Title: PASS IT ON!

Focus: Pass on the light of Christ.

Function: To move the people to do three things in order to pass on the light of Christ.

Text: Matthew 4:12-25

When I was 10 years old, I had a special job. Every evening I had to take an empty plastic bucket to our neighbor down the road in the countryside. He was a farmer and milked his cows in the morning and in the evening. This farmer supplied our family with milk every day—a plastic bucket full of milk. I did not mind doing my job, but it was a different story in the wintertime.

You see, in the wintertime it gets dark early. And darkness in the countryside means dark—pitch dark. And that’s when I got scared at times. You know what I would do then? It may sound silly to you now, but I would whistle in the dark. Somehow, hearing myself whistle in the dark would keep me from being scared in the dark. Whenever my parents allowed me to take a flashlight with me, however, I was not afraid. I did not whistle, because I had some light and I could see where I was going.

When I think about it, we all need light. My brother grows flowers in greenhouses. You know when the plants and flowers grow the slowest? I learned from my brother that the months of November through February are the slow growth months for flowers. You know why? There is not enough sunlight for the plants and flowers to grow quickly. The more sunlight, the more growth! The darker the days, the less flowers plants produce! We need light to flourish.

That’s true not only for plants but also for people. Some of us struggle with “light deprivation” during the months of November through February. Those months are “dog days”—days that you have the blues. You find yourself dragging a bit, and sometimes depression sets in. We need light to flourish.

Imagine what would happen to our world, if there were no sunlight anymore. The world would become unlivable—a dark, cold, bitter place, where human life is not possible. The world needs light. That’s for sure. That’s why I want us to pay attention to the Scripture reading for this morning. For there we notice that Jesus is the light of the world. And we learn that we are to pass on the light of Jesus, so that others may see this Jesus and flourish in his light.

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The Scripture tells us that Jesus turns on the light in the area of Zebulun and Napthali. Here’s how it happened:

John the Baptizer had been preaching a message of repentance, saying that the kingdom of God is near. In that process, John made a lot of enemies. King Herod was one of them. Herod put John in prison.

Funny thing happens! Jesus takes his cue from John’s imprisonment, and Jesus decides to make a move. He moves from Nazareth and travels to Capernaum, where he sets up “headquarters” (so to speak). There Jesus picks up where John left off: Just as John called for repentance and spoke of the coming of God’s reign, so Jesus calls for us making U—turns and getting ready to yield to the influence of God’s rule in the world.

Now Capernaum is in the region called Galilee. That region includes areas such as Naphtali and Zebulun. That entire area is populated with Gentiles—people who do not live under the umbrella of God’s covenant: they don’t bother with the Law of God; they don’t pay attention to the worship of Israel’s God; they are not marked by circumcision. They are citizens of the Roman and Greek world; they are Gentiles who happen to live in Palestine.

Already in the days of Isaiah, there were Gentiles coming to and living in this region of Zebulin and Napthali. In fact, when the Assyrians invaded the Northern Kingdom of Israel (more than 700 years before Christ came), they deported many Jews from this region and they send in many Gentiles to populate this region. That exile marked a very dark period in the days of Isaiah.

Isaiah, however, preached a message of hope. He spoke about the coming of the Messiah. Looking ahead with the eyes of prophecy and inspired by the Spirit of God, Isaiah said that light would come to the region of Galilee. And that light would make all the difference. Listen: “Land of Zebulun and land of Napthali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” All of this goes to show that Jesus “turns on the lights in Zebulun and Napthali.”

Of course, I’m using a figure of speech. So we must ask the question, what does it mean to live in darkness? What does it mean to live in the “shadow of death”? It means to live a life where God is absent; where the will of God is ignored; where sin and rebellion reign; where you do your own thing and live as if you are god yourself.

To live in darkness means to live on the edge of despair; it means to go through life with little hope; it means to deal with misery and death and having no recourse to strength and hope and good news. To live in darkness means to whistle a lot—not to express joy, but to cast out fear.

Listen: Is God absent in your life? Are you on the brink of despair? Can you face the future with hope? Is your step light because there’s joy and music in your heart, or is there a heaviness of heart, a cloud of despair surrounding you? Turn to Jesus! He is the light of the world! He turned on the lights in Zebulun and Naphtali; He is eager to do the same for you and me today.

Look at Jesus. He preaches a word of hope: The rule of God is coming! “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” And along with his preaching, the Lord Jesus gives signs from heaven—signs that point to God’s powerful rule at work wherever Jesus spreads his light. Signs such as healing the sick, relieving pain, exorcising demons, making the lame walk again, and even raising some from the dead. All of these signs bring hope and renewal and life to the people. These are signs that the light of God has come. Clearly, Jesus turns on the light of heaven in the region of Galilee.

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Now the Scriptures tell us that the response of the people in Galilee is enormous. Large crowds come to Jesus; and many people become fans of Jesus. They think highly of him. There are some—such as Peter, Andrew, James and John—who decide to become Jesus’ followers. They learn to pass on the light of Christ. They learn to share with others the good news of Jesus.

Now, you Cadets, have also heard that message the last few months. “Pass it on!” is the Cadet theme for this year. I hope that you will not make the mistake that so many make: you know the mistake of passing on the light and loosing the light in the process. (I will illustrate this)

Here’s what must happen for anyone of us to pass on the light of Christ.

Number One: We must be drawn to Christ. We must see the light. You cannot pass on the light if you have not seen the light. And in order to be drawn to the light, you must recognize your own darkness, your own sin; your own hopeless situation apart from Jesus. Once we recognize that we cannot escape the misery of sin, Satan, and death, we are ready to seek salvation somewhere else. We must turn to the light. Jesus is the light. Have you seen Jesus

Number Two: We must absorb the light of Jesus.

Take note of his work:

His death

His resurrection

His ascension/lordship

His abiding presence today

Absorb means that we must believe on him. An active faith, that leads to U—turns in our lives; that leads to change and transformation. Are you absorbing the work of Jesus? Do you believe on him and trust him with all your heart?

Number Three: we must reflect the light of Jesus. How? If we give the light away, there is no light left. No, the light of Jesus must burn within us. Jesus must abide with us, remain in us, and work through us. Only in that way, can we pass on the light.

That means: that we reflect Jesus’ mind and character;

--In loving one another

--In serving one another.

Stop whistling in the dark. Turn to Jesus. He is the light of the world.

Turn to him

Believe on him

Reflect him

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.