Hello, and welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am very happy to be with you again this week, and hope that all of you are doing very well.
This has been another hard week at work, but the Lord has helped me to make it through. Please continue to pray that I can keep going at this job for as long as possible. It is difficult, but I am trying to do my best.
On the weather situation, my foundation has not given out yet. Thank the Lord. I would ask you to be in prayer for me again this week. We are expecting much rain over the next week, and flooding is once again a concern.
During your prayer time this week, please remember to pray concerning the disease situation in Korea. That nation is experiencing several cases of a Middle Eastern respiratory infection. Pray that those sick will be healed. Also, continue to pray for an end to the Ebola outbreak, the avian flu outbreak and the canine flu outbreak.
Let us also continue to pray for peace in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Ukraine. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing persecution.
Last week, we finished chapter four in our study of I Peter. Today, we will take a one week break, and then we will resume with chapter five in I Peter.
In our text today, Jesus asks, "Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not be set on a candlestick?" Today I would like to talk about not hiding our light.
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that those of us who are committed to following Him are the light of the world. We are supposed to be filled with the light of Jesus, and then reflect His light into the darkness that is in the world.
As those who are called to be the light, we must let our light shine and not cover up our light so that it cannot be seen by those around us.
I believe that they are several ways that Christians fail to let their lights shine. One of the main ways to hide the light is to never tell anyone about the good news of the love of Jesus. I know that there are many who name the name of Jesus who have never witnessed the love of Jesus and the Gospel to anyone. Many Evangelical Christians have been in the faith for decades, yet they have never brought one person into the kingdom by sharing the Gospel with them.
In the Great Commission, the Lord Jesus gave us the command to go into the world and preach the Gospel to everyone. That is our duty today just as much as it was the duty of the Apostle to whom that message was first given. People will not know of the love of Jesus unless we shine the light of the life of Christ into their lives filled with the darkness of sin.
Don't be afraid to tell others about your faith in Jesus. Whenever the Lord provides you with an opportunity to witness about the Lord, take that opportunity to share with others what Jesus means to you. Make sure that everyone you know knows without a doubt that you are a follower of Jesus.
Another way that people hide the light is by having a bad testimony. Nothing will diminish our light more than living a hypocritical life. When people look at us, they should see Jesus. They should not see a person who claims to be a follower of Jesus, yet that person lives a life that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus. This type of thing leads more people away from the Christian faith than anything else I know of.
Also, we hide our light when we do not use the gifts and talents that the Lord has given each of us to make the world a better place. I believe that the Bible is quite clear that each of us has been given a spiritual gift to be of service in the body of Christ. We all need to use our spiritual gifts to build one another up, spread the Gospel and do works of service to make things better in this hurting world.
We also have unique talents that have been given to us by the Lord. Yet, many of us aren't using them to be of benefit to others. I had trouble hiding my light this way for a long time. I am a very reserved person when I am in public. I certainly don't have an outgoing personality.
When I was younger, I didn't want to do anything that involved speaking or singing in front of others. I loved singing and teaching the Bible, but fear held me back. Through prayer, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, I have been able in the past few years to be more active in being out with people. The Lord allowed me to sing in some choirs and to teach.
Don't hide your light from this world. The Lord needs all of us to reach this world with the message of His love and grace. Ask the Lord to give you the desire, the strength and the courage to serve Him with all that you have everyday.
Next week, I will post the verses on Monday and a book review on Wednesday. The Weekend Sermon will appear on Friday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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