Jesus Is My Sunshine
Author: Josué Mora PeñaThe purpose of this sermon is to help us examine ourselves to make sure that as God’s children, we are the light of the world.
Introduction: Between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the birth of Christ, there are 400 years. Some call this period of time “the silent years,” others just refer to them as “Between the Two Testaments.” They were years of silent all right, there were no prophets who would say: “Thus sayest the Lord.” No dreams, visions, no manifestations from God. In other words the Israelites did not hear the voice of God during those 400 years. That’s a lot of years, especially for a nation who was accustomed to hear the word of God. During those years, they lived in total darkness. Those who live in darkness, tend to forget that there is a God. Those who live in the light are aware of God.
The prophet Isaiah, who lived about 700 years before the birth of Christ, described this period among the people of Israel in chapter 9, verse 2, saying, “The people who walked in darkness will see a great light; those who live in dark land, the light will shine on them.” And Paul says to the Ephesians in chapter 5, verse 8, “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” What about us? Are we walking in the light of God?
In order for us to walk in the light and not in darkness, we have to know the real Light (with Capital L)=meaning Christ Jesus. He is my Sunshine, my only Sunshine and so He is yours since the moment you gave your life to Him. We read in Psalms 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my light; whom shall I dread?” Those who walk in darkness is as if a blind person tries to guide or lead another one who cannot see either. Both will fall. But the Bible tells us that we are the light of the world. I think that some Christians don’t to turn on their light in the morning when they wake up. And they live in darkness, and probably they don’t even know it. Some have a foot in the church and the other one in the world. The Bible tells us that we cannot serve God and the world.
How do we know if we live in the light and not in darkness? Listen to what John says in his first epistle in chapter 1:5-7, “And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there’s no darkness at all...If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;...but if we walk in the light as He himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
The key word here is “fellowship.” Do we have fellowship with God? Do we get up in the morning and our first thought is toward God? Or is it the smell of coffee? What kind of communion do we have with God? Do we pray to Him and thank Him for the new day? Do we read our Bible on a daily basis? C Austin Miles wrote, “And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.” It is good to know that God walks with us and talks with us but, do we “walk with Him and talk with Him”? Of course we do if He is our Sunshine, we not only walk with Him and talk with Him but we shine because He told us in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.” Remember the children’s song we sang when we were little? “This little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine?
You see, light and darkness don’t mix. They don’t go together. If a person is not walking in the light of Christ, he or she is walking in darkness. There was a conversation between the cave and the sun. The cave was always complaining that she lived in total darkness. The sun could not believe her. The cave finally told him, Why don’t you come in and see for yourself. So the sun visited the cave and as soon as he entered, there was lots of sunshine and light. Why? Because where there is light it cannot be darkness. They are like positive and negative poles. They reject each other. And so it is with you and me. You either are walking in the light or in darkness.
To walk in darkness means to be in rebellion with God, to reject Jesus as the only Way to Heaven, to do one’s will, to ignore God’s Gift to the world—Jesus Christ. If a person walks in darkness he or she is always falling, stumbling, trying to please God with his/her “good works.” They have no peace, no joy and the rest of the fruit of the Spirit that we read about in Galatians 5:19-21. And the end result will be eternal damnation. Eternal darkness, separated from God.
The Bible tells us about a Hell who God made for the devil and his angels. Jesus says in Mathew 25:41, “Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (See also Luke 10:18 [words of Jesus Christ]).Those who live in darkness will end up in that horrible place if they don’t repent of their sins.
Conclusion: Let me finish with this true illustration. David Roper, writer in the “Our Daily Bread” devotional says, “Because I am a writer, occasionally a friend will say to me, ‘I want to write a book some day.’ That’s a good goal. And I hope that one day you do write a book. But it is better to be one than to write one.” And he is right. Our lives are like a book. And it is not closed, it is open. People read us. I wonder what they read in our lives because, you see, people become what they read. Make sure, beloved, that you are walking in the light. The life that you rescue with your book (life), may be the life of one your own family. May God richly bless you and yours.
Pastor Mora
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And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 