SERMON TITLE: YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
SERMON TEXT: MATTHEW 5:14-16(page 683)
DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2002
THEME: HEALING
When I arrived at my hotel last Saturday in OKC for the
revival at Bethany I was presented with a bit of a dilemma.
You see, the cleaning lady was just leaving the room and she
was a very short little hispanic lady. When I entered the room
and started putting my belongings away I had some things to
put on the shelf above the clothes hanger rack. It was then
that I noticed that there was a pair of white panty hose rolled
up and thrown into the back corner. Now, here’s the
dilemma. IF I throw them in the trash, that little lady is going
to come back tomorrow and assume one of TWO things.
Either I had a woman in that room…or I was wearing the
panty hose myself. The problem was made greater by the
fact that Jane was flying in later in the week and I sure didn’t
want her to find them. ( I took my chances and threw them
away). But you see, we all have a witness. We all have
“candlepower.”
When Jesus called Christians “the light of the world” it may
well have been the greatest compliment He ever paid us
In that statement, Jesus commands us to be NOTHING
LESS than what He Himself claimed to be. Jesus said:
John 9:5 (NIV)
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
So when Jesus asks us His followers to be the light of the
world, He is asking us to be nothing less than what He was.
Christ is saying that we are important. Everyone of us. We
think of important people as those who are well known or who
have prominent positions.
Here’s a little quiz that I shared with the staff several months
ago.
Try this:
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer
prize.
5. Name the last 5 winners of the Academy Award for Best
Actor or Actress.
6. Name the last 10 winners of the World Series.
Here’s the point. None of us remember the headliners of
yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They’re the
best in their fields. But he applause dies. Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten. Accolades are buried with their
owners.
We think of people like Paul and Martin Luther the reformer
or George Washington the president. Important people.
But as Jesus talked on the Mount, He spoke with people
whose names we do not know. They were ordinary people.
Yet Jesus called THESE people, “The Light of the World.”
He was telling them that they were important people, that
they mattered in the Kingdom of God.
And Christ says to you and me, “You are important, you are
the light of the world.”
Notice three things about these verses.
I. THERE WAS AN EXCLAMATION!
I have a feeling that Jesus did not say it passively, “You are
the light of the world.” I’m convinced that there was some
passion in his voice as he spoke from the mountain. I hear
his voice thunder across the valley and up that natural
amphiteater “YOU are the light of the world.”
It’s amazing to me that Jesus would know us FOR WHAT WE
ARE and still say “You are the light of the world.”
HOW MUCH CANDLE POWER ARE YOU PROJECTING?
It is significant that Jesus said, “You ARE the light of the
world.”
Last Sunday at BFC I had listeners from every church that
I’ve pastored. The little church at Del City was represented.
Independence, Kansas was there, Tulsa, Oklahoma was
there. And yes, Denver First was there…Kyle Owen.
I would be willing to bet that not one person from any of those
churches could give me the names or topics or main thoughts
of 10, even 5 sermons that I preached there. I was at Del City
6 years. 900 speaking assignments.
But those people could tell you about my character. They
could tell you how I responded under pressure (parking lot at
Del City). They could tell you how I responded when
frustrated or angry or happy or sad. WHY? Because of the
light that we project.
Quite frankly, I failed those people sometimes, just as I have
you. That’s what makes the question so painful when I ask:
HOW MUCH CANDLE POWER ARE YOU PROJECTING?
Jesus did not say, “In time you will bring the light” or
“someday you will become the light.” He said, “YOU ARE
THE LIGHT.
It’s not the things we do or say, but rather by the very person
that we are that we become the light of the world.
It’ reminds me of the old story about ROBERT LOUIS
STEVENSON. One evening when he was a small child he
stood at the window watching the old lamplighter at work. As
the old fellow went about his business, he would light one
lamp and then another. This was fascinating to young
ROBERT. His mother interpreted his quietness to mean that
he was up to some mischief so she called out to him, “Robert,
what are you doing?” His answer was a classic, “I’m watching
a man poke holes in the darkness.”
“You are the light of the world,” When Jesus said that we are
the light of the world, what did he mean? That meaning is
made clear in verse 15.
II. AN ILLUSTRATION.
In verse 15 Jesus says that a person does not put a candle
under a basket, but on a candlestick, so it can give light to all
in the house. He is telling us three things.
1. A light is to be seen. The average house in Palestine was
very dark. Light was left burning because it was hard to
re-kindle, no matches. When they left the house they
would cover the light with a clay “bushel” or container.
When they returned they put it back up on the stand. It’s
primary purpose was to be seen, not hidden. So Jesus is
saying that your faith should be perfectly visible and not
hidden. Someone should never have to ask, “is that
person a Christian?” The very life you live is a light to be
 seen. HOW MUCH CANDLE POWER ARE YOU
PROJECTING?
2. A light is to guide. As an airplane approaches a landing
strip, the pilot sees a line of lights that mark the path.
Christians are to be an EXAMPLE. HOW MUCH CANDLE
POWER ARE YOU PROJECTING?
3. A light is to warn. At railroad crossings, a light flashes. As
Believers that is sometimes our duty. Not in criticism, or
condemnation, or anger, but in love. And if we do, it will
be effective. HOW MUCH CANDLE POWER ARE YOU
PROJECTING?
Jesus has a habit of making it perfectly clear what He
expects us to do in regard to his teachings. Such is the case
here, where He makes a pointed application.
III. THE APPLICATION.
Matthew 5:16 (NIV)
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they
may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
In this simple statement, Jesus shifts our attention from the
character of the Christian to his CONDUCT.
1. It’s a plea. “Let your light shine before men.”
a. We are to shine naturally. A spontaneity about our
radiance.
b. We are to shine sacrificially. Light is always costly. As
a candle burns it is always growing shorter.
c. We are to shine openly. We can’t be ashamed of our
relationship with Jesus.
d. We are to shine right where we are. If I won’t do it
there, I won’t do it anywhere.
HOW MUCH CANDLE POWER ARE YOU PROJECTING?
2. It’s a pattern. “Let your light shine before men, that they
MAY SEE your good works.” It is a pattern. We are to let
our light shine through GOOD WORKS.
3. It’s a purpose. Jesus says that we are to shine before
others so they will see our good works and glorify our
Father which is in heaven. Never is our shining for the
purpose of drawing attention to ourselves.
Now…let me make a shift here in thought. I’ve asked you all
morning the same question. HOW MUCH CANDLE POWER
ARE YOU PROJECTING?
I’m talking to believers. It says, “Let your light shine.” But I’m
aware that there are times in life when that seems especially
difficult.
1. When we’re struggling with sin, secret sin or openly
sinning against God.
2. When we’re struggling physically. There comes a point
when pain can rob a person of their testimony. They just
no longer have the energy to battle it.
3. When we’re struggling in a relationship. Not just marriage,
but that can certainly be one of the struggles. But I’m
talking even in more general terms than that. Sometimes
we just struggle getting along with someone, they just rub
us the wrong way. We don’t respect them, we don’t enjoy
their presence, we just don’t like them. It’s hard for the
light to shine.
4. When we’re struggling financially. It’s discouraging. It can
occasionally be embarrassing. It’s hard to let our light
shine when we think that others believe that we’ve failed
in this area of life.
5. When we’re struggling emotionally. Depression, despair,
anxiety. All of these and dozens of other issues give us
cause to let our light grow dim.
I believe that as a church we’ve been in an interesting place
in the past year. If it’s possible, we’ve been experiencing an
anointing of God’s Spirit and at the same time a sense of
oppression by the enemy. The old enemy of the soul has
worked hard to discourage many good people in this
fellowship. For one reason or another the light in your life has
just grown dim. We need a fresh touch. We need an
outpouring of God’s wonderful, refreshing presence.

We’ve been experiencing a low grade spiritual fever. A

sickness of the soul. But God’s Word tells us that healing is
available.

James 5:14 (NIV)

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the
church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of
the Lord.
Would you like to do that this morning? We’ve done this on
occasion here and I felt that today it was time to offer it again.
I’m going to ask anyone who would like to be anointed (just
as it says in the book of James) to move to the front here in a
moment. The staff will be standing here at the front of these
three rows. If you’re coming from the side, please go around
the back and down one of these three rows. As you
approach the front, they will anoint you, then please move on
up to the front or over the sides and remain here at the front
for a closing prayer.

INVITATION:

SONGS BY DARWIN

CLOSING PRAYER