He Has Left The Light One

“And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.” Exodus 24:17

hen I was asked to preach, on short notice let me say, I was not sure what I was going to speak on. I wrestled with using the sermon I had preached the previous week at another church. It seemed to make sense until I began asking myself a few questions. Let me ask one question that I asked myself. Do you like leftover food? Personally, I think that food often tastes better the second or even the third day. After that, however, I wouldn't want to eat it?

That was my dilemma. I didn’t want to give stale food, the Word of God, because I would not eat it myself. I know what you are thinking, I could have easily pulled out one of my old sermons and know one would have known the difference. However, I would have known. And, as much as I am there to deliver a message to this congregation, I was also delivering a message to myself. I must also be blessed. Therefore, I struggle over what to preach.

When I gave up my struggle to find what to preach, it came to me and I delivered fresh food.

During the month of August 2003, we were conducting a crusade in Brooklyn, New York. We were just moving into our second week and things were going great. The area that we were working was unbelievable. It seemed to good to be true; everyone was receptive to our invitation to come out to the tent. The only problem that we had was one Catholic lady who insisted that she was going to close us down and not allow the light to shine there.

She tried everything to get us thrown out. In-fact, one Sunday morning, at about 10:30AM, she called the mayor’s office complained that we were disturbing the entire place and no one could hear because we were so loud. She said that we had started early in the morning and were now create far too much noise. Almost simultaneously, several other calls came into mayor’s office as well.

Instantly, the major’s office called the local police department, who had issued the permit in the first place, and they dispatched a policy captain in charge of community affairs to the tent site. At about 11:15AM or there about, a tall dark gentleman walked under the tent and found four of us discussing our plans for later on that afternoon. He told us what had been going on and said not to worry because he had been watching us and knew that we were not creating any noise. In fact, he said the boys at the local precinct had enjoyed the music as they listened each night. He further to told us, that all the call that came in supposedly from the neighbors were from the same lady pretending to be someone else.

Anyway, on Wednesday, August 13, after having a meeting with some of the team members, we decided to bring in some additional help so that we could cover more territory. The next day, I drove into the Bronx to pickup two additional workers. I picked up the first one at about 4:20PM and drove down the street to get the second individual who lived just two blocks away. As I left the second workers house and drove down the street, the car in front of me would not move. After what seemed like an eternity, I notice that the traffic light wasn’t working, so I drove around him and got on the highway.

We talked about what we had to accomplish that day as we drove to Brooklyn. When we arrived, however, the streets were in chaos, cars were everywhere and sirens where sounding and the noise of horns blasting was just maddening. We heard someone saying something about a blackout so we turn on the radio only to discover that it was true. A Blackout had hit City.

My first thought was to head to the closet gas station, because I was running on empty and had planned to fill up once in Brooklyn, but then it hit me, the puts are electric and sure enough the were. We were stuck in Brooklyn on empty.

We said a little prayer in the car and heading back to the Bronx; coasting as much as possible to reserve gas. Once we made it to the Triboro Bridge, we felt a little more at ease, figuring that we could walk from that point, if necessary. Anyway, I made it to the exit for the Bible Workers and apologized for not taking them to their doors, but they understood the problem. So I turned the car around and headed to my house, all the while saying a silent prayer.

As I got to my street and turn to go up the hill to my house, I heard the awful sound of a knocking in the engine as the car began to jerk. But it was to late. God had blessed! Victory was achieved. I was home. As I parked the car, it ran out of gas.

Not wasting any time, I ran into the house and went down into the basement. I did not change my cloth, but just began to dig through all my things. I got out my tools, searched for a flashlight and began to work as fast as possible before the sun went down. Just as I finished gathering all the things I needed and putting everything in place, darkness came. And within half of an hour, it was pitch black.

As I looked around, I could not believe how black it was. You could not see anything and being in the city did not help the situation, because the pollution hinder much of the light from the stars and the moon.

You see -- I came home to put together my generator and I had finished just as the sun went down. I had my children go from neighbor to neighbor asking if they wanted us to put anything into our freeze or refrigerator, because we had power.

And all night, while the rest of my neighborhood was in darkness, there was light in my house, at the crest of the hill.

So it is in our world today. It is filled with darkness, but Jesus turns to you and me as say, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14-16).

Today, I want to talk about the source of light, the light that was left in this dark and dying world and the result of walking by that light. It is my hope to show that this light has never gone out and only those who walk by It, reflect It, will be able to stand in it when It come with all Its glory and majesty.

Light has ever been a symbol of the God’s divine presence. In the very beginning, when God came He said, “Let there be light” as evidence that He had come. Then when sin entered the world, “He [God] placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 1:3, 3:24).

Let's must look at what God did. He wanted to make sure that the Adam and Eve could find Him. That regardless of what had happened, they could find their way home. So he placed Angels, not just ordinary ones, but those who stood closest to his throne, Cherubims, at the gate. He placed a light between them, which scripture described as a “flaming sword.” The Seventh-day Adventist commentary says that the phrase “a flaming sword” is an inexact translation of the Hebrew, which literally means, “a glittering of the sword.” There was no literal sword guarding the gate of Paradise. There was, rather, what appeared to be the scintillating reflection of light from a sword “turned every way” with great rapidity—flashing shafts of light radiating from an intensely brilliant center.

Ezekiel would describe the same thing as he described the throne of God. He said he saw “living creatures” that surrounded the throne whose “appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps… and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.” (Eze. 1:13, 14). Above that he saw the likeness of a throne, as a sapphire stone: and upon it the likeness of a man. From His center (lions), the color of amber radiating upward and downward, and all around … This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face. (Eze. 1:26-28). This radiant, living light was none other than the Shekinah glory, the manifestation of the divine presence of God and He sat between the cherubims. King David said, “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved,” (Ps. 91:1).

So we can conclude that God had come down and stayed between the Cherubims at the gate, to ensure that His people would not be lost. He was the light of the lost world then, He is the light of the lost world today.

One writer said, “The Garden of Eden remained upon the earth long after man had become an outcast from its pleasant paths … At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise the divine glory was revealed. Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 62.

Light was there, guiding them, their only hope of salvation. That light would come to us in the form of Jesus, who gives light to every man was comes into the world, (see John 1:9, NIV).

In Messianic prophecy, Jesus is referred to as “a great light” (Isa. 9:2), and as the “Sun of righteousness” (Mal. 4:2). John refers to Him as “the light of men” (ch. 1:4–9). Jesus, as he came toward the close of His earthly ministry, referred to Himself as “the light of the world” (see on John 8:12; 9:5).

He is that shining light which guards the way to Paradise! He is the Light for us today.

That brings me to the next part, because Jesus has returned to heaven. So the question must be asked, is that light still shining on earth today? The answer comes back a resounding yes! For Jesus said, “Ye are!” And the Greek term for “Ye are” is emphatic. It means there is no doubt about it. Most definitely so! You are that light! Oh yes the light of truth comes from Jesus (John 1:4), but when it comes into our life, and changes you, it becomes your light. This is Paul says, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). The idea that Paul wants to convey is that we are not only “in the light” but we were light—by virtue of our union with Christ, who is Himself the light, we become lights to those all around us. Therefore Jesus says that we should "Let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

You see, we are not suppose to be mere reflectors of the light for there are times when the source of the light cannot be seen. However, if we become the light, it is always there to shine. Jesus comes to us, to change us for good. We are to remain in Him even when He is apparently away. Remember He said, “I will come again.” This is why Jesus said, “Let your light so shine” and Paul says, “walk as children of light.”

Let me ask a question, does the moon have light? The answer depends of whether you count reflected light and the time of day in which I ask.

By itself, the moon has no light, but as long as it stands in the path of the sunrays, it can reflect that light. However, if the earth stands between the rays of sunlight and the moon, then the moon has no light. This is called a lunar eclipse. This is because the moon shines only by reflecting the light of the sun. This is the danger of just reflecting light.

Many Christian don’t understand this. As a result, they live their lives as reflectors only, shining just on Sabbath mornings and when the pastor is around. However, during the week, you would never know that they are Christians. Jesus warns us that it is possible to have a light that wasn’t from God. He said, “Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness” (Luke 11:35). And Paul says there is a type of Christian who has the "form of godliness but denies the power thereof.” This power was to come and change us into permanent lights for God. He further warns us to “stay away” from those false lights.

Now I don’t want to dwell on these false light to much, but I had to let you know that not all-apparent light comes form God. There is a false light and that light is based on “self sufficiency” or the belief that you can do it all by yourself. The Pharisees thought that they could be those lights, by just doing good works and keeping the law. But that light can only be attained from God.

Anyway, let us consider the story of Joseph for a moment. He was the soul source of true light in Egypt. He was the church, the pastor, the elder, the deacon and the member. If he did wrong, only he would have known. There were no other members to bring him before a church board. But he understood himself to be light, not just a reflector of it. He understood that as light, he had no choice by to shine at all tines.

Christ's followers are to be more than a light in the midst of men. They are the light of the world. Jesus says to all who have named His name, You have given yourselves to Me, and I have given you to the world as My representatives. As the Father had sent Him into the world, so, He declares, "have I also sent them into the world." John 17:18 … Jesus did not bid the disciples, "Strive to make your light shine;" He said, "Let it shine." If Christ is dwelling in the heart, it is impossible to conceal the light of His presence. If those who profess to be followers of Christ are not the light of the world, it is because the vital power has left them; if they have no light to give, it is because they have no connection with the Source of light. -- Thoughts for the Mount of Blessings, pp. 40, 41.

Jesus did not come to make a reflector of light; rather He came to change the Christian from being “sometimes darkness” into “light.” He said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Therefore, the Christian, having accepted Jesus as the light of the world, becomes not just a reflector of that light but part of the very light itself.

Isaiah the prophet said, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (Isaiah 60:1–3).

The light of truth comes most definitely come from heaven. Has it illuminates you life? Have it changed you from "darkness" into "light?"

My friends, “Arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Eph 5:14). For we are those lights left behind to point others to Christ.

Result of walking in the light

Before we can find out the result of walking in the light, we must fully understand what it means to walk in the light.

Boldness when Jesus returns, the ability to see the face of God, you’ll get to Sign the song of Moses and the Lamb and See the Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem.

I want to take us to the Sinai as we close. Here it was that the order had been given that no one should touch the mountain. Everything must be in its proper place, for God Himself was coming to the mountaintop. Everything was made ready and Moses when to mean Him and scripture says, “And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.¹⁸And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights” Exodus 24:17, 18.

Jesus is about to come back and only those who have walked in His light and had fellowship with Him will be able to bear the brightness of His come and walk into His glory as Moses did. They will find protection and shelter under the shadow of His wings, but unto those who walk according to the prince of this world, they will find Him to be a devouring fire. Who shall destroy them “with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thess. 2:8)

Let me tell you about the “blind Boys of Alabama”

They have been singing gospel music since 1939. Promoters asked them to make the switch over to rock ‘n’ roll like many traditional gospel singers of their day. Men like Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, but they resisted.

They said, “We made a vow that we would not deviate from our calling.” “We were going to stick to gospel no matter what. The money might have looked all right, but we wasn’t thinking about that.” “We are looking for that eternity, that life eternal.” “That’s the main thing that we were looking at. And rock 'n' roll couldn’t give us that. After all that money’s gone, where is your soul?”

As I said when I open, I was here to talk about the source of light, which is Jesus, the light of the world. To talk about the light that was left behind in this dark and dying world, which is you and me. We are to be those lights and those who are lost are to see God in us. I wanted to talk about the result of walking by that light, which is heaven.

My friends, the light of God has never gone out. It shines as bright today as it did in days of old. Will you be lights for Him? Will you shine so that others can find their way?

Jesus is about to come. Will you have the boldness to look up and say, “This is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isa. 25:9

[1]Nichol, Francis D., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 1978.

[2]Nichol, Francis D., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 1978.

[3]Nichol, Francis D., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 1978.