Joel Osteen - Shining Brightly (05/01/2018)
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In this sermon, Joel Osteen teaches that Christians are called to be the light of the world by living lives of excellence, joy, and kindness, especially in dark places, drawing from Matthew 5:14–16 and other scriptures, emphasizing that our actions speak louder than words and ultimately lead others to desire what we have in Christ.
Your Life Is Your Message
I want to talk to you today about «Shining brightly». How you live your life is sending a message to those around you. More than your words, more than what you say, people are watching how you live, how you respond to adversity, how you treat others, how consistent you are. When you go out each day with a smile on your face, you are kind, you are in a good mood, you are always doing things for others, that is one of the ways our actions speak much louder than our words.
I’ve heard it said, «Preach at all times. Use words only when necessary». Your life is your message, and the scripture tells us we have the power to be a witness. It does not say to witness, to preach a sermon, to straighten people out, to tell them what they are doing wrong. No, the real power is to be a witness. When people see you living a life of excellence and integrity, day in and day out you are happy, friendly, good-natured, that has a greater impact than if we quote scriptures all day long and come to church every time the doors are open, keep our praise music on.
But if you complain about the boss, get upset because of the traffic, play politics to get ahead, your example will override anything that you say. Parents, we can tell our children, «Be kind, be respectful». But if they see us being disrespectful, not treating people right, it will go in one ear and out the other. The power is in what you do. Most people are not reading their Bibles, they are reading your life.
Being the Light of the World
They may never listen to a minister, they may never come to church, but they are watching how you live. We should have so much joy, so much peace, we should be so kind, so generous, so good-natured that people want what we have. That is what it means to be the light of the world.
We come to church each week to get our batteries charged, to get filled back up, to be encouraged, to grow, to learn. But our real assignment begins when we leave this auditorium. There is already plenty of light in here. We have faith, we are expecting good things. Our light is not very effective around other light.
It is like this little boy whose father bought him a new flashlight. He was outside on a bright, sunny day, and he turned it on, shined it around, could not see anything. He said, «Daddy, it does not work, something is wrong». Dad said, «No, son, it is fine. It was not designed to work in the light, it was made to work in the darkness. That is when you will see what it can really do.»
Shining in Dark Places
And too often we complain about the darkness. «I do not like this job. These people are so negative. Nobody has a good attitude». Let me ask you, why do you think God put you there? They do not need more light in the bright places, that is an opportunity for you to shine. I have heard it said you can either be a thermometer and just measure the temperature, become like everyone else, or you can be a thermostat and change the temperature.
When you hear people complaining about the company, do not join in, «Yeah, it is really bad around here». Be a thermostat. Turn it around. «Things may not be perfect, but I am grateful that I have a job. I am thankful that I can come to work each day». You are the light of the world. Do not add to the darkness, turn your light on. It works best in the dark places.
When you are around negative influences, gossiping, complaining, people playing politics, do not turn it off, do not hide it. Realize that is what your light was designed for. Let it shine brightly. The scripture talks about wives that have husbands that are not believers. It says, «Do not try to win them over with your speech. Your godly life will speak to them better than any words. They will be won over by watching how you live».
Winning Others Through Actions
In other words, you do not have to preach to people. You do not have to try to straighten them out, «Hey, you need to have a better attitude. You need to have a new perspective». No, just be happy. Be friendly. Be a person of excellence. That is how you let your light shine, with your actions, not just with your words.
Everybody is discouraged, but you have got a spring in your step. You are in a good mood. Everybody is slacking off, but you are giving it your best. Everybody is upset at the company because they have to work late, but you are just the same, happy in the good times, happy in the tough times. That is letting your light shine brightly.
My father told how when he was a young man, this one church where he went to minister was so dead. Nobody clapped, nobody sang, nobody responded. He thought, «God, what am I doing here? These people do not want to be in church. They certainly do not want to listen to me, it is dead». He heard God say right down in here, «Son, why do you think I sent you there? They do not need more light where it is already bright. I sent you to stir them up. I sent you to be a thermostat, to ignite that spark, that flame that is on the inside».
God Places Us Purposefully
God will send us into dark places so we can make a difference, so our light will shine brightly. Quit complaining about the family you married into. «God, these in-laws, these outlaws, this mother-in-law, God, they get on my nerves». You are not there by accident. God has you there on purpose. He is counting on you to brighten it up.
Now, do not add to the darkness, do not make it worse, be a light. Do the right thing even when the wrong thing is happening. Be respectful even when they are disrespectful. Keep a good attitude even when you feel like being sour. Stay on the high road. They need your light. «Well, Joel, I am so dreading going to my family reunion this year. My relatives are so sarcastic. They make fun of me because I will not party with them. They give me a hard time because I go to church. I do not feel like putting up with it».
No, have a new perspective. That is an opportunity for you to shine. It is easy to shine around everybody that loves you, everybody that celebrates you and thinks like you. The problem is your light is not nearly effective around those people because it is already so bright. The darker the situation, the brighter your light will shine.
Responding to Negativity
You do not have to try to change their minds. You do not have to tell them everything they are doing wrong. All you have got to do is be happy. When they make fun of you, just laugh and let it bounce off. When they are sarcastic, just smile and move forward. No big deal, do not let it affect you. People push buttons expecting to get a certain response. I will say this and they will get upset. I will leave them out and they will get their feelings hurt. I will be disrespectful and they will argue, they will be rude.
Do not fall into that trap. Turn your buttons off. Let them push all they want, just keep being kind. Keep being respectful. Stay on the high road. Love never fails. Light will always overcome darkness. It may not happen this year or even next year, but at some point they will come to the place where they get tired of living negative, defeated, sarcastic, and they will think, «You know what? I want what they have. I want that joy. I want that peace. I want that spirit of excellence».
Your example, more than your words, will be what influences them. Do not complain about that neighborhood you are in. «God, these neighbors, these people, they are involved in things they should not be involved in. They curse. They are disrespectful. They do not take care of their property». That is why God has you there. It is dark. He is counting on you to turn on the light.
Instead of complaining, while God has you there, pray, «God, help my light to shine with greater intensity. God, help me to be a greater influence. Let your love, your kindness, your mercy be seen in everything that I do».
David and Saul: An Example of Integrity
In the scripture, David worked for King Saul, and Saul became jealous of David and tried to kill him. One day, David was playing the harp for Saul, trying to make him feel better, and Saul threw a spear, barely missed David. He took off running for his life, and Saul ended up chasing David through the wilderness, making his life miserable.
What is interesting is David never complained about Saul. He never said, «God, why is this man trying to kill me? This is not right. I have not done anything wrong». No, David just kept doing the right thing, letting his light shine. One night, while David was on the run, he saw Saul and his men asleep in the desert. This was David’s big opportunity to put an end to it. He could have killed Saul easily once and for all, been done with it, and nobody would have faulted him.
But David would not do it. He knew Saul had been anointed to be the king. He said, «God, I am not going to touch your anointed, I am going to let you fight my battles». When Saul woke up and realized what had happened, that David could have easily killed him, Saul said, «David, you are a better man than me». He was ashamed and went back home.
The Power of Consistent Witness
This did not happen because of David’s words, because of something that he said. «Come on, Saul, I am a good person. I am not going to harm you, leave me alone». No, David let his actions do the talking. He became a witness. People believe a sermon that they see more than a sermon that they hear. Quit trying to pray away the darkness and just start being a brighter light. Do it consistently.
People do not change overnight. Saul chased David for a long time, month after month, year after year. David stayed on the high road. God eventually vindicated him, he became the king. There may be people in your life that you have to let your light shine year after year. You have to be willing to invest in them. Keep doing the right thing even when it seems like it is not making a difference.
Keep being respectful even though they are giving you the cold shoulder. Your consistency, being a witness day in and day out, then just like Saul, that is going to cause one day that light to overtake the darkness.
Jesus as Friend of Sinners
Think about when Jesus was on the earth. He did not spend all of his time in the temples, in the synagogues, in the churches, in the safe places. He did not only associate with people that believed in him, people that celebrated who he was. He went to the people that were not on the right track. The tax collectors, he went to the fishermen, they were rough and used bad language. He went to the people that had failed morally, he showed them mercy, was kind to them. He was called a friend of sinners.
The religious people did not like it. They criticized Jesus because they thought that he was associating with what they considered to be the wrong kind of people. They did not understand this principle that light is the most effective in dark places, and because Jesus let his light shine, many of those sinners became believers.
But sometimes we think, «God, keep me away from anyone that is struggling with a bad habit, an addiction, an anger issue. God, do not make me have to deal with that person that is dishonest, not faithful in a relationship. Keep me away from the darkness». But Jesus showed just the opposite. He said, «It is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy».
Being Kind to Those in Need
God will bring people across your path that need your light. Do not have a holier-than-thou attitude, thinking, «I cannot be contaminated. He uses bad language. She is kind of loose. He does not have integrity». No, you have got the light. God is counting on you to make a difference. You do not have to become best friends with them. I am not saying to spend all your time with them, but you can be kind, you can show them that you care, you can be a positive influence in their life.
That is what a minister friend of mine did. This young lady that cut his hair, she was a good person, but she had some issues. She was struggling with addictions, and she had been in and out of a bunch of relationships, and now she was living with another boyfriend, and when he came in to get his haircut, she was very uncomfortable because she knew there were some things in her life that were not right.
Him being a minister, she was certain that he was going to judge her and give her a sermon, tell her everything that she was doing wrong, but he did not do that. He was just kind, friendly, likeable, and when he left that first day, she was so relieved. I found most people already know what they are doing wrong.
Small Acts of Kindness Matter
You do not have to tell the man, «You need to break this addiction. You need to get out of that toxic relationship. You need to start being more honest». You do not have to convict people of their sin. That is not your job, that is what the Holy Spirit does. Our job is to love people, to let our light shine, to be good to them.
My friend noticed that this young lady, the hairdresser, she liked a certain kind of coffee, and before he would come get his haircut, he would always stop by and bring her that cup of coffee, just being kind. She had a son, a little boy, and every time around his birthday, Christmas, special holidays, he would pick up a gift and give it to his mother. He was always encouraging this young lady, letting her know that he believed in her.
It was about two years later she asked where his church was located, the first sign that he was having any kind of effect. That next Sunday, she and her boyfriend showed up at church, she had not been to church since she was a little girl. That day, she felt a love like she had never felt. Their hearts were touched, both she and her boyfriend after the service, they said to the minister, «We have been living together for a long time, and we need to set a better example for our son. We would like to get married».
Several months later, this minister performed their wedding ceremony. That was years ago, they are still married, still happy, still in church.
Letting Good Works Shine
Here is how Jesus put it. «Let your light shine before men so they may see your good works». It does not say, «Let your light shine before people that deserve it, people that have it all together, people that do not have any issues». No, let it shine before all people. How do you do it? By letting them see your good works.
Can the people God has put in your life, not the ones that have it all together, but the ones that are struggling, the ones that you could easily judge and write off and think, «Man, you need to get it together. You need to straighten up,» can they see your good works? Maybe the reason they do not have it together just yet is because they are waiting for your light, your love, your kindness, your mercy. When they see your good works, they will begin to change.
If my friend would have gone in there and preached to her, «You need to straighten up. God is not pleased, you need to make some changes,» she would not have received it. She would have become defensive, it would have pushed her away. She would have found somebody else to cut his hair.
I have heard it said, «People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care,» and when you take time to shine light in their life, you give a smile, you bring them a cup of coffee, you give their child a gift, you are kind, you are helpful, they feel your love, that is what opens the door to their heart.
Personal Stories of Influence
Look around at who is in your life. Where is there some light that you can shine? Will you be a friend to sinners? Will you take off judgmental glasses and help love people back onto the right track? Will you be willing to overlook some flaws, not focus on what they are doing wrong, and instead show a little mercy, be a light in their life, a positive influence, a difference maker? After all, if it had not been for the grace of God, that could be you and me. Somebody shined some light in your life. Somebody helped you get to where you are. Somebody overlooked some flaws. Somebody showed mercy.
When I was in my 20s, I used to play basketball at this gym, and there were a lot of guys there that were very rough, and they would curse, and argue, and a lot of times fights would break out. It was very competitive and very intense. I did not go in there and start telling everybody what they were doing wrong. Plus, they were a lot bigger than me. I did not try to straighten everybody out. I just went in there being consistently happy, in a good mood, always kind to others.
Over time, they started noticing that there was something different about me. I would not argue, I did not get upset, I was kind to everyone. It got to the point if there was ever a questionable call, even if I was not in the game, I was on the sidelines waiting to play next, just watching, they would always say, «Ask Joel, we know he will not lie». I never told them that my father was the pastor of a big church in town. I worked at a ministry, I just let my actions do the talking.
Representing God Well
There was a young man there that had some addictions and some real anger issues. He was very explosive, and he would lose his temper and get into fights, and I had not talked to him that much over the years, just nothing more than, «Hello,» and, «How is it going»? But one day, he came over in the locker room and asked if I would help him. I thought he wanted me to help him pull out the bleachers so we could sit on them, but he looked at me and said, «Joel, I got all these anger issues. It is messing up my marriage, it is causing me problems at home, and you always seem to be so calm, so friendly, so good-natured. I thought maybe you can give me some advice».
I was like 20 years old, I did not know how to solve his anger problems, but I ended up inviting him to come to church. He came to Lakewood, long story short, he gave his life to Christ, he got in some of the classes, overcame those addictions. Today he is like a different person, calm, happy, respectful. I still see him here all the time.
Here is my point. I could have prayed, «God, get all these sinners out of the gym. God, they are arguing, they are fighting, they got addictions. God, deliver me from these people». I could have tried to pray away the darkness, but instead I said, «God, this is where you have me right now. I know my steps are ordered by the Lord. You brought these people into my life, so God, my prayer is that my light will shine with greater intensity. God, let me be a greater influence. Let them see something in me.»
Year after year, I just kept being a witness, being kind, being respectful, being honest, being a person of excellence, and one by one, those young men would come up, «Joel, would you pray for me? Can you give me some advice? Can I bring my family to your church»? Now many of them are here.
We Are God’s Representatives
When you become a friend of sinners, when you take time to shine light into the darkness, that is what has the greatest impact, and the truth is we all have a ministry, we all have a pulpit. It may not look like this one, but your life is sending out a message. Me just living a life of kindness, respect, integrity, that spoke more to those young men than anything I could have ever said. I could have told them, «Guys, straighten up, man. Break these addictions, quit fighting». That would have had very little impact. Talk is cheap. People are watching how you live. What kind of example are you setting?
2 Corinthians 5 says, «We are God’s personal representatives on the earth». We have to realize people cannot see God, they see us. The question is, are we making God look good? Are we representing him the right way? Do people want what we have, or are we pushing them away?
A few years ago, I was driving in my car with six small children with me, two of my own, plus nieces and nephews, and they all wanted to go to McDonald’s to get something to eat. So, I pulled in to place my order at the little speaker. My nephew Christopher was about 4 years old, and he likes his hamburger with nothing on it, completely dry.
So, I told the lady, the young girl through the speaker, a kid’s hamburger with nothing but the bun and a piece of meat. She said, «Would you like pickles with that»? I said, «No, ma’am, I do not want anything on it». She said, «Okay, would you like mayonnaise»? I said, «No, I want it completely dry». She said, «All right, would you like mustard»? I thought she was kidding. I kind of laughed, I said, «Ma’am, I just want the bun and a piece of meat». She said, «Okay, so you do not want the lettuce, do you»?
I had five more to go. I had to remind myself I am God’s personal representative here on this earth. What would God do? How would he act? Would he get upset? Would he lose his cool, give her a piece of his mind? I was tempted to, but I stayed calm and ended up pulled up there to the window to pay, and first thing the young girl said was, «Pastor Joel». My first thought was, «Thank you, Jesus». You never know who is watching.
Final Encouragement
Ah, you say, «Joel, you know, you are on TV. I do not have to worry about that». No, do not kid yourself. Your children are watching, your neighbors, your co-workers. Every time you interact with someone, you are preaching a sermon. They may not remember what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel. Do they feel loved? Do they feel respected? Be careful what kind of sermon you are preaching. You are representing almighty God.
When I was a little boy, my father took me and my brothers and sisters to see the Astros play baseball at the Astrodome, and there were these two guys behind us that were very loud and obnoxious. They had had too much to drink. When the Astros would do something wrong, they would stand up and curse the players, «You blankety-blank player, cannot you hit the ball»? And this went on for about an hour.
I would squirm in my seat because I knew eventually my father was going to say something. Daddy was very bold, he was very strong, and sure enough, the Astros made another mistake, and they stood up and cursed and cursed. My father turned around. I remember it like it was yesterday. With this big smile on his face, as friendly as can be, he said, «Listen fellows, the name of the Lord is to be praised, not to be cursed». They looked at him kind of strange, shook their heads a few minutes.
One of the Astros hit a home run. They both stood up, by this time they had had way too much to drink. They lifted both hands in the air and shouted, «Hallelujah». They slapped my dad on the back and said, «How is that, preacher»? The rest of that game, all we heard from them was, «Praise the Lord, hallelujah».
My point is to represent God, you do not have to be mean. You do not have to jump down people’s throats. My father used to say, «Do not be a fire hose and try to knock people down, just be a sprinkler. Just let your light shine. Be kind, be friendly. Keep a smile on your face. Let people see your good works».
Remember, your actions speak louder than your words. Your life is your message, and when you are in those dark places, do not complain, have a new perspective. That is an opportunity for your light to shine brightly. When you go out each day, represent God in a great way. Be a witness. Be a positive influence in people’s lives, and if you will put this simple principle into action, shining brightly, you will not only make a difference in other people’s lives, but it will make a difference in your own life. You will have more favor, people will be drawn to you, and I believe and declare you will fulfill your destiny and become everything God has created you to be, in Jesus' name.