Heidi was 5 or 6 years old in Sunday school and the teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments. After reading and explaining the 10 Commandments to the class, the teacher asked, “Is there a commandment that tells us not to take things that are not ours?” “Yes, Do not steal” said one little girl. “Is there a commandment about telling the truth?” “Yes, Do not lie.” Said another girl. “So, we also know how we should treat our moms and dads, with Honor your Father and Mother.” “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?”

Without missing a beat, Heidi answered, “Thou shall not kill.”

Well almost, Heidi, almost.

Sad thing is many children have never heard about the Ten Commandments and really have no guidance in their lives at home to help make them just a better person, let alone be understand who God is and what it means to follow Him. Guess what?!?! That’s where you and I come in. It is time to step up, Church and be the Light in a Dark world.

There is a lot packed into the 3 verses of our main text Let’s read Luke 8:16-18 and break it down just a little.

One day, last year I had a young student get off my bus and was not happy at all. When they got off my bus, they shouted profanity and made some hand gestures toward their house. It broke my heart and made me mad. Extremely mad! This student is not even in Jr. High yet. And uses wicked words like they are normal. Since the student was already off my bus, I gave the information to the transportation director for him to take care of it.

This year a student came to the front of the bus and told me that the same student was cursing on the bus. I waited until the student using bad language was getting off the bus and I said to them, “If you are using bad language on the bus, please stop. You are better than that and that isn’t a nice way to talk.” So, far I have not had anymore problems with the student. Even in the seat when they thought no one would hear them, they were caught. Have you ever done anything that you thought no one will find out. Well point #1 tells us.

1. You can’t hide sin.

Luke 8:17, Luke 12:2-3

How many of you have ever played hide and seek? How many of you hide Easter eggs with your children or grandchildren? How many of you are honest enough to say that you could hide your own eggs and it would take you all day to find them?

When Cheryl and I went to Alaska, Kyli and Davis came over to our house with little plastic ducks and hid them all over the house. There are 100 of them. Kyli told us that when our grandchildren go through our stuff after we die, they will find some of the ducks.

We have found them in the refrigerator, shower, in light fixtures, on plants and all over the place. We still have about 20 to go. It is kind of fun and just a little weird, and next time we go on vacation we are changing the locks and the code to the garage door. There will be no more of that nonsense. Those ducks are small and can be hard to find.

Do you know what else is hard to find? Besides, a Cowboys’ win? It is hard to find a place to hide our sin. And it isn’t from the lack of trying. So many times, we do something wrong and we try to cover it up. We hide the evidence or deny, deny, deny, blame, blame, blame.

Satan likes to get you coming and going. Did you know that? He will convince you that doing something is okay when we really know that it is not. Then, when you do the thing, he that he told you was okay, he will tell you that you are worthless and that you are not worthy of forgiveness.

Here is a little congregational interaction, by a show of hands, “How many of you think you can go anywhere that God is not?” “How many of you think there is anything that God does not know? And finally, “How many think there is anywhere, that you can do anything without God knowing or seeing?” Anyone? So, If I walk into this baptistry changing room and shut the door and turn off the light, will God see me? I am a little hard of hearing. “Can God see me in here?” If I am in my office with the door shut and the blinds closed, will God see me?

Why then if we know we can’t hide sin, why do we do try to do it? Why is it when we fall, we think that God doesn’t know? Come on, just repent and move on. Don’t dwell on it. Don’t forget it. Don’t do it again. Which bring us to point 2.

2. Don’t be hard headed.

Luke 8:18, Proverbs 29:2

A storm warning with a high potential of extreme flooding was issued for a town and evacuation of the town was highly recommended but there was a pastor that would not leave. When the rain started, the police went door to door and came to the pastor’s house and told him to leave, he said, “God will protect me.” Then the flood waters started to rise and was half way up his front door, a man in a boat came to his house and pleaded with him to get in the boat, He refused, “God will save me.”

The water continued to rise and it had completely covered the first floor of the house and he was sitting upstairs looking out the window and another boat see him and goes to the house again pleading with him to get in the boat and he refused. “God will protect me.” The water continues to rise and the preacher is now on top of his house and a helicopter flying over sees him, a rescuer lowers down, but the pastor refused saying “God will save me.” Well, he died. In heaven, he said to God, “Don’t get it, I had faith you would save me and yet I died.” God said, “I sent the cops, 2 boats and a helicopter. What more do you want?”

Now that is a little stubborn. That is a great comparison to the Pharisees of the time of Jesus. He gave them opportunity after opportunity to do the right thing. To understand that He was there to save them. All they needed to do was get in the boat or on the helicopter, but they knew better.

When you read the words of Jesus, when you feel the Holy Spirit telling you to do something or not to do something and you ignore it or think that doesn’t apply to me, you are no different than the Pharisees of old or the drowned preacher.

God doesn’t just want you to “hear Him”. He wants you to obey Him. He loves you so much that when you are starting to get off track, He sends the Holy Spirit to guide you back on track. He gives you scripture. Paul is a great example for us. But he said, “follow me as I follow Christ.” If you read something in the bible that Paul said that you feel like is different than what Jesus said, do you think that he is really telling us something different or is a better option is that we misunderstood Paul. God does not contradict Himself. The bible doesn’t contradict but compliments itself.

Maybe we should stop being so stubborn? When we get rid of the hidden sin and stop being so stubborn, point 3 tells us to…

3. Let the Light shine.

Luke 8:16, Matthew 5:14-16

Rarely at our house, does Cheryl get up in the morning when I do. I usually am up way before daylight. During the week, I am up by 5. I get up without the light. I walk to the bathroom to take a shower and I usually don’t turn on the light over the sinks because I do not want to disturb Cheryl any more than I already do.

We have a night light in the hall and one by the door going into the garage and that is just enough light to get me to wear I need to go without turning on a bright light. The light isn’t a lot but it is enough.

Anyone ever been home in the evening, when the power is out? What is the first thing you do, after freaking out because you can’t charge your phone? You get a flashlight, light candles find some way to get light in the house, right. What happens if you don’t have a lighter or the batteries are dead in the flashlight, you probably find something else with the same size batteries to steal for a while.

What happens when the world is seeking the light, but those that are in the “Light” have let their batteries burn out? Or maybe you have allowed things to cover your light? You allow worry, or busyness, or stress muck up your lens. When people see us, they should see the light. Not light that we produce but the light Jesus produces in us and through us.

Like this mirror. If I shine a light on this mirror and it is covered with stress, worry, and the muck of sin, ain’t no light getting out. But if we allow Jesus to uncover, clean up our lives, then people will see Jesus in us.

Jesus said we are the light of the World. We should not allow that light to be covered or mucked up. We need to shine it, even when we don’t feel like it. Even when people are voting for the wrong person, or spewing hate at us. We must show that Light of Jesus to those around us.

How brightly is your light shining? Have you allowed life to muck up your life? Jesus said, “Come to me all who are tired and heavy laden (the load on your life is too much) and I will give you rest.” Let Jesus clean you up.

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.” 1 John 1:5 NLT

Light in a Dark World