WEAPON OF THE LIGHT

Matthew portrays Christ as our King!!!

Matthew has 28 chapters, 1,071 verses, and 23,684 words

Prophetic Scripture:  Matthew 4:16 (KJV)  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

My message for the people of God today is WEAPON OF THE LIGHT!

Everywhere Jesus went, He brought light because He was “Light”!  Of course, not everyone loved the light He brought to people who had been sitting in darkness for such a long time.  Have you ever watched how people respond to the light after several hours in the dark?  Think of a time when you were asleep and someone flipped on the light. Your eyes needed time to adjust!  When God’s light shines where there has been a lot of darkness, there may be an initial adjustment period and some may try to hide or resist!

But in Jesus’ ministry, He continually kept bringing the light and eventually multitudes responded positively.

How many know in order for the whole armor of God to work defensively for us and be effective, we must first use the offensive part or the weapon of light in Romans 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

And the weapon of righteous spoken of in 2 Corinthians 6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.

What is Light?  In the Greek, it is pha’o, which is a symbol of intelligence!  It also means to shine, or make manifest, as in to give light or illumination, luminousness as “reaching the mind,” or to make appear.

What is illumination?  It means to give light, to make clear; to provide with understanding; spiritually or intellectually enlightened.  In Genesis 1:3 when God said, Let there be light, He was saying, “I am going to give them my light!  I am going to provide them with understanding!  I am going to cause them to become enlightened spiritually and intellectually”!  He was talking about “people” whom the darkness was on the face of  - not H2O (waters) but people!

Revelation 17:15  And he said unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

In other words, God was saying “let there be luminaries”.  A luminary is defined as a notable person; one who can enlighten mankind.  

There were people in Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, but they had fallen into a chaotic state.  

God was saying “I’m going to call them back.  I’m going to put my mind in them”, and He did!  He is doing the same thing with us now.  He is saying “Let there be happiness”!  Happiness is also a definition of “light”.

He is also saying “Let the knowledge, wisdom, dominion, authority, and power I had given my people return to my creation or creatures”.  God had manifested His creative power in Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  In Genesis 1:3  And God said, Let there be light!  “LET” as a verb means to allow; permit; propose; cause; assign.  In Genesis 1:3 God, Elohim, the Creator was allowing, permitting, giving the creation the assignment to be “re-stored” to its original form, prior to when the chaos [disorder; confusion; abyss; void; formlessness] set in!!!  Hallelujah!!!

Genesis 1:3  And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.

 

There were luminaries!  These were notable people who could enlighten mankind.  They included the morning stars and sons of God doing what God had them doing in Genesis 1:1 - ruling and reigning over the earth with dominion, authority and power which God had given them!

Again, what is “light”?  Light is the understanding principle [nature; premise; source] in the mind.  In divine order, it always comes first into consciousness.

As I said earlier light is a symbol of intelligence!  It’s also a symbol of wisdom!  When Jesus said, I am the light of the world (John 8:12), He meant that He was the expresser of Truth in all its aspects.  And as He is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17)!!

We are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14).  We are intelligence!!!  We are wisdom!!!  That means that wherever we go, we bring the light of God with us like Jesus did!  Why???  Because we are Light!  The “Light”, meaning the illumination of Spirit, is resident in the center of every man’s being.  Isn’t that good news?  That Light resides within YOU??  (1 Thessalonians 5:5) Ye are all the children (sons) of light, and the children of the day:  we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

So expect someone to respond to the light of God that is in you.  Don’t be discouraged if there is a period of shock or even resistance.  Just do what you do best—keep on shining!  

You are a “weapon of light”, and those who are living in darkness will begin to respond in a good way!

This is the magnificent [grand; splendid; awe-inspiring; noble; superb] light!  God has put His Light into the minds of His people.  1 Corinthians 2:16  But we have the mind of Christ!  Philippians 2:5-6  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.

God Himself remains the source and goal of all things, but He has chosen to make “Light” (knowledge, wisdom, intelligence) the power that wields the weapon of His Word.  Wield means to exercise (power, authority, influence, etc.), as in ruling or dominating.  As a verb, “to wield” means to use (a weapon, instrument, etc.) effectively; handle or employ actively.  This is why we need on the “whole armor” of God that’s spoken of in Ephesians 6:10-18, but those pieces of armor will not operate “effectively” without the “armor of light” mentioned in Romans 13:12  And let us put on the armour of light, and the “armor of righteousness” mentioned in 2 Corinthians 6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.

God Himself remains the source of that power, but He grants us the privilege and joy of being the instrument light to the ones in darkness and the privilege to use the “light” to deliver them out of the darkness!

Look people of God, we as Sons of God desire to “Mirror” (reflect) God!!!!  I believe all of you somewhere within your heart want to be the instruments of God's power to shed light.  The reason I am confident of this is that every one of you is created in God's image.  Each one of you was created to be a “conscious mirror” of God's image.  A “mirror” is a glass in which you can see yourself; any surface that reflects light!  A mirror reflects or gives true description; something to be imitated; a model; example; pattern.  You were created to consciously reflect God’s glory like a mirror of God's image.

Before sin entered the world, the Adam people were mirrors of His glory.  But the light was distorted by sin.  In a sense, the distortion was only slight, but it was the difference between day and night.  It is the difference between wanting to reflect His face and wanting to take His place.  The glory of a mirror is to put its face to the light and to let that light shine.  This is what mirrors are made for.  This is the deep longing of the heart, a conscious mirror of God.

But when sin enters in and its first manifestation is to make us discontent with being mirrors, then men (mankind) want to be their own source of light.  They begin to feel that mirrors are just glass with a thin black coating of tin and mercury.  Man suddenly became conscious of the fact that to be a good mirror, you have to turn whichever way the light moves. (The “True” Light)!

So they (mankind) chose to be their own source of light.  They turned their brilliant mirror-faces away from God, and now all they can do is block His light and cast a shadow across the world.  They want the world to revolve around their own interests.  (This is the way the “natural or carnal man” thinks)!  We want to decide for ourselves which way to turn our faces. (Speaking of the natural - carnal or flesh man).  We want people to esteem us and admire us and compliment us.  We don't like the thought of being a mirror which has no beauty except in the thing it reflects.  We don't like the idea of having to turn our face wherever the light wants to go.  We want to be our own light – speaking of self-gratification.  This comes with our fallen humanity. It is the very essence of sin.

But this universal experience of sin is Satan's distortion of something wonderful.  It is Satan’s way of trying to destroy the marvelous light in God’s people.  And the wonderful thing is the pure and righteous longing to be used by God to reflect His glory in the world.

It's not wrong to want to be significant.  It's wrong to want your significance to reside in yourself instead of in the one you reflect!  It's not wrong to want to be important.  It's wrong to want your importance to be in yourself instead of the one you reflect!  It's not even wrong to boast, but Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9).

Concealed deep beneath our pride and our craving for esteem and our love of power and influence is a good thing that has been distorted, namely, the longing to be a mirror of God.  To be a mirror of God is the highest honor to which a creature can aspire.  And the most ludicrous sight in the world is a created mirror turning away from the light of God and then trying on its own to make a little spark to brighten the shadow it casts on the world!

What I have been trying to show is that each of you, if not consciously, at least subconsciously wants to be a conscious mirror of God to enhance light to someone in darkness.  That is, you want to have a significant place in the purposes of God.  You want to be God’s instrument in accomplishing something worthwhile.  To have the significance and the importance of reflecting the glory of God, we must constantly pray.  Because prayer is the way we mirror God.  

Ephesians 6:18-19  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints……that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.

A mirror faces away from itself to its source of light so that it might have some use in the world, and prayer faces away from itself toward God so that it might be of some use in the world.

A mirror is designed to receive light and channel it for the good of others, and prayer is designed to receive grace and channel it for the good of others.

The value of a mirror is not in itself, but in its potential to let something else be seen!  And the value of prayer is not in itself, but in its potential to let the power and beauty of God be seen!

A mirror is utterly dependent on the source of light from outside itself, and prayer is the posture of the kneeling vessel, utterly dependent on the resources and kindness of the Heavenly Father!

So praying is the way we mirror God!

And since we are in the image of God, and since we have a deep desire to be a mirror of God, then it is also true that buried somewhere in your subconscious is the longing to be a person of fervent and effective prayer.

Here are some Scriptures that may shed some light on this armor:

John 12:36

While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Ephesians 5:8-14

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Colossians 1:12

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light

1 Thessalonians 5:5

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

The word “day” means to be tamed.  We have become domesticated, manageable, or calm.  If an animal is not domesticated, it is considered wild.  We have become domesticated or tamed by the Holy Ghost!  We have become broken (also a meaning of tamed); to be subdued; to be meek; to be gentle; to be humble.  1 Peter 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

1 John 1:7; 2:10

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

So people of God…….God said that He will make you this day a weapon of light against the darkness of this hour.  Rise up and act as the light and expect the darkness and evil that would come near you to dispel.

Dear Lord,

I thank you for making me a “weapon of light”!  I will let my light shine through my actions, character, words, and attitude!

As people see me, let them see YOU, Lord.  I have faith that someone will respond to Your Light inside of me and receive a touch from YOU that will change them forever!

In the Matchless Name of Jesus The Christ, Amen!  

~ Evangelist Jackie Burton