This Little Light: Is It Really Mine?, Part 1

Jesus often use metaphors to drive a point home. For instance, he spoke of the contrast between light and darkness. Jesus said you were the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden that he added. No one lights a lamp and then put it under a basket.

Instead, a lamp gives light to everyone in the house today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll helps us understand the power and protection of walking in the light of Christ. The title today's message this little light is really mine. Paul called believers light in the Lord in Ephesians chapter 5 verse eight and then went on to tell them to walk as children of light. Now some of you may wonder what in the world. That means so were going to talk about that today, as we study Ephesians 5 verses six through 14, when God created the world. He began by calling light into existence member that he then separated the light from the darkness creating an opposition that exists throughout the Scriptures light and dark. This opposition means that light indicates purity and holiness. While darkness stands for sin and wickedness in the world. It seeks to complicate the boundaries between various groups and entities seeing the difference between living in the light, and living in the darkness can and should propel us toward the kind of transformation in our lives. God wants for his people. For some this may seem a little complicated and so today I want to read this passage of Scripture from the message. Eugene Peterson has a very unique way of making common sense out of complicated passages and this is a good case in point, so reading Ephesians 5 verses six through 14 from the message.

Don't let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk God gets furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him don't even hang around people like that you grope your way through that Merck wants, but no longer your out of the open now. The bright light of Christ make your way plain so no more stumbling around get on with it.

The good, the right, the true, these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours.

Figure out what will please Christ and then do it. Don't waste your time on useless work mirror busywork.

The barren pursuits of darkness expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal and people waste their lives on things. They must do in the darkness where no one will see the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they looked in the light of Christ wake up from your sleep climb out of your coffins. Christ will show you the light so watch your step.

Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times to download is searching the Scriptures.

Studies by going to inside world on or/studies.

Today's message is titled this little light is it really mine and Chuck begins with prayer our father, we would not stand before anyone and sing praises and give glory to anybody on this earth but with you. There is a vast exception and we are learning in this journey from earth to heaven, but that's how it ought to be.

While we may respect and admire others about us.

There is no adoration, and there certainly is no worship of them. So father in this in this track that is so full of obstacles and surprises along the way. I pray that you would find us faithful, not flashy, not glitzy, not necessarily impressive but faithful at the stuff you call us to do and may we do it well may we do it regularly.

Maybe do it for the right reasons like this offering, you keep giving to us and we keep taking and we thank you for that and so were learning from your generosity what it is to be like that in return. So help us to imitate your style here. We do it gratefully and we do it joyfully.

We do it generously find us faithful, even in this father we ask in the name of our ever faithful God and Savior Jesus, and everybody said amen the number one television show today has a question for a title, in fact, the whole show is about answering questions the right way and they're all multiple choice questions the one who answers all of them correctly. Finally is a millionaire. Now you act like you haven't looked at it, but I know you have and I will get it a few times and I've always thought, why doesn't he know all that. And so the obvious answer will come up and I will and he never seems to hear. You know you're getting old when you talk to televisions. I was thinking about watching it the other day that it wouldn't be a bad idea for them to choose a subject from the Bible would not be an interesting set of questions to ask a contestant and see how they do.

For example, $400.

Name the first book of the Bible talking about here a jungle book be generations see Geritol D Genesis and the answer is of course $100 higher and higher in your region about the $250,000 level for two $50,000. Name the person who wrote the first book of the Bible. A Peter B Paul C Mary de Moses and he just sits there clots and essays is Moses okay.

We finally get to $1 million eventually correctly all the way through. Now they were at the top level of the first recorded words of God in the book of Genesis and you think anything, talk about the first words in the book of Genesis, God's first statement in the book of Genesis. Some of you are looking I am seeing you. Let there be light and there was why Hebrews even more so sleep let light be and light was an amazing thing. The first thought you have when you hear those words is what he already had the sign in place and it's burning down on their if I read the book correctly is the sign in fact, here's $1 million question on what day did he make his son. It was the fourth day so for three full creative days or heroes of days. Are you might have let for three solid periods of time. There was light but there was no sign and then you get to verse 16 and all around that section you find that he made the greater light to govern the day on the lesser light to govern the night. You know what those are, the greater light the sun and the lesser light mood and you realize at that point there was the cycle of time in life that got set up and God continue to do his creative work is interesting to me is that the light came upon this earth for a period of who knows how long did not come from the sun come from well first John chapter 1 verse five says that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. Some hundred and four verse two says that God clothes himself in light when you get into the tabernacle and it's got everything but light God's presence is poured over the tabernacle right down into the holiest place of all.

It's called the Shekinah. The Greek word Shekinah. What's that like when God presents himself. When God makes his presence known. It is often through light bright burning brilliant light lights up everything around God's light surprise then that Paul says to the Ephesians when he tells us to God, he says, live like children of light, live like children of light. Light has two purposes, as I think about it. First is to dispel the darkness.

And second, it is to attract attention always does that ended the thicker the darkness and the brighter the light, the greater the attention back when I was just getting out of high school. My family and I took a trip to Carlsbad caverns have theme parks back then. So you, did your own theme park when you went to Carlsbad Hold things in E ticket little tiny narrow path and what we are having a great time. My sister and I were there brother was there mom and dad. We were walking along just a little passed down in the bowels of this cavern that's going around and a lot of love and mess around my sister the back of alignment and we we got to these holes that were given their main stalactite or stalagmite. I never did learn the difference.

But the thing drops and you want to go a long ways down that sucker is to push my brother in a time or two of you were there. As I remember the bottom of the cavern, and when were down there are guides… Does something that we didn't ask.

Turns out all the lights.

My first thought is I hope she has good health.

She doesn't will be down here Jesus comes back will never find a way out of here and were sitting there and I remember doing this. I remember putting my hands so close to my face.

I could feel the heat from the palm of my hand but I couldn't see my fingers. I could see anybody sitting around me was is an old black gospel album called God's trombone is a great line and it says it was blacker than a thousand midnights in the cipher swamp has some dark. It was down belly of the Carlsbad caverns and then unexpectedly she likes a little match little paper Matt she likes in.

You could see the faces around one little tiny flame. The caverns lit open, looked around, you could not not look at the light dispel the darkness and attracted attention every eye in the place was on that match travel back with me. Another 2000 years and you come to a hillside, not a cavern sitting on it. Hillside is is a revolutionary teacher who is just getting underway with this ministry. The officials were standing in the distance, sneering and frowning, and he's sitting there calmly teaching a sermon that will never be forgotten. The most significant sermon ever preached the immortal sermon on the Mount on the North Shore. The Sea of Galilee is probably the place where he said and of his disciples.

His followers were sitting out in front of him and he began with a series of Beatitudes.

The sermon begins with Blessed are you blessed are you blessed are you eight times.

He says that and with each one of the blessings he promises a reward. If you live like the blessing describes most Christians know this, but most of us have a hard time remembering what follows on the heels of the blessings is another good question for our game. We talked about what word pictures did Jesus use to drive home the point he wanted to make about letting his message out. I give you the first what you guess the second you are the salt of the earth and you are the light of the world.

Isn't that interesting left with any word picture he could've used. He talks about salt and light.

Now you don't pile assault on something to make it tasty you sprinkle a little. Doctors don't even want to do that.

But since when do they know what tastes good. You know you you sprinkle a little salt and Luis Palau has the greatest line pieces. Christians are like manure you pile them up in one place it don't do any good. They just think what you spread them out. They do a lot of good stuff grows all over the place so sprinkle salt tasty and so bland, tasteless earth suddenly finds something worth living for. As you spread the salt about the light about the light, nobody takes the light puts it under a bushel basket. The puts on a hill so that everybody can see it because it's going to dispel the darkness and it's going to attract attention. Let's go back to the original. The sun, the moon, the sun took up the light of God. By the way, there's just a little ending to the verse in verse 16 and Genesis 1 that I just always smile when I get to it. Says he made the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars ever grab you start using quad billions of stars and it just takes a couple of Hebrew words and stars also.

By the way, for forget now while making moon and sun and stars God puts his light and he releases his light to the sum of these incredible planets, summerlike giving and summerlike receiving moon has no light of its own without the sun is always in darkness, lives in darkness with the light of the sun begins to shine. We have a saying called moonlight term for there's no moonlight gets reflected sun light. Mark Twain was right were all like the moon, we have a dark side. We don't want anybody to see, but the sun has no dark side like God all the light that comes to the moon and from the moon's reflected light. It seems to me that what we needed was a simple little object lesson. That's what I look at it every time I preach Cedar is a lot better than this essay.

If this rumor dark at midnight black is thousand midnights in the cipher swamp and were together, and all I've got is a mirror offering to help because that mirror doesn't do any good without light there you are. She's almost asleep me get her way to do this every Sunday have never tried this is my son back there. He is okay. Anyway, here's the light. This mirror suddenly what's this lights place in this way, but because of the matter spent 15 minutes doing this but I won't go. This mirror does is to reflect, you are the mirror. God is the light without the light.

There's nothing to shine with the light shine let it shine.

Remember member the old chorus this little item I am going to let it show… That's not good theology. Leave it to a preacher to mess up this light… These are the right words this great light of God.

It's going to shut off my blood work theology, though it probably will be sung very often, but it's great light of God shining on us who would be not only dark but smeared and smudgy vessels at best, and then Christ invades the life and with him like the beginning of the sun.

He offers light and life course now it's that great word picture called in Ephesians chapter 5 turns to what you get the picture in your mind. You don't need much help with anything else. He starts with darkness any moves to light in verse six let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience.

Ephesians 5 verse six. Therefore, don't be a partner with them what you missed bright shining what you doing running around dark caves. That's not your habitat is not what life is about for you your your ear about reflecting your about shining. Do not be partners with them, for you were formerly darkness. He that keeps you from feeling proud son can never be proudly got its life from God certainly can't be proud all the light.

It gets us from the sun. He says to us here. You were formerly darkness, but now that's for the cross comes before you. Anyone have anything to reflect. There was nothing in which God did work and you realize that in the cross of Christ. There was a sufficient payment for sin offered once for all. Really mine.

That's the title Chuck Swindoll chose for today's message and please keep listening because Chuck is here in the studio today with the closing comment. To learn more about this ministry.

Visit us online@insightworld.org and let me say his insight for living, prepared this current series for you Chuck and Cynthia Swindoll selected a book that they believe will help you walk in the light throughout the new year of 2021. It's a daily devotional called good morning Lord. Can we talk mornings in the Swindoll home.

Begin with time together throughout their marriage, Chuck and Cynthia have set aside an hour every morning, seven days a week to sip coffee talk, listen and pray their morning routine has cultivated a deep love and their relationship.

And it's also the inspiration behind Chuck's 365 day devotional good morning Lord, with brief reflections for every day of the new year.

This book will shine the light of God's word on your path day by day throughout 2021. You can purchase a copy at Insight for living's website by going to insight.org/store or by calling us if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 and then as you measure the impact of Chuck's teaching on your life is God promise you, we invite you to join us in bringing the good news of God's grace to people around the world. Your gift no matter the size allows us to provide Chuck's teaching on radio, the Internet through our mobile app and the many other outlets were insight for living is freely heard Chuck you been listening to insight for living, for any amount of time you know that I'm not given to needless hyperbole. I'm not a doom and gloom preacher who manipulates or tries to frighten people into the kingdom, but now pardon the cliché, I don't have my head in the sand either. Never in my lifetime have been more concerned for our beloved country whose moral backbone has grown limp. Just look back on the past year. Never before has the ministry of insight for living been so needed.

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