Light of the World
After Jesus preached the beatitudes in Matthew 5, he continued the sermon on the mount by teaching the multitude about the application of these beautiful attitudes. Those who choose to follow in the Lord’s footsteps are examples of the love of God and the peace of God.
The beatitudes are upside down from what the world considers successful attitudes. Jesus’ godly attitudes are the opposite from the earthly, sensual, and devilish attitutes promoted by the god of this world. The world thinks that godly beatitudes are to be avoided. Attitudes of poverty, mourning, meekness, mercy, purity, peacefulness, and persecution are failures in the world’s eyes. However, these attitudes are the keys to blessedness. In meekness and humility, when we come to understand, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, we can turn to God instead of the darkness of this world.
Jesus said, Ye are the light of the world. Therefore let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. The light of the truth of the word of God dispels the darkness of the world’s lies, deceit, deception and blindness. When we let our light shine on a hill and uplift the light of Christ on a lamp stand, God’s light will overcome the darkness. For God has shined his light in our hearts and our spiritual eyes were opened when we were born again of his spirit. Jesus Christ came to open the eyes of those born spiritually blind.
The world sees only through the eyes of the senses… they cannot understand the things of the spirit of God for the adversary has blinded the eyes of those who believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them. For he that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth, those who humble themselves before the Lord come to the light that their deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought of God.
In order for the word of God to shine forth, God must break our earthen vessels of the flesh. Like Gideon, God’s plan to defeat Israel’s enemy was to break their clay pots so that the light could shine and confuse the darkness of the enemy.
When Nicodemus approached Jesus in John 3, he asked Jesus, how do you do the things that you do? How do you work miracles, signs and wonders? Nicodemus was a respected Pharisee and teacher of the Jews. However, he couldn’t understand the source of Jesus’ supernatural power. Jesus didn’t answer Nicodemus’ question. Instead he said, you must be born again. Nicodemus said, how can a man be born again? How can he enter again into his mother’s womb? Jesus explained he who is born of water, of his mother’s womb is born into the flesh… The nature of the flesh is the darkness of this fallen world. To be born again is to be born from above of God’s spirit.
Philippians says, You are the light of the world among whom you shine as lights in a world of darkness. As born again sons of God, we reflect the light of Christ. We are God’s photomultipliers shining forth the light of the truth of His word and Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. A born again son of God does not reflect the glory of the flesh but the glory of the Lord.
The devil tells the world, you’re number one. Everything is about you. You need to satisfy yourself… your purpose is to to pursue and grab all the gusto you can get. You need to follow pleasure, amusement, and the satisfaction of your own soul. The devil shows the bait, but hides the hook. Self centeredness and selfishness produces pride. Pride goes before the fall. Pride is the source of strife, contention, vengeance, vindictiveness, hatred, bitterness, wars, and rumors of wars. Pride focuses on self and self worship leads to self destruction.
Paul said, if you rail against the darkness, you will just make the world darker. You cannot fight darkness with darkness. No one will listen to you.. instead gently correct those who oppose themselves by shining the light of the love of God. You can’t let evil speculations make you quarrelsome. Instead love your enemies, be good to them who revile you and despitefully use you. Then when your light is shining, this will lead them to the knowledge of the truth. For the man of God must not strive but instead, gently correct those who oppose themselves. Then to to ones God has called, your example of the love of God will lead them to the knowledge of the truth.
Our first mission field is to our own mind and then to our own families. To reconnect our hearts with our wives, we must meet each other at the foot of the cross. The world says that if you disagree with your wife, then heap resentment and bitterness on top of these disagreements so that they become irreconcilable differences. Then these differences are legal grounds for divorce. However, with God’s power, there are no irreconcilable differences. In order to reconcile with our wives, we must first reconcile our hearts with God’s heart through Jesus Christ, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Then when we have our vertical relationship with God restored to an upright position, we can reconcile with our wives through Jesus Christ… He’s the one who unifies us together in the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. When we love God above all we can love our wives like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. The love of God is the tie that binds our hearts together in the love of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That we may live harmoniously fitted together in the unity of the spirit to minister to one another in love…
…that we may love one another in the midst of the darkness of this world, and shine as lights holding forth the word of life to the praise of the glory of God’s grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael
