The Urgent Need for Light
Caleb Hyers | The Resting Place Apostolic Family | Matthew 5:14-16
ANCHOR SCRIPTURE
Matthew 5:14-16. These are the words of Jesus:
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
THE WEIGHT OF IDENTITY
Today we are going to examine the glorious reality of what we have actually become in Christ. There is a weight to it. There is a profound difference between walking toward a light and becoming a light. There is a profound difference between following a light and being the light that somebody follows.
We are going to talk about the paradox of the day. We often think of darkness as a nighttime problem. But the Bible actually warns us of a darkness that is active in the day while the sun is up. We are going to look at how the day itself has become hostile to God’s design.
Then we are going to talk about the geography of grace — specifically our geography of what grace should be on us. Did you know that you are currently positioned as both a landmark for the world and a revelator for your home? A city on a hill and a lamp in a house. We will explore why being seated in heavenly places is useless if the switch has been flipped off.
We are going to talk about the price of exposure. There is a price to it. It costs something. Light is the most welcome thing in the world until it touches the one thing you are trying to keep in the dark. We have to answer the question: do we actually love the light, or do we just love the idea of the light?
And then all of this is going to lead us to understanding the undeniable life. There is a way of following Jesus that leaves the world without excuse. By the end of our time today, we will see why the most exhausting thing you can do is try to hide what was always meant to be seen.
There is a healthy burden here. It is Jesus’s burden. He says, “My burden is light. My yoke is easy. My burden is light.” But that does not mean there is no burden. The word translated “light” in that phrase is actually the Greek word for “easy.” You can manage the burden — the way it is easy to pick up a phone. And when he says “my yoke is easy,” that word is actually “light” — not heavy. So the words mirror each other. But there is still a burden. There is a burden to being called up to something. You have been called up to a standard. You have been called children of something.
Jesus saying to us in Matthew 5, “You are the light of the world,” is radical — because before he said that, he said it about himself. In John 8:12 he said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 1 tells us that in him was life, and he is the light of the world. The light shines in darkness. The darkness has not overcome it or understood it.
The point is that Jesus said he is that light. This is not about you improving yourself to be a better you, shining brightly through your own effort. This is about Jesus shining his life through you — and about us removing the hindrances from that. Because he does not say, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, they will follow the light or walk in the light.” No — he says they will have the light of life. Do you hear the difference? It is about having it on the inside.
So when we stand in our assignment to be the light, we are releasing Jesus into a world in need of life. There is a dead and dying world out there that needs life.
If you have been in church for a while, you might have heard following Jesus described as simply believing in Jesus, or simply acting right — getting yourself together, staying on the path, being disciplined. But that is not what following Jesus is meant to be. Following Jesus means walking the way he walked in order to give life away. It means being a source of life for others.
Light has purpose. You do not turn on a light and stare at the light bulb — that actually harms you. When the Bible says “arise and shine,” it is not to be seen. It is to show the way. It is to show the room. Here is safety. Here is how you can go.
First John 2:6 says: “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” Abide means to stay, to remain, to belong.
You might say, “Well, Jesus did it that way — I am not Jesus.” Nobody is confused about that. But that does not mean you are not supposed to release the light of the world everywhere you go. Sometimes we read the Gospels and think: wow — always communing with God, always seeing miracles, always speaking truth in love, always helping people walk in newness of life. That is amazing for Jesus. I will never be that.
That is actually the low bar of Christianity. Anyone who abides in him must walk the way that he walked.
That is the weight of our identity. You might have thought being saved was simply about having better days on the way to the day of the Lord — a better life down here while waiting for heaven. Friends, that is selfish. It is self-centered. It is a partial and incomplete gospel. The gospel is not just for you. The love of God is not just for you.
There is a weight to your identity, and we have to carry it.
THE PARADOX OF THE DAY
Why is the need for light urgent? Because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-17:
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
The Greek word for “evil” here is poneros — an adjective derived from a root meaning pain or laborious trouble. This word emphasizes the inevitable agonies and misery that always accompany evil. The day is pain-ridden. This adjective portrays what is morally corrupt, injurious, and actively hostile toward God’s design. This is not my opinion. This is the lexicon. This is a Bible dictionary. The days are actively hostile toward the desires of God.
It can describe a person, a generation, a thought, a deed, a spiritual power, or even a climactic day of intensified opposition. The term is never ethically neutral. It is the settled antithesis of divine goodness. It encapsulates every thought, act, person, spirit, or error set against God. Its 79 New Testament occurrences form a mosaic that clarifies the human predicament, magnifies the gospel’s rescue, and fortifies the church’s mission until the day when the Lamb annihilates all evil and ushers in unending righteousness.
This was written by Paul to the church in Ephesus years and years ago. And the days are still evil right now. Get on any social media. Turn on the news. Entire nations are on fire. There are things in our very backyard — horrible things.
But here is what I want you to see: the days are evil. It does not say the nights are evil. It says the days. What is the day? The day is the time where the light is supposed to shine. It is light time. It is daytime. And that daytime is pain-ridden and evil — morally corrupt, actively hostile to God.
So here is the question: how urgent is it for us to be the light, if the very time when light is supposed to be most evident is itself the problem?
We sometimes carry the mentality that tomorrow is going to be a better day. If the church rises up, it will be. We are the deciding factor in whether tomorrow is better than today. How urgent is this? If we are called to be the light in a pain-ridden, morally corrupt, actively hostile, settled-antithesis-of-divine-goodness world — day by day — are we shining?
THE GEOGRAPHY OF GRACE
Jesus speaks of two pictures: a city on a hill and a lamp in a house.
Let me say this plainly: we are supposed to stand out. You are supposed to stand out. Have you heard the term “silent witness”? I think that is garbage. I understand the intent of it, but the impact has pacified a Western church into shutting her light off and essentially saying, “Jesus, you do it. You are the light of the world.” We are supposed to be obvious to the world around us.
Matthew 5:14-15 in The Passion Translation says: “Your lives light up the world. For how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it is placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light.”
What does a city on a hill do? It becomes a landmark for travelers — like a lighthouse or a point of reference. It is a place people stop and ask, “How do I get from here to there?” The light from a city on a hill is not just for itself. The light is there because people inside the city need to see — but there is an amplification of that light because of its placement. It is high up. The light is not just for itself only. It is for those walking in the dark, looking for the way. A city on a hill also shows where the high places are.
The light of the city is a picture of shining for those who are outside the city walls. This is a picture of evangelistic burning — lighting yourself up so that people would see God.
Jesus said, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” But there is a presumption in that statement. Let me flip it: a city on a hill can be hidden. All you have to do is turn the lights off. What if that is a picture of the modern church?
We are seated in Christ in heavenly places. Heavenly places are high up. Psalm 24 asks who can ascend the hill of the Lord — clean hands, pure heart. The point is that no human can do it on their own. Jesus descended the hill of the Lord and took us up in the marriage carriage — the palanquin from Song of Solomon — because we could not go up ourselves. So stop attempting to ascend the hill of the Lord on your own. You have already been ascended. He took you up the hill.
And yet we are not always seen by the world as a place of refuge, or strength, or information, or help. Sometimes we are not even noticed or thought of. What is happening? The lights must be turned off. The shade must be pulled down.
We may be in the right position with our lights shut off. You and I may have influence in the lives of those around us and not be shining the light of life.
A Lamp in the House
What does a lamp in the house do? It reveals what is in the house. It exposes what the dark corners try to hide. But it provides light for everyone inside the house.
The city on a hill represents light for the stranger. The light in the house shines for those we know. Jesus is speaking of both. We are called to give light to the lost and dying world we do not know well, as well as to those in our very own household — your literal family, your church family, your close friends, your co-workers. We should be a source of life for those who are closest to us as well as those who are far off.
Whether to the stranger we meet or the family we love, our light should be impossible to ignore. And not because we are announcing it — I never needed a sign that the lights were on. When the light goes on, it is simply obvious. We are supposed to be supernatural. We should just shine.
THE PRICE OF EXPOSURE
Here is the difficulty with light: it exposes everything. When it is on, you see it all. Light does not choose — it does not show this and not that. It just shows. That is the difficulty with light.
John 3:19-21:
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Flip all the lights on and let the cockroaches scatter. Do not say, “Let’s shine a light just in this area.” Turn on all the light and see what is in here. All of it.
Not everyone welcomes the exposure of light. It is not always easy. It is often challenging. But we need to be those who love the light — even if it exposes darkness we are walking in. We have to be lovers of the light, even if and especially if it exposes darkness we are currently walking in.
Would you not rather be free? Would you not rather walk in freedom? Would you not rather have friends who are willing to tell you where you need the light? Would you not rather be released from the exhausting exercise of hiding?
I spent about ten years of my Christian life struggling with addiction, and I hid it. It was the most exhausting thing on the planet. When the Lord exposed it and brought me out of it — this was over twelve years ago — I felt so much lighter. It is so much better in the light. It is exhausting to hide. Exhausting.
We need to be those who love the light. Those who would rather have the freedom of it. If we are not that — if you are not that — you may be afraid of the light.
People say public speaking is one of the greatest fears on the planet. But it is not the act of speaking you are afraid of. It is public judgment. It is the act of being publicly judged. Being exposed. So you might be afraid of the light. I understand that.
But let’s be honest: you may not just be afraid of the light. You may hate the light. You may be loving darkness rather than light. If Jesus says it is possible, then friends, it is possible.
Niceness is not a fruit of the Spirit. Kindness is. Gentleness is. I am actually being very kind and very gentle with you. If I contrast the need out there to the way I am presenting this to you, this is very kind.
THE UNDENIABLE LIFE
There is an undeniable life available to all of us. Do you want that? You walk in, and they do not even notice you — but they see the Father.
The Bible is straightforward about being of the light.
First John 1:5-7: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaimed to you: that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Philippians 2:14-15: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
Ephesians 5:8-11: “At one time you were darkness.” Not in darkness — you were darkness. “But now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. For the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” How? By being the light. I do not believe in exposure ministry, but I believe in the light of exposure.
First Thessalonians 5:5: “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”
John 12:36: “While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light.”
Matthew 5:16 in The Passion Translation: “So do not hide your light. Let it shine brightly before others so that your commendable works will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.”
Here is the litmus test of light in your life: who is praising the Father because of you? What are their names? Are they real people? That is the litmus test. That is the standard.
Following Jesus rightly makes the Father’s goodness undeniable to everyone around you.
A Story About Shining
If you follow me on social media or have been around me for more than about two minutes in the last three months, you know I have been avidly rock climbing. I cannot stop talking about it, inviting everyone. One Sunday night I was at the gym. I felt like the Lord said, “Go.” Sunday nights are not usually a good time — it is family time. But I felt like the Lord said go, so I went. My wife also said go. When the Lord and your spouse agree, you should do that.
I was just climbing. And then it happened — it happens all the time — somebody just starts telling me about their whole life. They start sharing and they eventually say, “Oh, I’ve been talking too much.” Then they ask, “What do you do?” I say, “Guess.” No one ever guesses. This one time I talked to this guy, and after I told him I lead a church, he said, “I knew it.” I asked why. He said he had been at another gym, and God had told him to go rock climbing. He had never been rock climbing before in his life. He had been praying: God, show me someone who can help me know your ways. He said he had been there for four hours waiting to have a conversation with someone genuine.
We kept going. And now we are friends. And now I get to pour into his life. His life has changed because of that encounter. Others are praising the Father.
I am not bragging on myself. I am trying to be an example. Imitate me as I imitate Christ. Be ready and willing to just shine.
It is urgent. There is an urgent need for light.
Here is how I kind of look at the end of the age: it is not that the darkness is going to go away and there will only be light and goodness before the end. It is that the contrast will be greater. It will be very easy to tell who are sons of God and who are sons of the devil. That day is coming. The renewal of heaven and earth is on its way. In the meantime — why is it not obvious? Why is it not obvious?
We are not shining bright enough. A really dark room does not even need a lot of light. Just shine.
“I am not a pastor. I am not an evangelist.” You are the light of the world. Jesus said it.
I believe there are two camps here. You may be a child of light who needs to shine brighter. Or you may be a son of disobedience walking in darkness, and you just had some exposure to the light. No matter what camp you are in — what are you going to do about it?
To those who are found in Christ: I am not trying to make anyone doubt their salvation. If you have believed on Jesus for the redemption of your soul — if you believe he has forgiven you of all your sins — you are saved. I am not here to have anyone doubt their salvation experience. But I am speaking to those who have had that experience, because we are called to be children of light. Our lives should be impossible to ignore. And if our walk does not provoke those around us to glorify the Father, then we are suppressing the very light we have become.
Everyone has different measures of influence. Everyone has different assignments. We are all going to have different fruitfulness and effectiveness. It is not about measuring how many people glorify God because of one life versus another. It is: is anyone glorifying the Father at all? Just one would be a start. And then you will want to find another one, and another — and it becomes infectious. This light thing is actually attractive. Let’s not suppress the light we have become.
To those who are yet to believe in Jesus — listen closely. The light of Christ is impossible to ignore. Your attempts to hide will eventually fail one day. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess. It is going to happen.
If you are more concerned with concealing your darkness than you are with finding his mercy, then you are still loving the darkness that is currently destroying you. Stop. Jesus died to kill everything that was killing you. It is time to come out. Come out of darkness. Step into the light. Let the light do what it does. Let it expose what it needs to expose. It is better in the light.
Arise and shine. Your light has come.
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Transcript of a message delivered at The Resting Place Apostolic Family | Tampa Bay, FL | trpfamily.org