Matthew 5:14-16: “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.” (ESV – all emphasis is mine.)
The state I grew up in had the shores of four of the five Great Lakes. I had the opportunity of visiting lighthouses on three of those lakes, and was impressed with their size. There were no elevators to go from the ground to the top level, so climbing stairs was necessary. Being a whole lot younger, that task was not too difficult, but it definitely took effort to get to the top. These enormous structures are responsible for giving guidance to the operators of numerous vessels of all sizes, and to direct them away from near-shore hazards that could cause real problems and possibly even cause a vessel to sink.
One thing that was obvious; the lighthouse had to be working to be of any use. Our Savior is our Lighthouse, that is, our constant source of guidance and truth, offering us a path away from darkness. He is with us 24/7.
This was His comment to us in John 8:12: “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.” In Psalm 119:105, we’re told about the Father: “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.”
The true Bible – the versions taken from the original sources – is definitely a “Lighthouse” for all who choose to read God’s word. Just prior to reading from Scripture every day, it helps me to ask the Father to open my mind to what He wants me to learn from that reading. I also ask Him to show me how to apply His word to my daily life.
It’s understandable that anyone unfamiliar with Scripture might have issues as to its reliability. Satan goes out of his way to make us believe that the Holy Word is fantasy (1 Corinthians 1:18). He’s done the same ever since Genesis 3:1 by saying, “Did God actually say…?” His goal is to cause confusion, and he has not stopped even up to today. The problem is, his tactic still works on many people.
Satan and his demons (fallen angels – Revelation 12:4) know what their ultimate outcome will be. Being a pure source of evil, he wants to pull as many souls away from our Savior as possible. Jesus stated their outcome in Matthew 25:41: “Then He will say to those on the left, depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Unlike humans, Satan and his fallen angels have no pathway to forgiveness. After all, they had been in the presence of our Heavenly Father, yet they chose to turn against Him.
Revelation 19:20 gives the fate of the ultimate antichrist and his false prophet; Revelation 20:10 is Satan’s final fate; and Revelation 20:11-15 is the Great White Throne Judgment. All who will be at this final judgment will be cast into the lake of fire with Satan forever. There will be no pardons or limited sentences there. It will be for all who were out of the will of God prior to Calvary, and for all who took their last breath on this earth after Calvary to the end without Jesus as their Savior.
Satan tries his best to get us to turn away from our Savior. He uses guilt trips to try and make us feel as if we’ve sinned so badly that we could not possibly be forgiven. However, only one sin is presently in the unforgivable category, and that’s to die without having Jesus as your Savior.
John gives us God’s promise in 1 John 1:8-10: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
It would not be a good idea to call our Heavenly Father a liar. We need to remember He already knows our every thought and action. The fact that He’s willing to forgive us because He knows we’re imperfect is a true blessing in itself.
He sent a special part of Himself to this evil world to become the only blood sacrifice He could ever accept. Our Jesus freely gave Himself to be that sacrifice on a cruel cross at Calvary. When He arose from the dead, He conquered sin and death for all who truly will receive and accept Him.
He is absolutely our “Lighthouse.” In 1970, Ronny Hinson wrote a song called “The Lighthouse,” and it is an inspirational tribute to our Beloved Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ.
1.) There’s a Lighthouse on a hillside that overlooks life’s sea. When I’m tossed, it sends out a light, a light that I might see. And the Light that shines in darkness now will safely lead me Home. If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse, my ship would sail no more.
Ref) And I thank God for the Lighthouse; I owe my life to Him, for Jesus is the Lighthouse, and from the rocks of sin, He has shown the light around me, that I might clearly see. If it weren’t for the Lighthouse, tell me, where would this ship be?
2.) Everybody who lives around me says tear that Lighthouse down. For the big ships don’t sail this way anymore; ain’t no use of it standing around. But then my mind goes back to the stormy night, when just in time, I saw the Light, yes, the Light from that old Lighthouse, that stands up there on the hill. (Ref x 2)
If you haven’t received Jesus as your Savior and accepted His free gift of eternal life with Him, now would be a good time to do so. We are not guaranteed another day here, as the “twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52) could happen any second now.
With the coming seven-year tribulation, events on this earth will be far worse than has ever been experienced so far. Having Jesus as your Savior will guarantee that you will not be here for all that horrible mess.
The process to have Jesus as your Savior is not hard, even though some may try to make it so. First, Admit that you’re a sinner, as we all are (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23), and we cannot save ourselves. Second, Believe that Jesus came to this earth in human form, and was the only person to have lived a sinless life. His sin-free shed blood at Calvary is the only sacrifice our Heavenly Father could ever accept, and that one sacrifice was sufficient to cover all past, present, and future sins. Finally, Call out to the Savior to forgive you, and to provide a forever Home with Him in Heaven. These are commonly known as the “A-B-Cs” of Salvation.
The only difficult part is to believe this is all true. It’s a promise from our Creator, who cannot, nor will not, lie (Titus 1:2).
Today would not be too soon; tomorrow could be too late. Have the assurance that no matter when the Rapture takes place, you will be with those rising up to meet our Jesus in the air, and to be with Him forever.
Hope to see you there!