THE BELIEVERS’ DUTY TO THE WORLD!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2024.

SUBJECT: THE BELIEVERS’ DUTY TO THE WORLD!

Memory verse: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5 vs 14.)

READ: Matthew 5 vs 13 - 16:

5:13: You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be salted? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

5:14:  You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

5:15: 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.

5:16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.

INTIMATION:

Jesus said in John 8 vs 12, “I am the light of the world...” That same Jesus—the Light of the world—created us in His own image and after His likeness. He also said, “I have said, You are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” (Psalm 82 vs 6.) Therefore, we are the light of the world because “the Light of the world” created us in His own image and after His likeness, and also called us gods. As the children of the most High, we are the same with Him.

But this our light was dimmed when our first parents committed the treason at the garden of Eden by doubting God’s integrity, and believed Satan, the known enemy of God. We were thrown out of the garden, and were subjected to the rulership of this world headed by Satan. The world was full of darkness—spiritual and moral decadence, emblematic of sin and evil which we were subjected to under the rulership of Satan. 

God is a just God, and has already said, “The soul that sin shall die” (Ezekiel 18 vs 4 & 20). All mankind ought to die for the consequences of sin. But God, in His love nature, sent His only begotten Son as a propitiation for us, who came in human form to save us from the consequences and penalty of the sin committed by our first parents. Christ paid the wages of sin—death—we owed, set us free, and reconciled us back to God. 

The only condition for partaking in free gift of saving us (salvation) is to accept what Christ has done for us, believing His word to us, and confessing with our mouth, His lordship over us as our Savior. The entrance of Christ’s Word gives us back the light we were, and lost under Satan’s rulership, and are under the new rulership of Christ. He then makes us His representatives or ambassadors in this world, and now as light of the world, we should illuminate the dark and depraved world. 

Light illuminates, and the entrance of it dispels darkness which cannot comprehend it. Darkness represents spiritual and moral darkness, emblematic of sin and evil. As children of God, and as gods, we are light of the world that dispels darkness. 

As children of God, and in the likeness of Christ, we should live like Him and for Him, and glow like light we are, and showing others what Christ is like. We should illuminate the world with our light to expose, counteract or dispel the darkness; the moral decay in our society. 

When we do not illuminate the world, our light is hidden. We hide our lights, that is, conforming with the world, and shutting off our lights from the rest of the world, instead of being a beacon of truth. We do this by; (1) being quiet when we should speak, (2) going along with the crowd, (3) denying the light, (4) letting sin dim our light, (5) not explaining our light to others, or (6) ignoring the needs of others. 

Many Christians today are hidden from sight, reluctant to be identified as Christians. Such a Christian is like a brand-new light that never leaves the carton it came in. If a lamp doesn’t help people see, it isn’t worth much. Does your life show other people how to find God and how to live for Him? If not, find out how you have hidden your light. 

Such things as complacency, resentment, embarrassment, stubbornness of heart or disobedience could keep you from shining. If you light is not shining, find out what you need to do to let your light shine.

When the light of the truth about Jesus illuminates us, we have the duty to shine that light to help others. Our witness for Christ should be public, not hidden. We should not keep the benefits for ourselves alone but pass them on to others. In order to be helpful, we need to be well placed. Seek opportunities to shine your light when unbelievers need help to see.

Many Christians blend into the world and avoid the cost of standing up for Christ. But Jesus says if Christians lose their distinctive saltness, or fails to emit the light so as to illuminate the world and dispel darkness, they become worthless. Just as salt flavors and preserves food, we are to preserve the good in the world and bring new flavor to life. 

As light dispels darkness, we should reveal sin and evil, and dispel them. This requires careful planning, willing sacrifice, and unswerving commitment to Christ’s kingdom. But if a Christian fails to be “salt,” or “light,” He or she fails to represent Christ in the world. 

If a seasoning has no flavor, it has no value. If Christians make no effort to announce Christ to the world around them, they are of little value to God. If we are too much like the world, we are worthless. Christians should not blend in with everyone else. Instead, we should affect others positively, just as seasoning brings out the best flavor in food.

The Scripture, in Philippians 2 vs 15, says, “That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Our lives should be characterized by moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that we will “shine as lights” in a dark and depraved world. A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God’s Word. 

Are you shining brightly or are you clouded by compromises or dissensions? Don’t let anything of the world snuff out your light. Shine out for God. Your role is to shine until Jesus returns and bathes the world in His radiant glory.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to shine brightly as the light of the world, and as the salt of the earth without losing my flavor, but rather will shine brightly until Christ’s return to illuminate the world in His radiant glory, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!