LIGHT FOR DARKNESS
Objects
some old fashioned lanterns
battery operated lantern
a Bible
______________
I
have this morning a number of lanterns, boys and girls. Some of you have
never seen objects like this, huh? Want to handle them. (pass them around)
Take this one. It requires oil on the inside and also needs a wick. See
it?
It is rather old as you can tell.
Now this one is what we call battery operated. Certainly more common. It gives off a lot of light because of this reflector around the bulb. Lanterns are very important, especially if you are out in the woods camping or just taking a walk. When it gets dark, well, that is the place for a lantern.
In camping our family has used lanterns and found them very helpful to guide and direct us. There was one camping place that had some treacherous places we had to walk and having the light helped us be safe. The lantern also helped in keeping clear of briars, branches and stones that we might trip over.
Now all lanterns are not good or helpful. Take this one, for instance. It does not even operate, so it would not do any good to have it. These other lanterns not only had to be bought, but once purchased they must be filled with oil. If they are not filled, they are no good.
Now, boys and girls. According to the Bible, you have been bought with a price. Jesus paid a very high price. He paid with His life. He purchased us with His blood and now we need to be filled with His spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 reads, "...be filled with the Holy Spirit and controlled
by
Him."
1 Corinthians 6:20, "For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God because He own it."
In the lanterns, which require oil for burning, the wick is very important. It has to be trimmed and the globe has to be kept clean. So, we have to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and washed white so we can really perform, as God would have us perform.
We are told to shine as lights in the world.
Also, did you know boys and girls that the Bible has been compared to this lantern? How so? In one hand I hold the Bible and in the other hand I hold a lantern. The Bible tells us in Psalm 119:105 that the Bible or the Word "is a lamp unto my feet" Now watch this, boys and girls. I take this lantern and I will place it in front of myself as I walk back and forth. Now pretending this is nighttime, it would show me the path, right?
Now, watch this. I take this Bible and place it in front of me. I hold it before me. It guides me and directs me along my life's path. The message in the Bible is the light we all need to guide us. I hope that as you grow up you will always use your Bible. It will keep you from falling.
