Be a Light On a Lampstand
“Lord, make my life a window for your light to shine through and a mirror to reflect your love to all I meet. Amen.”
Robert H. Schuller
Passage
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16 (NASB)
Background
Quote- Robert Harold Schuller (September 16, 1926 – April 2, 2015) was an American Christian televangelist, pastor, motivational speaker, and author. In his five decades of television, Schuller was principally known for the weekly Hour of Power television program, which he began hosting in 1970 until his retirement in 2010. Schuller began broadcasting the program from the Neutra Sanctuary, with the encouragement of longtime friend Billy Graham after Schuller visited him in 1969.[1] He was also the founder of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, where the Hour of Power program was later broadcast.
Passage-The personalities of this book include the Messiah Jesus Christ, His parents Mary and Joseph, the Twelve Disciples, the prophet John the Baptist, and other kinds of leaders. These leaders include those in government like Pilate and religious leaders such as the Pharisees (who attempt to hinder the work of Jesus).
The book of Matthew is the first of the synoptic gospels and it was written to reveal the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, the King of the Jews, from the line of David. It also was written to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ was indeed their long-awaited Messiah.
Chapters 26-28, contain the death and resurrection of Jesus. These chapters present the truth of the "Good News" and about how Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself. This is the central theme of salvation through faith alone in the complete and finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross.
Opening Statement
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15 (KJV). We are called out as representatives of God, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit to a divine task. While we all have the same goal in mind, we do not all have the same talents, gifts, and abilities with which to pursue that goal. The path God has for each of us to walk is as unique to each of us as we are distinct individuals, one from another in the body of Christ, the Church Universal. We may all have one singular truth, one singular set of stated definitions for right and wrong, but how those truths shape and mold each of us is again as unique as we are.
Ask: “You are the salt of the earth…” what does that mean?
Point: To answer this question we need to as another question.
Ask: What does salt do?
Point: The answer is found in the second half of that first sentence in verse 13. Read v.13 from today’s passage again.
Ask: What do we call salt that has no saltiness to it?
Point: Dirt, grit, dust, or sand just to name a few.
Ask: What is this substance good for at the point where it no longer contains its unique flavor?
Point: Read v.13 from today’s passage again with emphasis on the second half.
Ask: What does it mean to be “You are the light of the world?”
Point: God has destined His children to be seen by those around us. It is in the nature of who He is and what those who follow Him look like when they follow His ways.
Ask: Why is a city on a hill unable to be hidden?
Point: It rises up above the landscape surrounding it, built on the highest point of prominence in the area.
Re-read v.14 from today’s passage.
Ask: Why is it that “You are the light of the world.” Is joined with “A city set on a hill cannot be hid?”
Point: You is singular meaning each of us as individuals while the “city set on a hill” is plural meaning all of us together.
Re-read v.14 from today’s passage.
Ask: Do you see a difference between the two sentence in v.14?
Point: “You are the light of the world.” Is all about us as individuals being God’s light, reflecting the light of Jesus to the world around us. “A city set on a hill cannot be hid.” Is all about us the church and it not being able to shy away from the observances of the people of the World.
Read verse 15 from today’s passage.
Ask: If you are the lamp, who lit “…the lamp…?”
Point: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Re-read verse 15 from today’s passage.
Ask: Why did God light you as a lamp?
Point: “…it gives light to all who are in the house.”
Ask: What does that mean “…it gives light to all who are in the house?”
Point: This question is answered with another question.
Ask: What does light do for someone in darkness?
Point: It shows them how to navigate their surroundings, whatever those surroundings might be.
Read verse 16 from today’s passage.
Ask: What does the totality of verse 16 mean taking in the context that we are the light shinning to the world around us?
Point: There is a lot to unpack in this one verse.
1. We are to do things in such a way that it is God who gets credit, not us.
2. Let our light shine so that our “good works” are seen by all. Align all that you do with what is good according to God so that even when people see what you do and you don’t know they are watching they are still seeing “good works” instead of something bad.
Closing Statement
A lamp is not lit because someone wants to stay in the dark. A lamp is a tool by which people see and can better deal with the environment around them. Sometimes that light reveals a safe and easy path. Other times that light reveals something that is scarry and dangerous. While an actual lamp is an inanimate object incapable of dealing what is revealed, we as Christians are not inanimate. We are living, breathing human beings capable of helping, loving, and lifting up others. Our offers of assistance where we see danger or disaster may be rebuffed, but that does not absolve us of the duty to make that offer. Our offer and our reaction both when it is accepted and declined are both seen by the World. As a light lit by God you have the choice to put it under a basket so only you can see it or join the other lamps on the stand illuminating the city on the hill. Without your light one or more travelers might not recognize that city as a place they want to travel to or a community suitable for them. Over the coming year we will explore what it means to believe we are a light lit by God and what it means to shine that light to the world in His name.
Questions for the Week
What does your light look like?
How brightly does it shine right now?
Who sees it?
Are there people being kept from seeing it?
Are they being kept from seeing it by you, someone else, or something else?
What can you do about those things that dim, darken, or obscure your light?