Joh 1:4-5 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. (5) The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not apprehend it.
Carry the Light
Smoking wick
Clay vessels
Lamp on stand
Becoming citizens together
Lamp be burning
Golden lampstand lamps together – Fed from heaven
Scatter the light
Light in a dark place
Starlight Dan 12:3Let men see your light
Exo_10:23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Joh_12:36 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.
1Th_5:5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
Excellent Treasure in Clay Vessels
2Co 4:6-7 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;
Is knowledge of Christ, the greatest treasure in your life – which commands your time, worth
What’s your worth? Christ in me the hope of glory
Receive & Sustain Your Light
Your Life is the Lamp – Potter moulded – no leaks, no cracks – keep your body holy
What you do with your body, affects your oil & your wick
Oil of the Holy Spirit – don’t mix with crude oil
Clay lamp only serves the purpose of bearing the light
1Jn 1:7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Keeping Wick = Call of your life
Wick is God’s purpose & call in your life. God’s character grows in you – Christ increase. You decrease
Word of God strengthens your soul as the wick . Word of God sanctifies the wick – call, desire
Lk 1:45 – my soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
Friends help clean the wick
Senior helps clean the wick – don’t detest the clippers that clip off the charred end – if not you will be more smoke than light
Insight
Foresight
Hindsight
Oversight
Hiding Light Under Bed, Cellar or Bushel
Luk 11:33-36 “No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Mar_4:21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?
Bed – ease, leisure, pleasure
Cellar – small place
Basket – work & economics
Lamp on the Stand
Lamp on the stand scatters light better
Stand is the position God gives you – in your oikos, work place, neighbourhood
Mission Ground where you submit to God & dispel darkness
Evil flees – Lives transform
Light Will Carry Us – it’s the weight of His Glory
Vision, Eye – entry points
(34) “The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. (35) “Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. (36) “If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”
How Can Eye Become Dark
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Reciprocal relationship between Heart & Eye
What you believe or desire – will affect how you see
What you allow your eyes to see, look, – will fill your hear & direct its affections
Company you keep
Look In, Look Out….
Pro 20:27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being. Look in
Look out – with eyes of fire, holy eyes, see as Jesus sees
Look up – Help from the Lord, under the Lordship
Look back – How Jesus Helped, lessons learnt
Look around – your mission field, life work
Look ahead – Godscope, directed path
Carry the Light
Carry the Light together – Place your lamp on a God given lampstand – don’t run alone
Carry the Light & you will overcome, rule over evil & make level ground for your future & family
You will overcome powers of darkness
Carry the Light where God directs you
Light levels the path
Others pick up their lost talent when you scatter your light
Parable of Five Lamps –
First Lamp – Visible, large & colourful
Parable of Five Lamps Once upon a time the Wise Potter (WP) planned to make five clay lamps to contain oil & to burn bright with a wick.
WP asked the first lamp & it said, I want to be big, visible & colourful.
Wise Potter – what should be visible is the bright flame not your clay pot. Your purpose is that.
Lonely & Grumpy
1L – no, I want to be big & important.
Wise Potter – that will hinder your movement to be where light is needed to dispel darkness & to help other lamps by sharing your light or oil
IL – do it my way, I insist. Its will prevailed over that of the Wise Potter. It was too big & no one wanted it in their house. It had a lonely existence, grumpy.
2nd Lamp – dynamic & giddy
Wise Potter asked the 2nd Lamp.
2 L said, I want to gad about. I am kinaesthetic & dynamic.
Wise Potter – a lamp is usually stationery until shifted to a perch. Your life call is not to gad about but to scatter light & dispel darkness.
2L – no I want to be athletic. So the lamp tried its gymnastics, cracked, leaked oil & was useless.
3rd Lamp – Alone & Smoking
Wise Potter said, I like to make a lamp.
3rd lamp said, yes of course, I want to be the only one doing my light, by myself.
Wise Potter – I want you to be a team player. Besides you need others to regularly clean your wick.
3L – others can’t do it perfectly as I do. I alone or no. 3rd Lamp had its way. By itself burning its flame, wick became charred, none to clean – soon smoke & charred end. More smoke than light
Wise Potter was sad
Fourth Lamp – Loyal & Shining
4L said, yes please. I like being a lamp. Thank you for your call.
Wise Potter – remember wise lamp, you will burn bright awhile. Then others may burn brighter than you – that’s team work. Besides you need time to clean wick & fill up with oil. At times you will help light up newcomers, as their call is born. O clay lamp honour the wick. O wick honour the clay. You both under-serve the flame.
4th Lamp became well known & was called to light up the Upper Room where the Saviour had the Last Supper
5th Lamp – furious & fast
Wise Potter said you are the fifth.
5L – of course all my life, I have been waiting to sit on a pedestal & be luminous
Wise Potter – it’s not about you being luminous but about others receiving light.
5 L – no way. Gift is my own. I have a great wick made of the best linen of Bethlehem, first planted by Rahab. I want to burn bright furiously & shoot to quick fame like Florence Nightingale.
5th Lamp recovered
Wise Potter – you got it wrong fifth. Florence Nightingale toiled long & hard before fame.
5L – never mind that. I will burn fast & bright.
So 5L did & was soon short of wick & oil.
The 4th lamp the patient light bearer, drew near, helped remake wick & fill up oil, that fifth may have a second chance. Fifth repented & was grateful to burn bright next to fourth lamp – long faithful & loyal.
Five Areas of Light Carriage
Marriage & family life displaying God’s love & goodness
Children obedient & shining with God’s favour in their talents
Your testimony under temptation trial tests
Others want to know Jesus because of your witness – character & works
No dark power can operate in your sphere – when believers carry the light, demons cannot operate in that sphere. Nations see Light
Whose Glory do we Speak
Paul’s logic is that, we will share the gospel with others only if the Gospel is our exceeding great treasure – the pearl of great price, to obtain which we will sell our all.
2Co 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.
Men & women preach their glory – fashion, beauty, food, work, connections etc. We will share Christ & His gospel, when knowing Him, has become our excellent treasure. Will you? How I it with you? What do you speak when you meet friends, relatives, strangers?
We are carriers of the Light
We are carriers of the Light. Let your clay lamp & your wick say, our purpose is to carry the light. Let your spirit imbibed soul, flame up with Jesus’ light. Your wick cannot flame up with competing glories – fame in the world or name of Christ. Many say, my work well done is my witness. No. Your work well done will make you great. Your work is the stand, placement for you to witness to Jesus. please do this daily where you work.
What Hinders Carry the Light
You are burning for another glory – earthy, fame
You are ashamed of Christ’s witness – so you hide it in a cellar
Your clay vessel is broken by sin
Your oil is mixed up with compromise
Your wick has burnt for something else
You are busy entertaining yourself – light covered by the bed of ease
Light Bearers to the Nation
Isa 42:1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
Isa_42:6 “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,
Lampstands together Make City of Light
Fellowship with one another – 1 Jn 1:6,7
Outer Veils Dissolves for Light to Shine
Birth Other Lamps & Help their Light
Lamp on the Golden Lampstand
Many Lamps Different Functions
Be A Lighthouse
Seed of Light
Luk_16:8 “And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.
Tares vs wheat