How many of us start the new year by spending a time
of reflection that reflects on the events and relationships that have shaped
our lives, either for better or for worse? Then, after that time of reflection,
however long it is, we begin the process of moving forward towards a new year.
We begin the attempt to leave the past behind and begin a new year with a new
and fresh slate and with new and fresh hope when it comes to our future. And as part of that process, we sit down and
make a list of what we are going to do differently in the New Year. We even
have a name for that list, don’t we? We call that list our New Year’s
Resolutions.
And yet, so often we end up bailing on our
resolutions only weeks after making them. Or, worse yet, we make resolutions
that are filled with loop holes and exceptions that result in us living a life
that fails to reach any of the goals or aspirations we had set for ourselves at
the beginning of the year. And then we end up in that familiar place of
frustration because we seem to be unable to make the changes that we believe
that we desperately need to make in our lives.
And what is the case individually is also the case
for us as we live life together in community. Just like individuals, as a
church, we have a tendency to look at the New Year as a time to reflect on the
past, evaluate the present, and plan for the future when it comes to the unique
mission that we have been given. Last week, we ended 2018 by spending our time
together reflecting on the top ten evidences of God’s activity at City Bible
Church in 2018.
At #10 was our annual Saturday of service... at #9
was the Angel Tree Ministry where we loved and served 41 families/94 children…
at #8 was our involvement with the Boys and Girls Club where 46 scholarships
given for local children… at #7 was Candyland where over 2,100 people
participated in our annual Halloween event… at #6 was our opportunity to host
the Global Leadership Summit... at #5 was the opportunity that we had as a
church to love and serve those involved in children and student ministry
through the Faith That Sticks Conference... 124 registered/84 people
participated…at #4 was Community Groups, where 62% of those who attend are part
of Community Group…at #3 was the 2020 Vision, where over $513,000.00<>
raised toward $2 Million-dollar goal… at #2 was the sale of the parsonage that
raised $205,833.00 towards the 2020 vision…and #1 was the Duct tape Dave Night
that raised $6,100.00 for 2020 vision.
But as a church, as we move into 2019, what should
be on our New Year’s resolution list? What should our focus and our goal be as
a church as plan for the future in 2019? Fortunately for us, in an account of
Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew, Jesus
provides for us a timeless goal that we should strive towards, both as
individuals and as a church. So let’s spend our time together by looking at
this timeless goal and its implications when it comes to our future plans as a
church, beginning in Matthew 5:14:
"You
are the light of the world.
As part of perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus
ever preached, which we call the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus paints for the
crowds listening to Him a word picture to describe what the world should see
when they come into contact with His followers. Jesus explains to the crowds
listening to Him that those who follow Him are the light of the world. Now
light, by its very nature, has incredible impact and influence when it enters
into an environment. For example, just think what happens when you enter into a
space that you have never been in before and turn on a light. When you enter a space
that you have never been in before, do you have any idea what is in there? No,
you have no idea.
And because of that reality, we often find ourselves
searching for a way to bring light into that space, don’t we? And when we are
able to bring light into that space, what happens? As soon as you bring light
into that space, what is in that space is revealed to you isn’t it? As soon as
you bring light into that space, everything in that space displayed for you to
see. The whole point of the light is to reveal and to display what is present
in that space.
But light does more than just reveal and display. I
experienced another function and purpose of light on a camping trip with my
daughter Rachel in the Hualapai’s. When we first moved to Bullhead City, Rachel
and I had the opportunity to have a father daughter camping trip in the
Hualapai’s. After spending the afternoon hiking, we sat down to eat dinner. As
we were eating dinner, several deer basically walked right into the middle of
our campsite and started begging for food. They were acting more like a family
dog than a wild deer. Rachel, who was in the third grade at the time, was
having a blast as she had this up close encounter with the deer. Well, what
ended up happening is that we became so focused on the deer, that before we
knew it, it was dark. And I had not gotten the flashlights out of the tent. And
then Rachel had to go to the bathroom.
So, in the near pitch black darkness, I began
groping through our tent in an attempt to find the flashlight so that we could
make the trip to the bathroom, because there was no way that Rachel was going
to make that trip in the dark. Fortunately for both of us, I was able to find
the flashlight and we were able to make the trip to the bathroom. You see, in
the absolute pitch black darkness of that night, the light from that flashlight
provided the guidance and direction that we needed to the bathroom.
Jesus point here is that in the same way, as the
light of the world, followers of Jesus are to reveal and reflect Jesus and help
provide the guidance and direction necessary for people to be able to navigate
life here on earth. After providing this word picture what the world should see
when they encounter His followers, Jesus provides two additional images to
challenge the crowds listening. Let’s look at these images together:
A city set
on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone
light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it
gives light to all who are in the house.
Jesus begins His challenge to those listening with
two additional word pictures. First, Jesus reminds the crowds listening of a
timeless reality that they were all too familiar of: a city set on a hill
cannot be hidden. A city that is located
in an elevated location can be seen from miles away. In Jesus day, this would
especially be the case after the sun set. In the pitch black darkness of the
desert of Israel, the light of an elevated city would be seen for miles and
miles.
Jesus then provides a second word picture, this time
of a lamp that would be used to provide light in a home. Jesus explains that a
person does not take the time to light a lamp and then place that lamp under a
basket. That would make absolutely no sense. It would make absolutely no sense
to place a lamp under a basket because then the lamp would not be functioning
as it was designed. The lamp would not be fulfilling the purpose that it was
created to fulfill. Instead, Jesus reminds the crowds that a person would take
the lamp and place it on a lampstand, which would place the lamp in an elevated
position so that the light of the lamp would provide the maximum coverage
possible in the house. For the light to fulfill its purpose to reveal, display,
and to provide the opportunity for those in the house to navigate an otherwise
dark environment, the light needed to be in the right position. After painting
these two word pictures, Jesus makes His challenge to the crowds who were
listening unmistakably clear.
Friday we will look at that challenge together...
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