8.23.2020 | Church of Christ

Bright Lights Reflecting God’s Radiance Ed Sanderson, Sr.

Jesus said that His followers are a city of light set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Matt. 5-7, esp. 5:13-16, most esp. 5:14-16.
Jesus says that our “light” is fueled by loving God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength and loving neighbors as self since they are created in the image of the God we love. Mk. 12:28-32/Matt. 22:34-40, Lk. 10:25-28 [& 10:29-37]. Cf. James 3:9-10, I Jn. 4:20-21.
Jesus teaches us how each of us can keep his/her window lit by “buying” fuel as we “spend” the resources that God has given us to serve others by seeing Jesus in each fellow Christian – the image of God in each image of God. Matt. 24:45-25:46.
What kind of light does this show our world? How do we find our “light” and what does it look like? How can we reflect this for others?

God is light for the darkness that our stubbornness brings into our world, Jesus shines that light, and we reflect His light.

God is love’s light, and He promised to create a people reflecting it.

God is light, and we are designed to walk in His loving light. I Jn. 1:5-2:6, 8-11, 4:7-21, esp. 4:7-8, 16, 19-21,I Tim. 6:11-16, esp. 6:15-16, Rev. 21:23 & 22:5. Cf. Ps. 27:1, II Sam. 22:29, Ps. 36:9, Is. 10:17, Micah 7:8-10, Ps. 118:27a.
God promised that His people would see His light again and reflect that light to the entire world. Is. 2:1-5,God kept that promise in Jesus. esp. 2:5, 58:8-10, 60:1-5a, 19-21.
Jesus came lighting our world with His Father’s light: Divine self-sacrificing love.
Jesus is the light of the world. Jn. 1:1-18, esp. 1:4-5, 8b-9, 1:18, 3:13-21, esp. 3:19-21, 8:12, 9:4-5, 12:46
Jesus is the light, reflecting His Father’s light of love. Jn. 12:45-46, II Cor. 3:12-4:6, esp. 3:16, 18 & 4:4-6, Eph. 4:17-5:14, esp. 4:20-24, 4:32-5:2, 5:8, 13-14
The light of Jesus’ self-sacrifice is the light we show to this world as we live self-sacrificially. I Jn. 3:13-16, Gal. 2:20, Eph. 5:1-2, Col. 3:1-4. Cf. I Thess. 1:2-10.

Jesus shines through us when we live His way.

We Christians reflect Christ’s self-sacrificing love and overcome our dark world.

The light we shine to our dark world is loving, lawful grace. Romans 13:8-14, esp. 13:12-14, II Cor. 3:12-4:6, esp. 3:16, 3:18, 4:6, 6:14-7:1, Eph. 4:24, 25b, 26a, 28b, 29b, 32, 5:8-10, 5:15a, 17b, 18b, 19-21 [5:22-6:9], 6:10-20!
We must let this light of God shine! II Cor. 3:16, Matt. 5:16, Phil. 2, esp. 2:5-9, 12-15, most esp. 2:15.
Our light overcomes this dark world when we are faithful.
Jn. 1:5, 16:33, I Jn. 4:4, 5:4-5.
We struggle against darkness when we are stubborn and turn away from God’s light and call our darkness “light.”
1. We become worldly when each of us hardens his/her heart – becomes stubborn – so that each becomes ignorant, has his/her understanding darkened, think futile thoughts, and become so absorbed in sensuality that each is insensitive to God’s life from which each of us is separated. Eph. 4:17-5:14, esp. 4:17-19, 22, 4:25-31, 5:3-8. Cf. Rom. 1:18-32.
2. This world with its lusts of the flesh and eye and its boastful pride of life is darkness so that those in love with it refuse to see God’s light. I Jn. 2:15-17, Jn. 3:13-21, esp. 3:19-21, II Cor. 4:3-4, 6:14-7:1.
We are able to lead others toward God when we reflect Him and His love. Acts 20:17-35, esp. 20:28-32, I Pet. 5:1-4,
I Tim. 4:11-16, 5:17-20, 6:11-16. Cf. Titus 1:5-10,
I Tim. 3:1-13,

You can shine in Christ!

God promises that we can shine in Christ! Eph. 4:17-6:20, esp. 5:14-17.
Consider: Mk. 16:16, Acts 2:38 & 17:30-31, Matt. 10:32-33, Rom. 6:3-7 & Gal. 3:26-27, I Pet. 3:21, I Jn. 1:5-2:2.

Why not let God shine in you by living in Christ?