'You are the Light of the World'.  Matthew 5:14,16

Too often we bemoan the darkness of these days.  We speak of the awful things that are going on in the world.  We wonder whatever next.  It is in these dark days in this dark world that Jesus pays His believing people this amazing complement.  He says, "You are the light of the world".  Let us examine this inspiring saying.

[1] YOU are the light of the world

If we were asked, "Who is the light of the world?" we would almost certainly say, "Christ is the Light of the world."  Indeed, this is the word of the Lord Himself: I am the Light of the world  (John 8:12; 9:5).  So how can we be the light?  Well, He is the Lighting Light and we are the lighted light.  We are to Christ what the moon is to the sun.  We merely reflect the light of the Son.  Our light is derived from His light.  We only have the light as long as we are in relation to Him.  If we are to be the effective light of the world it is essential to keep connected to Christ.  Without that connection or relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be darkness and not light.

[2] YouS are the light

Please forgive the English!  We need to emphasise that it is you in the plural in the Greek New Testament.  We do not have the same facility in English to indicate the plural but it is very significant.  Jesus does not say you (singular) are the light (singular), nor, yous (plural) are the lights (plural).  He says, yous (plural) are the light (singular).  That is, He does not say that we are individually lights but that corporately we are light.  We may properly think of ourselves each as a little light - you in your small corner and I in mine - as is explicit in Philippians 2:15.  Yet in the sermon on the mount that is not what the Lord seems to have in mind.  His concept is closer to that of Revelation 1 where we read  ¹² Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. ²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.  As a congregation, a local church, we should shine in this area.

[3] You are the light OF THE WORLD

The global emphasis is commonplace in the New Testament.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)   And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  (Mark 16:15)    But 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 18)  We could go on to quote Romans 10:18, Colossians 1:6, Revelation 14:6 and many more.  So in fact we are to be the light not just of our locality but a light of global significance.  We need to examine our international mission interests and see if we are fulfilling the word of the Lord.

[4] You are the light  TO SHINE

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.  (Matthew 5:15)   As long as we can remember there have been some who have regarded religion as a private matter and not to be spoken about.  Of course, true religion is intensely personal.  We are concerned with a deep inner work upon our souls by the Holy Spirit.  That does not mean that it is private, however.  It is a personal experience but not a personal secret.  There is little shining if our Lord Jesus is not evident to those around us.

[5] You are the light of the world which shines by GOOD WORKS.

Evangelical Christians will probably be shy of the expression "good works".  That is proper in as much that it is associated with the social gospel of liberalism.  Yet the Lord Himself was content to speak positively of good works and so should we be.  There are good works which will characterise the shining church.  Evangelical good works may be summarised under three heads:

(i)  the gospel of Christ.  The ministry of the gospel is the primary work of the church.  We are as a church - all of us - engaged in the preaching of the Biblical gospel.  We all want the word to go forth from here.  We all pray for the effectiveness of the preaching.  We all invite people to come and hear the word.  Our desire is that the truth of the gospel should wonderfully shine forth from this place.

(ii)  love for Christ.  This will be evident in our keeping of the Sabbath, our tithing, our singing, our praying, and so on.  Just by coming every Sunday and being seen by your neighbours you bear witness and shine in your street.  The church bell rings and the people gather.  The small community notices when there are a lot of cars.  They make remark.  We are shining by our love and devotion to the Saviour.

(iii)  love for men.  This is our trade mark.  It is by this that men will recognise us.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.  (John 13:35)  What a brilliant light shines when our love for each other is evident and when that love overflows and touches the lives of people around us.

[6] You are the light of the world which shines FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)  The glory of the Father is:-

  (a)      our motive.  We are not to be concerned with our own reputation but the honour of the Lord.  We do not do our good works to be seen by men and applauded by them.

  (b)      the result, sometimes at least.  There will be times when we are disappointed, but where there is a work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the one who sees us he will give the credit to the Lord.

[7]        You ARE the light

The text is not primarily a commandment.  Certainly it carries with it responsibility, but it is actually a statement of fact and even a promise is implied.  Do not simply be weighed down by a sense of duty to shine.  The Lord says you do shine because a light is what you are if you are a real Christian born again of the Spirit.

Christians, you are a beacon.  Just be what you are.  Shine!  X