How can we find the light in the world we live?
Sermon Notes
Focused Verse:
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.”-Psalm 119:105
Let’s break it down!
“Your word is a lamp to my feet…” is to clarify the actual path before us, that we avoid stones, potholes, snakes, bad companions, etc.
“and a light for my path.” is to illuminate the goal towards which to walk, and therefore which path to take. It gives overall meaning to one’s life.
Defining Light:
Light in this passage is not artificial. Light is wisdom.
Defining Lamp:
Used as a metaphor to describe the thing used to house the light and show the way through the proverbial darkness.
Defining Path:
The way through the darkness. Towards God.
God’s Word shows us how to conduct our lives like a light lighting our path in darkness.
Insights into Psalm 119
For legal matters, King David was required to walk with his own copy of the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible).
“When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It shall remain with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes,”
-Deuteronomy 17:18-19
Psalm 119 is a song about the legal light of Torah required for kings of Israel to guide them in the decisions of their daily life.
Key Points
If light equals wisdom, and if because of Christ we are not under His law with the use of the Holy Spirit, then the light is the wisdom of God’s commandments in light of the salvation!
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,” -Matthew 6:22
The lamp is where the light comes from according to Psalm 119:105. And Matthew 6:22 says that the eye is the lamp of the body. So, what we expose ourselves to can cause toxicity to build up within us. What you look at can make you unhealthy.
- Bad media
- Pornography
- Sensationalized news
- Toxic relationships
- Manipulative people
Given time, God will expose toxicity in our lives.
“Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.”
-Luke 12:2-3
Exposing negative things in our lives is not a bad thing. It is like pruning a plant.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.”
-John 15:1-2
We must focus on that which produces good fruit in our lives. Focus on the light!
More verses to review:
“In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.”
-Matthew 7:17-20
If things do not produce goodness in our lives, then we should throw them into the fire. Goodness can be subjective, though. Everyone will differ in their convictions. That is where wisdom comes in. Let the light of the Holy Spirit guide you. Trust the godly instinct He placed inside you.
What is good fruit according to the Bible?
“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.”
-Galatians 5:22-26
Conclusion:
And so, God has provided us with the ability to use His Holy Spirit to provide clarity in our lives, distinguishing what is good or not so good for us. We must continually trust in Him to expose the darkness in our lives, so that we can live in His light. This is how we make it in this world.