Shine As Lights In The World

(part 1)

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." Philippians 2:12-16

God wants Christians to understand the importance of their role in the world. He is working out His Will through us. We are the sons and daughters of God living in the middle of a crooked and perverse nation. God has something to say to this world and He's saying it through us!

Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi because the light they were shining in their world was not as bright as it could or should be. Unlike some of the other churches Paul wrote, the Philippians were not encumbered with sexual sins or falling into the trap of Judaizers. However, they were experiencing something just as dangerous as any of the sins of that day; they were losing their family unity.

Paul addressed this powerfully when he reminded them that they shined as lights in the world. Paul used the Greek word phainesthe to describe the Philippian Christians. It's in the passive voice and means "are seen, appear." Believers living in Philippi (and everywhere else for that matter) appear to unsaved people as "lights in the world." The word lights is the word phosteres. It means "luminary, star, heavenly light." Christians appear as "stars" to the unsaved in the world. The Apostles Paul and John each used the word one time in their letters. John used phosteres in Revelation 21:11 to describe the Light that lights the New Jerusalem. John learned that Light is Jesus Christ. The same Light that will light the Holy City of Heaven is the same Light the unsaved see in Christians!

The Philippian Christians were seen as "lights" in the midst of a "crooked and perverse generation." That's a description of people living in the 1st Century A.D. - crooked and perverse (perverted, distorted, twisted). Are we any better 2,000 years later? I don't think so. The human heart has been crooked and twisted since Adam plunged the race into sin thousands of years ago. Christians today continue to appear as lights in a crooked and perverse generation.

We're going to ask and answer four extremely important questions for Christians in this study: (1) Why Do We Shine? (2) Who Do We Shine? (3) Where Do We Shine? (4) How Do We Shine? The study is designed for you to print these pages to add to a notebook. You can write your answers to each point and use it as a guide in your life and ministry. I promise you that the right answer to these questions will revolutionize your life and empower the Church in a way the world has not seen for a long time. We also invite you to share this study with Christian friends. Ask God to lead you to lead others to the greatest experience of our life on earth: Shining as Lights in the World!

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Why Do We Shine?

The FACT is that Christians "shine as lights in this world." But why? Why do we shine? We shine because of something that happened "to" us and "in" us. Here's what happened!

We Are Known! 

Read these verses and think about what they tell you about God. Print this page and write your thoughts about what you learn from each verse on the lines below.

(All Scripture New King James Version)

Exodus 33:17 says "So the LORD said to Moses, 'I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."

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Psalm 1:6 - "For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish."

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Psalm 44:21-22 "For He knows the secrets of the heart."

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Psalm 69:5 "O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You."

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Psalm 94:11 "The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile."

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Psalm 103:13-14 "As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame;  He remembers that we are dust."

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Psalm 139:1-5 "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before,  And laid Your hand upon me."

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Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

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Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings."  

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Luke 16:15-16 "And He said to them, 'You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."

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John 2:23-25 "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man."

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John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own."

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John 18:4 "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, 'Whom are you seeking?"

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Romans 8:27 "Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

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Galatians 4:9 "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?"

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2 Timothy 2:19 "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

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1 John 3:20 "For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things."

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Revelation 2:2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.”

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Wow! The Eternal God of Heaven knows you by name. The same God Who created the heavens and the earth knows your name - first, middle and last! The same God Who walked with Adam in the Garden of Eden knows you personally. The same God Who told Noah to build an ark that would save the human race from destruction knows your coming and going. The same God Who called Abram to become the father of the nation of Israel knows who you are and what you go through every day of your life. The God Who used Moses to demonstrate His power over every god the Egyptians worshipped, is the same God Who knows you by name. The God

The FACT that God KNOWS me is one of the greatest blessings of my life. I'm just one of almost 7-billion people alive on the planet Earth at this moment. I'm just one of billions more who have lived in the past and will live in the future. I'm one person on a tiny planet in a tiny solar system in a tiny galaxy of solar systems in the giant universe. Yet, God knows me by my name!

We Are Loved!

Here's another amazing FACT. God knows us and LOVES us! God knows that we were born into sin. He knows our faults. He knows the mistakes we've made. He knows the bad things we think. And He STILL LOVES US! That is the most amazing TRUTH I've ever heard in my life: God knows me and loves me.

Use the lines below to write what God teaches you about each verse:

Deuteronomy 7:8 ". . . but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

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Deuteronomy 23:5 "Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you."

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2 Chronicles 2:11 "Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them."

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Psalm 11:7 "For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright."

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Proverbs 3:12 "For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights."

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Mark 10:2 "Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."

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John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

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John 11:5 "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus."

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John 11:35-36 "Jesus Wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!"

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John 13:1 "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end."

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John 13:23 "Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved."

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John 15:9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love."

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John 16:27 ". . . for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God."

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2 Corinthians 13:14 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."

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2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work."

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Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives."

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1 John 4:9-10 "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

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Revelation 1:5 ". . . and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.  To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood . . . "

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We Are Forgiven!

How amazing is that! God knows us, loves us and FORGIVES us. The God of Heaven forgives us all our sins. How long will that last? Write your thoughts about each verse to see what God says about the wonderful gift of His forgiveness.

Leviticus 6:7 "So the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any one of these things that he may have done in which he trespasses."

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Psalm 32:1 "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered."

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Psalm 85:2 "You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah"

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Psalm 86:5 "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,  And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You."

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Psalm 99:8 "You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds."

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Psalm 130:4 "But there is forgiveness with You,  That You may be feared."  

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Jeremiah 31:34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."  

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Daniel 9:9 "To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him."

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Matthew 9:4-6 "But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'—then He said to the paralytic, 'Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

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Acts 5:31 "Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins."

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Acts 13:38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins."

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Acts 26:18 ". . . to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."

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Ephesians 1:7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

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Colossians 1:14 ". . . in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

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Colossians 2:13-14 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

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1 John 2:12 "I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake."

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We Are Blessed!

God's knowing us, loving us, and forgiving us all our sins is just the beginning of the many BLESSINGS He has for us. Write your thoughts from these verses about the many ways God has blessed His people in the past and how He's blessing you now.

Genesis 1:22 "And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

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Genesis 12:3 "I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

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Genesis 39:5 "So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field."

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Deuteronomy 2:7 "For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing."

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Psalm 1:1 "Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful."

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Psalm 2:12 "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,  And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him."

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Psalm 40:4 "Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies."

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Psalm 84:4-5 "Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage."

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Psalm 106:3 "Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times!"

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Psalm 112:1-2 "Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed."

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Psalm 119:1-2 "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!"

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Psalm 128:1 "Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways."

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Matthew 5:1-12 "And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

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Romans 4:7-8 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin."

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Ephesians 1:3-6 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. "

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What a joy we have in Jesus Christ! We are KNOWN, LOVED, FORGIVEN, and BLESSED! We are the most fortunate of all people in the world that God knows us, loves us, forgives us, and blesses us with every spiritual blessing!

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Who Do We Shine?

We SHINE because of what God has done in our lives. The unsaved world sees that we shine. We appear to them as "lights in the world." But here's an important question: Who do we shine? Do people see us or someone or something else? Read the verses below and write your answers on the lines below each verse. This will help you understand "Who" we shine and why that matters.

Genesis 1:3-5

"Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day."

[Q – What is this “light” on the first day of Creation? The sun, stars and moon were not created until the fourth day.]

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[Q – Why did God call the light good?]

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[Q – Why did God divide the light from the darkness?]

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Genesis 1:14-17

"Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good."

[Q – Who created the sun, moon and stars? Who gives them power to give light day and night for generations and generations?]

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Psalm 18:27-29

"For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks. For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall."

[Q – How does God light your lamp and enlighten your darkness?]

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Psalm 27:1

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?"

[Q – How is the Lord your light and salvation?]

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[Q – How is He your strength?]

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Psalm 36:9

"For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light."

[Q – How can we see light in God’s Light?]

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Psalm 119:130

"The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple."

[Q – How does God’s Word give us light?]

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Matthew 5:14-16

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

[Q – How can believers be the “light” of the world?]

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[Q – Why would you put a light on a lampstand instead of under a basket?]

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[Q – Why would Jesus connect good works with your light shining before men?]

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Luke 2:30-32

"For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."

[Q- How does Christ bring revelation to the Gentiles?]

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[Q – How will Christ bring glory to Israel?]

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Matthew 17:1-3

"Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him."

[Q - What did the disciples see when they went up on a high mountain with Jesus?]

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[Q - What does it teach us about our Savior and Lord?]

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John 1:1-9

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world."

[How is Jesus the life and the light of men?]

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[How does His light shine in the darkness?]

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[Why didn’t darkness comprehend the light of Christ?]

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[How does Jesus give light to every man?]

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John 3:18-21

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

[Q – How did the light of Christ bring condemnation into the world?]

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[Q – Why do people love darkness rather than light?]

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[Q – What does truth have to do with the light?]

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John 8:12

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

[Q – How is Jesus the light of the world?]

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[Why don’t believers walk in darkness?]

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[Q - How can a believer have the light of life?]

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John 12:46

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."

[Q – How did Jesus come as a light into the world?]

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[Q – How can believers not abide in darkness?]

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2 Corinthians 4:3-5

"But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake."

[Q – Who is the god of this age?]

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[Q – How has he blinded the minds of those who are perishing?]

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[Q – What is the light of the Gospel?]

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[Q – Why is the light of the Gospel connected to the glory of God?]

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[Q – How does the light of the Gospel shine on those who are perishing?]

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Ephesians 5:8-14

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."

[Q – How were Christians once darkness?]

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[Q – How are Christians now light in the Lord?]

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[Q – How do Christians walk as children of light?]

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[Q – How does our life expose darkness?]

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Philippians 2:14-16

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."

[Q – How do Christians shine as lights in the world?]

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Colossians 1:9-14

"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

[Q – How did God qualify us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light?]

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[Q – What does it mean to be saints in the light?]

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[Q – How did God deliver us from the power of darkness and “convey”usinto Christ’s Kingdom?]

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1 Thessalonians 5:4-6

"But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober."

[Q – What does it mean that we are sons of light and of the day?]

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[Q – Why should be watch and be sober?]

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1 Timothy 6:15-16

"He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen."

[Q – What is “unapproachable” light?]

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[Q – Why does God dwell there?]

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James 1:17

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

[Q – Why does James call God the Father of Lights?]

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[Q – What does it man to you that there is no variation or shadow of turning with God?]

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1 Peter 2:9-10

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."

[Q – How did God call His people out of darkness?]

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[Q – What is God’s “marvelous light”?]

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1 John 1:5-7

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

[Q – What does it mean that God is light?]

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[Q – Where did darkness come from?]

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Revelation 21:10-12, 22-24

"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel . . . But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it."

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We "shine" Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God! That's Who the world sees when they see us. We "appear" to them as "lights in the world" because the Life of Jesus Christ is shining in and through us. What a blessing! What a joy!

In part two of our study, we'll ask two more important questions: Where Do We Shine and How Do We Shine? The answers you discover in God's Word will give you great insight into what's next for your life.

(Please click here to continue to your study!)

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