A BRIGHT LIGHT IN A DARK PLACE

TEXT:
Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
 
INTRODUCTION:
  A. THE WORLD IS A DARK PLACE
    1. The world is dark and getting darker all the time.
    2. When I first started in the ministry years ago I never dreamed we would have ever had
        such open sin in America as we have today.
    3. Nobody would have thought that there would ever be such liberty to blaspheme the name
        of God and to live in licentiousness and lewdness as we have everywhere today.
    4. Darkness is covering the world.
    5. In many places morals are a thing of the past.
    6. Men's consciences have been seared.
    7. We have a generation of children who live in darkness that we as older people never knew
        in all of our life.

  B. THE GOOD NEWS
    1. The idea that the world is getting darker is not good news.
    2. We are here to preach good news.
    3. The good news is, the children of God are getting brighter.
    4. Have you ever tried to shine a flashlight on a sunny day, it doesn't work.
    5. But, the darker it gets, the better the flashlight works.
    6. The darker it gets in the world, the brighter it's going to be upon the children of God.
        Could I have an amen?

I. YOU ARE THE LIGHT

  A. YOU ARE THE LIGHT
    1.  YOU are His witnesses.
    2.  YOU are to let your light shine.
    3.  Wherever you are if you belong to Jesus, YOU are the light of the world.
    4.  Don't try to keep the world from knowing that you belong to Jesus.
    5.  Shine for Jesus.
    6.  Let the world know there's hope.
    7.  The world has NO light but YOUR light.
    8.  The world has no hope for it's darkness except through Christians.

  B. DON’T BE ASHAMED OF JESUS
    1.  Don't be ashamed of your witness.
    2.  Don't be ashamed to talk about Jesus.
    3.  You see when we come into a room there ought to be spiritual light.
    4.  There ought to be some revelation about God in our lives.

  C. YOUR MAIN PURPOSE
    1.  Your main purpose in life is not to make money.
    2.  Your main purpose in life is not to climb the ladder of success.
    3.  Your main purpose for being on the earth is to be a light for Jesus.

  D. SOON THIS LIFE WILL BE OVER
    1.  Only one life, twill soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last.
    2.  I’m looking forward to the day when there will be no more sighing, no more crying,
        and no more dying.
    3.  I’m looking forward to the day when we will all stand before Jesus.
    4.  I want to hear him say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant!"
        Could I have an amen?

II. …THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

  A. YOU’RE THE LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT OF SICKNESS
    1.  We let the world know that it's not God's will for them to be sick.
    2.  We shine a light on the fact that Jesus bore their sicknesses.
    3.  We shine a light on the fact that Jesus carried their diseases.
    4.  We shine a light on the fact that they can be healed.

  B. YOU’RE THE LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT OF SALVATION
    1.  We shine light on their only hope for eternal life.
    2.  We reveal that you don't get saved by works
    3.  We reveal that you don’t get saved by being religious.
    4.  We shine a light on the new birth.
    5.  You must be born again to get into the kingdom of God.
        Could I have an amen?

  C. YOU’RE THE LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT OF JESUS
    1.  Acts 1:8 says "You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you and
        you shall be witnesses unto ME."
    2.  Jesus said, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you, you shall be turned into witnesses.
    3.  It doesn’t say you will GO and DO witnessing.
    4.  It says YOU will BE a witness.
    5.  You ARE witnesses!
    6.  Wherever you go, wherever you are, you ARE a witness!
    7.  You are to shine for Jesus all the time.
    8.  Not just when the church has a visitation program...
    9. Not just when you feel like it...
    10. You are to shine for Jesus all the time.  You ARE a witness!

  D. YOU’RE THE ONLY LIGHT THIS WORLD HAS
    1.  The only light this world will ever see is you.
    2.  You need to open your mouth.
    3.  You need to talk about Jesus.
    4.  You need to share what He has done for you.
        Could I have an amen?

III. …GLORIFY THE FATHER

  A. SOME GLORIFY THE WRONG THINGS
    1.  They glorify their denomination.
    2.  They glorify their choir.
    3.  They glorify their preacher.
    4.  They glorify their church.
    5.  But Jesus has anointed us to SHINE FOR HIM!
    6.  Can I have a good Amen!
    7.  Jesus is the only answer to the world’s needs.
    8.  Why should we shine for anyone or anything else?

  B. TOO MUCH TALK ABOUT OTHER THINGS
    1.  Don't talk about the weather, talk about Jesus.
    2.  Don't talk about business, talk about Jesus.
    3.  Don't talk about your body, talk about Jesus.
    4.  Don't talk about your sickness, talk about Jesus.
    5.  Don’t talk about your neighbor, talk about Jesus.
    6.  Don’t talk about your preacher, talk about Jesus.
    7.  Don’t talk about your politics, talk about Jesus.
    8.  We're here to talk about Jesus.
        Could I have a good amen?

IV. GOD’S GRACE IS STILL AMAZING

  A. IT AMAZES THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW HIM
    1.  Think of how amazed the drug addict will be when he finds out that he doesn’t have to
        depend on drugs anymore.
    2.  Think of how amazed the alcoholic will be when he finds out that he doesn’t have to live
        his life out of a bottle anymore.
    3.  Think about how amazed the distressed, depressed, and oppressed will be when they find
        out that they don't have to live that way anymore.
    4.  They will be amazed at God’s amazing grace displayed in the form of His Son Jesus Christ.

  B. IT AMAZES US WHO ALREADY KNOW HIM
    1.  Notice what John the Baptist said about Jesus in John 1:27.
    2.  He said, "I am not even worthy to take off His sandals."
    3.  I'm telling you, if you really knew Jesus in all of His majesty and glory, you'd be amazed.
    4.  You would know that you're not worthy to even take off His shoes.
    5.  Yet, He so loved you that He gave His life.
    6.  He said no man takes My life from Me.
    7.  He said, "I lay it down of Myself. And I have power to take it up."
    8.  We're not worthy to take His shoes off, but He loves us.
    9.  We’re not worthy to take His shoes off, but He walks after us and calls us to be His own.
    10.  I’m here to tell you that Jesus loves you, even though you’re not worthy to take the
        sandals off of His feet.
        Could I have an amen?
 
   C. IT WILL AMAZE US MORE WHEN WE SEE OURSELVES
    1. We get the idea we're the big "I".
    2. We’re not worthy to take the sandals off of his feet, but we think we are.
    3.  King Saul became big in his own eyes.
    4.  Woe be to that person who gets so big in his own eyes.
    5.  When Saul fell, he had great opportunity to do something for God.
    6.  But, he fell and disobeyed God, and finally committed suicide.
    7.  Samuel said, Saul, when you were little in your own eyes God made you king over Israel.
    8.  Now, he's a big wheel.
    9.  If we get to be untouchable and we get to be a big wheel, we better watch out.
    10. The Bible tells us that one of the biggest mistakes the children of Israel ever made was to
        put a couple of big wheels on a board in an attempt to get the anointing back...
    11. Well, it's not quite that simple, but when they tried to bring the ark of the covenant back
        with man's program (a cart with two big wheels) rather than God's program (on the shoulders
        of the Levites), it cost them.
    12. We better keep this attitude, I'm not worthy to take the sandals off of my Savior's feet.
        Could I have an amen?
    13. Don't think that you're too good to go into the darkness and take a witness to a dieing world.
    14. You're trying to shine your light in daylight here inside these church walls.
    15. You're light will be so much brighter when you take your witness into a dark place and
        touch someone who is hurting.

C. WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT JESUS?
    1.  What do you say about Jesus when you go to work?
    2.  What do you say about Jesus when you go to your neighborhood?
    3.  What do you say about Jesus when you go home?
    4.  What do you say about Jesus?

CONCLUSION:
How many of you believe this world is getting darker? Say amen.
How many of you believe we're lights in the world? Say amen.
How many of you will be a bright light in a dark place somewhere this week?


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