Lights In The World

Introduction

Well, Sean, it was probably a combination of all three. We’ll give Dean some props on that. Good song selection, good leading, and a lot of voices and a lot of young voices that have returned to us. And Sean did well tonight as well. Also. As I mentioned this morning before Bible class, I’m just giddy about this. About this whole laptop caddy removed so I can preach from right here. It’s going to help me immeasurably. I know it’s hard to believe, but it is. Now let me just tell you, I need to warn you, Gary has told me, you cannot lean on this. You cannot lean on this. There are four screws holding this in, but if you think about the physics of this, don’t put pressure out here on this, or you could mess this whole thing up.

So, no touching. So thank you, Gary, for your good work and making it the perfect environment to preach in. It was almost perfect before, but now it’s perfect. Like many passages of Scripture, because we hear them so often, they can almost become trite sayings to us. And perhaps fail to have the impact that the Lord wants them to have on our behavior. Hold that thought. I want to begin tonight by talking to you about the word renewal. Christianity is about this word renewal. Ongoing life change. Christianity is about ongoing renewal in our lives. This is where it all began. And I want to refer to this text more than once tonight, but in Titus chapter 3, verses 4 and 5, and we’ll get to this in our study of Titus, of course.

But when the kindness of God, our Savior, and His love for mankind appeared. He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. And so it begins with renewal, and yet this renewal is ongoing. If you’ll turn over to Ephesians 4, and you might want to put a ribbon here as well, because we’re trying to come back to this again as well. Ephesians 4 and verse 22. Now you can’t put a ribbon there if you’re looking at this on an electronic device, can you? Okay, you can put a ribbon there. Okay, do that then. Verse 22. In reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self.

Now he’s writing to believers who make this determination when they obeyed the gospel, when they were baptized into Christ to lay aside the old self. But he repeats this to the church at Ephesus, those who are already saints. But he says, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self. That doesn’t sound like a one time thing, does it? Which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit. You know, the lusts of deceit, they don’t leave you alone. When you become a Christian, they’re still gnawing at you, trying to get you to imbibe again. And that, he says in verse 23, that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind. So there’s that word renewal again. And as he goes on in the next chapter and talking about being children of light and walking as children of light and how that affects relationships.

For instance, even the husband and wife relationship, he then says in Ephesians 5 and verse 10, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Now I’ve quoted this verse for you many times in four years because I think it’s that important. Trying to learn. We’re continually about that business of learning better what the Lord’s will for us is, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. The moment we think that we have arrived spiritually and we have nothing else to learn, no more areas in which to improve and grow, no areas where our understanding needs to yet be sharpened in the things of God. Let me tell you something. You haven’t arrived. And I look at passages like James 1 and verse 21, which says to us, we need to lay aside all that remains of wickedness and receive the word implanted, which is able to save our souls.

So as we discover things that are not quite consistent with the righteousness of God, we’re still in the business of weeding those things out, laying the old man aside, remove what remains of wickedness, receive the word, that’s righteousness, its instruction. Receive the word implanted, which is able to save our souls. And then he goes on to talk about being doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves. I would also reference in this introduction, 1 Peter chapter 2. Unfortunate that this reference, as I’ve said to you before, I repeat again, this reference to newborn babes, we tend to think in terms of new converts. This passage is applicable to new converts, but this passage is applicable to every Christian in every circumstance of life.

He’s saying all of us need to be like babes in this context. He says, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy, you see, and all slander. These heart attitudes are going to be things that we might continually have to be dealing with. Malice and guile, hypocrisy, envy and slander, like newborn babes. He’s telling you all of his readers, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. If you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Underscore that phrase in your mind. That thought we’ll be coming back to as well. These texts tell us about the importance of renewal, the change with which our walk as a Christian began, and its ongoing pursuit in our lives.

Now, back to my original statement about trite phrases. One that comes to mind almost immediately is the golden rule. Matthew chapter 7 and verse 12. As you would have others treat you, so treat them. When you became a Christian and you were baptized into Christ, you started practicing that consistently in every moment in every relationship of your life, and you’ve never failed since. As you would have others treat you, so treat you. Every time something comes up that’s a little bit challenging, when there’s a little bit of friction in a relationship, you always revert back. I know. To Matthew 7 and verse 12, because it is the golden rule. And you always think, now, if I was that person, how would I want to be treated in that circumstance?

We were that good at the moment that we became Christians, right? I would say Matthew 7 and verse 12 is probably one of the most lauded and yet least practiced verses in the New Testament, and sometimes even by believers, sometimes even by me. It’s that challenging as a principle of righteousness.

But it becomes that. What about you are the light of the world? Matthew chapter 5 and verse 16. Let your light so shine before men. And then the previous statement to that, which is teaching the same thing, you are the salt of the earth in verse 13. So verse 13, you are the salt of the earth. Verse 14, you are the light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Verse 16, let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. We talk about this a lot. We need to be light in the world. What does that mean? Light, beacon. Let’s use the word beacon. We need to be beacons for the Lord and his cause.

We radiate Christ’s likeness. If all of us go out from this place and this week do that. Beacons for the Lord and his cause, radiating Christ’s likeness. We are his representatives to a lost and very confused world. Harbingers of hope.

If you look at 1 Peter 2 in verse 12, this is another light of the world kind of statement that Peter makes. 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter 2, rather, in verse 12, after he talks about being pilgrims and sojourners, aliens in verse 11, and abstaining from fleshly lust, which weighs war against the soul, he says, keep your behavior excellent among the lost. That’s the idea among the Gentiles. So that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, and that’s what people do to people who live righteously, even those who project the light of the gospel. Some will slander you and want to attribute it to evil in your heart and life. Even though they slander you as evildoers, they may, on account of your good deeds, the consistent pattern of your life in the doing of good, may they, on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, that might require more than just one good deed, but a plurality.

As they observe them, they too might glorify God in the day of visitation. That’s what being light is all about. That they might be influenced by us as harbingers of hope and beacons of goodness as examples of our Lord, and that they too may have a change of heart, in which they once slandered you, but now they join you in this great cause, and they too keep their behavior excellent before others. What is your reputation in the world? A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. Favor is better than silver and gold. Proverbs 22 and verse 1. What is your reputation with the people who work with you? Who go to school with you? Who live in your neighborhood? Who are in that association or club or organization with you?

What is their perception of your walk as a Christian? It’s interesting that we’ve noted in regard to the elders’ qualifications that one of those qualifications is he has a good reputation with those who are without. Now, obviously, they may slander him if they are of a notion to oppose what he stands for, but generally this person has the kind of characteristics that promotes good relationships in the world. He has a good reputation with outsiders, Paul says in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 7, and of all believers we are admonished to walk in wisdom toward those who are without. Carefully watching our speech, seizing it, seasoning it as it were with salt, that you may know how to respond to each one. Colossians 4 verses 5 and 6.

Do we give attention and thought to my reputation in the world? Now, here’s the point. If the world can’t stand me, then may it be because of the truth I espouse and the good behavior that characterizes my life and my words. May they hate me because I’m loyal to Christ. But if Christians have enemies, because they are cantankerous, argumentative, and gruff. Or they have a spirit that says, I’m better than you. This is not radiating the light of the gospel. Don’t wear it as a badge of water. Well, the world hates me, and they hated Jesus before me, so the world hates me, so that’s a good thing. It may not be. What if you have a reputation in the community as impossible to get along with?

You’re not a peace lover. You’re at odds with people. Again, you’re argumentative and cantankerous. That’s what you’re known for. Is that being known for being a Christian? Is that people not liking you because of your stand for Jesus Christ? Or just a flaw in your personality that is not yet consistent with the principles of righteousness? So I want to ask the question what does it mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? How can we so let our light shine before men? Now, I’m going to give you four points, and I’m going to do something I never do. And that is I’m going to give them to you all right now. All at once. You’ll go to sleep after this.

Well, I’m going to test. Are you going to go to sleep after I give you the four points? Or are you going to listen to what I have to say briefly about each one and not go to sleep for the next 15 to 20 minutes. But as I give you these four points, I thought about what is it about Christians that really makes them blind in the world. And four things came to mind quickly. And I found a single slide for each one that I think are important things that I want you to think about. But really, what we’re talking about when we talk about being lights in the world is really the practice of the whole message of the New Testament. So, instead of just saying, get out there and make me proud, live the whole New Testament this week.

1. Joy Emanating

You know, I can say that every week. Get out there and live the whole thing. That’s your message for this Sunday. I want to give you four specifics that I think are somewhat encompassing of us being light in the world. And I’ll give you these four things now. They are joy imanating, kindness, rendering, truth, espousing, and exalting, and praise giving. That’s a lot of what being a light is all about. Okay, let’s talk about each one. Number one salt and light. Joy imanating from us. Nothing says, not light any quicker than a sour disposition. Unhappiness. Negativism. Paul’s words about joy and rejoicing to the Philippians. You know the story. Issued from a prison cell. And not even as good as we have up there in Huntsville.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord, he said. Rejoice in the Lord. Again, I say, rejoice. Philippians chapter 4 and verse 4. We noted in our study of John, and this strikes me, and I want to emphasize it again because most people see Jesus in their minds, a portrait of Jesus, either with just a blank disposition or a sad disposition. Yes, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. The practice of joy and being light-filled people with joy doesn’t mean that we have a smile on our faces 24-7 every day. There are sad moments. There are times to weep with those who weep. But characteristically.

This is his final discussion with the disciples. He’s about to go out into the garden and pray, and great drops of sweat as blood are about to drop from his brow as he says, Let this cup pass from me. He’s about to be rejected by his closest friends. He is going to be betrayed by one of his closest followers. He’s going to be denied three times. He’s going to be put on trial by people that he gave life and breath. He’s going to be scourged and crucified within the next 24 hours.

And what does he tell his disciples? These things I’ve spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. Joy is on his mind. And he comes to chapter 16. And he talks about the woman who is in travail having sorrow because her hour is come. But when she gives birth to the child, somebody in our audience has experienced this recently. But she gives birth to the child. She remembers the anguish no more for the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore, you too now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice. And no one takes away your joy from you. Verse 24, until now you have asked for nothing in my name.

Ask and you will receive that your joy may be made full. In his prayer in the next chapter in 17 and verse 13, but now I come to thee, and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy made full in themselves. How in the world can we claim to be Christians and lights in the world if we’re continually sad, sour, and negative? How can we do that? That’s not Christ’s likeness. That’s not salt and light living. So why should we be joyous? Miserable Christians are an awful advertisement. Why would anybody want what you have? You remember what Paul told the Corinthians? Why should we be rejoicing? Even in the midst of circumstances that are sour and undesirable. Because he told the Corinthians and he tells all believers, you have everything.

All things belong to you. And you belong to God. The meek inherit the earth. In the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes. We have everything that ought to be the envy of the world if they understood it. A relationship with God, the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, guarding our minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians chapter 4 and verse 7, that we can take negative circumstances that happen in our lives, and we can think about virtuous things and noble things and righteous things and pure things, and we can depend upon God and be anxious for nothing, but with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known unto God. We have everything. And that’s why we can be people of joy even in the midst of rotten circumstances.

2. Kindness Rendering

Oh, I know they cause us pain, and sometimes there’s sorrow associated with that pain. But it’s like the song we sang that I love. God is the fountain winds. Verse 2 in particular struck me as I thought of what I was about to preach of the things God provides his people. Joy. Emanate. Number two. Kindness rendering. What does it mean to be light in the world? People of kindness. Interesting little verse in the Proverbs 19 and verse 22. What is desirable in a man is his kindness. That’s simple. But what a wonderful quality and trait. And why should that quality be yours? Why is that a part of walking in the light as Jesus in the light and emanating his light to the world? I want you to associate a word with kindness right now.

Maybe this will help you. Again, kindness sort of becomes trite after a while. I want you to associate the word grace with this word. Grace. Grace rendering.

Because that is the kind of kindness that we’re called to display. I want you to look over in 2 Samuel chapter 9. I love this story. I’m not going to take the time to go through all the things that pertain to the story. But David is now the king. He made a promise to Jonathan, a promise that he wants to honor. And there’s no one left in Jonathan’s family but this fellow named Mephibosheth, who’s lame in his feet. And he says, I want to show kindness for Jonathan’s sake. And they go and find Mephibosheth, this lame son of Jonathan. And he says in verse 7, You shall eat at my table regularly. Mephibosheth can do nothing for David. He can’t fight in his army. He can’t serve as other able-bodied people can serve.

He owes this man nothing. But because he’s Jonathan’s son and he loved Jonathan as he loved himself, he says, I’m going to bestow kindness on you. You’re going to come eat at my table. And that is a tremendous portrait of grace. That is God’s grace to us. What did we see? That passage about salvation, about renewal. But when the kindness of our God and Savior appeared, there was nothing redeeming about us, but God redeemed us anyway. We were transgressors and sinners. It was not lovely people that he saved, but the likes of us, and that we, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He said, kindness here. And he showers it. So what does this mean in my circumstances? Here’s how we tend to operate.

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. You nice to me, I’m nice to you. You mean to me, I mean to you. That’s really that’s that’s the way the world operates, isn’t it? But that’s not the way grace operates. Grace returns kindness for evil. 1 Peter chapter 3, verses 8 and 9. Giving a blessing instead, he says in that place. And I don’t tell you, that’s not natural. It’s not easy. And people frustrate you and push all your buttons and won’t do what good people should do. And you say, I’m called to something better than what they’ve done to me, I’m going to do to them.

3. We're All About Truth

I give grace. I give kindness. And that’s hard when your spouse is rude and acts unbecomingly. That’s not easy. It’s very vulnerable, in fact. And I talked about that before. Oh, but that puts me in a vulnerable position. They’re not acting right. And yet I give kindness. And all I can tell you is that you’ll be like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And if things can be made better, that’s the way to do it. That’s the way to heal. That’s the way to repair. Even if it’s never reciprocated, even if they never respond the way the Lord wants them to. That’s grace. That’s what light bringers do. That’s what it means to be lights in the world. Truth. We’re all about truth. In Ephesians 4 and verse 15, back to that context, I said, put your ribbon there on your electronic device.

Ephesians 4 talks about that familiar text, speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in all aspects into him who is the head, even Christ. He’s not done talking about truth in this context. Notice back to those passages that we read before and after, where we talked about renewal. It says in verse 21, if indeed you have heard him and have been taught in him just as truth is in Jesus. Well, if truth is in Jesus, we need to be all about the truth if we’re going to be lights to the world. But in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of disease, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and then this, put on the new self.

Now you did that once when you became a Christian, but this is an ongoing pursuit and decision that you make. Put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Notice how many times the word truth comes up in this context. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth. Each one of you with his neighbor. For we are members one of another.

Something someone did has rubbed me the wrong way, and I’m going to present it this way that may contain some truth, but conveys a picture in the recipient’s mind that’s different than reality. Do you know how many times that happens? That a picture is painted that conveys a certain thing in someone’s mind about the way a situation went down that is actually not truthful. And if you don’t know of a situation like that, let me just tell you. When you’re telling a story about what happened, and it puts somebody in a negative light, even if you’re right, you better be careful how you portray that incident. It better match, and I know perceptions get involved in this, but it better match the reality of what happened.

4. A Sacrifice of Praise to God

Because that’s what truth lovers do. Truth lovers like this is what happened. This is the truth. This is what went down. And we are to speak truth to one another. Because we’re all about truth. We need to be truthful with our spouses. We need to speak truth. That’s what we’re about as God’s people. That’s what it means to be light in the world. And we stand for truth. And like I told, like I talked about this morning, misrepresenting what somebody believes. Dangerous thing to do that. We’re about truth. We do not want to convey about anyone what is untrue of them. Now, one final. What it means to be light in the world has to have something to do with worshiping our God and creator. And I want to take you to Hebrews chapter 13, verses 15 and 16.

There are a lot of passages we could choose. Ephesians 5 19, Colossians 3 16 are familiar passages about singing to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, but this is about what we direct to God, this passage. And there’s another reason why I’m selecting this verse. Through him, then, Christ and all he’s done for us, he’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. Let us continually offer up. Now, we’re the light of the world. So we occasionally offer up, we once a week offer up. Are you reading that? That’s not what I’m reading. It says we continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. So he said, Worship is exacting. Corporate worship or even private worship. It’s exacting. It takes time, it takes diligence.

Of course it does. It’s a sacrifice. It’s a sacrifice of praise. God deserves this, a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name. And that’s why joy emanates from us, because we have a lot to be thankful for. And do not neglect doing good and sharing. Well, that’s in the example of our God as well. For with such sacrifices, God is pleased. Who can you do good for? Who can you serve? These things issue from the fact that we have been given so much. We’re to be likes in the world. This is how you do it. I was teaching about instrumental music very briefly in a sermon that I did in Mobile a couple of weeks ago.

And one brother came up to me, and he has a handicap. And in fact, the only other time I think I’ve worshipped in Sarah Land, where that meeting was, this guy actually gave the Sunday night lesson when we were there. And he came up to me and he said, I don’t know if you’ve thought about this, but when we talk about instrumental music, maybe the verse we ought to use most is Hebrews 13, 15 and 16. Because when it talks about the sacrifice of praise, it says that we’re to offer what? The fruit of lips. Isn’t that interesting? Because he talks about the, and we use this verse in regard to the seven verses of the New Testament, we’ll group together that talk about singing and worship to God.

But this one talks about the fruit of lips. That’s what God wants. Not just in our singing, but in our confession of him, in our adoration of him. Our words need to be consistent with our calling, to be examples in our speech. 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 12 tells us. James chapter 3. Can out of the same source come both blessing and cursing with the mouth. We bless God and curse men. He said, There’s something wrong at the source. If we curse men and bless God back to back. There’s something wrong with that. The tongue, you’ve got to watch the tongue. The tongue can no man tame, he says in that context in James chapter 3. And when I talk about this business of the sacrifice of praise, one of the things that we’re going to be doing around the throne of God is singing the praise of the great one who sits upon the throne.

Conclusion

Those that come out of the tribulation and have their robes washed and white in the blood of the Lamb. It says in Revelation 7 and verse 14 that they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night. And so this is what we will do. Let us invest ourselves zealously in singing his praise and diligently listening to his word and communing before his throne. So maybe that’s given you a few more things to think about as to what it means to be lights in the world. This is a tremendous responsibility. It is a responsibility that we have to God. It is a responsibility that we have to ourselves. It is a responsibility that we have to our children and to others, and it’s a responsibility to the world.

But it is the ultimate investment that you can make in life. People invest in so many things that have so little profit really attached to them. One day you will decide, if you haven’t already, that you’re going to invest in a marriage partner. That’s an important investment. You’re going to make some investments financially, but if like me, you’ll choose the wrong stocks. But life’s really not about all of that stuff anyway.

And what a tremendous privilege and blessing it is to know his will and to be about the business of trying to do it in every relationship, despite the difficulties. And may God help us be lights in the world. And if you want to join us in that, to become a Christian, we want to encourage your response now as we stand and say.