Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Shining With the Light of Heaven

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)
Jesus calls us the “light of the world.” That is a powerful declaration, for a number of reasons.

  • God is light. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
  • God is the Father of Lights. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
  • Light overcomes the darkness. “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5).
  • Jesus is the Light of the World. “The true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9)
  • Darkness is passing away. “Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8).
  • God has delivered us from darkness. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13).
  • God has caused the true light to shine in us. “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
  • God has made us light in the Lord. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are the light of the world. We shine with the light that comes from the Father through the Son. It is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God seen in the face of Jesus Christ. This light is for all the world. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus gave this command to His disciples:
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:15-18)
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
Jesus, Light of the World, authorizes us to take His light into all the world. He even supplies us with the power to overcome the darkness and shine for Him. He does not intend for us to be hidden away, but to be set up on a lampstand, and as a city on a hill, so that every one can benefit from our light and give glory to our Father in heaven. For the light is His, and heaven is where it comes from.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

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