says that “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nothing things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Cor. 1:27-29). No matter who you are, if you are a Christian, you are called to reflect Christ’s light to those about you.
Study Questions:
What are some practical things you are to do as a Christian so that you will reflect the light of Christ to others?
What does it mean for God to use Christians to confound the wise and the mighty of this world?
Prayer: Ask the Lord to give you clear opportunities to reflect the light of Christ in a dark world, as a result of which someone will come to salvation.
