LETTING OUR LITTLE LIGHT SHINE

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? I Peter 4:17-18.

What are these verses of scripture talking about? They are talking about judgment upon life’s works of faith. Why must that judgment begin at the house of God which is the church of the living God? Because those are the only ones on earth that can be judged on God’s standards and meet any degree of approval.

Then what will the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? Their works will be as wood, hay and stubble and will be burned up in the judgment seat of Christ. I Cor. 3:9-15. They will be spiritually saved if they were saved while here on earth, but they will be saved yet so as by fire with nothing to show for a life lived on earth.

What does it mean that the righteous scarcely be saved? The term “Scarcely” comes from the Greek “Molis” which means with great difficulty, hard work. Doesn’t this teach salvation by works then? Not at all. It is a reference to one’s life and its eternal reward, not to who will be in heaven or hell. God expects His saved people to grow in grace and produce fruit appropriate to the indwelling Spirit. That requires effort. Those not doing so will suffer great loss.

Then where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Notice that there are two classes of people mentioned here: the ungodly and the sinner. All men are sinners. Some are saved sinners and some are lost sinners. Saved sinners who do not live for the Lord then live ungodly lives. They shall appear before the Lord empty handed and suffer consequential loss of reward FOREVER. The sinner (implying the lost sinner) has nothing to be judged that is good. He is not even qualified to appear at the judgment seat of Christ, but must appear at the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned in Revelation 20.

Folks, these verses of scripture are a sober warning to all. Lost sinners desperately need to be saved. Saved sinners desperately need to live their lives to the honor of God: growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord. Are you saved? Have you followed the Lord in baptism? Are you actively honoring the Lord in a New Testament Church? Are you studying the Bible, praying and growing as a Christian? Underlying these things is the desire to do it. The believer does well to pray for that desire.

The children’s song summarizes it well, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!” IS YOUR LIGHT SHINING FOR JESUS?

Science and Jesus

Science

LIGHT

JESUS CHRIST is the LIGHT

There is no reason for you

to stumble

in darkness

when you can walk in the LIGHT.

Quote

I would rather walk in the dark with God, than walk alone in the light;I would rather walk with Him by faith, than walk alone by sight.“He Knows,” The Christian Pioneer, 1876

I BELIEVE GOD’S WORD

And Jesus answered Him saying, it is written, That man shall not live by bread alone; but by every Word of God. – Luke 4:4

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Words shall not pass away. – Luke 21:33

God has made several statements about His Word. To David, God had made a promise and when Solomon ascended to the throne, He asked God to do something for Him – “1Ki_8:26  And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.” God continues to verify His Word to us. Psalm 119:9 says “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” If God gave an uncertain word, could a young man be cleansed according to God’s Word. An understanding of the responsibility of parents to teach their children the Word of God. Truly to memorize the Word of God. Also we need to understand the place and position and the responsibility of the scribe. These are not illiterate men.

Let us run back to the garden for a moment. When God created Adam, he did not create a baby or infant. He created a mature man. I believe that Adam had the intelligence that we have today. Adam named every animal that God had created. His vocabulary was great enough to name them all. We struggle to think of the names that have already been given to them. The idea of cavemen is dream that man has advanced from a knuckle dragging, illiterate that attempts to make us a superior specimen.

These scribes have rules that guided them in copying the Word of God that we call the Old Testament. They were required to have the same number of letters in each line as the original they were copying from. They were required to have the same number of words in each line. When they were done copying the page, another person came and checked the word and counted letters and words. If mistakes were made, they had to destroy the page.

Notice the interplay of statements in the following passages. Psalm 119:9 “BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Psa_119:41  VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word. Psa_119:58  I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word. Psa_119:65  TETH. Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD, according unto thy word. Psa_119:76  Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant. Here is the problem, if it is “according to thy Word, That Word had to be established and unchanging. Can you imagine someone walking up to God and saying I have done all things according to your word, and God responding, “that is not what I said.” God’s Word has to established and never changing. Oh, wait, it is. It is established and never changes. Psa_119:89  LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. If God’s word were not established and never changing, then we would have an uncertain God that would not be trust worthy. We can depend upon the truth of God’s Word. Psa_119:160  Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Endureth forever. Not is not the modern day statement. Today the culture dictates that men have to judge which words are God’s and which ones are not God’s. Yet the responsibility does not fall upon scholars to tell us what is God’s Word. The reason is, I will stand before God and give an answer, no scholar will answer for me. I will answer for my self. His Word endureth forever because – Psa_119:140  Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. Words that are pure and therefore when we find it we should embrace it and hold it close.

Our understanding should come from the Word of God. Psa_119:169  TAU. Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word. We are told to study the word and not trust our own understanding. Pro_3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Have you heard that God has exalted His Word above His Name? Yes that is true. Psa_138:2  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Do you know what that means? We better get it right.

SOURCE OR FACILITATOR?

William Andrew Dillard

HEBREW HONEYCOMB
SOURCE OR FACILITATOR?
From the inspired pages of antiquity there comes powerful, spiritual lessons for individuals and churches in today’s Christian world. Consider the symbolism of the candlestick, It is chief among the many objects used to identify and illustrate the Lord’s New Testament Church. It was the instrument of light in the Holy Place of the wilderness tabernacle and later the Old Testament Temple. Among misunderstandings about the candlestick is that it is a light source. Now hold on! Think with me!
The candlestick of Bible times references the Jewish menorah. But the menorah (candlestick) was not a light source as many presume. Rather it was a light facilitator. That is, it was especially constructed for the purpose of facilitating the flow of oil through its pipes to the terminal bowls where it was ignited. It was the fire then produced by the combustible oil that created the light. The portable construction of the candlestick allowed positioning for light in specific places. In like manner, the Lord’s church, metaphorically called a candlestick, is not of itself a light producer. It is a facilitator of God’s light of truth to a lost, dark, sinful world of condemned men. The light it can only offer is the light (truthful content) of God’s Word, and its effects in life. The church supports the veracity of the Holy Word, by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that has resided within and upon it since Pentecost. Additionally, it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to give understanding through the Word to saved men, and to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. As men repent of sin and are enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the Word, they are not to obscure that light, but to be joined to the candlestick thus becoming a part of the great conduit/facilitator of truth and light.
In the first half of the last century, light in homes was furnished by burning oil in glass lamps. Sometimes that process blackened the chimneys of the lamps requiring them to be cleaned frequently. That process ignored, the lamp ceased to be an acceptable facilitator of light. Sometimes, the appearance of men to others is that of a dimmed light; a life that needs the cleaning of repentance and forgiveness. Christians are not light sources. But the question remains: how are they as facilitators? How bright or dimmed is the light of the candlestick? God help us all to be clean, excellent facilitators of the heavenly light!

Walk in the Light

 

Ephesians 5:8

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light,” Ephesians 5:8.

Light displaces darkness, but darkness cannot displace light as long as there is light. To test this truth, try this experiment tonight in your home. (It will also be fun to do with your children or grandchildren to teach this important biblical truth.) Plug in a nightlight in a room but do not turn it on. Then, turn off all the lights and allow the room to become completely dark. Allow time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Now, turn on the nightlight. Notice how lit up that tiny light can make the room. Light can over power the darkness of the room, but the darkness does not over power the light emitting from the tiny fifteen watt bulb.

The truth is this. God is the Creator of light (Gen. 1:3). In the Bible, light is symbolic of happiness, truth, knowledge and holiness. Believers are the children of the Light. Therefore, the Bible should be our guiding light for the way we should live presently in this dark world.

On the contrary, darkness represents sin. All humanity is in darkness until they come to the Light of the glorious gospel (2 Cor. 4:4). The Light of the gospel, Jesus Christ, illuminates the darkness of sin in one’s life. Without Him you are in a dark place. He is the Light of life!

REFLECTION

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life, (John 8:12).

Beverly Barnett

 

Follow Christ’s Example

 

Matthew 20:25-28

 

“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many,” Matthew 20:28.

 

“Even as” has the connotation that whatever one is doing, it parallels something or someone else. Christ is definitely an impeccable example to follow.

 

Jesus proclaimed, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). When we walk in His Light, there is no way we can not be good examples. Sounds like a great deal with an awesome guarantee. Follow Him, and you will be an example to follow. Paul invited his disciples to follow him as he followed Christ. We have many little and big people hanging onto our shirt tails. If we are walking in Jesus’ Light, they can’t go wrong.

 

When I was a child, I thought my grandfather, Allen Riley, was God. I followed him everywhere. He was a four foot eleven inch, Irish leprechaun with curly black eyebrows across his forehead. I basically worshiped him. He could do no wrong. Then, I grew up and could easily rest my arm on his shoulder, but he never stopped being ten feet tall. Many people will excel or fall because of their example. If our example is a reflection of Jesus, those who follow us can’t go astray as they follow Jesus in us.

 

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Luke 9:23, 24).

 

 

Just Saying

 

When we look down the path of a Christian’s life, we see two sets of footprints, one behind the other. When there’s only one set of prints, Jesus is carrying somebody on His shoulders. 

 

Robert Brock

 

 

Delivered from Darkness

 

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,” Colossians 1:13.

 

Light repels darkness. Let there be Light!  Throughout the history of man, God has likened Christ’s presence to light. The Gentiles will come to your light. The Old Testament closes with the promise, “The Sun of righteousness [shall] arise with healing in his wings” (Malachi 4:2). In the New Testament, we see Jesus the Light of the world, calling out follow Me and you won’t walk in darkness.

 

Jesus took Peter, James and John upon the mountain of transfiguration. Mark states, “His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow” (Mark 9:3). Open the first page of the Revelation. “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire” (Rev. 1:14).

 

“And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; . . . his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength” (verses 15, 16). In the last pages of Revelation one finds the city of light, no need for light, the Lamb is the Light thereof. Paul taught, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day” (1 Thess. 5:5).

 

Christians are the offspring of eternal Light. Christ’s kingdom living in the children of Light casts out the darkness of fear and replaces it with the light of His love (Matt. 5:14-16).

 

Moses had just spent thirty days with God on the mountain and he had to put a vail on his head to talk to the people of Israel without frightening them.  Get out of your prayer closet and shine on.

 

JUST A THOUGHT – Each of you can depend upon the Light of the world, Jesus. 

 

Robert A. Brock