Releasing the Light

Bruce, I learned something today. When I'm really hot, I'm gonna say I'm hotter than a burnt boot. I was trying to figure out why my feet were so warm, but you just put that in my head.

Today is our conclusion of the series, The Good Contagion. Believe it or not, we've been going since June on this, on how we could be a good contagion, and the good contagion is Jesus Christ. And this today culminates everything we've been working towards on how there is a contagious side to Christianity, of the good news when we spread it, how it's contagious.

We talked about the transmission of forgiveness, life, and the spirit. We're supposed to transmit that in our lives. We talked about catching the scent, how there is a spiritual scent to all of us.

Erring the truth for freedom, that we need to get the truth out there. There's no freedom without the truth. Those aren't my words, those are Jesus' words.

We talked about having infectious feet, where Isaiah said, and how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news. We talked about having a contagious testimony, how we all have a testimony, and when we share our testimony, it can be contagious for others to see and hear what God has done for us. We talked about variant strains, how there's more to us than just being in the church, how when we get out there in the world, how we can relate to people in different ways.

Today, two weeks ago, we talked about sharing the love and how love is contagious. It seems like in the world today, anger and hatred are very contagious, but love is even better. That's what we have to share.

And last week, we talked about spreading the joy. But none of that is gonna work unless we start releasing the light. Will you stand as you are able? Our scripture today comes from the Sermon on the Mount, which is in Matthew five through seven.

This comes after the Beatitudes. These are Jesus' words. You are the light of the world.

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people hide a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. The word of God, inspired by God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God. You may be seated. Jesus starts this off by making a pretty audacious claim.

You are the light of the world. How many of you woke up this morning, looked in the mirror and said, you are the light of the world? Well, Jesus said it, so it's true. You are the light of the world.

You are the light. Now, that seems pretty strange because when you look at the rest of the Bible, who does the rest of the Bible say the light of the world is? Jesus. We heard it in the scripture earlier this morning.

We hear it in the book of Revelation, when in Revelation 21, 23, it says, and the city has no need of a sun or a moon. This is the new heaven and new earth. For the glory of God gives it light.

And the lamp is the lamb. So that's pretty good company if Jesus is saying you are the light. In the new heaven and the new earth, there is no need for the sun or the moon because God gives the light and Jesus is the lamp on which we see.

They are the light. God is the light. The Father and the Son are the light in heaven and in New Jerusalem, in the new city that is brighter than the sun or the moon.

But you are the light. You are the light of the world. In John, Jesus said, I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. But he also said, you are the light of the world. In John nine, he says it again, as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

And that was in the context, remember, of him giving sight to a man who was born blind. He was saying, I am the light. So this blind man is going to, we're gonna see God do something amazing and he will no longer walk in darkness.

And on that note, at the beginning of John, John says, the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. So who's that pointing to in John one? Jesus, the true light. But Jesus said, you are the light of the world.

So does that mean you're not the true light? Jesus said, you are the light of the world. The light that was coming in the world gives light to everyone. In the second part of this verse, he says, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

That there is a, if you're walking along and you see a city up high and you see the lights on, even if it's dark, you see it pretty well than compared to if it's in a valley or down in a forest or hidden somewhere. Jesus is saying, because you are the light of the world, you gotta be like a city, sit on a hill where the world can see the light and they know they can come and they know they have a place they can get to out of the wilderness, out of the darkness, out of the cruelties of the world. Now, I didn't always realize this, but Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah, we brought this up a couple weeks ago and it really backs up so much of this whole series that Isaiah said in Isaiah 42 and similarly in Isaiah 49 and similarly in Isaiah 60.

This is what he said in Isaiah 42. Thus says the Lord, the God who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread them out on the earth, what it comes from, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it. I am the Lord.

I have called you in righteousness. I will take you by the hand and keep you. I will give you as a covenant for the people.

Those are kind of strange words. I will give you as a covenant for the people. That you will be the covenant.

You will be the ones who draw them into my presence and it closes this by saying a light for the nations. That these were God's chosen people and they were supposed to be the ones who were a light that others would see and say, I gotta give me some of that. You know, if you are a light, then it's like a beacon or a lighthouse that they can come to safety and they were supposed to be the light.

But Jesus is now saying, he gives light to everyone and you are the light of the world. Does that make sense? Are you feeling a little brighter? Um, you are the light of the world. Now, it would have been a candle that Jesus was talking about, but when you are the light of the world, you can see that you've got to have my favorite children's, one of my favorite children's time is where they have a light and it's not working so they plug it in or they put in the batteries and they say, see, there's the power of the Holy Spirit within you and they have it all.

So you take the light and you plug it into the source. Who is the source of the light? God, and when the light comes through and shines, who is it? This is really cool tech where you step on it and turn on the light and then you don't see anything, but you know, there's more to it than that where you put in the bulb for the lamp. Who is the lamp? That wasn't supposed to happen.

And then you have this cool setup by God and it is a light that you can have and then he says you put a basket over it. When you put a basket over it, who gets to use the light? Just who's ever under the basket. You turn it on and they're, oh yeah, this is nice.

Hey, sorry you guys are back there. This is one of the pros of getting to be here and be in the light. Now, what can also happen is that when we have the light, and we take it out into the world and the light is shining and we walk with that and who's the light? If we do this the wrong way, who's the light shining on? Yourself.

Now, Jesus says, you can't hide it under a basket. That's because I'm shining. I am a shiny disciple.

Jesus said, nor do people light a light handed under a basket but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house like a lamp on a land stand that they see this light. Now, what happens is since the age of enlightenment, we have divided our public life from our private life and the world doesn't always see the same light that they see in here that we can be one person in church and another person out in the world or we come in and we get the light and then we cover it up. We cover it up so the world can't see the light because it's contagious.

If we release the light into the world, the world might not like that so much but Jesus said, you let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. The difference between, if you just go on to Matthew 6, it's kind of interesting. It's one of those things that some people would say where the Bible is contradicting itself because Jesus says in Matthew 6, beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. Now, how can you have it both ways? Jesus said, let others see your good works and here Jesus is saying, don't even let your left hand see what your right hand is doing.

Now, the key to this has a lot to do with when you study the Sermon on the Mount. When you study this, Jesus is pulling a lot from the law and from the Old Testament and different things but he's showing them that instead of being about what's outward, it's about what's on the inside. If you work through Matthew five through seven, read it again and see that it's all about what is on the inside.

How is your heart? How are your motives? What is your purpose for doing something? Jesus said, let your light shine so that others see your good works, that the lamp is on a hill and they see him so, not so we're shown in the light and glorified but so God is glorified. That others see you and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Some of it's to say, well, I know that guy and he wouldn't be out here feeding the homeless.

Something must have happened to him and they give the glory to God or they say, why are you doing that? And you simply say, it's God in me. It's God that is making this happen. Now, if we look at the Bible, Paul tells us about several things that are like putting a basket over the light.

Even Christians cover the light so the world cannot see it. So the world doesn't know how amazing God is. In Galatians, he says, now the works of the flesh are evident, sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, even on the road.

That was me looking in the mirror as I'm looking up. Fits of anger, even on the road, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you as I warned them before that these things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things, there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

And they let the light of Christ shine in everything. When we go out in the world and we act like the world, when we go out in the world and we don't have any distinguishing characteristics than the rest of the world, we're covering up the light. Or if we leave it here, if we say, yeah, it was great, the Holy Spirit was great at church, but then we go out in the world and we act like the rest of the world, we're covering the light.

It's a LED light, so it's not burning my hand in case you're wondering. But when we go out in the world and it looks like a situation where we should be hateful and we show love, we're letting the light shine. If it looks like a situation where we should ignore someone, snub someone, or kick someone to the curve, where we have been hurt or put down or pushed aside, but we still have joy.

When life is so busy that it's so hard to keep up, it's so hard to have the energy to do things, but somehow in the midst of this, we have peace that passes all understanding. We're letting the light of Christ shine. The light is contagious.

This morning I came and I went, oh, I was gonna get a clear light bulb so it would be even brighter. And I turned it on, I go, well, let's see how this is. And I went, ah! It's bright when you're right up next to it.

And that brightness is a little overwhelming for others to see. But there are so many things in the Bible when it talks about darkness and light, so many metaphors with that that it means that darkness can mean moving from sin, which is in darkness, to truth in Jesus, which is the light. It can mean literal blindness and then seeing.

It can mean not understanding what the scripture says, moving to a way to understand, and going from darkness to light. And when we have that light, why would we cover it up? Why would we hide it? Why would we not share it with the world? If you are a follower of Jesus, we are constantly releasing the light so the world can know God, and so the world can love God, and so the world can see from us that God does amazing things, that God lives within us. How many of you know the author of that song we sang, Oh, How Great a Flame Aspires? If I ask you the question, the answer's always Charles Wesley.

But when we have that flame of the Holy Spirit within us, it's not just supposed to be a fire that we have. It's not just supposed to be a light that we contain, and it's not just supposed to be a light that lights up this room, but he's saying we let the light shine so others can know about Jesus, so others can love God, and so the world can see from us and others can see how, who thinks God is amazing? Who has ever been blessed by God? Whose lives have ever been impacted in a positive way from Jesus Christ? Let that light shine. Release the light into the world because that's a good contagion the world is not always asking for, but we know we all need it.

Jesus said, it says in John, when he came, he let the light shine on everyone. So if we are the light of the world, we shine too. Let's pray.

Holy God, thank you. Thank you that you are the light, that we know that you are such pure light. That in the coming days, after Jesus return, after we have a new heaven and a new earth, we have no need for the sun or for the moon because it is your light that will shine.

It is the lamp of the lamb that will brighten our day. But yet in the midst of this, Jesus said to us, you are the light of the world. You have given us such a great light.

I pray that we release it, that we share it, that we go into the world and take your light with us because there's a lot of darkness out there. We know that. And the only light that will overcome it is the good news of Jesus Christ.

Thank you God for the good contagion. In Jesus name, amen.