Sunday Sermon Summary – Feb 08 2026

Shine for Jesus 

Matthew 5: 13 – 20

In our Gospel reading this Sunday we read the passage about Jesus calling His followers to shine. 

1. Commission 

Matthew 5: 14

Jesus said that we are the light of the world.  In John 8:12 Jesus said that He is the light of the world.  Our Lord was speaking to only eleven of His disciples just before His ascension and He told them to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.  This was a global vision for the disciples.  Jesus desires that all His followers must have a global vision. He wants us to be the light of the world as He is.  We call this the Great Commission of Christ. The early apostles had such a vision and they spread out in different directions as the Lord led them, and to our blessing the apostle Thomas came to India and preached the Gospel in the southern states of India. 

2. Conviction 

Matthew 5: 14

In the same verse Jesus also said that we should be like a city that is on a hill.  Such a city will not be hidden in the community.  From a world view our Lord spoke about our community.  The Church of St. Bede has been a light in its neighbourhood for over a century.  The people around us must know what we stand for. We must preach the full gospel to our community. We must have a conviction to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ.  Receiving salvation is the most critical part of our lives.  The Bible speaks about heaven and great rejoicing.  It also teaches us about hell and eternal damnation. So we, the followers of our Lord must be faithful to our community. 

3.  Compassion 

Matthew 5: 15

In verse fifteen our Lord narrowed it down to the home. He said that we must shine like a lamp in a house. The lamp must not be kept under a basket it must be placed where it can give light to everyone in the house.  Our Lord calls everyone to shine in our home that people will see our good works and glorify God. Every home must be a shining light for Jesus.  In verse 20 Jesus warned that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.  The Lord will always help us to shine for Him if we are willing to yield to Him. We must be ready to forgive one another and to support each other in our homes; then such righteousness will reflect when we come to church. 

May our Lord help us to shine for Him in the world, in our community and in our homes.  Amen