Title: Light of the Church/Rev 1:20
Contents I will tell you from the last time. The golden lighthouse on the south side of the sanctuary is lit 24 hours a day. The priest enters the sanctuary and works, but without this light, the activity is impossible. I said that the first light points to the light of God, the second points to the light of Jesus Christ, and the third points to the light of the Holy Spirit. That is, it points to the light of the Holy Trinity.
4. The light of the church
Today is the 4th time to point to the light of the church. The Apostle John, who was exiled to the island of Patmos and spent years of hardship, receives a surprising revelation one Sunday.
Revelation 1:12 Turning around and trying to understand the voice that had spoken to me, as I turned around, I saw seven golden candlesticks. 13 Among the candlesticks, a man like the Son of Man, clothed with a robe that dragged his feet, and a gold belt around his chest
What did the seven golden candlesticks that John saw here symbolize? According to today's text, the seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks are the seven churches. So, the golden lighthouse of the sanctuary is a symbol of the church. Your earthly church is not perfect. So you see a lot of negative aspects. However, nevertheless, the Church has a precious value in this world because He has established it as the only institution for the proclamation of the Gospel. Therefore, the church is like a lighthouse that illuminates this age.
When your church is corrupted, that era is corrupted. It was a dark age when the medieval church was corrupted. As Proverbs 29:18 says that if there is no apocalypse, the people will wander. The medieval church focused on power and material things, and when there was no Gospel, the world became dark.
The Communist Party was born when the Russian church was arguing over what to do with the black color, putting aside the Word.
During the Japanese colonial era, when Inara was usurped by the Japanese imperialists, the church became the lamp of the times, comforting and encouraging those who are worried and sad about this era, and encouraging the spirit of independence through teaching. You will see that the foundation has been laid. In this way, the church was established by God as the light in the age.
5. The light of saints.
You said, “You are the light of the world, and a town on a hill cannot hide it.” You said, “You are the light of the world.” This light must always shine. This world must be dark.
Matthew 5 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father under
In the end, if we are to be the light in this dark world, we must have good deeds.
Ladies and gentlemen, I must not forget that I am a Christian. As I said this morning, we can lead a righteous life just by recognizing that we are before God. 2 Corinthians 5 9 Wherefore, whether we are at home or departing, we strive to be pleasing to the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5 10 This is because we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each of us may receive according to what we have done in the body, whether good or bad.
Are you getting compliments from your family? Are you praised by your clergy and church members? Are you respected by your peers at work? How are you evaluated by your peers? People who can be praised under any circumstances, like Joseph and Daniel, are people who become light.
to be like this
First - we must fill it with the pure oil that God approves. Even if the lighthouse is made of pure gold, the oil poured into it must be pure olive oil.
Exodus 27 20 You shall also command the children of Israel to bring you pure oil, crushed from olives, for a lamp, and light the lamp without interruption.
Anything used in the sanctuary must be pure and free from impurities.
This believes that we become light when we are filled with the Holy Spirit like the Holy Spirit Oil. If we live in the Spirit, Galatians5 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Galatians5 23meekness and self-control. There is no law against such things.
Second - it must be unobstructed.
There is a foreign object stuck in the wick of the lamp. So we need to get rid of this spark. God wants to keep the oil of the Holy Spirit attached to us, but if we sin in our hearts, we cannot receive the oil of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 59 1 The LORD's hand is not short, that it cannot save, neither is his ear dull that it cannot hear.
Isaiah 59 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from hearing you.
The reason water is not coming out of the faucet is not because the water source is running out, but because the water pipe is clogged or the pipe is crooked. Therefore, when worship is blocked, hymns are blocked, or prayer is blocked, we must immediately identify and remove the problem so that we can communicate with God quickly.
Third - you need to keep oiling.
John 15 5 I am the vine and you are the branches; if he is in me and I in him, this man bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
The way to stay attached to Jesus is to live in the Word. A person who is touched by the Word but does not act as it is does not walk with the Lord. Anyone who is moved by the Holy Spirit and perishes is a man who despises God.15 6 Unless a man abide in me, it is thrown away like a branch and withers away. People gather it and throw it into the fire to burn it.
. Beloved, I hope that you will live close to the Lord without ever moving away from the Lord for even a moment or even the slightest bit. I believe that this will be a life that shines light by continuously receiving the oil of the Holy Spirit. Amen