Light Of The World

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Even John the Baptist who according to Jesus was the greatest among man, by nature was not light, and this is what the Bible tells us

about him: SONG 1: SONG 2: I think it was my second sermon here which was called THE SALT OF THE WORLD, and today the topic is almost the same, except, instead of the word salt we have now the word light. It means of course, that today we want to find out, what did Jesus mean when he said that we are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Matthew 5: 14 – 16: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” According to Jesus we are the light of the world, but how it is possible, all the more since we know that by nature we are “darkness” rather than light. I have noticed that for some, especially “good people”, this truth that they are darkness is hard to swallow. But according to the Bible, we can’t become light, unless we don’t agree that by nature we are darkness.

John 1: 8: “He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” So, if we all (including John who was the greatest among sinners), if we all are not light but rather darkness, how than we can become light? I have a

lamp here

and let’s say I am trying to turn it on

but it doesn’t work. If there is no light I must assume that the lamp is sinful and it is darkness. The bulb which represents our mind is damaged (is dead). Because of this, first of all I have to exchange the bulb or convert it

“metanoia” with it, which in Greek means “change of mind”, and is always used with reference to true repentance and conversion. In this way the lamp has a and do a

new bulb or a new mind. Then, I have to make sure that the

plug

of the lamp is in the

socket and finally I must turn the lamp on in order to connect it to the source of electricity or power. And what is the source of the power in this case? It is the power station of course.

Now, was this damaged lamp able to produce light by itself? No. And, likewise, we can’t produce light by our own effort. First of all, our “bulbs” must be changed, and than, we have to connect our converted or “metanoia” type bulbs (our minds) to the source of spiritual power. Who is the source?

the iron after burning process doesn’t loose any mass, the true source of light (energy) in this case was not the iron itself but what? The fire.

John 15: 5:

Jesus is talking here to you and me:

“I am the vine; you are the branches (I am the power station and you are the lamps). If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit (he will give much light); apart from me you can do nothing (you can’t shine apart from me).” Let’s say that I have a

piece of metal,

a

piece of iron, and I want it to shine to emit light. Can this piece of metal produce light by itself? No.

What should I do than in order to make it shine? I have to put it first into the

source of energy, which is fire. And what happens with atoms inside the piece of iron when it is in the fire. The electrons that circulate around the

nucleus speed up going faster and faster and eventually they move to a higher orbit, but they always have the

tendency to come back to the original orbit. So, when those electrons speed up and change the orbit eventually they produce photons - the light particles. And because of that the piece of iron becomes red and starts to shine. However,

it

is

very

interesting

that

weight of this piece of iron

the

after burning, after it gets red is exactly the same as before. What does it mean? It means that because

And exactly the same is with our spiritual life. Like the cold piece of metal, by nature we can’t be hot and shine. So to be able to produce light we have to be

heated up by the fire of love energy Holy Spirit transfers into us.

And this is the reason why in the Bible God’s love is represented by fire:

Song of Solomon 8: 6 - 7: 6 … for love is as strong as death, ... It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. 7. Many waters cannot quench (kłencz) love; rivers cannot wash it away…

We all know that our body is made out of billions of tiny bricks called cells. But do you know that all cells in our body can communicate (talk) with each other? Here

is

a

quotation

from

Science” magazine problem:

the

“Fresh

which deals with this

“The cells in our bodies talk with each other. (Isn’t it amazing?) Like ourselves, each cell in our body needs to communicate with its neighbors. We have known for some time that many of the cell wall proteins act as telephones. When we learn the language used by our cells we might be able to take better care of them. (Scientists know that our cells can talk but they can’t understand the language they use. They only know that it is not English nor Spanish, nor even Japanese. But I think, that because scientists can’t understand the language it must be Polish).

After all our cells are doing a mindboggling job for us.”

found out that the healthy cells in our body shine or

photons

emit

- particles of light, but the cancer

cells

which are selfish and have no love don’t produce any light they are like small Dark Vaders in our body.

So, believe it or not, but it true that our bodies

can emit physical light.

Of course, we can’t see the light because it is too weak. But, if we only have a very sensitive measuring

(light meter)

device, or instrument, , than we could measure the amount of light particles produced by us. And we would see that some of us shine more than others. Let me ask you a question now. What do you think, what kind of persons

And please, don’t say that those who are bold shine more than others... would produce most amount of light?

in love and who are loved, happy emit the greatest amount of photons.

People who are But, that’s not all. Now we also know that the healthy cells in our body not only communicate with each other but they even love each other. When for example one of the cells doesn’t have enough oxygen or nutrients it sends signals to it’s neighbors and because they love their poor undernourished sister they absorb less nutrients so that the weak cell could have more. Isn’t it amazing that those tiny cells in our body behave like that?

But, unlike the healthy cells, the

cancer cells

for example are very selfish and they can’t love. When they notice that their neighbors starve and die, they say “I don’t care, it’s not my business”, and they devour everything they can. And because they are so selfish they have to die, and they already are sentenced to death by the immune system which will destroy them because otherwise they would destroy the whole body. The same with selfish people.

And now, the most interesting or even the mind-boggling information is that scientists also

those who are

On the other hand, those who don’t love others, who are selfish and unhappy, or are afraid, they are like cancer cells and don’t emit (imi’t) light. They live in darkness.

there is no doubt, that Jesus wants us to be like those healthy cells. His greatest desire is that we may love each other with an unselfish “agape” love, and in this way be the light of the world. So,

And this is the reason why before His death He asked His Father to let Him and His love be in us:

John 17: 26: “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

In the beginning, when God created

and Eve, didn’t

need

any

Adam

they were filled with God’s love so perfectly that they clothes to wear. They were covered with the

wonderful garment of fabulous light. But, what happened with the garment of light when they sinned. It disappeared immediately. Why? What was the cause of it? The light disappeared because agape love and Holy Spirit, who dwelled in them, now were gone, and they were left only with the invented by Lucifer self love which is darkness.

But thank God, although in Adam we all inherited that darkness, yet in Christ we are now the light again. Here is the proof:

Ephesians 5 :8: “For you were once darkness (you used to have only the selfish – invented by Lucifer love), but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Live as healthy cells, and not like cancer cells).

However,

we

should

always

remember,

that

because by nature we all are darkness, and because the wages of darkness is death, before we became light, first we had to die. And as a matter of fact, we did die, our darkness was already crucified in Christ two thousand years ago.

Romans 6: 6 - 7: “For we know that our old self (darkness) was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

The fact that our death was necessary before we could pass from darkness to light, is also beautifully demonstrated by God

in nature, and mentioned by Paul:

1 Corinthians 15: 35 - 36: “But someone may ask, How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?

How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.”

(Why do you think in such a moronic way? Paul is asking with indignation. Don’t you know that in order to have a beautiful flower, first you have to put a seed into the soil and wait until it dies? And only after it dies it is miraculously brought by God to life and becomes a beautiful flower.)

“Unless infinite power is exercised day and night, the seed will yield no return… (And) electricity must be conveyed (ke’nve’it) to the buried seed… Every seed grows, every plant develops (di’ve’leps), by the power of God.” (Education,1903, p. 104)

It is extremely interesting that although the

scientists can make an artificial seed that in all points is exactly the same as natural one, yet when

“God creates the electricity that gives life to the seed.” Ms 34, 1898.

they put both those seeds into the soil, both seeds die in the soil but only the

natural

one

comes

to

life

and

germinates, but the artificial one never. It is so because for the seed to germinate the electricity must come from outside and resurrect the dead genes in the seed. But somehow it must be an intelligent energy because it seems to know which seed is the false one and this energy decides to not resurrect it.

So, there is no doubt, that by saying “you are the light of the world”, Jesus meant those who:

The first scientist who discovered that before the seed can germinate, a mysterious electricity must appear in the seed was Dr. Burr from Yale University who in 1959 published the

1. accepted their death in Him, 2. were brought to a new life (bourn again) by Holy Spirit, 3. those whose hearts are filled with unselfish God’s love.

most startling at that time statement. He wrote: „The vigor (vi’ge) and growth rate of plants already can be predicted by measurements of electricity in seed.” It is amazing that Ellen White new about electricity in the seed 60 years before Dr. Burr wrote about his finding. In 1903 she wrote:

How can we know that the love of God dwells in our hearts? There is a very simple can check it.

1 John 4: 18:

test

through which we

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” If our hearts are not filled with the true (perfect), God’s love we would still be afraid of: dying, we will be afraid of persecution, of future, we will be afraid of even, for example, sharing the good news with others… By the way, one of our Polish pastors, not long ago wrote me a quite funny story about

young

Adventists

who

two

are

the

Revelation 18:1 “And after these (di:s) things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.” We know that the “angel” here represents us – the followers of Jesus, but, what is the

meaning of this great light or the glory which lightens the whole earth? In the commentary to this very verse, E. White wrote, addressing those words to all of us:

“The fire of God’s love is the greatest need of their hearts, for it is the love of God which is the light of the world.”

members of

his congregation. Shortly after their baptism, for the first time they were encouraged to go from home to home, trying to encourage people to read the Bible and books like Great Controversy, Steps to Christ or the Desire of Ages. However, in the beginning they were quite scared, and during the first day of their work they came to a hose of certain woman. With shaking hands they knocked on the door, and when the door was opened by a woman who looked quite brave and self-confident, they were even more afraid. And when she asked them what they wanted and who they mixed up the name of the Church and instead of saying SDA Church they said: “we, we, belong to the church of, of seven Adventists…” Fortunately, the woman had a sense of humor, and she responded: “Aha, so, I understand that now you are looking for the eighth one?”

When we carefully study the Word of God we see that the words light, or glory of God, represent God’s love, and exactly the same meaning those words have in Revelation 18: 1:

Some time ago,

certain experienced

Polish pastor

told me an amazing story. One day together with his 5 years old son they were at the local train station waiting for the train to come. And suddenly, he got very scared, when he realized that his small son fell down from the platform to the railway track. And he was even more horrified when he noticed that at the same time the train was coming fast toward his son. Immediately he realized that it was too late to save the boy, so he only quickly cried out: “Lord, help, please!” And than, something amazing happened. With his own eyes he saw like some invisible, force took his son and put him back on the platform saving his life.

Later, the same, miraculously saved by God boy, grew up and he decided to serve God working as a SDA Pastor. And somehow I had the privilege to participate in the ceremony

of his ordination, and I remember very well, that he had tears in his eyes when just before the prayer and his ordination he was reading about God’s love from the Bible. And I also remember very well that the text He read is found in the letter to Ephesians 3:14 - 19:

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, (and) I pray ... so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Amen.

Dear Father, We thank you so much for the precious declaration of Your Son, in which He declared that we are the light in Him. We thank You, all the more since, we know that in order to create the light in us, He himself had to become darkness for us. But, Father, although we are justified from being darkness, we know that we still have to struggle with it (with our ego). And we understand now that we can’t overcome it by our own power but only by the light of unselfish love Holy Spirit can transfer into our hearts.

So we need this love more and more every day, but how we can have it more if we choose to not turn on our lamps through prayer and studying your Word. How can we have more of your love if we don’t choose to connect with the source of power. How can we have more of your love if we prefer to spend time looking after our own pleasures. Help us to remember that although we are the light now but we can become darkness again if we keep on behaving like cancer cells. We want to be like healthy cells who love each other wit unselfish love and make us the light not only in Jesus but by faith but also in Spirit and in every day of our life. In the name of our Savior who is our only light we pray. Amen.