Light Father Light Son

Introduction

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14–16

The topic is Light. In Greek, the transliterated word is “phos”.  The text will reveal what being Light means for us as God’s children.

Broad Observations: You Are The Light Of The World

Personal: Emphatically You.

Of The World: Of the Cosmos, which can mean the entire world, or in the midst of the system or values or things of the world.

Function: To give light to a world that is steeped with darkness.

The Significance of Light

Life: Both Physical & Spiritual

Simply, if there is no light, there is no life. In the creation account, the first declaration was “Let there be light.” Vegetation was created on the third day. On the fourth day, sun, moon, and stars were created. In Agrarian culture, the light was very important. Without light, plants cannot grow. No food, no life. Man worships the sun god and moon god. The 9th plague was of darkness on Egypt, against Ra, the sun god. Light represents everything that is good in life eg prosperity, safety, salvation, and blessings as opposed to darkness which is associated with sadness, no hope and no joy. The latest scientific discovery on 29 Apr 2016 from Northwestern University was at the moment of conception, the egg releases massive amounts of zinc, which creates a spark that can be seen with the aid of a microscope. “It was remarkable,” said Teresa Woodruff, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Northwestern University’s medical school, “to see the zinc radiate out in a burst from each human egg was breathtaking.”  “In Him was life, and life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4 Now, it is a bioethics issue, when applied to In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

Truth: Guidance & Direction

God’s guidance and direction are in accordance with His truth and righteous ways. His physical guidance was through a pillar of cloud and fire in the time of Exodus, but also spiritual guidance and direction expressed in God’s Word and His moral law.  Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life, to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress. Proverbs 6:23–24

Wisdom: Understanding & Revelation

There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers (Daniel 5:11).

I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you (Daniel 5:14).

It is not just for Daniel, but God’s people who love His word & ways.

The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130

It is not just mere Bible knowledge but knowing God. Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery, but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits (Daniel 11:32).

“..that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened [photiso]; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (Ephesians 1:17–18).

Revelation is an unveiling or revealing of what is already there.  It is nothing new. It’s always been there. We need wisdom and understanding today.

The Right Source of Light: Life, Truth & Wisdom

God the Father is Light.  This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

The Bible opens with God as light and closes with God as light. (Genesis 1:4; Revelation 21:22-23; 22:5) God is the Father of lights. There is no shadow and no variation, it is consistent, immutable and unchangeable. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). Be very careful of teaching that gives you a new “revelation” of God.

Another Light

In the beginning, the enemy attempted for Man to live independently of God. Genesis 3:5, your eyes will be opened (your own wisdom & revelation), you will be like God (you are your own God, your own life) and you will know good and evil (your own truth and morality). All through history, Man’s pursuit for knowledge both in himself and beyond himself: mystery & gnostic religions based on secret knowledge and rites.

There are two present-day challenges: humanism and human rights. The theory is human problems can only be solved by humans. This is active in social reforms, charitable work, and causes.  What about one-world government? The new world order has been mentioned many times by world leaders. Then there is the conspiracy theory: the entire world is controlled by the super-elite called the Illuminati, or “The Enlightened Ones”, with members who are Freemasons, also known to be a secret society with codes and symbols.

In the Church, there is gnosticism (from gnosis, which means “knowledge). Some people believe they have special spiritual revelation from God and from angels, etc. Some claim new revelation or interpretation of Scripture, claiming to correct what was missing or wrong in the past. Those who possess such revelation form a special or new breed. There is New Age Christianity: You can be God. You are God. It is about being one with yourself, with nature, with God. There is also positive thinking. Believe in yourself. There is a  different gospel, a different Jesus, a different Spirit. Prosperity Gospel. Hyper-Grace. Jesus is who you want Him to be. Then there are strange manifestations of the Spirit, of the angels, third heaven visitations, and grave sucking (shamanism). The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders. 2 Thessalonians 2:9

All this is not surprising at all. No Wonder. Satan is an Angel of Light.  He is Lucifer, brightness, shining one, morning star (Isaiah 14:12). His ministers too, transform themselves into false apostles, ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). The sad thing is that Christians are even very willing to discard or discount the Light Of God’s Word and Truth and Wisdom and Revelation for the sake of this Other Light.

Conclusion

You Are The Light Of The World. God is the Father of Lights. Jesus the Son is the True Light. Believing in Jesus makes us sons of light. We are to shine as Jesus did, through good works. Good works are works of the kingdom and of righteousness. It is the will of the Father and they are expressions of the beatitudes in action. Good works bring the Light of Life, Truth, and Wisdom into our relationships and situations. This concept of light (and darkness) is universal, used even by other religions. The two concerns, one within the church and another outside of the church, are the light of Humanism, and the alternate light of Christianity. Both do good works, so they are not as easily discerned. Let us be the Right Light and bring glory to the Father.