Let the Light In

Have you ever driven East early in the morning—before the sun hits the horizon—and everything seems clear?

Your windshield looks clean. No problems. No distractions.

But then, the sun breaks over the hill—and suddenly, you’re blinded. Not just by the sunlight—but by everything it reveals.

Every smudge. Every streak. Every fingerprint and film of dust that was invisible in the shade is now lit up like a spotlight. And you realize… before, you weren’t seeing clearly at all.

Church, God’s Word is like that morning light.

It doesn’t just inform us—it exposes us. It reveals what we’ve grown used to. Things we thought were small, hidden, or harmless—until the light of truth hits them head-on.

The author of Hebrews writes:

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit… discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

That means Scripture doesn’t just give us information. It does surgery. It doesn’t just show us what we’ve done—it lays bare why we did it.

That’s what happens when people submit to God’s Word. What people?

Jesus answers that in John 8 when He says:

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

That’s the mark of a Christian. We don’t just “see” Scripture. Scripture sees us.

It names our hidden motives.

It calls out our bitterness.

It confronts our pride.

It interrupts our excuses.

It uncovers the secret idols we’ve been hiding. 

And yet—here’s the good news: conviction is not condemnation.

Romans 8:1 reminds us:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Meaning the light is not to shame us—but to change us.

Just like sunlight reveals the dirty windshield, God’s Word brings our sin into the open so we can bring it to the cross.

The psalmist says:

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

 And once that lamp is shining, it’s not meant to be hidden.

Jesus said it like this in Matthew 5:

“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 other words, when God’s light shines into us by His grace, it is meant to shine through us by His Spirit.

John 1:4 says that in Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And it will not overcome it.

Yet still, there are people in this room right now with the light of Christ in them—who continue to put their lamp under a basket.

Maybe because of something in your past, or maybe because of something that you’re struggling with right now, or any other countless reason why the enemy has you feeling like the light in you is just to dim to share.

Friends, God didn’t awaken your heart just to keep you safe—He called you out of darkness to display His glory. That’s incredible.

So, the question is: have you let the light in so that it shines through you?

Have you opened the Word this week—and let it open you?

Have you allowed the Spirit to speak through Scripture and put His finger on something uncomfortable?

Are we allowing the preached Word to expose us so we could be clean?

Or have we stayed in the shadows—choosing the comfort of spiritual sleepiness? If that’s us, Paul says: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise!”

When anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.