| "REFLECT THE LIGHT OF THE
SON"
Sunday morning 13 April 2008
Rev Arno Stegen
ENGAGEMENT OF JEREMY NEWLANDS & JACQUELINE GROBLER
SCRIPTURE READING: Eph 6:8b
I want us to consider what we are going to speak about under this
verse: "... but now you are light in the Lord, walk as children of light".
This is God's expectation of us. We need to walk as people who live in
the light. Now we can say very much about it but what became so important and precious to
me as I considered light and what it means to live as a child of light, two things stood
out:
For light to be effective, you need basically two ingredients:
- One is you need a source of light. Without the source of light, there is no
light.
- Secondly for light to be effective, you need darkness. You know that the darker
it is, the more effective light becomes. We know that we live in a time of darkness. If
you are a Christian, there are many reasons to be concerned. We are faced with the powers
of darkness every day: in our personal lives, the devil attacking us from every side, but
as Christians, the devil has launched a massive attack and it is easy to despair.
POINT 1: Darkness
There have been times like this before in history. Probably the darkest
hour ever was about 2,000 years ago when the Lord was in His darkest hour, faced with the
prospect of the Cross, with carrying our sins which meant being forsaken by God. You can
imagine what that must have meant to Him. Judas came to betray Him – tragic to think
that one who was so close to Him, was the one who betrayed Him. Often we look quite glibly
over these facts because we know them so well, but just imagine if someone so close to you
(one of the Twelve) would do something like that to you. One cannot imagine that a human
being can allow himself to be used by the devil to such an extent.
The Lord had relied on His other disciples to stand by Him and support
Him in this darkest hour. But it was in this time when they were asleep. Soon after that
Judas arrived and they arrested Jesus. The Lord said, "This is your hour, the hour
of darkness". For a moment it seemed as if darkness was victorious and all hope
was lost. But praise God, after this darkness the glorious Son of God arose. That is what
gives us hope. While it is so dark all around us, if we let our light shine, let God's
light shine, there is hope.
South Africa:
Just to give you an idea how dark it is at this time: You should have
noticed, if you just look in our own country, what it is like. The authorities take prayer
and Scripture reading out of the schools and their intention is to replace that with a
pledge where you commit yourself, not to a Triune God, but basically to a humanistic
constitution, one which has allowed many laws to be passed which the majority of people
don't even agree with. They recently did a survey, and if I heard correctly, 90% of the
people whom they surveyed, were against abortion. And yet we live in a country where
abortion is freely available. There are many other things as well.
Germany:
In a recent copy of the JOY! magazine, there was an article about
Hollywood where they write about these actors and stars and how they have become role
models for society. In the past were Christian leaders taken as role models, but now these
people have become role models. In this article it refers to Germany, and other countries
like Switzerland, Belgium, Holland – countries which in many ways were the cradle of
Christianity, countries who experienced revival, who experienced God's working and where
the fire was ignited in the people. That is why we have the Gospel as well, because they
had the heart to go and spread the Gospel. But they say that in these countries young
people are leaving the church in droves. Some churches stand empty. Many churches are
being closed down. Some are even converted for other purposes. They say in Germany, and I
am still hoping that this is a misprint but this is what it says, "There are fewer
Protestants than Muslims in Germany". Can you imagine that, in the country of Martin
Luther?
One leader in Berlin, the capital of Germany, commented and said,
"It would be better for Germany to be taken over by Muslims than for the Christians
to return".
Do we realize how dark this hour is? It is easy for us to despair.
POINT 2: "Light a candle"
Today I don't want to focus so much on the darkness, but the darkness
has that one advantage, that it helps the light to be more effective. There is a Chinese
proverb, "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness".
Many people, and especially Christians, are specialist at complaining
about the darkness. Do we realize that the darkness is there because of the lack of light?
We like to share our troubles and hardships, in fact some people enjoy and relish if they
can talk about how tough they have it in life. When they talk to you it is almost as if
they have to prove to you how difficult they have it in life. In their own personal lives
they face so many battles. In fact, you get the impression they need super-spiritual grace
to make it. Others can only tell you how difficult it is in the family or at work and how
tough it is because you carry the burden alone - no one is supporting you. All we can talk
about, is the darkness. But that doesn't change the darkness, only makes it darker. What
would make a difference, would be to light a candle, that we become part of the solution,
not of the problem. What solution don't we have to our disposal, the best there is!
POINT 3: The Source of light
That brings me to the source of the light, God being the Light. Light
is something wonderful. If you just think of the speed of light. If one needs God, He is
so closeby.
Example:
I read an article in an engineering journal by Jack O'Brien. There are
some comments which are such a blessing. He relates a story of a boy who heard his teacher
teaching the class about light and the phenomenal speed at which light travels – so
many kilometres in one second from the sun. The boy wasn't so impressed, saying it is
downhill all the way!
Isn't it wonderful to know that God is so closeby when we need Him!
This is the Light that is at our disposal. If we want to be carriers of light, we need to
be connected to the Light.
There is no light without a source. No ray of light can shine if
severed from its source.
Dear Christian, are you connected? Are you walking in this light? It is
a wonderful light to be in.
POINT 4: How to walk as children of light
If you have time at home, go and read Ephesians 5 where
it exhorts us to become imitators of God as beloved children, walk in love, and that we
shouldn't allow immorality or greed even to be mentioned among us, no filthiness and silly
talk. Silly talk is not fitting for a Christian. These are the things which don't stand in
the light of God. These are the works of darkness which are punished by the light. Do you
know this light that convicts you if you say something which you shouldn't have? If you
walk in darkness, you won't know this because you are blunt. If you are in darkness, the
works of darkness don't get exposed.
Some people enjoy the darkness because that is what their works exist
of. They feel at home there. When there is light, they feel uncomfortable. You don't like
it if people speak about things which are in your life which aren't right. In contrast to
a child of God who rejoices if God puts His finger on something which isn't right.
Most people unfortunately prefer darkness, doing their works of
darkness in darkness.
Example:
I know somebody who years ago, before he got converted, went somewhere.
On his way home it was dark. He had a little motorbike with a small engine. He wanted to
get home quickly. To get the most power out of his engine, he switched off the light, put
down his head to have as little wind resistance as possible, and he was riding
'voet-in-die-hoek' (at high speed). What he didn't know was that there was someone else on
that same road, coming from the opposite direction. In the car was a married man who had
just visited his girlfriend, his mistress. Because he was doing his work of darkness, he
enjoyed the darkness, and so even his headlights were too much light for his situation. To
go undetected, he also switched off his lights. The only reason we tell this story, is
because they did meet by accident.
We praise God because this man who was on the motorbike, got soundly
converted and today is a preacher of the Gospel.
There are people who prefer darkness because their works are works of
darkness.
Do we walk in the light or do we hide from the light because it exposes
us?
This word exhorts us not to have any works of darkness, even silly
talk, or course jesting (verse 4). Nowadays when we go to a function you get the
impression people think you cannot have a successful function without some course jesting
or silly talk. One gets the feeling that people think the best motivational speakers are
the ones who can push the limits the furthest. These are even people who call themselves
Christians. It is not fitting, the Bible says.
But rather you should give thanks, it says here. Do you give
thanks? Or are you happy that you always are complaining about your difficulties? Can you
sometimes come and say, "I want to come and thank the Lord for what He has done for
me"? Or do people know that when you come, it will be course joking or idle talk? The
Bible says you will have to give account of every idle word.
Do you just come and tell your stories of woe? The Bible says you
should just give thanks. Can you give thanks? The Bible says some people end in sin
because they never gave thanks.
May God grant us the grace, that as we go through life, we will be as a
breeze of fresh air to people who need it so urgently. We need to set a good example as
Christians, as children of light.
Example:
Not like a woman I read about in one of the readings of Our Daily Bread
recently. She was driving in her car. I don't know in what mood she was when she left
home. I hope not the mood she was in when she was in her car. It would be a pity if she
acted like this at home already, in front of her husband and children. Very agitated. You
feel very sorry for children who have mothers or fathers like that. Mothers who have no
patience with their children. When the child does something, it expects a slap already
because that is what the mother is known for. If not a slap with the hand, then with the
tongue. Poor children. A child who doesn't have a godly mother, is a poor child.
She was getting more and more irritated, because there was a lot of
traffic and she was probably late for an appointment. Like many modern mothers who fill
their day to such an extent that there is no time to pray anymore – this and that
appointment or course or whatever. As she approached a traffic light, it turned yellow.
The man in the car before her, stopped because it turned yellow. That
is obviously the right thing to do. This was just one too much for this poor woman and she
acted like one would expect men to act. I don't know whether it is because we live in this
age of equality and women do their best to do what men do, but dear ladies, if you try to
become like a man, please don't learn the vices of a man. Try and find something which a
man does right, and do that. Rage and anger are normally associated with a man. Anger is
darkness that is found in a lot of men, even so-called Christian men. You have got to go a
long way to find a man who isn't hot tempered or short tempered, because even the Bible
speaks to the men and says, "Therefore I want the men to pray, lifting up holy
hands without wrath and dissension". Dear men, do you pray? Do you lift up holy
hands? Are they without wrath? Can I ask your wife? Are you a man that lifts up holy hands
without wrath?
This woman had unfortunately taken over this vice which the men have.
She sat in the car, you can imagine her, hands in the air, shouting and screaming at this
man who stopped when he could have just jumped over and she would have followed him.
As she was performing and in this tantrum (as one normally just finds
children do), there was a knock on her window - a traffic officer. He took her along,
arrested her and put her into a holding cell.
After about an hour he came back, very apologetic, "Dear lady, I
am very sorry. I have made a mistake. I was following you. I noticed on the back of your
car were two stickers. One said, 'What would Jesus do?' and the other, 'Follow me to
Sunday school'. When I saw those stickers and saw how you behaved, I was convinced you had
stolen the car."
Walk as children of light. The devil doesn't mind if you become a
Christian. What worries him, is if you act like one.
Are we light? Or do we represent darkness?
We could say a lot more. But may God grant us grace that in this time
of darkness, we will be light. To be this light, we need to be connected to the Source of
light.
POINT 5: Fellowship with one another
In John 8:12 Jesus says, "I am the light of the world".
And He says, "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, His Blood cleanses us
of all sin and we have fellowship with one another" (1 John 1:7). Are you
enjoying the fellowship of the saints? If not, ask yourself whether you are walking in the
light, because God's Word promises that we will have fellowship if we live in the light.
That is how we can be a light to others as well.
May God grant that we will be that light.
POINT 6: How to become a light bearer
You may say that you are not a big light. But just lighting a candle
makes a difference.
Example:
A cave in New Zealand, 100 kms from Auckland, is known as the Cave of
the Glowworms. You know how small a glowworm is. During the day you would probably hardly
see it, it is so small, but at night it glows.
You can visit this cave, but you can only access it by a boat that is
pulled by a wire for silence. When it is dark all over, when you approach this cave from a
distance, you can see a glow already as it is lighted by glowworms. It is the combination
of all these little lights that cause the glow.
That is how the church should be a light, each one letting their light
shine.
When you come into this cave, it is so light that you can read a book
in it, in the light of all these worms, but there has to be perfect peace and silence. The
slightest noise, and the lights go out as if you have switched off the switch.
In the church of Christ, we need this peace as well. As soon as a
Christian loses this peace, it causes that light to go out. If we fight, we can no longer
be a light to the world. As Jesus said that He is the light of the world, He also said in
Matthew, "You are the light of the world". If we fight one another, we
lose that ability to be a light.
That's why the Lord says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called sons of God". Are we sons of God or of the devil? Do we
disturb the peace and sow disunity, or are we sons of light?
May the Lord, when He is in our midst, not find grumblings and moanings
as among the children of Israel.
Are you a light bearer? Do you want to be one? You can be.
Example:
There is a famous picture that has the title, "The Light of the
Word", painted by Norman Hunt in 1854, portraying Christ, thorn-crowned and
carrying a lantern, knocking at the door of a cottage. When the artist showed the painting
to some friends, they pointed out an omission - there was no handle on the door. The
artist replied, "That is the door of the human heart - it can only be opened from
within."
Do you want to be light? Let the Son of God into your heart, then you
can become light. When the light shines into our hearts, that light brings everything to
light. Then we will experience what the Samaritan woman experienced, "He told me
everything that I had ever done".
Have you opened the door of your heart? If not, when will you do it? If
you have, is the light of God still shining brightly? If it shines into your life, it
doesn't stop there but something happens.
Example:
A story is told by Robert Volden, a minister who once attended a
seminar. At the end of the seminar the lecturer, Alexander Papaderos, asked, "Are
there any questions?" Volden asked him what was the meaning of life. Everyone in
attendance laughed and started to leave. However the leaders held up his hand to ask for
silence. "I will answer your question", and he took out his wallet and removed a
small round mirror, the size of a quarter. He explained that one day during World War II
he found at the site of an accident a mirror which had been shattered into many small
pieces. He tried to pick up al the pieces and put them together but he couldn't do it.
"Then I kept this piece, the largest one. By scratching it on a stone, I made it
round." He used it as a toy, to reflect light into dark places. It was always a
challenge to him to shine light into the most inaccessible places. As he grew up to be a
man, he understood that this wasn't only a child's game, but a picture of what life was
about. He came to understand that he wasn't the light or the source of light. "The
light is there and I need to reflect it. I am in the Hand of Someone, and with the light I
have, I can shine light into the dark places of this world, into the dark places of human
hearts, and change some things in some people. This is what I am about. This is the
meaning of my life."
We have been called to be the light of the world. Are we faithful to
our calling?
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