Week 17 Why Do You Have A Light?
“There is a magnificent gift we each bring. Shine your light and share your gifts. The world needs you today.”
Cynthia James
Passage
7 "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 "Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
10 And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.
11 "And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Isaiah 58:7-11 (NASB)
"la nuit blanche – not retouched" by Dom Dada is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Background
Quote-Cynthia James (born 1948) is a Trinidadian Canadian writer and literary theorist. Cynthia James was born in Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago, in 1948.
In the 1990s, James went to the United States to study at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she graduated with a Ph.D. in 1998. James had early success as a playwright, winning the country's first play-writing competition in 1979 with the work No Resolution. She published her first book, the short story collection Soothe Me Music, in 1990. This was followed by three poetry collections in the '90s: Iere, My Love; Vigil; and La Vega and Other Poems. Her most recent collection, Watermarked, was released in 2014. In 2000, James published her first novel, Bluejean, followed by the novel Sapodilla Terrace in 2006.
Passage-The book of Isaiah is Narrative History, Prophetic Oracle, and even a Parable. The prophet Isaiah wrote it at approximately 700 B.C. Isaiah is the first book in the section called Major Prophets. They are called Major Prophets because of the large amount of material they wrote not because their message was more important than any other prophet’s was. Isaiah contains some of the most incredible prophecies of any book. It contains foreknowledge, in incredible details about the Messiah, and the future reign of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the book of Isaiah was to call God’s nation, back to faithfulness and to declare the coming Messiah “Immanuel”. God calls and commissions His prophet to declare to Judah and Israel condemnation, conviction, and ultimately great hope.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
Our soul is a cup filled with what we allow into it. We keep that cup within ourselves where we think no one can see, but the One who can fill that cup sees. Is the water shared from that cup clean or dirty?
Ask: What is light in the context of our discussions in class?
Point: The light a person sheds is something that goes out, away from them.
Ask: What goes out and away from you?
Point: The list is long and as varied as each individual. Things that go out from us can range from simple words spoken out loud, to hand gestures, to things we do that are seen by others.
Ask: Do we always intend for things to go out and away from us?
Point: No.
Ask: Should that be a cause for concern?
Point: Yes.
Ask: Why?
Point: Heart-position.
Ask: Why is heart-position important as it relates to the things that go out and away from us?
Point: Heart-position is the motivation behind why we do things. It colors and flavors our actions as seen and heard by those around us. In those things that go out and away from us that we did not intend to do so, our heart-position is closer to our true thoughts than when we put up a “good appearance” for those around us.
Ask: Is there a scripture that speaks to this?
Point: First Reading (Matthew 23:25-26 (NASB)
Ask: Why is it of the utmost importance to make sure our heart-position is right with God first?
Point: Second Reading (Matthew 23:27-28 (NASB)
Ask: How does the second reading answer the last question?
Point: Actions we take when we think no one is looking or we are more focused on what we are doing let’s people see behind the façade of our intentions into our hearts. Hypocrites are liars and liars are always caught in the web of their decite.
Ask: What does this have to do with why God gave us each a light?
Point: Third Reading (Romans 12:6-9 (NASB)
Ask: How do we overcome evil with good?
Point: Fourth Reading (Mark 16:15-16 (NASB)
Closing Statement
Each of us is a very unique person. We’ve lived a unique life. We live a unique life. We have had and will have unique challenges. Others are the same way. None of us relates to the world around us in exactly the same way because we have that unique perspective. Other people see that unique perspective and can identify with it. That’s a connection. Through that connection we can share the good things from within. The best way to make sure we have more good things to share over bad things is to privately search the scriptures, study them, and contemplate what we've read. It is through this formative effort that the Holy Spirit helps us polish the mirror of our soul, so the cup is cleaned on the inside and ready to share the goodness it is filled with from Jesus Christ.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 Does the first reading cause you worry, concern, or are you convicted? Why/Why not?
Question 2 Can we live and do good with a cup that has a filthy outside but the inside is clean?
Question 3 Read 1 Peter 3 concerning godly living and write as much or as little as you are led to write in your journal about what God’s word indicates for your life as it relates to your cup.
Question 4 In light of what you just wrote or thought, does this change your heart-position at all? Why/Why Not?
Scripture
First Reading
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.
26 "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
Matthew 23:25-26 (NASB)
Second Reading
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
28 "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 23:27-28 (NASB)
Third Reading
6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Romans 12:6-9 (NASB)
Fourth Reading
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16 (NASB)
Definitions
hypocrisy
[hi-pok-ruh-see]
noun, plural hy·poc·ri·sies.
a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.
a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.
an act or instance of hypocrisy.
hypocrite
[hip-uh-krit]
noun
a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.