Mark 4:21-25

YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM THE LIGHT

Intro: A young boy of about nine went with his parents to Europe one summer. Part of their tour included visits to the great old cathedrals of the past. As he visited cathedral after cathedral he saw the massive stained glass portraits of the disciples and of other saints.

        He was very impressed as he stood in these great empty halls looking through the beautiful stained glass windows. Upon returning to his church, he was asked by his Sunday School teacher about the great churches of Europe, and what he liked the most.

        He thought for a moment and he said, “I loved the sense of awesomeness and the hugeness of who God must be.”

        “And what is a saint?” his teacher asked next.

        His mind went back to those massive beautiful stained glass windows and he said, “A saint is a person the light shines through.”

        That is a good definition of what a saint of God is supposed to be. We have no light of our own, but like the moon, we are to reflect the light of Jesus to a lost and dying world.

        In our text today, the Lord gives us some insight into light and the place it is to occupy in spiritual matters. I want to show you from these verses the truth that You Can’t Hide From The Light.

        Jesus is the “Light of the World”, John 8:12. His light penetrates even the darkest of places and the blackest of hearts. He gives us some insight into His light. Allow me to share a few of the facts of light with you as I preach on the subject: You Can’t Hide From The Light.

 

  I.  v. 21 LIGHT HAS ITS PURPOSES

A.  Jesus taught His disciples using another parable. He uses the common image of a candle to teach a profound spiritual truth. In that day, it would have been an oil lamp. Every house had at least one. It was used to provide light in houses that were naturally dark.

        Houses in that day had notches cut into the wall so that a lamp could be placed there. When a lamp was lit, it was not lit to be hidden under a basket or under a bed. The lamp was lit to be placed in a high location so that everyone in the house could receive light.

B.  This parable is designed to illustrate the purpose of spiritual light. When Jesus shared the Word of God, He was giving light to the world. His light was given to speak to people trapped in spiritual darkness; to show them that there was a way for them to be saved.

                While Jesus was here, He was “the Light of the world”, John 9:5. Our Lord’s light burned brightly teaching men about the love of God, John 3:16.

                His light was designed to reveal the Heavenly Father to fallen man, John 1:18; 14:9. His light increased in its intensity until it shone with the glory of Heaven as He gave His life for sinners on the cross. Then it burst forth in radiant beams when He rose from the dead.

                Our Lord’s light was not designed to be hidden away. He came to this world not to hide the truth from men, but to reveal the truth to those in darkness.

C.  When He saved us from our sins, the Lord placed His light within us. He does not want us to hide the light away. He wants us to allow His light to shine through our lives so that others might see the way to God, Matt. 5:16; Eph. 5:8; 1 Pet. 2:9. Far too many Christians are guilty of hiding the light, Rom. 13:11-14.

D.  Ill. Light is a tremendous gift! Can you remember when the darkness of your sinful past was shattered by the light of the Gospel? Can you remember when the Lord placed His light and His life within you? If you can, then you know the value of that light. It must not be secreted away, but it must be shared with a lost and dying world!

 

 II.  v. 22  LIGHT HAS ITS POWERS

A.  The Lord reminds us that light holds the power to make hidden things plain. The light that Jesus came into this world to display not only reveals the hidden things of God to man; it also reveals the hidden things within man! That is why so many people who have heard the Gospel message have rejected it.

        The Gospel is a message of salvation, but it is also a message of confrontation. It is a message that reveals the darkness of the human heart. People are like insects and other creatures of the night, they flee light when it shines upon them. Why? Jesus said it was because “their deeds are evil”, John 3:16-21.

B.  When the light of the Gospel shines into a person’s heart, it reveals all the darkness contained in that heart. That is a painful experience for the lost sinner. Yet, when the darkness is exposed to the light, the darkness will have to flee and salvation will be the result. The first step in coming to Jesus to be saved is having your sins exposed to the light.

C.  We also need to understand that there is coming a day when all the hidden things of darkness will be revealed. Christians will see all of their secrets exposed at the Judgment Seat of Christ, 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:12. Lost people will see their secrets revealed at the Great White Throne judgment, Rev. 20:11-15.

        No one has ever gotten away with sin! That is the clear teaching of the Bible, Ill. Reuben, Gen. 49:3-4; Achan, Josh. 7:1-26; Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5:1-11. The hidden works of darkness will always be brought out into the light. You and I will not be able to hide our sins either, Num. 32:23.

D.  It is far better to drag your own sins out into the open and confess them to the Lord than it is to hide them away, waiting for God to expose them, Pro. 28:13. And, they will be exposed! When we get honest about our sins, we can experience His forgiveness, 1 John 1:9. When we try to hide our sins away, they will destroy us from within. (Ill. David after his sin with Bathsheba, Psa. 38:1-11; Psa. 32:3-5.)

 

(Ill. Verse 23 – “Are you listening!” The Lord is trying to speak to someone, in this place, today. Is He shining His light on you?)

 

III.  v. 24  LIGHT HAS ITS PRIVILEGES

(Ill. This verse is rich in truth. We are cautioned to listen to the right voices. We are counseled to pass the truth on to others. We are comforted by a precious promise. Let’s unpack these three statements for just a moment.)

A.  We Are Cautioned To Listen To The Right Voices - There are many voices competing for our attention in these days. We must be careful that we only hear the Lord’s voice as He calls us to Himself. The right voice will always speak words that line up with the Bible and point you to Jesus.

        When we hear that voice, we must make sure that we heed what it tells us to do. When it calls us to come to Jesus to be saved, we need to come! When it calls us to a life of deeper commitment, we need to obey it. When it calls us to a life of service, we need to surrender.

        We need to be aware of how we hear that voice as well. Like Abraham, Gen. 22:1-14, we need to be ever listening for the voice of the Lord to speak to our hearts.

B.  We Are Counseled To Pass On The Truth To Others – We have already mentioned this, but the Lord has called us to share the truth we have received, Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8. Of all the things you can do with your life, perhaps none is greater than taking to time to share your faith and the things God has shown you with others. We have been given a great privilege in being called to proclaim the Gospel to the world!

C.  We Are Comforted By The Lord’s Promise – The idea here is that those who listen to what the Lord is telling them, and obey Him by giving their faith away, will see Him reveal even more truth to them. If you truly want to know the deep things of God, take the time to share the things you already know. Give away what He has given you!

·         Did you learn something about the Lord in your private time today? Give it away!

·         Did you glean a nugget in Sunday School? Give it away!

·         Did you get something from a sermon you heard recently? Give it away!

·         Did God open your eyes to a deep truth in His Word? Give it away!

                As you give away the truth the Lord has revealed to you, He will give you more truth. If you horde up the truth and keep it to yourself, the Lord has no reason to give you more truth.

                The Gospel is the only commodity that becomes more valuable as you give it away. The more you share the truth with others, the more the Lord will share His truth with you. As we share our faith, we are making an investment in others and in our own spiritual growth.

                We are called to be “rivers of living water”, John 7:48. We are supposed to let the truth flow out from us. Far too many Christians act like they are ponds. The truth flows in and nothing ever flows back out. As a result their life stagnates.

               

 

        (Ill. By the way, we serve a God Who specializes in giving us “more”.

·         God doesn’t just pardon, He “abundantly pardons”, Isa. 55:7.

·         God doesn’t just give mercy, He “delighteth in mercy”, Micah 7:18.

·         God doesn’t just save, He saves “to the uttermost”, Heb. 7:25.

·         God doesn’t just save the sinner and forgive his sins; He adopts him into His family. He gives him peace, joy, hope and blessing. He provides absolute assurance and eternal security.

·         Our God majors in the “more”.

        You see we have a Savior Who gives not “of” His riches, but “according to His riches”, Phil. 4:19. When a billionaire gives a dollar out “of” his wealth he has given, but he hasn’t given much. When a billionaire gives “according to his riches” he can do great good.

        Ill. On one occasion, billionaire Bill Gates spent hundreds of millions of dollars to have every child in the African country of Rhodesia immunized against smallpox. That is giving “according to his riches”.

        God’s giving makes what Bill Gates’ did pale in comparison! God reaches into His vast stores in Heaven and He keeps on giving us “more”. More love, more mercy, more forgiveness, more grace, more hope, more blessings, etc.

 

IV.  v. 25  LIGHT HAS ITS PROMISES

A.  The person who hears the truth and passes it on will see his ability to receive truth expanded. As this kind of person hears the truth and gives it away, the Lord continually reveals more truth to him. He grows in the things of God in ways he could never have imagined. That is the promise to the person who gives away the light!

B.  The person who rejects truth will see his ability to recognize truth diminished. Not only will this kind of individual receive less truth, they will eventually lose their grasp of the truth they once had.

       

(Ill. How many here learned to play and instrument or learn a foreign language in High School? If you haven’t practiced those things since, you have probably lost your ability to do them.

        For instance, I have taken algebra; advanced algebra; trigonometry; and calculus. I passed the tests and completed the courses, but that was then. I haven’t used that information in years. If I were to set down today to take an algebra exam, I would flunk it for sure!)

 

        Rejecting God’s truth is far more serious than failing to stay brushed up on your mathematics. Rejecting spiritual truth will develop into a tragedy in the life of every person who rejects the light! Their rejection of the truth will condemn them to Hell, John 8:25; John 5:40.

 

Conc: The little candle holds tremendous power. It has the ability to dispel darkness. The candle gives its light at great cost to itself. As the candle gives away its precious light, its very life is consumed.

        This is a perfect illustration of what Jesus did for us. He paid a high price to bring His light to the lost. He died on the cross so that we might have life and light. When He saved us, He kindled that light within our hearts. We must let our lights shine so that a world lost in darkness might see the way to come to God.

        It may cost us everything to give the light to others, but we must be willing to pay the price. We must never be guilty of hoarding the light; hiding the light or hindering the light. We must let our light shine for the glory of God!

        Friend, you can’t hide from the light! The truth of God’s Word will confront you some day. It may have already done so today. It may be that the Lord has spoken to your heart; revealed your sins; and pointed out the truth of the Gospel. If so, you need to come to Him and be saved! Please do not reject the truth! Please do not go on toward Hell. Please come to Jesus and be saved today.

        The truth is, He loves you. He died for you. And, He will save you if you will come to Him. You can’t hide from the light! If you reject Him as Savior in this life, you will face Him as Judge in eternity! Don’t let that happen! Embrace the truth and be saved today.

        Child of God, has the Lord spoken truth to your heart today? Is He calling you to share the Light with a lost world? Today would be a good day just come before Jesus and renew your commitment to Him to obey Him in sharing the Gospel with a lost world.