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Matthew 5:13-16 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Matthew 5, 13-16 says,
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Before we jump into Matthew 5, I'd like to remind you all of the context of Matthew 5, the verses 2-12 that we've been going over the last eight weeks.
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The text has gloriously explained to us what the kingdom of God looks like, how it is radically distinct from this world.
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It is counter-cultural.
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But the context here is not as a sermon is preached to thousands of people, as commonly believed, but it's preached to Christ's disciples in this context.
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It says in Matthew 5, 2,
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And he opened his mouth and taught, or Matthew 5, 1, sorry.
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Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
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So the audience here in this sermon is his disciples, not massive crowds.
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And further, we see that the kingdom of God has come because the king has come.
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So in Matthew 4, 17, it says,
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From this time forward, Jesus began to preach, saying,
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Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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So the context here is talking about what a citizen of the kingdom is like.
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What is the kingdom of heaven like?
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So in Matthew 5, 3 through 12, that's what this text is explaining is,
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What is the nature of those who are of the kingdom of heaven?
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But the nature of those who are of the kingdom of heaven are those who are, as verse 3 says, poor in spirit.
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Those who come before God in realization of their sin, and of their state before God,
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They are desperate.
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They are spiritually broken.
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They are bankrupt.
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They are impoverished.
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That apart from the abundant and marvelous grace of God, that they have no hope.
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But praise God that the king has come, and through his life, death, and resurrection,
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We are not helpless, and we do not stand condemned in our sins.
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Verse 4 says,
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Blessed are those who mourn.
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We are to mourn over our sins, over other sins, and the world's sins.
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We should be people who weep over the wickedness of the world,
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And over the lack of worship to our king.
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That God is so glorious and deserves to be praised, but so often he's not because of the sin in the world.
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We are meek.
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Verse 5, blessed are the meek.
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We cannot do any good apart from God.
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We should humbly approach God, and humbly approach others.
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We should be less concerned about ourselves, and be more concerned about others.
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Verse 6, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
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Because God has taken our heart of stone, and given us a heart of flesh, we can now praise him as he should be.
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We have hunger and longing and thirst to know Jesus Christ more.
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And because of this conditional heart, that from verse 3 to 6, this orientation of the heart goes from ourselves to Christ.
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And from that, there is an overflow of God's grace and abundance in our lives.
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We see in verse 7, blessed are the merciful.
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Because Christ came and died for us, we have been given mercy.
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That we are not rightly judged for our sins, but Christ's mercy was washed on us.
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And because of that, we should be people full of mercy.
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Blessed are the pure in heart, that our lives should be blameless before a watching world.
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And the world sees us, they should see purity.
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They should see the king represented in us.
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And then verse 9, blessed are the peacemaker.
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We should be people full of peace, preaching peace to others.
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Because Jesus Christ came and died for our sins, there's no longer a chasm between God and man.
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We're no longer lost in our sins, but God has reconciled us to himself.
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He has brought peace between God and man.
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Because of that, we have the gospel.
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This is the ministry of reconciliation, that we can preach peace to others.
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And ultimately, because of this life is so unusual, and so odd, so counter-cultural,
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those who are poor in spirit, those who are weeping, those who are humble,
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those who are thirsting for God, not themselves, those who show mercy and peace,
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those who are pure in heart, because it's so unusual in the world, they won't like it.
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And they might hate you, they might persecute you.
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As 2 Corinthians says, we are an aroma of Christ.
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Our presence is either life to those who believe, or death to those who don't believe.
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The way we live is a testimony to others.
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It's a display, you could say.
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So as Caleb greatly encouraged us to remind us last week that a citizen of the kingdom is a citizen of the kingdom,
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but we're also rewarded for the way we live and the way we act and who we are,
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that one day we will be face-to-face before God,
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and that we are sojourners and exiles in this earth heading toward a promised land,
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that we have an inheritance from this temporary transient world.
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So in light of us being children of God, let us live confidently in the life to come.
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We are bound for a promised land, we have an inheritance.
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So that's the context we're coming to in Matthew 5, 13 through 16,
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is that we are citizens of the kingdom.
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This kingdom is radically different than the kingdom of earth.
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This is radically different than the world.
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But we are to live in the world.
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We're supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.
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So that's what we're going to be discussing here.
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Here, my main point or purpose statement, you could say, is not,
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we can't break it up and say, here's the points of the sermon,
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but I think every part of the sermon brings us to what this statement says.
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Those who are citizens of the kingdom of God are to be salt and light of the world
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by experiencing, proclaiming, and displaying the supremacy of Christ in all things to all people.
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I'll repeat it one more time.
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Those who are citizens of the kingdom of God are to be salt and light of the world
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by experiencing, proclaiming, and displaying the supremacy of Christ in all things to all peoples.
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So let's read, hold on.
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With this in mind, let us dive into Matthew 5, 13 through 16.
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As we approach this text, pretty much the flow of this sermon is,
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I'm going to discuss what the you are statements are, where it says,
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you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world.
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I'm going to talk about what's important about using you are,
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and the way the statement is constructed.
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Then I'm going to talk about the importance of the use of earth and world,
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and how these are meaning the rottenness of the world,
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that the world is ultimately opposed to God,
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and we're in a world where we're trying to witness to a world that hates us.
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And then I'm going to talk about the statements themselves,
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because that's ultimately what this sermon is about,
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is that you are the salt of the earth, and you are the light of the world.
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How does that affect the world?
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So first, the way the statement is constructed says,
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you are the salt of the earth, and you are the light of the world.
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In this passage, the two you are declarations,
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are modifiers of the phrase,
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or the phrase of the world and of the earth modify the you are statements.
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But the you are statements are emphatic.
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In that saying, it means, you and you alone are.
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So in this text, you can read it as,
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you and you alone are the salt of the earth,
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and you and you alone are the light of the world.
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Also, the you are is not stating what we should be like,
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it's stating what we are.
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So John MacArthur points out,
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our stress is rather being than doing.
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So we are not to be the salt of the earth,
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and to be the light of the world.
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As disciples of Christ,
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we are the salt of the earth,
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and we are the light of the world.
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So if we are not being the salt of the earth,
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and the light of the world,
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then we are not being disciples.
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Let us sink in.
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If we're not being the salt of the earth,
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we are not being disciples.
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The terms earth and world imply that of all of fallen humanity.
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1 John 2, 15-17 says,
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Do not love the world or the things in the world.
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If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eyes, and the pride and possession, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
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And the world is passing away along with its desires.
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But whoever does the will of God abides forever.
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In John 17, Jesus prays,
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I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
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I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
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They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
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What we see is that in 1 John and in John, he's warning us that the world is going to hate us,
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and we should resist from loving and desire the things of the world, which are ever before us.
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That the world does not like God.
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The world hates God.
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The world is opposed to God.
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We should take that and heed that, that we're living in a world that is rotten, that has a tendency to pollute and become correct,
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that is sinful and bad.
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The desires of the world tempt us every day.
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So, how did this begin?
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In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and then he created man.
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At the very end of creation, he said, this is very good.
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Then he put in creation, he put man in the garden to live before him, to worship him and obey him.
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But the serpent, the cleverest of all the creatures, comes in the garden.
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And the serpent tempts Adam and Eve.
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And Adam and Eve are tempted by three things.
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They're tempted by the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
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They desire the fruit, they want to take part in it, and they want it to be like God.
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And what they did was they desired it, they took part in it, and they wanted to be like God.
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And because of that, they fell.
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Because of that sin entered the world, they corrupted everything.
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And since the sin corrupted everything, from that you see in Genesis 3, Genesis 6, with Noah in the ark,
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you see in Sodom and Gomorrah, you see in Babel, that this corruption continues.
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And it continues today.
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Today, we are tempted by the things of the world.
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So, the question remains, if we're living in a world with all these temptations,
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how do we resist conforming to them?
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How do we stay holy, completely separate from the world, and devoted to our king?
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What do we do?
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How do we continue those things?
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The world's vision, the world's dream, is to get rich, marry the perfect spouse,
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and to retire early and enjoy life.
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That is the vision.
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That's the American dream.
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How do we resist these lies?
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How do we interact with the world and not become part of it?
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I think Jesus describes well,
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I think Jesus describes well in Luke 14, 26 through 27,
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If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers,
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yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
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Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
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I think that's a commission almost for us that, not even just family, but those who don't hate Netflix,
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those who don't hate Facebook, those who don't hate school, those who don't hate our work,
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if anything takes precedent over God, if we love anything over God, then we're in sin.
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That is idolatry.
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And I think the command here is that we're not disciples when we love things over sin.
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We're disciples when we love God above all things.
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So, these things, I don't think are necessarily bad.
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I think family is wonderful.
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Books, school, work are great things ordained by God.
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But that's the problem is when we put them in the place of God.
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I think a good statement in the morning we should pray is,
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Christ, you are more valuable and more important in my life than dot, dot, dot.
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Whatever that struggle is, whether that is social media, whether that is friends, whether that is spouse,
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whether that is whatever is in the place, fill in the blank.
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Because in our lives, Paul describes it well,
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Whatever gain I had, I count it as loss for the sake of Christ.
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Indeed, I count everything as loss because it's surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
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So with that, we have the you are statement.
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That we are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
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And that the world hates us and the world is tempting us to conform to the simple desires of the flesh.
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Now let's come to the first you are statement.
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You are the salt of the earth.
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In history, salt was seen as something very valuable.
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The Greeks called it theon.
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I think I said that right, theon.
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And it means divine.
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The Romans saw it as the second most important thing.
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The only thing above that is their God of Son.
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And then the Romans actually paid their soldiers in salt for their work.
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The idea of you're not worth your salt is from Roman society when they would pay their workers, their soldiers.
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So obviously we see that the people hearing this sermon would process that when Jesus says,
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You are the salt of the earth.
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That they're saying that you're valuable to the earth.
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But there's so much more impacting in that statement of, You are the salt of the earth.
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I read John MacArthur's commentary in preparation for this sermon.
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And he gives four reasons.
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And he says one of them is the primary.
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And I read a few other things.
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I think his was the best way of saying it.
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So I'm going to borrow, if you will, from him the four things.
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First off, salt has a strong flavor.
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It is flavorful.
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You put salt on food, and that food that's kind of tasteless becomes stronger.
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In the same way, Christians bring a divine flavor to the world to bring blessing to them.
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In Matthew 5, 44 through 45, Jesus says,
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Love the world.
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Love your enemies.
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And in that, you'll be bringing a blessing to them.
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And God uses the analogy that both the righteous and the unrighteous get rain.
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Salt, when placed on a wound, stings.
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Christians, in their obedience to God, and in their representation of God,
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it can be an aroma of death.
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It's condemning in some way because Christians are living holy before the world,
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and the world's living completely opposite of them.
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John MacArthur says,
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Christians are to sting the world, prick its conscience, and make it uncomfortable in the presence of God's holy gospel.
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When the world hears of the holy and just creator,
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create the heavens and the earth,
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and that man, every man, has sinned against God and turned from him,
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it hurts.
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It stings.
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Because they don't want to submit to the Lord.
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They want to live for themselves.
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Because most people, their own idol is themselves.
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Their own image they're making is of themselves.
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So it stings.
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It stings because at the end of the day,
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they're going to be judged for their sin,
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or they're going to believe in Jesus.
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And they're either going to reject that truth or accept it.
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Third, salt, when consumed, causes thirst.
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When you have salt, it gives a natural thing that you want water.
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In the same way, when Christians are testifying of what they believe,
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they're proclaiming the good news.
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It is salty to those who hear it in the fact that they see their spiritual dehydration
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and pressing danger of death.
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That they haven't had water in a long time,
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and without this living water, they will die and perish for their sins.
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And finally, which I believe is the primary use of salt in this passage,
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is salt preserves food.
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We live in a world where we have a refrigerator,
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so we're able to preserve stuff just by opening a door and putting it in there.
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But they had to put salt on things to preserve their food,
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to keep it lasting longer.
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I believe in Matthew 5.13, this is the primary use,
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that as salt of the world, our influence matters.
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As we go from this church building,
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and as we go our separate ways to our jobs, to our schools,
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that our influence in the jobs and schools has an effect.
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We're a preserving,
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we have a preserving effect on these people.
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We deter moral degradation.
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We help prevent the world's rotting more and more because of our influence,
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because we stand for truth,
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we stand for righteousness,
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which can help have effect to change things in this world.
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So, we are to prevent the world's rottenness
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to have a powerful influence here in this world.
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We are God's children,
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and we are temples of the Holy Spirit.
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We represent and manifest God's presence to the world.
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So, as we experience God personally,
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He is experienced by those who interact with us.
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We are to represent God's presence on this earth
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through the power of His Holy Spirit.
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So, in the way we interact with all those we see,
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we should be a fragrance, a smell.
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Our influence in this world should be a blessing of our selfless love.
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It should be a sting of our bold witness.
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It should cause others to see their desperate need for salvation.
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And ultimately, it should preserve humanity
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by deterring moral and spiritual corruption and improve society.
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We are God's salt.
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So, the best example I've ever, I think, seen of this is,
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as I was growing in my walk with the Lord,
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it was probably around 2010,
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I met this one young man, he was like 8.
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I watched him grow up, but as he's grown up,
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he's like 18 now,
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but when he was 16, I watched his influence change in business.
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Because he'd go into business,
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he'd live righteously before the people,
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and people would notice when he comes.
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He'd walk in the door,
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and people would start modifying their language when he walks in the door,
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because, not that they just don't want to offend him,
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but they felt wrong talking bad around him.
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So, in the same way,
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when we walk in the room,
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people should know what we represent.
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We shouldn't be undercover,
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or hiding under a basket.
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We should be salt.
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They might not like it,
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and we can still honor them in how we live our lives,
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but we can't hide what we stand for,
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who we are.
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God's presence lives in us,
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and should shine through us.
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So, my question is,
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in light of what it means to be salt,
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does your life embody saltiness?
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Would you say your influence in the world is salty?
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Do you have a tendency to conform to the world,
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rather than stand for truth?
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Do you hold your brothers and sisters accountable
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for being salty to each other,
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or to the world?
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And, what impact does your presence have
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where you're at right now?
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The rest of verse 13 says,
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But if salt has lost its taste,
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how shall its saltiness be restored?
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It is no longer good for anything,
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except to be thrown away,
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and trampled under people's feet.
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This is used three times in the Gospels.
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It's used in Mark 9.50 and Luke 14.34.
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And then, each time it's used,
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it's an exhortation for a Christian to be a Christian
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by resisting temptation,
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by loving God above all things,
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and by having an impact in this lost and broken world.
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In our walk with the world,
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we're supposed to resist temptation,
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resist the enticement of our evil desires.
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We're supposed to turn away from the things the world offers.
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But sometimes,
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we fall in seasons where we experience temptation.
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We experience those seasons where we fall,
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and we start doubting the love of God.
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And sometimes,
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we turn from our first love,
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and start living completely counter-cultural
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to what it means to be in the kingdom of heaven.
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But brothers and sisters,
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what is great news,
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is that we have a Savior.
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We have one who mediated for us.
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He walked before us.
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He came,
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he lived perfectly,
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he died,
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and took our sins on him,
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and he rose again from the grave.
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And because of that,
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we have the privilege of confessing our sins.
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1 John 1.9 says,
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if you confess your sins,
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he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins,
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and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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So,
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if you're there,
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if you're at that point where you are struggling,
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be encouraged.
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We have a Savior who died for us,
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and if we run to him,
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and pray,
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and confess our sins,
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he can cleanse us,
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and move us forward,
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to act more like a citizen of the kingdom.
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Second,
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you are statement.
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You are the light of the world.
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A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
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So here,
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the author uses two illustrations
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to help us understand this example.
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First off,
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he says,
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you are,
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so our being is light.
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We are lights.
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But then he said,
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he describes in two illustrations.
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My goal here is to come back to those.
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I think it will help us
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really understand
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what it means to be light to the world
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after we understand
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what it means to be a light.
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So I'm going to chase the trail
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of what it means to be a light,
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and then use these illustrations
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to better support that.
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The Bible uses light and darkness
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to represent righteousness
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and unrighteousness.
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It talks about light being truth.
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It talks about light being righteousness,
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light being life-giving,
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peace,
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godliness.
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Then it talks about darkness
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being blind,
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lost,
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wickedness.
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The emphasis here
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in the text
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of you are the light of the world
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is you and you alone
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are the light of the world.
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There is a singular light,
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not multiple lights
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in this text.
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Ultimately,
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light is from God.
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First John says,
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God is light.
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So all light is derived from God,
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but it's ultimately manifested
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in Christ himself.
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Christ is the light of the world,
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John 8, 12.
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Jesus perfectly manifested
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the light of the glory of God
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in himself,
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and it is his light
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that offers the way of salvation.
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So in some sense,
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we're not the light,
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but we are the light
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because the light lives within us.
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We have the spirit of Christ.
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So the way we live
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should shine Christ's light
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in our lives.
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Christ should be shining
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from our living.
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So he,
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but ultimately,
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Christ is the light
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that shines in the darkness
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and darkness cannot comprehend it.
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It is by his light
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that those who are lost
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are found.
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We were once lost.
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We were once captive
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to our sins.
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We once believed
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the lies of the world
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and we identified
22:14
with who he used to be.
22:16
But that light
22:17
shined in our hearts
22:19
and opened our eyes
22:20
to the glory of Christ
22:21
and realized that
22:22
when we believed in Jesus,
22:23
we died in him
22:24
and now we're identified
22:25
in him.
22:28
The spirit of God
22:29
has caused us
22:30
believers of Jesus
22:31
to be born again
22:32
and the power of spirit
22:33
has made us lit,
22:35
if you will.
22:36
So now we have the spirit
22:37
inside shining from us.
22:41
God's presence
22:42
has come and dwells in us.
22:44
We are God's temple
22:45
and as the light of the world,
22:47
our job is to make
22:49
the gospel known.
22:50
We are to make Christ known
22:52
to the world.
22:53
So now we come
22:54
to these two illustrations
22:56
that will help us
22:57
better understand
22:57
what it means
22:58
for the light
22:59
to shine out of us.
23:01
First illustration,
23:02
a city on a hill
23:04
cannot be hidden.
23:05
When you think
23:06
of building a city,
23:07
you think of
23:08
building it on a river,
23:09
building it on the ocean
23:11
so you can do trade
23:12
or building in the middle
23:13
of a state
23:14
so people can get
23:15
into and from it
23:16
to do their business
23:17
in America.
23:19
In Israel,
23:19
they would build
23:20
their cities on a hill
23:21
because they were
23:22
in a place
23:22
that was often invaded.
23:24
They were kind of
23:25
the bridge
23:25
for all the other nations
23:26
around them
23:27
that were superpowers
23:28
to go through.
23:29
So in building this hill,
23:31
it gave them
23:31
a superior advantage
23:32
when an army came,
23:34
though the armies
23:34
are usually a lot bigger
23:35
than the Israelites.
23:37
But why does this matter
23:38
to the text
23:39
is that when you're
23:41
a traveler
23:41
and you're going
23:42
to this city,
23:43
if it gets night
23:43
and you can't see,
23:44
if one person
23:45
lights a light
23:46
at that city,
23:47
it can be seen
23:47
from miles away.
23:49
People can see
23:50
that light
23:50
and they know
23:51
that they're heading
23:51
in the right direction.
23:52
It's like the light
23:53
at the end of the tunnel
23:53
after a long journey.
23:55
In the same way,
23:57
this text uses
23:57
the word city.
23:58
It's not talking
23:59
about a soul light.
24:00
It's talking about
24:01
all these different lights
24:02
in one place
24:03
shining so bright
24:04
that from miles
24:05
and miles away,
24:05
people can see
24:06
this light
24:07
and know that
24:08
that's the way to go.
24:09
In the same way,
24:11
we are the city
24:12
of God.
24:13
We are the city
24:14
here at Christ's family
24:15
shining our lights.
24:16
Each of us individually
24:17
have been lit
24:18
if we are believers
24:18
of Christ.
24:19
And if we move forward,
24:22
we are those
24:23
who proclaim
24:23
the ecstasy of him
24:24
who called us
24:25
out of darkness
24:25
into this marvelous light.
24:27
So let us shine
24:28
our lights brightly
24:29
into the world,
24:29
whether it's our workplace,
24:30
whether it's our school.
24:32
And I just imagine,
24:33
like, think about
24:33
if we all,
24:35
to the best ability
24:36
we're pursuing Christ
24:37
and shine our light,
24:38
it could have
24:38
such a massive impact.
24:40
But I also want
24:40
to encourage you right now.
24:41
I've never been
24:42
part of a church
24:43
that is so gospel-oriented,
24:45
shines our light
24:46
so bright already.
24:46
There's people
24:48
new coming here
24:48
almost every Sunday.
24:50
Either they've been
24:50
witness to
24:51
or someone's
24:52
bringing to church,
24:52
but the effort is
24:53
that our church
24:54
is mobilizing.
24:55
Our church is going out
24:56
and telling people
24:57
about the hope
24:58
they have in Christ.
24:59
So be encouraged, guys,
25:00
that you guys
25:01
are a church that shines.
25:03
And that is a beautiful thing.
25:04
It is something
25:04
that's filled my heart
25:05
with so much joy
25:06
to see a church
25:07
that is growing
25:08
because we shine
25:09
such a bright light.
25:10
Second illustration.
25:14
Nor do people
25:15
light a lamp
25:16
and put it under a basket,
25:17
but on a stand
25:18
and it gives light
25:19
to all the house.
25:21
In the first century,
25:23
surprise,
25:24
there was no electricity.
25:27
But they had clay lamps.
25:28
The way they lit their house
25:29
was they had a lamppost
25:31
right in the middle of the house
25:32
and they'd get a clay lamp
25:33
and they would fill,
25:34
it was like,
25:35
it wasn't really big,
25:36
but they'd fill it with oil,
25:37
put a wick in it,
25:38
light it,
25:38
and they'd bring it over
25:39
to this lamppost
25:40
and put it in
25:41
and that lamppost
25:41
gave light to the whole room.
25:43
So the whole room
25:44
was lit up
25:45
because it's one little lamp,
25:46
but it takes effort
25:47
to do that.
25:48
So the author's
25:49
just analogy is
25:50
people don't light this light
25:51
to put it in a basket.
25:52
I have to spend some time
25:53
putting oil on a lamp,
25:54
putting a wick in it,
25:55
wasting my wick
25:56
and lighting the lamp.
25:59
So because of that,
26:00
it's not something
26:00
that's going to be done
26:01
for no purpose.
26:02
In the same way,
26:04
as Christians,
26:04
we're not called
26:05
to become saved,
26:07
enjoy the blessings
26:08
of being a Christian
26:08
but not tell others
26:10
about Jesus Christ.
26:11
If Jesus Christ
26:12
has came
26:13
and changed your life,
26:15
if you've been lit
26:15
by the Holy Spirit,
26:17
we're not saved
26:18
to not go,
26:18
we're saved to go.
26:19
Going is our purpose,
26:21
and shining bright
26:22
is what we're called to do.
26:23
We are lights of the world.
26:25
But also,
26:25
Synology brings
26:26
an even more abundant
26:28
part of it
26:29
is that
26:30
this one little light
26:31
lit the whole room.
26:33
So as a Christian,
26:34
are you the only Christian
26:35
in your workplace
26:36
or in your school
26:38
or in one of your classrooms?
26:39
Is there somewhere you go
26:40
that you just don't feel
26:41
like you have much
26:41
encouragement
26:43
by fellow brothers
26:43
and sisters?
26:45
Well, be encouraged
26:46
because the light of Christ
26:47
is in you,
26:48
and that light
26:48
can light the whole room,
26:50
and the darkness
26:50
cannot comprehend that light.
26:51
The darkness
26:52
cannot overcome that light.
26:53
It might be able
26:54
to tempt you away from Christ,
26:55
and then you're putting
26:56
your light under a basket.
26:57
But if you're following Christ,
26:58
you're in this workplace,
26:59
you are shining.
27:00
So be encouraged
27:01
that you can shine bright
27:03
no matter where you're at.
27:04
You are the lights
27:05
of the world.
27:07
Verse 16 says,
27:08
In the same way,
27:09
let your light shine
27:10
before others
27:11
so that they may see
27:12
your good works
27:12
and give glory
27:13
to your Father
27:14
who is in heaven.
27:16
In this section,
27:16
I think the text
27:17
offers us a command
27:19
and then offers us
27:20
a motivation
27:20
why we do that command.
27:23
The command I see here
27:25
is that
27:25
we are to shine
27:26
our lights before others
27:28
so that they may
27:29
see our good works.
27:31
The motivation
27:31
is that
27:32
they would see
27:33
these good works
27:33
and they'd give glory
27:34
to God.
27:35
So first,
27:36
the command.
27:37
As Christians,
27:38
we are to
27:39
shine our lights
27:40
that by
27:41
our lives
27:43
that our lights
27:44
are shining.
27:45
So in our gathering
27:46
here today,
27:47
in our singing,
27:48
in our preaching,
27:49
in our living,
27:50
in our breathing,
27:50
in our cups of coffee,
27:52
and whatever we do,
27:53
our light should be shining.
27:54
Another way you can put this
27:55
is in our experiencing,
27:57
proclaiming,
27:58
and displaying
27:59
the supremacy of Christ
28:00
in all things,
28:01
all people.
28:02
That's how we should
28:03
live our lives,
28:04
that whatever we do
28:05
and whatever we say
28:07
should be that
28:08
of sharing Christ
28:09
to the world.
28:10
We should shine
28:11
so brightly
28:11
that the world questions
28:12
why do you act like that?
28:14
Why are you loving?
28:15
Why are you doing this?
28:16
Why are you doing that?
28:17
It should bring curiosity.
28:18
And again,
28:19
they might hate that curiosity,
28:20
but it should be there.
28:21
If you will,
28:24
turn your Bibles
28:24
to Philippians 2,
28:25
14 through 17 with me.
28:31
Philippians 2 helps us
28:32
better understand
28:33
the how of it.
28:35
The text commands us
28:35
to shine our lights
28:36
before the world.
28:37
How?
28:37
How do we shine our lights?
28:39
We are light,
28:39
we're supposed to shine a light,
28:40
but how does that happen?
28:42
I think this text offers us
28:43
some insight on how.
28:45
Philippians 2,
28:46
14 through 17 says,
28:48
do all things
28:49
without grumbling
28:49
or questioning
28:50
that you may be
28:52
blameless and innocent
28:53
children of God
28:53
without blemish
28:54
in the midst
28:55
of a crooked
28:55
and twisted generation
28:57
among whom
28:59
you shine
28:59
as lights in the world
29:01
holding fast
29:01
to the word of life
29:02
so that in the day of Christ
29:05
I may be proud
29:06
and that I did not run in vain
29:08
or labor in vain
29:09
even if I am to be poured out
29:10
as a drink offering
29:11
upon the sacrificial offering
29:13
of your faith.
29:13
I am glad
29:14
and rejoice with you all.
29:17
Paul first commands
29:18
the Philippian believers here
29:20
that their life
29:21
should be one
29:22
of good conduct
29:23
that represents him well
29:25
in our attitudes
29:26
and in our living.
29:28
So when people look at us
29:29
they're not like
29:30
that guy has a bad attitude
29:31
at work.
29:31
He's always grumbling
29:32
and always complaining
29:33
about how
29:33
all the things go wrong
29:35
but we should do things
29:37
even when we don't feel like it
29:38
even when things do go wrong
29:40
in a way that honors Christ.
29:41
Further
29:44
what we see
29:45
is that
29:46
when the world
29:48
sees this conduct
29:48
when they see that
29:49
we are honoring Christ
29:51
even in the worst situations
29:52
why is he doing that?
29:54
It gives a testimony
29:55
that we are children of God
29:56
and it makes us look blameless.
29:58
They can't point fingers
29:59
at us saying
30:00
well that guy cussed
30:01
three times the other day
30:02
or that guy is
30:04
over there
30:05
yelling all the time
30:06
is he really representing Christ
30:08
or that guy is doing this.
30:09
The point is that
30:10
when we're not grumbling
30:11
and complaining
30:12
the world will see us
30:13
and they will be
30:14
wow that guy
30:14
handled that situation so well
30:16
he really is different than me.
30:18
Why did he not cuss
30:19
in that situation?
30:20
Why did he not do this
30:21
or that in that situation?
30:24
And in our conduct
30:25
we shine light
30:26
in the world
30:27
but the text goes further
30:28
it says
30:29
you shine as lights
30:30
in the world
30:31
holding fast
30:32
to the word of life.
30:35
2 Corinthians says
30:36
3.18 says
30:38
And we all
30:39
with unveiled face
30:40
beholding the glory of the Lord
30:42
are being transformed
30:43
to the same image
30:44
from one degree of glory
30:45
to another
30:45
for this comes from the Lord
30:47
who is spirit.
30:50
We have been given
30:51
the word of life
30:52
and this word
30:53
serves as a window
30:54
into the glory of God.
30:56
When we get in the scriptures
30:57
and when we meditate
30:58
on who the Lord is
30:59
in the scriptures
30:59
we get to know him more
31:01
and we get to know
31:01
his promises more.
31:03
And in the text
31:04
it talks about how
31:04
we are transformed
31:06
by beholding God's glory.
31:07
As we experience
31:09
God in the text
31:10
and know he is
31:11
more and more
31:11
an object of our affection
31:13
the object of our faith
31:14
grows
31:15
our affections grow
31:16
but we also
31:17
start shining light better
31:18
and we are transformed
31:19
more and more
31:20
into Christ likeness.
31:24
2 Peter 1 says
31:26
And we have something
31:27
more sure
31:27
the prophetic word
31:28
to which
31:29
you will do well
31:30
to pay attention to.
31:32
In this text
31:33
Peter
31:33
is reflecting
31:34
on the time
31:35
he spent with Jesus
31:36
and there was one day
31:37
that Jesus took him
31:38
and two other disciples
31:39
up a mountain
31:39
and Jesus
31:40
transfigured
31:41
he changed
31:42
and glory shined
31:43
all around him
31:44
and when he did this
31:46
from the heavens
31:47
roared the voice of God
31:49
talking to Peter
31:50
and Jesus
31:51
and then appeared
31:52
the prophets
31:52
but during this time
31:53
Peter is reflecting
31:54
back on that experience
31:55
and saying
31:55
that was wonderful
31:57
there was majestic glory
31:58
but
31:59
he now has something
32:01
more sure
32:02
the prophetic word
32:03
which will do well
32:04
to heed to.
32:06
This copy of God's word
32:08
is so beautiful
32:10
and glorious
32:10
that it is more sure
32:11
that Jesus
32:12
or Peter's experience
32:14
with Jesus
32:15
on the mount
32:15
of transfiguration.
32:17
That is such
32:18
a marvelous truth
32:19
and it should humble us.
32:22
Further in the text
32:23
2 Corinthians 3.18
32:24
says the word
32:25
transformed.
32:26
That is the exact
32:27
same word
32:27
which only appears
32:28
three times
32:29
in scripture
32:30
that is used
32:31
on the mount
32:31
of transfiguration
32:32
that when Jesus
32:33
transfigured
32:34
into the glory
32:35
his heavenly glory.
32:37
So this idea
32:38
that we're being
32:38
transferred
32:38
one image of glory
32:39
to another
32:40
and we're being
32:40
conformed to Christ
32:42
is the way
32:43
in which
32:44
we become more
32:44
like God
32:45
more representing
32:47
him well
32:47
but ultimately
32:48
we're going to
32:48
shine his glory
32:49
shine who Christ is
32:51
in our lives more.
32:53
So let us come
32:53
to the word
32:54
and let us behold
32:54
our king
32:55
and let the word
32:57
transform us
32:57
from the inside out
32:58
and change the way
32:59
we live
33:00
and make us love
33:01
our Lord more.
33:03
If you'll take
33:04
your bulletin
33:05
the quote on it
33:07
is by Charles Spurgeon
33:08
Spurgeon says
33:25
nearness to God
33:27
brings likeness to God
33:28
the more you see God
33:29
the more of God
33:30
will be seen in you.
33:33
So brothers and sisters
33:34
let us see God
33:35
let us be like Paul
33:37
who said
33:37
that his life
33:39
was poured out
33:41
as a sacrifice
33:43
offering
33:43
of his faith.
33:45
Let us be like
33:45
Romans 12 1
33:46
that our bodies
33:47
our lives
33:48
are being presented
33:49
to God
33:49
as a living sacrifice
33:50
that the way
33:51
we live and think
33:52
is to honor God
33:53
that our lives
33:54
our breathing and being
33:55
is for Christ.
33:58
Finally
33:59
the rest of Matthew 5 16
34:00
says
34:00
so that
34:02
they may see
34:03
your good works
34:03
and give glory
34:04
to your father
34:04
who is in heaven.
34:07
The word
34:08
here
34:08
glorify
34:10
is the word
34:10
doxodzo
34:11
and
34:12
what it's saying
34:13
here is
34:13
this word here
34:14
is the same word
34:14
we get the word
34:15
doxology from.
34:16
And Stephen Lawson
34:17
has a really enlightening
34:18
description of it.
34:19
He says
34:19
the word glorify
34:20
doxodzo
34:21
is the word
34:22
from which we get
34:23
doxology.
34:23
your life
34:24
becomes a worship
34:25
service.
34:26
Your life
34:26
becomes a living
34:27
doxology to God
34:28
when the light
34:28
is shining from you.
34:30
We are made
34:31
to worship God
34:31
in spirit and truth.
34:33
Also
34:34
John Piper famously
34:35
said
34:35
mission exists
34:37
because worship
34:37
doesn't.
34:38
Worship is ultimate
34:39
mission not missions
34:40
because God is ultimate
34:41
not man.
34:42
When this age is over
34:43
and countless millions
34:44
of the redeemed
34:45
fall on their faces
34:46
before the throne of God
34:47
missions will be
34:48
no more.
34:50
Therefore
34:50
our motivation
34:53
in our mission
34:54
to be the church
34:55
and our mission
34:56
to be salt and light
34:56
and our mission
34:57
to experience
34:58
and proclaim
34:59
and display
34:59
the supremacy
35:00
of Christ
35:01
in all things
35:01
all people
35:01
should be
35:02
the glory of God.
35:04
Should be
35:04
that the one
35:05
who came
35:06
and died
35:06
and saved us
35:07
is one we're
35:08
living for.
35:09
That because he's
35:10
deemed it worthy
35:10
that a sinner
35:11
should be saved
35:12
because of his
35:13
life, death
35:13
and resurrection
35:14
in the same way
35:15
that he is worthy
35:16
to live life for.
35:17
Ultimately
35:18
our breath
35:19
our living
35:20
our motivation
35:21
to be salt and light
35:21
in this broken world
35:22
is to bring everlasting
35:23
praise and honor
35:25
and glory to our king
35:26
who we will be doing
35:27
in eternity past
35:28
or eternity future.
35:32
So ultimately
35:33
one day
35:34
when we die
35:34
and we are believers
35:35
in Christ
35:35
we'll be raised again
35:36
and we'll be with Christ
35:37
eternally
35:37
praising our king
35:39
and worshiping him
35:40
eternally.
35:41
So let's do it now
35:42
let's praise him now
35:43
and let's shine brightly now.
35:45
So in closing
35:46
when we realize
35:48
our spiritual poverty
35:49
before Yahweh
35:50
and the wickedness
35:51
of the world
35:51
we come humbly
35:53
before Yahweh
35:54
hungering and thirst
35:54
and be solely
35:55
satisfied in him
35:56
and not wickedness.
35:57
From our exclusive
35:59
love for God
36:00
we'll be merciful
36:01
pure in heart
36:02
and peacemakers.
36:03
People will hate us
36:04
for sharing about
36:04
the peace of God
36:05
brought about
36:06
through the blood of Christ
36:07
but take heart
36:08
our Lord Jesus
36:09
has overcome the world
36:10
so let us be encouraged
36:12
and bring about
36:13
a salty preservation
36:14
to the rottenness
36:14
of this world
36:15
and let us
36:16
individually
36:16
and corporately
36:17
shine bright
36:18
the light of Christ
36:19
in his dark
36:19
and perverse world.
36:21
Feel prayer with me.
36:22
Pray with me.
36:22
Sorry.
36:22
Let us pray.