LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

PROCLAMATION

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  After Jesus began to preach (Matthew 4:17), and after He had called His disciples (Matthew 4:18-22), He began to heal the sick and cast out demons, and large crowds began to follow Him. (Matthew 4:23-25)  And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountainside, sat down and began to teach them.  This was His famous Sermon on the Mount which began with The Beatitudes. (Matthew 5:1-12)   Jesus told them that they were the salt of the earth, and they were the light of the world. (Matthew 5:13-16) He told them that they were to let the light which was within them shine so that men may see it in their good works and glorify God in heaven.  Then He made it clear that He came to fulfill the law and not to destroy it. (Matthew 5:17-20)  Jesus taught them on a number of topics, this was His longest discourse. (Matthew 5:1 to 7:28)

APPLICATION

As we live our lives and do our daily deeds, we are to live in such a way as to let the light of Christ that is within us shine so that men may see The Christ in us and glorify God, our Father in heaven.  Men should see our zeal and our fervency for things which honor God.  Our actions should display the fruit of The Holy Spirit of God, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. (Galatians 5:22-23)  The very purpose of our lives should be to glorify God.  To God be the glory!!!

WE ARE STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD

Proclamation:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”  2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Peter, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers who scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (1 Peter 1:1-2)  After his opening greeting, Peter began his second letter to them by confirming their calling and selection by The Lord God.  He told them that God had given them all that they need to live right.  He also told them that God had given them promises of things to come.  He urged them to make every effort to live a Christ-like life which would keep them from being ineffective and unproductive in their efforts. (2 Peter 1:5-8)  Then he went on to remind them of the prophecies of the Holy Scriptures.  Peter wrote these words of encouragement to them because he knew that his earthly time was near the end. (2 Peter 1:13-15)

Application:

If we have The Lord God in our hearts and in our lives, then we have all that we need.  We just need to have the courage and the conviction to do the right thing.  Unfortunately at times we simply choose to do the wrong thing or choose not to do the right thing.  We need to pray for God’s help and strength to do that which is right.  We need to exercise our faith and to increase our knowledge of His Holy Word.  We were all put on earth for a purpose, so let us pursue that purpose with gusto.  We have the promises of God to look forward to.

FAITH IN GOD MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY ACTION

Proclamation:

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead.”  James 2:14-17 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by James, the half brother of Jesus, The Christ, (Galatians 1:19) under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the Jewish believers who were scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (James 1:1)  He wrote to them to encourage them to keep the faith in the face of all types of trials (James 1:2-4) but he told them that faith without works is dead and useless.  He said that a person is considered righteous by what he does and not by his faith alone. (James 2:24)  Then he said, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26)

Application: 

It is not enough to believe that there is a God.  It is good to believe in God, but if you believe in Him and do not follow Him, obey His Word, and live by His teaching, then your belief had accomplished nothing.  The devil and his demons know and believe that there is a God but they don’t follow Him. (James 2:19)  We must exercise our faith and put it to work.  It is by our deeds that we will be blessed. (James 1:25)  If all we do is say that we believe in Christ, but our actions do not go along with our words, then our words are not true.  Our actions speak louder than our words.  If we profess to believe in Christ but continue to live in sin as we did before our profession without changing our lives, then our professed belief is basically counterfeit.  We are not saved by our works, (Ephesians 2:9-10) but our works demonstrate our salvation and the indwelling of The Holy Spirit of God as evidenced by the fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)  

DO YOUR BEST AS IF YOU WERE WORKING FOR THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for The Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from The Lord as a reward.  It is The Lord Christ you are serving.”  Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Colossae.  Paul began this third chapter by telling them to set their minds and hearts on things above and not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:1-4)  He encouraged them to “put to death” their earthly nature.  They were not to lie to each other. (Colossians 3:5-10)  He told them that they were God’s chosen people and that they should exhibit the fruit of The Holy Spirit. (Colossians 3:12)  They should let the peace of Christ rule their hearts, and let the message of Christ live within them as they go about helping one another. (Colossians 3:15-16)  Paul told them that whatever they do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of The Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, The Father, through Him. (Colossians 3:17)  He repeated this thought and added to it that they should do their best at whatever they do, as if they were working for The Lord because it is Christ they are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Application:

We are encouraged to do our very best at whatever it is that we do. (Ecclesiastes 9:10 and Colossians 3:23)  We are to work as if we were working for The Lord God for ultimately it is Christ that we are serving.  This is the standard by which we should judge all that we say and do.  In all things give God glory.  If what we are doing in not for The Lord, then there is a good chance that we should not be doing it.

CHRIST IS THE VINE AND WE ARE THE BRANCHES

Proclamation:

“I am the vine, you are the branches.  If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were spoken by Jesus, The Christ, and recorded by the Apostle John under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this chapter, John records the words which Jesus used to describe His relationship to His disciples and to His heavenly Father.  He describes Himself as the vine, His Father as the gardener, and His disciples as the branches of the vine which occasionally need to be pruned. (John 15:1-2)  Jesus also talks to them about effectual prayer, getting whatever they ask for if they remain in Him. (John 15:7)  He wants them to be productive and bear fruit for the glory of God, The Father. (John 15:8)  Later on, Jesus tells them that the world will hate them because it hates Him (John 15:18-19) and then He goes on to explain why this is the case. 

Application:

There is some debate among the Bible scholars as to the meaning of the word “fruit” as it is used here.  Some think that it refers to soul-winning.  Others think that it refers to the fruit of The Holy Spirit which is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)  Bearing fruit is the result of our salvation.  If we stay connected to Christ, then we will bear fruit, and the fruit that we bear will glorify God and show that we are disciples of Christ. (John 15:8)  If you are not connected to Him, get connected.  If you are connected, stay connected, for without Him we can do nothing.

MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ADD TO YOUR FAITH

Proclamation:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."  2 Peter 1:3-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of the Apostle Peter, inspired by The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the early church to counter the false teachers who were infiltrating the church.  Peter told them that God had given them the power escape the corruption caused by evil desires and evil influences.  He told them that they must make every effort to exercise their faith.  By doing so, they would increase their faith and produce more fruit of The Spirit of God.

Application:

Today we need to realize that The Lord has blessed us and given us a small portion of His divine power.  We have The Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us, and that makes us capable of exhibiting the fruit of The Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)  As believers, we ought to exercise these traits and increase them within our lives and in our behavior.  As we exercise them, we become stronger in the faith and demonstrate more Christ-like behavior and thereby we become more effective and productive in our efforts for The Lord.

THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD

Proclamation:

"But the fruit of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control ... Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by The Spirit, let us also keep step with The Spirit."  Galatians 5:22-25 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the believers in Galatia, which was a mixture of converted Jews and Gentiles.  Paul’s point here was that it was not enough for them to cease doing evil but that they must learn to do that which is Christ-like.

Application:

Most of us think that we are okay because we are not as bad as the worse criminals in the world.  We forget that The Bible says as a man thinks, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7 and Matthew 5:28)  Sinful thought are still sins.  In fact, anything which does not give God glory, all unrighteousness, is sin. (1 John 5:17)  We need to not think so highly of ourselves and recognize that if we are not exhibiting the fruit of The Holy Spirit of God, then we are probably committing a sin.  Trees bear fruit based upon their nature.  The fruit that we produce, our behavior, should be the same as the fruit of The Spirit, if The Holy Spirit of God is within us.  In the previous verses, Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists the things of the flesh that we should be dead to and which should no longer be a part of us.  Once we accepted Christ as our Savior, The Holy Spirit of God indwelled us.  We did not become perfect but we changed and became new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  We should now walk, talk, think, and behave in such a manner that the world can see the fruit of The Spirit in our lives.  We should not have to tell people that we are Christians, they should be able to detect that by observing us.  To the world, our actions will speak louder than our words.  Let us show the world that The Spirit of God is within us by our actions and by how we treat one another. (John 13:35)

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

Proclamation:

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of our Lord and savior Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke to His disciples and to the surrounding crowd during His Sermon on the Mount as recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  The meek are the ones who quietly submit to The Lord.  They are silent or return a soft word when they are insulted or attacked.  The meek are happy in this life and in the life to come because they exercised self-control, the fruit of The Holy Spirit of God, and did not return evil for evil.

Application:

A lot of people mistake “meekness” for “weakness”.  The meek have the power to rise up and defeat others, but they choose not to use their power or strength.  Imagine a professional boxer who was hit by an average guy and the boxer just looked at him and walked away.  The boxer could have fought back and won but chose not to do so.  The meek are blessed of God.  They have an unseen source of power and strength.  The believer who is meek has not only his own physical strength, but he also has the power of God within him.  Their power is much greater than their physical strength.  That power is available to us as believers but if we exhibit the fruit of The Holy Spirit we will not have to use the power of God.