Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Whenever you drive through a big city, just as the sun is starting to set, you will begin to notice that many of the homes will start turning their lights on, and before you know it, they will dot the landscape just like the stars up in the sky. As it progressively becomes darker, the street lights will begin to flicker on as they begin to light up the streets and alleyways beneath them. But occasionally someone will have a huge grand opening, and will spend some extra money to rent a couple of large search lights for their special event. When they finally turn them on, their huge beams will shoot up high into the sky and draw the attention of the entire community. These lights burn so brightly that they can be seen for many miles around, and completely dwarf all of the other lights in the city.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Men who wholeheartedly devote themselves to preaching and teaching the doctrines of our faith are going to burn very brightly, and just like a searchlight at a grand opening, they are going to stand out among all the rest, and become highly visible to the rest of the world around them.
Matthew 5:14-16 (KJB) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
There is a great difference between a matchstick and an oil lamp, because one will only stay lit for a short period of time, while the other will continue to burn on its supply of oil. There is also a big difference between a campfire and a bonfire, because they differ according to the heat that they put out. Consider the firewood that you put in your woodstove on a cold winter day. There is a huge difference between oak and wood such as basswood. Although they both give off comparable amounts of light, oak will put out incredible volumes of heat, warming up your body right to the bones. I really don’t care that much for mediocre heat, and the truth is that neither does God. He wants us to be filled with a burning and consuming passion for Him, filled up with the fire and the heat of the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 3:15-16 (KJB) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
When someone is lukewarm, they are mediocre, which means that they are not particularly good or bad at anything. Those who claim to be Christians are supposed to set the standard and to be a cut above the rest. This is not because we are better than others, but our faith compels us to be the best that we can be. Rather than striving to excel, some people will settle for being average or right in the middle. They remind me of a student who settles for a “c” average in high school when they know darn well that if they put some extra effort into it, they could get straight “a”. In my own opinion, the driving factor behind this is laziness. When somebody is average, they lack ambition to pursue high goals in their lives and will settle for whatever gets them by, rather than striving for excellence in whatever they do. It is because of this lackluster approach to the Christian Life that they fail to achieve anything remarkable, and rather than standing out in the crowd, they blend in with everybody else. The Apostle Paul was so filled up with the fire of the Holy Spirit that entire towns were in an uproar because of the truth of the Gospel that he was preaching. But like a searchlight in the dark, when you stand up for biblical truth, you are certainly going to stand out in this world.
Proverbs 4:18 (KJB) But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 (KJB) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
We live in a world of darkness that is filled with seducers and deceivers who are peddling their lies to the nations, and when true men of God rise up with the Sword of biblical Truth, many times they will stand alone, just as David did when he went up against Goliath. Like a lighthouse perched by itself upon a solid rock, they will stand out in this dark world, just as Noah did as he preached righteousness from the deck of his ship. John the Baptist was a beacon of Truth out in the wilderness, and the Lord Jesus referred to him as a bright shining light
John 5:35 (KJB) He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
Hebrews 1:7 (KJB) And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
There is no anonymity when it comes to preaching the Truth of the Gospel. This is because it stands in complete contrast to the way that the world lives. Like salmon swimming upstream and against a strong current, the rest of the world is going to take note when you are not going in the same direction that they are. Genuine Christians are not going to fit in with this world, and because you won’t get on board with them, most of the time they will cast out your name as evil and persecute you. But like other men before us, we must become accustomed to that mantle, embracing the suffering just as Christ did for this sinful world.
1 Peter 4:12-14 (KJB) Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
Men of God are going to stand out in this world, just like a single tree standing out in a hayfield. Men of God are going to stand out in this world, just like an Oasis out in the desert. In a world filled with so much darkness and deceit, men who preach the truth in Christ are going to become very visible. Rather than being lukewarm, they will burn hotter then the driest oak, and shine brighter then the strongest searchlight, something that I’m always reminded of, each time that they fire up those bright xenon bulbs, somewhere out at,…..
…….The Grand Opening
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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