We are one church. We love God, love people, love
His mission, and love His church.
Welcome to the One Church podcast.
We are talking about the words of Jesus.
Jesus words change our lives. Jesus words have changed my life
and they can change yours. And today our words that we
focus on are Jesus said you are the light of the world.
Now I love light in our lounge at home.
The first thing we do when we come down the stairs as we turn
the light on, and we don't just turn the main light on, we turn
on the nice lamps around the room.
Because who turns the main light on first thing in the morning?
I don't know. The only time the main light
goes on in our house is when we're doing hair or when we're
looking for something that's lost.
Other than that, keep it mood lighting and keep it nice and
dim. We love lighting in our house.
Last Thursday night you may have realised it started to snow and
maybe you watched out the window as it snowed.
We sat in our Conservatory and Annabelle, myself and Philippa,
I thought the snow had stopped and she said no.
Dad, look at the light of the neighbour's window.
You can see the snow is still falling.
And we looked over and you can't see anything in the dark, but
they're against the light of the neighbour's window.
You could clearly see the snow was falling.
Light always shows us the reality of how things are.
It shows us what is real. Jesus words to us today, they're
powerful. Why are the words of Jesus
powerful? Well, in the New Testament we
see that the words of Jesus can still a storm speak life into
somebody that's dead. They command demons to flee.
His words stop a murderous persecutor in his tracts, in
the, in the case of Saul and even beyond this earthly
ministry, Jesus is the word of God.
And if we go back to Genesis one, we remember this Genesis,
the beginning of the Bible and the beginning of all time.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty.
Darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God
was hovering over the waters. And God said, so the first thing
that we have here is God speaking.
God spoke the world into being. He breathed life into us.
He is the personal speaking, breathing, interacting God.
This is his nature. This is who He is.
You have this setup. But then what's the big hook?
And God said, let there be light.
The result of the words of God speaking creation into being is
a light. Light is a wonderful thing and
it's a powerful image, and light makes a difference.
And when Jesus says something to us like this, you are the light
of the world, it should make us sit up.
Take note. He's the one that spoke light
into existence. He's the one that brings light
to all darkness. And now He calls us by name to
go and be light to the world. Matthew 5, verse 14 to 16.
Here we go, You are the light of the world.
A town built on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light
a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on it's
stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they
may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
First of all, let's consider the light of a lamp.
The lamplight. 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.
It's quite hard to imagine the context Jesus is speaking into.
Because we live in a world full of light.
We have St lights lighting our way at night time.
We have electric lights powering us.
Does everyone remember the day before electric lights?
Does anyone of that era? I'd hope not.
I don't think so, unless you're much older than you Look that I
don't think anyone remembers that.
How about the day before you could go into your pocket and
turn on a torch anytime you wanted?
Now I I remember scrabbling round when I was a kid for
batteries for torches, but now I've got one in my pocket
anytime. How about the day before
headlights where vehicles couldn't travel at night because
they didn't have a way of lighting the way?
Remember this, The world Jesus is speaking into is 1, where St
lights, phone lights, electric lights, headlights.
They're not something that people would ever even have a
concept of, let alone have in their personal lives.
This is an era where when light is off and when the sun goes
down, work stops because you can't see where you're going.
So when Jesus is talking about being a light, the significance
of that is, is not to be underestimated.
And when I think of lamps, I don't know why, but this image
that comes into my head when Jesus says no one puts a lamp
under a bowl, I'm thinking of our mixing bowl at home and our
little clicky electric lamp as well.
But remember, this is the kind of lamp Jesus was talking about.
These are different types of oil lamps that were found from the
era of when Jesus was speaking and walking on the earth.
And some of them are quite crazy looking, I've got to say.
But this is the kind of lamp we're talking about.
It's a lamp that is filled with oil with a Wick at one end.
It's lit, and then the oil inside burns.
And usually they last from anywhere from as little as 30
minutes up to two or more hours. But you would have to
continually refill these lamps with oil.
Now, when it says lamp stand, maybe you imagine this like a
menorah or something grand. You know, this.
Oh, that's the next one. Yeah, maybe you imagine that,
but I've looked into it and actually when it says lampstand,
it means something. If you go 2 slides ahead,
something like this, there would be parts of the walls of homes
or places in the days that Jesus lived and ministered, where you
would take your oil lamp and you would place it on a stand on the
wall. And by doing that it would light
the whole room. So it's not just like some
nicely formed stand in the middle of a room with an
electric light you click on, but it is something that is filled
with oil, lit and placed in a prominent place so the room is
lit and without it you wouldn't be able to see.
It is hard to imagine in a world where our phones light our faces
a lot of the time, where the TV flickers in the corner, where
the Christmas lights twinkle on the tree, or if you've just
taken it down, no longer twinkle on the tree.
It's hard to imagine the kind of impact that a simple oil lamp
would have on a house. Now, when I think of Aladdin's
lamp. Now, you might have thought like
me, I asked one of the kids yesterday as well, because I've
always thought of it as some kind of posh gravy jug just
because of the way it looks. Has anyone else ever thought
that here's Aladdin's lamp and it should be.
Yeah, there it is, Aladdin's lamp.
But actually that, of course, is a lamp, an oil lamp.
But I've just always thought of it as a gravy jug.
Just me, Maybe not, that's fine. But yeah, filled with oil
littered the end and then the oil burns and gives off a light.
Now what is Jesus trying to say to us and how can we find a
little bit of meaning in this for ourselves?
What are Jesus words saying to us and how does understanding
this help us think? Well, if Jesus is talking about
being a light and lighting up a room, we need to consider this.
We can light up a room and we are called to light up the rooms
that we walk into. We are called to go be lit, be
full of oil, be ready to burn, and then to be placed in a
prominent place where we give light to the people who are all
around us. Did you know that the light of
Jesus, who is the light of the world can shine into your life,
but also can shine through your life?
Today in Planetshakers we're doing something where we shine a
light through a piece of paper that's got a little cut out of a
person on it. Thinking about how Jesus light
shines through US and today that is true of us.
Jesus light can shine through you.
Jesus light can shine through you in any room that you walk
into. You do not need to be
intimidated or go into a room and feel small.
Jesus has placed you in the places you are so you can go in,
be lit up from the inside, and then have His light shine
through you and make a difference.
Light brings clarity. It illuminates darkness.
It shows things as they are, like snow falling in the night
sky. It shows us the reality of who
we we are and also the reality of what God is like and His love
for us. You are called to shine brightly
wherever you go with the light of Jesus shining through you.
And you are called to be placed in a prominent place and change
the atmosphere of the rooms that you walk into.
These lamps, they didn't just burn on their own though.
They needed oil to burn. And suddenly things like give me
oil in my lamp keep me burning. Like maybe we've never really
thought about it as an oil lamp like that and but it is
important. Should we sing it?
Give me oil in my lamb. Keep me.
Come on everyone, Give me oil in my lamb.
Keep me burning, keep me burning.
To the chorus, Sing, Hosanna, sing.
Can I have the worship team up please?
No. No, please.
OK, fine. Finish on Sing Hosanna.
Sing Hosanna to the King. Primary school flashback,
anyone? Did you enjoy that?
Very good. But suddenly the significance of
a phrase like that. Give me oil in my lamp.
Keep me burning. We realise these lamps would not
light without being filled with oil first.
So we're called to bring light into dark places, to be put
somewhere prominent and change the atmosphere in the rooms we
walk into. But also we're called to be
filled regularly with the oil of God.
We cannot shine bright without being filled first with his oil.
Now we see that Jesus refers to oil in the parable of the 10
virgins, in Matthew 25, and in other places in the Bible.
The idea of being filled with oil becomes more significant
when we understand the lamp. But we're called to be filled
with the oil of the Holy Spirit every single day.
And if if an oil lamp only lights for 30 minutes, how about
this? Why don't we pray every 30
minutes? God, fill me again with your
Holy Spirit. Fill me again with your wisdom.
Fill me again with your faith. Give me the gift of faith.
Fill me up so I can shine brightly.
We cannot do anything without Him, and any light that we try
and shine without His oil will inevitably go out and certainly
will not change the atmosphere in a room and bring clarity and
revelation. And the ignition of the Holy
Spirit setting you on fire so that you can burn bright is
vital today. I guess you could take anything
from what we're going to say in the next few minutes, but why
not let that be the presiding thought today?
Jesus has called me to be a light to the world.
He has said that we are the light of the world.
We are to take His light and shine it to those around us.
We are to burn brightly and change the atmosphere in every
room that we walk into to make a difference.
And the only way that's possible is if we are full of oil and we
are lit by the Holy Spirit. So today be filled and
overflowing, filled with the Holy Spirit, God's very
presence, His wisdom and faith. May your life overflow with His
oil and may you be lit, set on fire again by the Holy Spirit
giving you everything you need. And would you shine the light of
Jesus to the world around you? It takes conscious time and
upkeep to keep your oil lamp full, but you are designed to be
filled, to be filled and to be filled again, and to burn and
shine brightly for Jesus. So I guess the thing you can
take away is that stay replenished and also don't hide
your light. You were made to shine brightly
and change the atmosphere in the rooms you walk into.
So take your oil lamp of your life, walk into every room,
imagine a space on the wall that was just there for you, like a
brick on the wall just for you, and place your lamp high and
expect that you're going to change the atmosphere of the
rooms you walk into. Now that's some thoughts about
that, but what does Jesus mean when he says shine bright?
What does it mean to shine? We've said it there, but
actually to shine, Jesus equates it with this.
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your
good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
And we realise that what Jesus is referring to here in the
middle of the Sermon on the Mount is this.
The light that you shine is going to be the way you live,
the way you act. Your good deeds will point
people towards God in heaven and so they may glorify him by the
way you live. What a powerful and a
challenging thought that is. Now, the Bible's full of imagery
of light, especially the light of the heavens, the stars and
the skies. Why is there so much talk about
the stars and the skies and the heavens in the Bible?
Well, when you walk outside, can you?
I almost feel jealous thinking about it.
As Jesus and his disciples walk out in the darkness and they
look up, they're not going to be clouded by the lights of the
streets or the lights of the motorway or the lights of the
ambient surroundings. But as they look up, they would
see the night sky as it is in Philippians 2 when it says that
we're called to shine like stars in the sky as we hold out the
word of life. Imagine the brightness of the
stars as Jesus walked on the earth and some places in the
world. They get close to that now and
it's if you've ever seen somewhere a dark sky site is a
sight to behold. So when we talk about shining
like stars and shining brightly and letting our light shine
before others, we imagine that almost the light of the moon
where it basks over a a night over a night time scene.
Imagine that that's what you're called to be like.
Let your light shine so that many will see your good deeds
and glorify God in heaven. So Jesus is implying something
that we're called to live differently, we are called to
live differently and glorify God in the way we live.
And through IT people will see our lives and they too will
glorify God because of how we've lived.
Do you feel that's a responsibility?
That is a heavyweight? Perhaps you feel that's a
privilege and an honour, but you're overwhelmed at the
thought of how do I represent Jesus wherever I go in how I
live. The good news is His yoke is
easy and His burden is light. He will give you nothing you
can't handle. So if Jesus is saying this, that
we're called to live like this with good deeds and glorifying
God, then he's going to give you everything you need to do it.
He's going to give you every bit of oil that you need to fill
your lamp to stay burning and making a difference and changing
the atmosphere in the rooms you walk into.
So why are we talking about moonlight now?
Why are we talking? We talked about lamplight, but
why are we talking about moonlight?
What's the distinction about the moon from the sun or a planet
from the stars? You may already know, but it's
because the moon simply reflects the light of the sun to those
who see it, and a planet simply reflects the light of the sun to
those who see it. We are called to be like the
moon facing the sun, reflecting his light and illuminating those
around. So when they see us, they don't
see our light, but they see the light of the sun shining and
reflecting through US. Jesus speaks of a people whose
good deeds and their whole lives lead others to glorify God.
The great news is he did it. He didn't just speak about it,
He was the example of it. Jesus life, the way he spoke,
the people he ate with, the time he spent, the miracles he
performed, the teaching that he presented, all of it glorified
God. He lived his life in a perfect
way, the perfect life that we were designed to live.
Jesus did it all, He did it all. He accomplished everything he
needed to accomplish his words, his actions, everything he did.
He is the example of what it looks like to live a life of
good deeds and glorify God and lead others to glorify God too.
So if you want to know how to live, follow Jesus.
Follow what he says. You may already know this, but
the word we're speaking about today, you are the light of the
world, is found in Matthew chapter 5.
It's in part of the Sermon on the Mount.
It's very likely that Jesus preached all the different parts
of the Sermon on the Mount in different places at different
times to different people. And just here we have this
encapsulation that's presented to us like this long sermon.
Of all the things that the Kingdom of God is defined by,
this is the kind of Kingdom Jesus had come to bring.
This is the kind of life that we are called to live.
So if you want to know the kind of life that will glorify God
and lead others to glorify him, a light life, then why not look
to the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapter 5 to Chapter 7.
These words inspire us today. In a world where light pollution
is everywhere and it can be hard to see the light of the sky, you
really do have to shine bright. So shine brightly.
The other night when we were driving home together, the moon
was orange. Did you see the giant orange
moon the other day? I mean, it was incredible.
And we had St lights, headlights, everything.
But all of us in the car, we were just transfixed by this
huge old orange moon glowing in the sky.
We need to shine brightly so that people will glorify God by
seeing the way that we live for Him.
Here is a summary of what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount,
and this is a little bit of the way we're called to live.
You are the light of the world, and if you want to shine
brightly, make a difference in the rooms you go into, shift the
atmosphere where you are. And if you want your life to
glorify God and point others to glorify Him too, then just
perhaps we can live like this. Blessed are the meek, the
righteous, the merciful, the pure in heart and the
peacemakers. Be reconciled.
Live in peace, remain pure in your thinking, honour marriage,
keep your word, do not seek revenge.
Love neighbours, love enemies, Do not unrighteously judge, Give
to the needy, Pray about everything fast and keep it all
between you and God. Seek His Kingdom, glorify His
name, rely fully on God, give generously, store up heavenly
treasure. Don't be pulled by the love of
money. Do not worry, God will provide
all you need, what you eat, what you wear and tomorrow ask, seek
and knock. Trust your Father, follow the
hard, narrow but right way. Watch out for the wolves that
come and build your house on Jesus teaching.
If we could all truly live like that we would shine brightly and
point others to glorify God. So I wonder, where do you need
to work on in your own life? Where do you need to be more
like Jesus? Where do you need to follow his
teaching and where do you need to shine a bit brighter?
The words of Matthew 5 to 7 speak to us today and the take
away and the challenge is simply go and do likewise.
Go and live like Jesus lived. Go and follow his teachings.
Build your house on the rock and you are the light of the world.
Let your life shine before everyone you come to.
Let your light shine before men so they may glorify God and
people will notice the difference.
For me, what people normally say to me is this.
They say where do you get your energy from?
Wow. And now that's not in any way me
bigging myself up. I'm just saying it's often a
door that opens where people say how do you stay so positive?
How? And it's an opportunity for me
to share a bit about my faith, my belief about Jesus and living
a life to him and him give giving me everything I need.
I wonder when you walk into a room and the way you live, the
way you conduct yourself, the way you act, the way you reply.
How about this? The way you navigate hard
situations, the way you navigate crisis.
Do people notice a difference in you and your life?
Do they comment on it? Do they see it?
It may be that your boss noticed you, that you always keep your
word at work or maybe as a neighbour that you choose not to
gossip. It may be in the way that you
love and have patience towards your child.
There are so many ways that we can shine brightly, and all
these ways we've talked about in the Sermon on the Mound.
I wonder when people ask, will you make the most of the
opportunity to be like the moon and not bring glory to yourself,
but reflect the light of the sun and point people to Him?
May it be that the way we live our lives help others to glorify
God. Now we've thought about the
lamplight changing an atmosphere in a room.
We've thought about the moonlight letting our life
glorify God, be like Jesus and point people towards Him.
The final light I want us to think about very much linking to
that imagery of a house last week is the porch light.
Jesus says a town built on a hill cannot be hidden in the
context of the day. When Jesus spoke, a city on a
hill was a powerful thing. It was an image of strength, it
was an image of fortitude and also it was a place of refuge.
Now for us in Leicester, we don't have many cities or towns
on hills. We have Beacon Hill, people like
Beacon Hill that was talking about Beacon Hill and we're in
scrapped off. That's a little bit of a hill.
We can see the park, Abbey Park fireworks in a little tiny
flicker in the distance on Bonfire night.
We actually went this year to go and watch Abbey Park fireworks
in an industrial estate nearby. Even though it was cheaper, it
wasn't better. I've got to say next year we may
actually go. But it was quite fun.
We saw another cheapskate family that we met in schools out as
well. And yeah, getting a freebie and
having fun in an industrial estate.
So, but being a hill on a on being a city on a hill was a
powerful thing. In the days where Jesus
ministered, he would understand that the image of a city on a
hill or a town on a hill, people would know it's a powerful
thing. In the book of Joshua, you have
the importance of a city on a hill.
Throughout the establishment of what it looked like in ancient
Israel, the the key cities in Israel were talked about were
important. They were strategically placed.
So no, none of them were more than a day's travel away at any
time. So when we think of Kadesh,
think of Shechem, when we think of Hebron, all of these
mountainous towns, mountainous cities, they were places of
fortitude and refuge. There were places of strength.
And we're called to be like that, a town that shines
brightly on a hill. And I think of a town on a hill
that from a distance you can see it.
In those days, of course you could see it.
But I don't want us to think just about a town.
Let's zoom in a bit closer and think about another light.
Zoom into the neighbourhood, zoom into the street and then
zoom into the house and then zoom into the porch light, which
is on. There's a show called Modern
Family and at the end of Modern Family there's a scene where the
dad, Phil, he stands with his wife Claire, and their children
have all left home. They've left the family home and
they have a moment with an empty room and they say, what should
we do now? And Phil says leave the porch
light on and he talks about how they'll always be welcome to
come home. I guess the reason that we want
to shine bright is not that people say, wow, your life is
different. I want to be like you or not.
Simply say like, oh, that's nice.
You've been changed by Jesus. It's good to know why you shine
brightly and why you're different.
The reason we shine bright, it's not just a light up a room like
a lamp. It's not just to reflect the sun
like the moon does, but it's so that we see people drawn to the
porch light and we see lost children coming home.
The reason that we speak, that we act different, and the reason
we live the way we live for those of us who follow Jesus in
the room is that there would be many more who also find Jesus
and find his forgiveness and find the Father's embrace
because the porch light is on. In Luke 15, Jesus tells a
parable and he speaks about a lost sheep and then a lost coin
and then a lost son. He speaks about a son who takes
his father's inheritance and goes away and spends it in wild
living. He finds himself in ruin with
nothing left, and his thoughts turn to the father's house, the
place where he was warm, had food and shelter.
And he thinks, if only I could go back as a servant.
And in the moment in the story Jesus tells, where the lost son
turns to go home, he arrives and he sees in the distance his
father's house. And I want to tell you today
that the porch light is on and the father is waiting.
And in the moment in the story, you have this powerful image
that is unheard of in the culture where the father, the
distinguished father, runs to the son.
He picks up his cloak and he runs and he embraces his son and
welcomes him home. He gives him a robe.
He gives him shoes on his feet, a ring on his finger.
He's accepted. He's home.
He is given identity again. And he is welcome back into the
family. He's given the the ring, the
signet ring, the Crest of the family is placed on his hand.
And in that moment, he expected to be and welcomed back as a
servant, but instead is welcomed back as a dearly loved child.
And the message of of the gospel, the message of the
Bible. And the reason Jesus came is he
didn't just come to teach good stuff and help people to live
better. He came that lost people may be
reconciled to God, that those who are far away from God may be
bought near to God. Those lost in darkness would
know the light of the world. And in John 8, Jesus said it
very clearly. He spoke again to the people and
said, I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have
the light of life. Jesus is the way for all who
come, He with his arms stretched out on the cross, bearing the
weight of our burden of sin and shame.
Jesus paid it all. Jesus death means that we can
live. The things we've done wrong and
distance us from God no longer can hold us because Jesus
carried them on the cross and with his arms outstretched.
We are reminded of the story he told in Luke 15 of a father with
arms outstretched welcoming Homer son who was dirty.
He smelt of the pigs. He was hungry and he was lost,
but he was wrapped up in the embrace of the Father.
This is why Jesus came. It's amazing to think that
probably a couple of years later or maybe months later, we don't
particularly know exactly when this sermon was preached.
It's not all chronological, however.
A time later, Jesus who spoke those words at the Sermon on the
Mount, who told people that you are the light of the world.
Jesus was the one who was taken. He was captured, He was
arrested, he was tried, he was unfairly sentenced.
He was beaten, he was taken, he was humiliated, nailed to a
cross. And as he hung in front of those
who had called his name in adoration, but then shouted,
crucify him. He was carrying the weight that
we could never carry because Jesus took our weight of sin on
the cross, because he died, was buried, and on the third day was
raised to life. Because of what we've celebrated
at the table today, what we've rejoiced about as we sang All
Hail King Jesus, all of it is so that lost children can be
brought home and God can be glorified.
And today this is my testimony. The porch light was on when I
came home when I was young, when I was a boy and I I wanted to
find out about Jesus for myself. And I made that commitment to
say I believe in Jesus and I want his forgiveness.
And all of us, wherever we are Jesus, we ask that our world
would be saved. May this be the year of
salvation, the year of favour. May we see an outpouring of your
Spirit. May we see our lives completely
transformed. May the lives of us here in the
room today and our young people and our children here today burn
brightly for you. May will be full of your oil,
burning bright, placed in prominent places, changing the
atmosphere in a room, and it would point to you.
May our lives be different. May there be something about the
way we live that follows your sermon on the amount that
follows your ways and follows in your footsteps.
And Jesus, we ask that through the way we live and through what
we share with others, Would it be this year that many people
see the porch light is on, the father is waiting, his arms are
outstretched, and Lord, you're ready to welcome lost children
home. Lord, we pray this would be the
year of salvation, a year of prodigals coming home, a year of
reconciling, a year or families that have been divided would be
reconciled to as they unite around the truth that Jesus save
them all. Lord, we pray that our streets
will be full of people who are walking, finding local churches
and communities of believers because they've had dreams and
visions, because they've opened Bible that our Bibles they
received when they were children or when they were younger,
because they've gone online and searched what is Christianity,
Who is Jesus? Would our streets be full again
of people walking to the sound of church bells and finding a
place where they can come and worship you, Jesus?
Lord, we believe that we can see a day like that.
But Lord, maybe now, maybe in these times, maybe now in Jesus
name. And Lord, would you use us, use
us to burn brightly, to shine brightly?
Lord, we're ready to be different.
We're ready to be set apart. We're ready to go and shift the
atmosphere in a room and do something that no one else
expects because we're following you, Jesus, And we ask that you
would use us for your glory, always for you and always for
your glory. And through our lives would
people see the one who truly loves them, and that is you, the
Father who waits with the porch light on to welcome lost
children home. Here's three ways we can respond
today #1 stay replenished. Keep your oil lamp full.
Today is a chance to allow God to fill up your lamp again.
You cannot shine if your lamp isn't full.
Holy Spirit, come and fill us. Lord, give us your wisdom.
Lord, give us the gift of faith. Help us to burn brightly for
you. So be replenished.
Secondly, help us to follow your teaching Jesus.
Keep following the teaching of Jesus.
And you may want to reflect on some of those words we said
earlier from the Sermon on the Mount.
So stay replenished, full of oil.
Keep following the teaching of Jesus.
And finally, may our lives point people to Jesus.
May our lives point people to glorify God and be changed
forever. You are the light of the world.
A town built on a hill cannot be hidden, 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.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they
may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
These are the words of Jesus. These are the words that Jesus
said, and may they change our lives today.
You are the light of the world. The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.