This week, in our devotionals, we are focussing on Luke 11:33 - 12:3. Today, Jesus teaches us about how we are to pursue sanctification by casting out darkness by light.
‘See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” (Luke 11:35-36)
Lesson: Pursue spiritual health by allowing the light of Jesus’ Word to fill us and cast out all that is dark in us.
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I’m sure that most of us make sure that the food we eat is clean and fresh rather than dirty and rotten! We ensure that our vegetables are washed and free from slugs, caterpillars and other creepy crawlies. We ensure that our meat is not rotten and is cooked properly. We ‘see to it’ that we only put good food into ourselves. Why do we do this? Because we know that if we allow bad food into us, our bodies will become sick and unhealthy. If we live on ‘junk food’ we will look and feel like it! Likewise, this illustration is true in the spiritual realm. Negatively, we need to ‘see to it’ that we don’t allow ‘darkness’ to enter us. Positively, we need to ‘see to it’ that ‘light’ fills us and expels darkness from us.
The book of Ephesians puts Jesus’ words in a different way:
‘For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.’ (Ephesians 5:8-16)
As, ‘children of light’ - children of God - we are to pursue this identity. In our lives before we knew Jesus, we walked in ‘darkness’; we were in rebellion to God. However, having become Christians, we seek to obey Christ is all things. We allow the light of Jesus’ Word to ‘expose’ the darkness in us so that we can repent. We are likened to sleepers who have woken up to the bright morning of the light of Christ, in which we seek to learn from Him and live for Him. We are to be ‘very careful how we live’. We are to ‘see to it’ that we avoid the influence of darkness. Rather we are to allow the light to reveal darkness in us so that we can live in the light of Jesus’ Word.
Response
Pursue spiritual health by allowing the light of Jesus’ Word to fill us and cast out all that is dark in us. Are we diligent in ’seeing to it that the light with us is not darkness’? Do we allow dark entertainment to entertain us? Do we allow the propaganda of hell to make us laugh? Do we allow God’s identity as holy and our identity as children of light to shape our choices? Do we need to hear these words afresh:
“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise…”
COMMUNITY GROUP NOTES AND STUDY
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. Icebreaker
How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week and how has this helped you?
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
Our message from our series in Luke on Sunday was based upon Jesus’ teaching from Luke 11:33-12:3. Here, again, Jesus is teaching us the importance of loving His Word - His voice - which He likens to raising up a light so that it can shine on us and then, in turn, shine from us.
Please read Luke 11:33-36, and discuss:
Did God speak to you about anything specifically from Sunday’s message?
11:33 - In what ways can we put the light of the gospel and God’s Word ‘on a stand’ in our own lives?
11:34 - What does it mean to have ‘healthy eyes’ and what will this lead to?
11:35 - What are we to ‘see to’ and how do you do this?
SIV - 11:36 - What will the enlightening of the gospel and God’s Word mean for our involvement in Jesus’ mission?
SIV - Do we have any stories of how we have ‘Served, Invested, and inVited’ recently?
SIV - Spend some time together talking and praying about who and how you are seeking to bring your community to Jesus.
Let’s pray together that, this week, we will have opportunities to SIV; and pray for anything else that's come out of our time in God’s Word.
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