“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

(Matthew 5:16)

How is your light?

Is it all aglow?

Or has it burned out?

Has it never been lit?

You have to light it before it will shine.

And, once you light it, you must let it shine.

You light it by becoming a child of God.

Three things are necessary to let it shine.

How to Let Your Light Shine

• Keep your faith growing• Without faith, it is

impossible to please God.– “But without faith it is

impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Keep Your FaithGrowing

• It is possible for one’s faith to grow “exceedingly.”

– “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

Keep Your FaithGrowing

• The apostles asked Jesus to “increase” their faith.

– “And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’” (Luke 17:5)

– Surely, we can ask Him to increase ours!

Keep Your FaithGrowing

• It is necessary to study God’s word.

– “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

– “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Keep Your HopeGlowing

• Hope is desire, plus expectation.– “For we know that the whole creation

groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” (Romans 8:22-25)

Keep Your HopeGlowing

• Hope causes us to rejoice.– “Be kindly affectionate to one

another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.. (Romans 12:10-13)

• We are “heirs according to the “hope of eternal life.”– “But when the kindness and the

love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit…” (Titus 3:4,5)

Keep Your HopeGlowing

• We are “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”– “Whom He poured out on us

abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:6,7)

Keep Your HopeGlowing

• We are “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”– “Blessed be the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Keep Your HopeGlowing

• Set your hope on the Lord’s return.– “Therefore gird up the loins of your

mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

Keep Your HopeGlowing

• Love fulfills the law.– “Owe no one anything

except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. ” (Romans 13:8)

Keep Your HopeFlowing

• Love fulfills the law.– “For the commandments, ‘You

shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. ” (Romans 13:9,10)

Keep Your HopeFlowing

• Love the brethren.– “Since you have purified

your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.” (1 Peter 1:22)

Keep Your HopeFlowing

• Love the brethren.– “And above all things have

fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

Keep Your HopeFlowing

• Love is indispensable.– “Though I speak with the

tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal...” (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Keep Your HopeFlowing

• Love is indispensable.– “And though I have the gift

of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing...” (1 Corinthians 13:2)

Keep Your HopeFlowing

• Love is indispensable.– “And though I bestow all my

goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:3)

Keep Your HopeFlowing

• Love is indispensable.– “Love suffers long and is

kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.” (1 Corinthians 13:4,5)

Keep Your HopeFlowing

• Love is indispensable.– “Does not rejoice in iniquity,

but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:6,7)

Keep Your HopeFlowing

How to Let Your Light Shine

• Is your faith growing?

• Is your hope glowing?

• Is your love flowing?

• If not, then your light is not aglow…

• It has either gone out— or never been lit.

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