Luke 11:33-36 The Eye, The lamp of the Body

WE saw in our study last time where the Religious leaders were unwilling to believe that Jesus was really the Messiah – declared

SHOW US A SIGN –

  1. To which Jesus responded – An evil & Adulterous Gen. Seeks for a sign / the only sign that I will give is that of JONAH
  2. Sign of the REZ. / Matt. Just as Jonah was 3 days & 3 nights in the belly of the fish …….. in the heart of the earth!
  3. A SIGN FOR ALL TIMES – SIGN FOR EVERY GEN. – EMPTY TOMB !!!!!

 

So w/ that as our Background we now read where Jesus declares v.33

  1. "No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
  1. Now In John 8:12 Jesus declared that I am the light of the world.

He is the Lamp shinning for the world to see !!!!

B) The REZ. IS THE LAMPSTAND UPON WHICH – HE SHINES

C) Now the Purpose of a light is to shine brightly/ not to be hidden

1) It is to be like a Light house – pointing the way to the shore / to safety/

to all who are stuck in the boats of their lives / caught in the storm of life

  1. So Jesus is the Light house shinning brightly on the shore – for all to see / that all should see – but the fact of the matter is many don’t see why ?
  1. Answer is simple they don’t want to see

 

John 3: 19 "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. 20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

21 "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
  1. Those who are in the dark spiritually are there by their own Choice – because they don’t want their evil deeds exposed
  1. They don’t want to have to admit that they are sinners / so they ignore the light continue to wander in their sin.

When castle-like prison- the Bastille, in Paris, was about to be destroyed in 1789, a convict was brought out who had been confined in one of its gloomy cells for many years. But instead of joyfully welcoming his liberty, he begged to be taken back.

It had been such a long time since he had seen the sunshine that his eyes could not endure its brightness. His only desire was to die in the murky dungeon where he had been a captive.

In the same way, some men continue to reject the Savior until they eventually become so hardened in their sin that they prefer the dark ways of eternal death.

 

But when a person comes to Christ – they become a recipient of the Light / they not only see the light they have the light / Christ lives there

  1. It is a transforming picture that takes place in their heart

    2. An artist once made a sketch of a wintry twilight. The trees were laden with snow; and a dreary-looking house, lonely and desolate, stood in the midst of a field. It was a bleak and depressing picture.

    Then the artist took some yellow chalk and with a few quick strokes put a light in one window of that home. The effect was almost magical. The entire scene was transformed

    That is a good example of what takes place in the heart of the person who truly Believes that Jesus is the light / Light comes in !!!

    A) And we as believers are responsible to pass it on to others

  2. We do that in 2 ways – One is by sharing the light w/ others by telling them about the resurrection / Empty tomb / The LIGHT
  1. Jesus who loves them & died for them !
  1. the other is by BEING A LIGHT – Shinning in this dark world

D) See although Jesus declared that He was the Light of the world in John 8

He also said that we BELIEVERS are the light … world in Matt.5

Matt. 5: 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

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

You are a light – a city on a hill – Let it shine

  1. Question is what kind of Light are you going to be –

B) Christmas light – little flicker / secret agent – Agent 99

1) 150 Watt Bulb - good strong light / or a flood light / grand opening

lights

C)What Kind of light describes you ? I am a Christian & I want all the

world to Know it !

  1. Now here is what is interesting about our lights - A Christian LIGHT is like the moon- Moon shines in the night – NO LIGHT IN ITSELF
  1. It’s light is merely a reflection of the Sun
  1. So too w/ us / NO LIGHT IN US / The Light that we portray is merely a reflection of Jesus the SON – shinning his light in us

Now what causes the Moon light to diminish ?

  1. It happens when the earth this world comes between the moon & the Sun

    2. Creates a ½ moon ¼ moon / sliver

  2. When the world comes between the Sun & the Moon it blocks the Suns light so that there is no reflection –
  1. Happens totally – what we call an Eclipse – the Light is totally blacked out
  1. The Same is true in the Life of the Believer – what causes our light to diminish – it is when the World comes between us & the SON – JC
  1. Begin to Diminish / not shinning as bright & pretty soon the Light is not even seen !!!!

 

Now how does the World come between me & the Lord – Jesus explains one way in v. 34

"The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.

  1. "Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.

The eye has been called the gateway to the Soul & Jesus is stating here that our ability to shine is tied to what we see

  1. WHEN THE EYE IS GOOD – OR SINGLE & FOCUSED / SINGLE VISION ON JESUS – then the body is full of light
  1. But when the eye is bad / not focused or distorted the whole body is

affected

  1. Now the Apostle JOHN in 1JN ch. 2:16 warned about the WANDERING OF THE EYE - Watch out for the LUST OF THE EYES

C) One eye on Jesus but w/ the other eye you are looking over here

    1. DOUBLE VISION
  1. Watch out for that it leads to Fuzziness/ darkness & sickness

 

Several weeks ago at the Golf tourney - 1st round – 1st 9 playing great

9th whole –pushed out my contact – couldn’t get back in

  1. Played rest of the day w/ one contact in – clear in one eye blurry in the

    2. other - did horrible

  2. WATCH OUT FOR DOUBLE VISION – Run fixing eyes on Jesus
  1. Don’t be looking over your shoulder – looking to the side
  1. leads to fuzziness & Darkness - ASK SAMSON / Judges 16

 

You guys Know His story – Name actually means – SUNNY

  1. Guy who had a bright Career for a while / He was a Powerful man who was Known in Israel / & By her ENEMIES

B) But then SAMASON’S EYE BECAME DIVIDED

    1. he was no longer focused on the Lord & the Calling that God gave to him

C)But instead his eyes wandered over to the camp of the Philistines where he

saw a woman named DELILAH - Lusted after her.

  1. Began to spend a great deal of time w/ her. You know story
  1. Her deal w/ his enemies – TELL ME THE SECRET OF STRENGTH
  1. 7 Fresh Bow strings / Samson the Phil. Are upon you

NOTHING HAPPENED

E) DELILAH RESPONDED V.10 Samson, "Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with."

11 So he said to her, "If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

 

12 Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread.

  1. Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with." And he said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom"; ( Fasten w/ a Pin)

Note this now he is getting closer – the truth / his hair /

  1. I think when you 1ST read this you wonder was Samson Just a Block head All BRAWN no BRAINS
  1. – How many times does Delilah need to ask before HE gets idea

THIS CHICK REALLY DOESN’T LIKE ME

  1. I don’t think the answer is that Samson was a big Muscle bound dummy
  1. No this is a great example of the Blinding affects of Sin / and the DANGER OF PRIDE !!!
  1. Sin & compromise distort your perception to see things clearly & it limits your ability to make RATIONAL DECISIONS

    2. 1) Compromise causes your vision to become Distorted

  2. So over this period of Samson was lulled into a state of not seeing the Danger of the situation He was flirting w/
  1. and I also believe THAT HIS PRIDE– caused him to think that he was beyond being affected –

 

  1. It will never HAPPEN TO ME SYNDROME – THIS WON’T AFFECT

ME I AM TOO STRONG !!!!!! I’M SAMSON

14 So she wove it tightly & fastened it w/ a Pin , and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the Pin and the web from the loom. 15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies."

16 And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death,

  1. that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart." So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.

  1. Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.

V. 20 is one of the Saddest Verses in all of the Bible !!!

20 And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
  1. Saddest Picture this great warrior wandering out to conquer the enemy like he has so many times in the past – not realizing he is now alone
  1. his strength & power are gone – because the Lord was no longer w/ him

B) SOBERING PICTURE

Now V. 21 gives us a Powerful description of what the Lust of the eyes will do to you – affect of that sin

  1. What can happen if you take your eyes off of Jesus & allow your eyes

to wander

V.21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, BLIND YOU and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him BIND YOU with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. GRIND YOU

  1. What a pathetic sight Samson had become – so sad – Blind/ eyes poked out / bound – chained to a mill stone / Grinding like an ANIMAL
  2. That is what sin does – it can start w/ the Lust of the eyes – for that REASON – be careful – realize that the eye is the Lamp of the body
  3. If eye is Focused – the whole body will be focused / But if the Eye is Divided the Body will be divided
  1. WATCH What YOU TAKE IN W/ THE EYES

the eye is the gate way to the soul –

  1. What watch you see – watch out for what you look at –

 

For me personally – I have to take this verse literally – I don’t want anything to deaden my SHINNING

  1. I don’t want to harp – don’t want to condemn – I don’ think we can honestly consider this verse w/ out considering TV & MOVIES

    2. B) What are you allowing to come into your home via – T. V. / videos / Movies / Internet ? What eye seeing

  2. L.A. times great section – explains movies why rated what they are

Consider – a few

 

T.V. a few episodes of some popular shows

 

This shouldn’t surprise us – when consider Statistics

Hollywood really is different from the rest of the country. A survey of 104 top television writers and executives found that their attitudes toward moral and religious questions aren't shared by their audience.

Believe adultery is wrong

Hollywood 49% Everyone else 85%

Have no religious affiliation

Hollywood 45% Everyone else 4%

Believe homosexual acts are wrong

Hollywood 20% Everyone else 76%

Believe in a woman's right to an abortion

Hollywood 97% Everyone else 59%

-- Newsweek, 7-20-92, p. 55.