The core scripture we’re using this month is Matthew 5:14-16.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” – MATTHEW 5:14-16
It’s a scripture Christians use to talk about evangelizing – and it does – but I’d like you to see it from a slightly different perspective. To do that, we need to back up and look at the mindset of the disciples.
One of the first lessons Jesus taught His disciples about was God’s grace, that He was willing to do before they acted. This was a change from the Old Covenant’s law that required a person to act a certain way before God was willing to do anything for them.
The concept flew in the face of thousands of years of the Law’s teaching. God not only loved them but He extended His unmerited favor (grace) to them. It was revelation! Jesus was saying that God was more interested in who they were in Him rather than what they did.
Jesus used a life-example to show this…
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them all.” – MATTHEW 4:23-24
Jesus showed that it didn’t matter where the sick person stood with God, Jesus still healed them. It was an example of God’s grace-gift of love poured out. This had to be a freeing revelation to the disciples because, face it, they weren’t exactly sinless themselves.
Once the disciples saw that, Jesus was able to start instilling in them that they could be used of God just as He was.
“You are the light of the world,” Jesus told them. This is a statement Jesus made about Himself; was Jesus telling His disciples that they mirrored Him? Yes!
In addition, He announced to them that they should “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” This is another mind-blowing concept. Jesus was the Son of God, but He was telling them that they had the same father He had!
Before that news, the disciples didn’t know who they were (so how could they tell others the same good news?). They had to come to that revelation…to come out of darkness into that light of truth.
TALKING ABOUT LIGHT AND REVELATION
Many times in scripture, you can exchange the word “light” for the word “revelation.”
Light illuminates where to walk; so does revelation. Just like walking in a dark cave is very difficult, trying to walk spiritually without revelation is difficult. Revelation from God shows you where to walk. As Psalms 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light (revelation) to my path.”
As Christians, we’ve come into a spiritual revelation – into the light – of Jesus. Then, we’re encouraged to tell others that same revelation.
Our salvation is based on our faith that Jesus redeemed us entirely by grace, not by anything we’ve done. We’re in the light because of Jesus, not because of anything we’ve done.
Our lifestyle and devotion to God isn’t based on doing something to earn God’s favor, but simply as a byproduct of who we are because of Christ’s redemption. What we do should be a byproduct of who we are.”
“What we do should be a byproduct of who we are.”
That byproduct helps bring light (revelation) to others; they see it and are encouraged to come into the revelation themselves (which glorifies God).
Jesus told the disciples that they had light (revelation) in them! They just had to accept it. You do too!
The world needs us to reveal the love of God to it. They’re in darkness, but you can bring revelation to them by shining the light to them! Light it up!
To watch or hear the message this post is based on (from Sept. 6, 2020), click here.
