WEBVTT 00:00:01.899 --> 00:00:03.733 Thank you. 00:00:03.733 --> 00:00:04.833 Thank you, worship team. 00:00:04.833 --> 00:00:10.766 It's great to be with you all this morning as we're continuing in our study of the Sermon on the Mount. 00:00:10.766 --> 00:00:13.965 Hopefully you had a chance to grab a copy of the notes on your way in. 00:00:13.965 --> 00:00:25.466 If not, and you want to follow along, you might slip out and grab a copy because we're going to build on what we talked about last week, last week's message into the Beatitudes, a very famous section of Scripture. 00:00:25.466 --> 00:00:27.865 And it ended with this note. 00:00:27.865 --> 00:00:31.300 I think many of us would see a note of discouragement. 00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:34.299 Be ready to be persecuted. 00:00:34.332 --> 00:00:36.133 If you want to be blessed in the Kingdom. 00:00:36.133 --> 00:00:41.265 If you want to follow Jesus, part of that means persecution, not the message. 00:00:41.265 --> 00:00:48.165 We always come to church and want to hear, not the great hope of encouragement for most of us. 00:00:48.165 --> 00:00:52.332 In fact, how do you respond to the news of danger? 00:00:52.665 --> 00:00:57.466 If I told you right now there was danger outside, you're going to leave and encounter danger. 00:00:57.466 --> 00:01:01.399 I read a story recently of a guy this was in the Middle East. 00:01:01.399 --> 00:01:08.566 Warhead started and they said, we're going to come around and gather up eligible young males and they're going to fight in the army. 00:01:08.566 --> 00:01:12.533 And this guy, young teenage male was eligible. 00:01:12.533 --> 00:01:14.865 But he said, I don't want to go fight in this dumb war. 00:01:14.865 --> 00:01:15.865 I don't want to go die. 00:01:15.865 --> 00:01:24.233 So he hid in between the walls in his house and they come around looking for him there, shouting, making a noise, screaming, we're going to find you. 00:01:24.233 --> 00:01:25.533 You're going to fight. 00:01:25.533 --> 00:01:26.632 But they couldn't find him. 00:01:26.632 --> 00:01:27.365 He stayed hidden. 00:01:27.365 --> 00:01:30.900 Every day they'd come around looking for him, and he knew. 00:01:30.900 --> 00:01:33.865 There came a point that if he came out, there was no longer going to serve. 00:01:33.865 --> 00:01:34.965 They would just kill him. 00:01:36.099 --> 00:01:43.933 And so for three years, he hid in between the walls in his house until finally everything was clear. 00:01:43.933 --> 00:01:44.832 He could come out. 00:01:44.832 --> 00:01:46.733 He'd come out at night, his mom would feed him. 00:01:46.733 --> 00:01:50.566 He'd go back when there's danger outside. 00:01:50.566 --> 00:01:51.299 How do you react? 00:01:51.299 --> 00:01:54.900 As Christians, we know there's danger outside. 00:01:55.099 --> 00:01:56.400 How do we react? 00:01:56.400 --> 00:01:58.033 Do we hide in between the walls? 00:01:58.033 --> 00:01:58.933 What do we do? 00:01:58.933 --> 00:02:00.266 What's your response? 00:02:00.266 --> 00:02:00.965 How do you live? 00:02:00.965 --> 00:02:03.132 We're going to look today in Matthew chapter five. 00:02:03.132 --> 00:02:04.933 So if you have a Bible you want to turn there. 00:02:04.933 --> 00:02:08.633 If you don't have a Bible, our church Bibles are out in the lobby as well. 00:02:08.633 --> 00:02:12.466 We'd love for you to be able to follow along as we read and study Scripture. 00:02:12.466 --> 00:02:14.500 We'll be on page 769. 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:16.900 Matthew five today is going to talk about. 00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:25.099 In fact, we're going to see in there for ingredients, for the recipe, for how you are to live in light of the danger outside. 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:35.133 How are we called to live knowing that the whole world doesn't want to hear the message and will be many will be opposed to the message of Jesus? 00:02:35.133 --> 00:02:36.932 Do we just stay hidden? 00:02:36.932 --> 00:02:39.866 Do we cower in fear? What do we do? 00:02:39.866 --> 00:02:41.765 We're going to see that today in Matthew five. 00:02:41.765 --> 00:02:52.332 So if you would just stand as I read our section today as just a picture of respect for God's Word, I'm going to read verses 13 through 16. 00:02:52.332 --> 00:02:56.633 In Matthew chapter five, you. 00:02:56.633 --> 00:03:03.233 And this is Jesus speaking, speaking to his disciples who had gathered, you are the salt of the earth. 00:03:03.233 --> 00:03:07.932 But if salt has lost its taste, how shall it saltiness be restored? 00:03:07.932 --> 00:03:14.699 Is it no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet? 00:03:14.699 --> 00:03:17.532 You are the light of the world. 00:03:17.532 --> 00:03:25.133 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. 00:03:25.133 --> 00:03:28.133 And it gives light to all in the house. 00:03:28.432 --> 00:03:40.366 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven. 00:03:40.366 --> 00:03:44.366 God, we thank you for this word that we are going to study today and look at. 00:03:44.366 --> 00:03:46.566 Give us divine understanding. 00:03:46.566 --> 00:03:50.099 Open our eyes to what you want us to hear. 00:03:50.099 --> 00:03:51.765 May we have ears to hear. 00:03:51.765 --> 00:03:57.099 We love you. Amen. You can be seated for ingredients. 00:03:57.099 --> 00:04:00.466 We're going to see about how we are to live, how we are to approach life. 00:04:00.466 --> 00:04:02.133 What's our mindset? 00:04:02.133 --> 00:04:04.265 What is this recipe made of? Of. 00:04:04.265 --> 00:04:07.300 And we get a couple that are pretty obvious here. 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:14.165 The first being the first picture he gives of what it means to be a member of the Kingdom of Heaven. 00:04:14.165 --> 00:04:18.333 The mindset we're to have in light of the persecution that may come. 00:04:18.333 --> 00:04:21.333 And the first is to see yourself as salt. 00:04:22.033 --> 00:04:32.733 Now, there's an important Bible study principle that I want to reiterate before we dive into this, that it's really important for us to consider any time you're approaching Scripture. 00:04:32.733 --> 00:04:37.266 And I think most of us, when we approach Scripture, we often ask the question, what does this mean for me? 00:04:37.266 --> 00:04:40.132 And by the way, really important question to ask. 00:04:40.132 --> 00:04:43.132 If it doesn't mean anything for you, then what's the point? 00:04:43.132 --> 00:04:45.500 But that's not the starting point. 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:47.233 We usually start with what does this mean for me? 00:04:47.233 --> 00:04:48.632 What can I get out of it right now? 00:04:48.632 --> 00:04:50.466 What does it have for me today? 00:04:50.466 --> 00:04:54.565 Great question, but we need to start with not what does it mean for me? 00:04:54.565 --> 00:04:56.632 Start with what did it mean to them? 00:04:56.632 --> 00:04:59.165 What has it meant? 00:04:59.165 --> 00:05:06.100 How did the people who the Scripture was written to when they first heard it, when they first encountered it, what did it mean to them? 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:11.065 First and foremost, if we don't understand that, then we can't understand what it means to us today. 00:05:11.065 --> 00:05:17.300 We've got to understand what did the author mean to them at that time, in that place, in that setting, in that period, in history and that culture, all that plays. 00:05:17.300 --> 00:05:18.565 That's the starting point. 00:05:18.565 --> 00:05:20.899 What did it mean then? 00:05:20.899 --> 00:05:29.266 And so that's an important starting point, because if you don't start there, you might end up somewhere very different, because words that meant something then may mean something different. 00:05:29.266 --> 00:05:32.899 Now we encounter that just even in a few years, words can change meaning. 00:05:32.899 --> 00:05:34.966 And in our culture today. 00:05:34.966 --> 00:05:40.500 So when we think about the word salt, what salt means to us is different. 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:44.766 In some ways there are similarities, but there are differences in terms of what it meant to them. 00:05:44.766 --> 00:05:48.233 There are things they emphasize more than us, even just in regular language. 00:05:48.233 --> 00:05:52.833 If I call someone salty, that person is kind of salty. 00:05:52.833 --> 00:05:55.466 That's not a compliment, right? 00:05:55.466 --> 00:05:59.966 So when Jesus says, you are the salt of the of the earth and you think, what is he? 00:05:59.966 --> 00:06:01.266 What's he calling them? Salty. 00:06:01.266 --> 00:06:03.865 Like I might call someone salty. No. 00:06:03.865 --> 00:06:07.533 Or even the phrase you're salt of the earth. 00:06:07.533 --> 00:06:13.500 I mean, if I say, man, those are salt of the earth kind of people, that's just not what that is talking about, I mean, man. 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:16.833 Those are just good, down to earth, honest folks. 00:06:16.833 --> 00:06:20.533 Just trying to get by, not putting on airs, just regular, good old folks. 00:06:20.533 --> 00:06:22.632 Is that what he means by this? 00:06:22.632 --> 00:06:22.833 Now? 00:06:22.833 --> 00:06:25.565 He might mean part of that, but that's not the main meeting we got to understand. 00:06:25.565 --> 00:06:28.432 What did he mean to them in that culture at that time to those people. 00:06:28.432 --> 00:06:33.665 And so I'm going to talk about three understandings of salt that would have come to mind for them, first and foremost. 00:06:33.665 --> 00:06:48.333 The third being most important for us today in a spiritual sermon, Jesus teaching context, the first that would have come to mind for them and it's relevant for us, is just that salt has a preservation element to it. 00:06:49.266 --> 00:06:57.500 When I worked at Melton's Food Mart, hanging back by the meat department were these decorations that look like hams? 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:01.500 They just hung above the counter and I thought, why are we decorating with hams? 00:07:01.500 --> 00:07:06.065 I don't understand these old brown, dirty looking things that hung there. 00:07:06.065 --> 00:07:11.033 And then one day somebody bought one and the meat cutter started slicing it up. 00:07:11.033 --> 00:07:13.632 It was actually a country ham. 00:07:13.632 --> 00:07:15.733 I thought, why would anybody buy that? 00:07:15.733 --> 00:07:18.699 The good meat is in the refrigeration. 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:19.565 It's being cared for. 00:07:19.565 --> 00:07:24.233 Why are you buying that old, nasty, dried up, ugly ham that's been hanging there for generations? 00:07:24.233 --> 00:07:25.665 Who knows how long it's been there? 00:07:25.665 --> 00:07:27.000 Well, then the meat cutter had to explain. 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:28.432 We know, John, that's a country ham. 00:07:28.432 --> 00:07:29.699 It's been cured by salt. 00:07:29.699 --> 00:07:31.165 You can use salt to preserve meat. 00:07:31.165 --> 00:07:32.899 Back before refrigeration. 00:07:32.899 --> 00:07:35.233 That's how they did it. Oh, okay. 00:07:35.233 --> 00:07:36.233 That's interesting. 00:07:36.233 --> 00:07:37.333 I still am not going to eat it. 00:07:37.333 --> 00:07:38.665 Of course you go to Cracker Barrel. 00:07:38.665 --> 00:07:41.565 I'm ordering country ham, and it's very salty. 00:07:41.565 --> 00:07:42.500 You understand? 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:43.833 This is something to them. 00:07:43.833 --> 00:07:45.466 It would have been really critical. 00:07:45.466 --> 00:07:48.266 They didn't have refrigerators. 00:07:48.266 --> 00:07:56.932 And in Israel they probably didn't have much access to ice that they could store all the time and have it ready to refrigerate their food. 00:07:56.932 --> 00:08:00.932 So preserving your food with salt would have been critical. 00:08:00.932 --> 00:08:04.266 And they would understand this element in terms of what he's saying to them. 00:08:04.266 --> 00:08:10.165 You have a and as Christians, you have an element that helps keep the culture from decaying. 00:08:11.165 --> 00:08:17.233 Christian influence in the culture is significant, and it's hard for us to see it. 00:08:17.233 --> 00:08:25.865 And in fact, when you hear atheists talking about morality, they're usually leaning heavily on Christian morality, Christian moral standards. 00:08:25.865 --> 00:08:30.132 They don't even realize it because it's so saturated our culture. 00:08:30.132 --> 00:08:35.332 One of our Wednesday night groups is going through a book about why does God allow evil? 00:08:35.332 --> 00:08:36.500 Really good book. 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:40.765 Lots of good conversation happening in that group on Wednesday nights. 00:08:40.765 --> 00:08:45.232 But I think there's this assumption most people have that people are they're just basically good. 00:08:45.232 --> 00:08:49.633 If you leave people themselves, they'll in general do the right thing. 00:08:49.633 --> 00:08:58.666 And if you just study a small sliver of human history, they just there's a chapter in that book that just goes through about a hundred years, sliver leading up to today. 00:08:58.666 --> 00:09:06.265 You'll see the exact opposite is true, that in general, people are murderous tyrants if they're left to themselves. 00:09:06.265 --> 00:09:12.265 If you study human history and of course, in your certain contexts right now, you might think that that's different. 00:09:12.265 --> 00:09:16.133 But historically people are pretty bad. 00:09:17.033 --> 00:09:19.966 And so there's this element of you are salt of the earth. 00:09:19.966 --> 00:09:22.566 You have a preservation nature. 00:09:22.566 --> 00:09:34.299 The Christian morality comes into the culture and helps prevent greater moral decay, which is good for all of humans to have less suffering, less pain, less evil. 00:09:34.299 --> 00:09:35.299 That's one layer. 00:09:35.299 --> 00:09:37.633 That's one way to understand it. 00:09:37.633 --> 00:09:41.332 Second, so first is perseverance or preservation. 00:09:41.332 --> 00:09:48.865 Second, way to understand salt would be influence, we might say. 00:09:50.100 --> 00:09:56.865 Enhancement okay, so salt can prevent decay but it can also improve flavor. 00:09:56.865 --> 00:09:59.466 I think that's probably the way most of us use it. 00:09:59.466 --> 00:10:02.932 In fact, probably most of us view salt in general is bad. 00:10:02.932 --> 00:10:04.865 My doctor keeps telling me you have too much. 00:10:04.865 --> 00:10:06.832 Not my doctor, but I hear this over and over again. 00:10:06.832 --> 00:10:07.765 You got too much salt. 00:10:07.765 --> 00:10:08.966 You're eating too much salt. 00:10:08.966 --> 00:10:09.899 Eat less salt. 00:10:09.899 --> 00:10:11.666 It's causing all kinds of problems in your life. 00:10:11.666 --> 00:10:18.332 And probably many people do eat too much salt in our modern diet, the way we approach food. 00:10:18.332 --> 00:10:21.133 But you could not survive without it. 00:10:21.133 --> 00:10:21.533 You. 00:10:21.533 --> 00:10:24.299 Your body has to have it to continue it. 00:10:24.299 --> 00:10:29.033 When it comes to eating food, try eating food that ever has zero salt in it. 00:10:29.033 --> 00:10:41.765 When we would go overseas, and especially into very poor places in Africa and they had very little salt or flavorings, man, the food was so bland and it, you know, it'd be normal food that we might eat here. 00:10:41.765 --> 00:10:46.633 Greens, beans, maybe a little bit of meat, some rice. 00:10:46.865 --> 00:10:47.765 And you almost. 00:10:47.765 --> 00:10:51.432 It was so bland you thought, why am I having to eat this? 00:10:51.432 --> 00:10:55.133 Because it was missing the salt, the enhancement, the spice. 00:10:55.133 --> 00:11:12.066 And so if one part of who we are as Christians is to prevent moral decay, the other part is also not just to say, don't do this, but the other part is to model to people what real life looks like, what the best version of life looks like, what it looks like to live life to its fullest. 00:11:12.066 --> 00:11:13.265 That's the other side of it. 00:11:13.265 --> 00:11:14.732 We want to be models of that. 00:11:14.732 --> 00:11:17.166 We want people to see that, he says. 00:11:17.166 --> 00:11:17.899 See your good works. 00:11:17.899 --> 00:11:18.299 Give glory. 00:11:18.299 --> 00:11:18.966 Your father in heaven. 00:11:18.966 --> 00:11:21.700 We want people to see your life and go, I want that. 00:11:22.966 --> 00:11:25.133 So there's the preservation element. 00:11:25.133 --> 00:11:27.865 There's the enhancement element, the improvement element. 00:11:27.865 --> 00:11:37.932 But I think probably in this context, the main understanding that is important for us today and understanding this passage is the spiritual context. 00:11:37.966 --> 00:11:50.566 Because this Sermon on the Mount, this is Jesus giving a sermon to a Jewish audience, and much of the sermon is going to address the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who have twisted the understanding of the Old Testament. 00:11:50.566 --> 00:11:55.432 And they had caused misunderstanding, and Jesus is correcting much of that. 00:11:55.432 --> 00:11:57.332 So this is the setting in which he's teaching. 00:11:57.332 --> 00:12:02.865 And so when you hear salt in a spiritual setting, you're going to think of salt in a spiritual use. 00:12:02.865 --> 00:12:15.432 If I say to you right now, let's take the cup together, you don't think that I mean, the U of L, UK game, someone needs to go steal the Governor's Cup. 00:12:15.432 --> 00:12:18.633 You don't immediately think that because that's a whole different context. 00:12:18.633 --> 00:12:24.566 When I say, let's take the cup together at church, you think let's take communion, because that's the context. 00:12:24.566 --> 00:12:26.899 That's the phrasing we use here. 00:12:26.899 --> 00:12:29.466 You always find meaning from the immediate context. 00:12:29.466 --> 00:12:35.066 And so when he says salt, you are the salt of the earth. 00:12:35.066 --> 00:12:36.899 There's a really important context. 00:12:36.899 --> 00:12:40.500 And it's all around the idea of the word covenant. 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:46.932 In fact, here in your notes, it's a sign of God's covenant to his people. 00:12:47.566 --> 00:12:48.666 If you look, there's a verse 00:12:48.666 --> 00:12:51.666 13. 00:12:51.966 --> 00:12:54.133 He says this, and this is in the setting. 00:12:54.133 --> 00:13:03.466 And you remember there was this whole sacrificial system tied around the temple where you were required for certain sins to give sacrifices and certain types of sacrifices. 00:13:03.466 --> 00:13:08.899 But over and over again we see that salt is added to sacrifices. 00:13:09.066 --> 00:13:10.133 You see this over and over again. 00:13:10.133 --> 00:13:12.100 It's not talked about a whole lot. 00:13:12.100 --> 00:13:13.566 Why is salt added? 00:13:13.566 --> 00:13:16.033 Salt had this symbolic aspect to it. 00:13:16.033 --> 00:13:17.666 Leviticus talks about this. 00:13:17.666 --> 00:13:23.133 You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. 00:13:24.365 --> 00:13:30.566 Here's the phrase you shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offerings. 00:13:30.566 --> 00:13:33.033 With all your offerings you shall offer salt. 00:13:33.033 --> 00:13:45.966 We see that in a couple of other key verses where salt is seen as a symbol, the salt sprinkled across the sacrifice is a symbol of God's covenant commitment to his people. 00:13:45.966 --> 00:13:50.100 We're sprinkling the salt and we're saying, God, God is faithful. 00:13:51.066 --> 00:13:53.332 God is committed to us. 00:13:53.332 --> 00:13:56.299 God doesn't give up on us always. 00:13:56.299 --> 00:13:57.066 That's the picture. 00:13:57.066 --> 00:14:00.066 That's the symbolism. 00:14:00.533 --> 00:14:10.666 And so when the disciples are to go into the world, they go into the world as a reminder to people of God's covenant faithfulness to his people. 00:14:11.899 --> 00:14:14.432 How they live, how they act, what they do. 00:14:14.432 --> 00:14:20.832 There's a picture to the world of the reality that God is faithful to his people. 00:14:20.832 --> 00:14:22.932 God is committed to his people. 00:14:23.932 --> 00:14:25.700 All right, so that's the salt element. 00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:27.865 I'm going to talk more about the latter part of that verse. 00:14:27.865 --> 00:14:30.332 That's kind of confusing about salt losing its saltiness. 00:14:30.332 --> 00:14:31.932 I'm going to talk about that in a minute. 00:14:31.932 --> 00:14:33.066 We're going to get to that. 00:14:33.066 --> 00:14:35.332 But first I want next I want to talk about light. 00:14:35.332 --> 00:14:37.533 First ingredient was salt. 00:14:37.533 --> 00:14:38.533 You are the salt of the earth. 00:14:38.533 --> 00:14:40.765 Second, you are the light of the world. 00:14:40.765 --> 00:14:42.865 Let's talk about what light means. 00:14:42.865 --> 00:14:48.299 If you're to view yourself, and the disciples are to view themselves as light, how would they view that? 00:14:48.299 --> 00:14:52.500 And of course, light is all over Scripture. 00:14:53.033 --> 00:14:54.432 Light shows up over and over again. 00:14:54.432 --> 00:14:56.466 It can mean a lot of different things. 00:14:56.466 --> 00:14:57.633 Of course, can mean literal light. 00:14:57.633 --> 00:15:03.966 But of course, the symbolic elements, the symbolic teaching, it can be taken a lot of different ways here. 00:15:03.966 --> 00:15:05.832 We're going to come back to that Bible study principle. 00:15:05.832 --> 00:15:07.899 I just talked about the context. 00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:10.033 What's the immediate context around it? 00:15:10.033 --> 00:15:11.932 If if I say to you. 00:15:11.932 --> 00:15:24.432 We're working in the garage on something, trying to repair something, and I say, hey, go over to the trunk and get a wrench, you don't suddenly start looking around for an elephant, an elephant's trunk. 00:15:24.432 --> 00:15:24.732 No. 00:15:24.732 --> 00:15:27.332 You immediately go to the car because that's right there. 00:15:27.332 --> 00:15:31.033 You immediately understand that's the closest context to what we're talking about. 00:15:31.033 --> 00:15:37.166 When we talk about light, there's an immediate context with light that just happened. 00:15:37.166 --> 00:15:54.566 We're going to look back at Matthew chapter four, because when Jesus launched his ministry, Jesus quotes from the book of Isaiah when he starts his ministry here in Matthew four, just prior to the Sermon on the Mount, he quotes from the book of Isaiah for a very important reason. 00:15:54.566 --> 00:15:57.232 But I want you to see first what he says. 00:15:57.232 --> 00:16:00.299 Just flip back a page or look over to chapter four. 00:16:00.299 --> 00:16:01.133 Look at verse 12. 00:16:01.133 --> 00:16:02.966 Jesus begins his ministry. 00:16:02.966 --> 00:16:08.332 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, John the Baptist, he--- we withdrew into Galilee. 00:16:08.332 --> 00:16:20.566 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea and the territory of Zebulon and Naphtali, so that what was spoken-- So we kind of get a picture of his movements, but then we get an explanation. 00:16:20.566 --> 00:16:22.466 Here's why he moved around the way he did. 00:16:22.466 --> 00:16:27.466 He moved around this way so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled. 00:16:27.466 --> 00:16:29.566 And so here's the quote in Isaiah chapter nine. 00:16:29.566 --> 00:16:42.899 Here's what it says, the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light. 00:16:42.899 --> 00:16:45.299 Here's that word light. 00:16:45.299 --> 00:16:49.332 So the people in these areas, they've been under darkness. 00:16:49.332 --> 00:16:52.332 Now they see, they see a light. 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:53.932 They see a great light. 00:16:53.932 --> 00:17:00.232 And for those dwelling in the region in the shadow of death on them a light has dawned. 00:17:00.232 --> 00:17:00.732 All right. 00:17:00.732 --> 00:17:02.232 So bear with me for a second here. 00:17:02.232 --> 00:17:02.966 We gotta unpack this. 00:17:02.966 --> 00:17:06.500 This is Isaiah chapter nine that he's quoting from Isaiah chapter nine. 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:09.133 He talks about a light coming into the world. 00:17:09.133 --> 00:17:15.465 Isaiah chapter nine is what's called a heavily messianic passage, meaning it's pointing towards the Messiah. 00:17:15.465 --> 00:17:18.900 Here's what you should look for when you're looking for the Messiah to come. 00:17:18.900 --> 00:17:25.099 All of Israel was hoping for and looking for a messiah to come, a Savior, someone who would rescue them. 00:17:25.099 --> 00:17:27.532 And so he says, A light has dawned. 00:17:27.532 --> 00:17:28.833 The Messiah has come. 00:17:28.833 --> 00:17:32.766 Isaiah nine also talks about how the baby will be born of a virgin. 00:17:32.766 --> 00:17:36.432 You will call him Emmanuel, and on his shoulders the government will rest. 00:17:36.432 --> 00:17:37.865 So you get all these pictures. 00:17:37.865 --> 00:17:40.566 What should we be looking for in a messiah to come? 00:17:40.566 --> 00:17:42.333 And Jesus quotes from that. 00:17:42.333 --> 00:17:46.965 He also quotes from Isaiah, in fact, this is important to understand. 00:17:46.965 --> 00:17:52.165 When we were looking at the Beatitudes last week, we saw how the Psalms serves as a backdrop. 00:17:52.165 --> 00:17:58.900 We saw how they were quoted individually, specifically, but also Isaiah serves as a backdrop for the whole sermon. 00:17:58.900 --> 00:18:02.532 It's almost maybe like the tortilla shell wrapping up all the ingredients. 00:18:02.532 --> 00:18:07.566 Isaiah really serves as an important backdrop for understanding this passage. 00:18:07.566 --> 00:18:14.700 He quotes from Isaiah nine in Luke when he launches his ministry, he quotes from Isaiah 61, you remember, the spirit of the Lord is upon me. 00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:17.700 I came to bring hope to the poor. 00:18:18.299 --> 00:18:19.032 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 00:18:19.766 --> 00:18:22.700 I came to comfort those who have mourned. 00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:26.932 Blessed are those who mourn to bring liberty to the captives and the favorable day of our Lord. 00:18:26.932 --> 00:18:30.066 So he's quoting from heavily messianic passages. 00:18:30.066 --> 00:18:36.432 And then he says in Luke today, this has been fulfilled in your presence. 00:18:36.532 --> 00:18:39.099 And he's saying, I am the Messiah. 00:18:39.099 --> 00:18:40.900 I am the one you have been looking for. 00:18:40.900 --> 00:18:43.066 All those passages have been reading in Isaiah. 00:18:43.066 --> 00:18:44.365 They're all pointing to me. 00:18:44.365 --> 00:18:46.633 Jesus is saying that. 00:18:46.633 --> 00:18:49.266 So come back here to this idea of light. 00:18:49.266 --> 00:18:54.566 Let's bring it all back here when we see you are the light of the world. 00:18:54.932 --> 00:18:56.732 I just told you a light has dawned. 00:18:56.732 --> 00:19:03.333 The Messiah has come, and now you also act to the world as a representative of the Messiah. 00:19:03.333 --> 00:19:07.465 You come bringing his ministry to the world. 00:19:07.465 --> 00:19:16.032 That's a powerful picture of what it means to be light, to carry on the work that Jesus came to do. 00:19:16.965 --> 00:19:19.299 So that's salt covenant. 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:20.932 That's light. 00:19:20.932 --> 00:19:30.165 Now, when you are dealing with any recipe, you know that when ingredients come together, sometimes they can take on an additional meaning they can change. 00:19:30.165 --> 00:19:35.732 So we're going to look at this third category of salt and light combined. 00:19:35.766 --> 00:19:40.232 This third ingredient when you combine salt and light what is the meaning. 00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:49.665 How do those shift form improve combined, come together to give us another understanding. 00:19:49.665 --> 00:19:56.232 What other element do we need to understand in terms of what it means to live in light of being members of the Kingdom of Heaven? 00:19:56.232 --> 00:19:58.032 How do we understand salt and light combined? 00:19:58.032 --> 00:20:11.032 Well, first let me just say, if you do a search through Scripture and you look for all the instances where salt and light are talked about together just like they are here, you won't find any other examples. 00:20:11.232 --> 00:20:16.299 You won’t, it's not clear, how do we look at salt and light together? 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:30.232 Instead, we've got to look at another layer, a little deeper layer, which by the way, does anybody find that frustrating about the Bible where everything's not super clear that you've got to dig in and look for stuff? 00:20:30.232 --> 00:20:32.066 Have you ever been frustrated by that? 00:20:32.066 --> 00:20:34.732 Colby and I were talking about that as we were looking at the whole Sermon on the Mount. 00:20:34.732 --> 00:20:40.232 Why isn't everything, why is it that some places are so hard to unpack to get your mind around? 00:20:41.665 --> 00:20:46.232 I think at one level that's just understanding human nature. 00:20:46.232 --> 00:20:50.299 I mean, the things that are super obvious to you are boring. 00:20:50.299 --> 00:20:55.066 If I tell you a joke and you see it coming a mile off, you don't laugh. 00:20:55.066 --> 00:20:56.099 It's not funny. 00:20:56.099 --> 00:20:57.165 I got it, John. 00:20:57.165 --> 00:20:59.432 We got it. 00:20:59.432 --> 00:21:04.133 It's the super obvious stuff that you you don't hang on to, you don't grasp onto. 00:21:04.133 --> 00:21:10.165 But the stuff you got to work for, the stuff you have to pry into and think about and you feel like you've unlocked somehow. 00:21:10.165 --> 00:21:13.900 Man, that stuff tends to hold deep meaning. 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:17.500 And so it's not like God's just trying to be mean and make life harder. 00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:23.766 But he also understands things you have struggled with and worked for are going to carry a deeper weight. 00:21:23.766 --> 00:21:25.532 And you know how that has been in life. 00:21:25.532 --> 00:21:29.665 The things that are most significant to you cost you something. 00:21:32.365 --> 00:21:36.500 How are salt and light combined together to be understood? 00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:44.700 If you understand salt in terms of covenant, there is a passage in Isaiah specifically that speaks of covenant and light together. 00:21:44.700 --> 00:21:53.500 6 I'm going to flip over there and read that passage, because it's an important passage for us to understand. 00:21:53.500 --> 00:22:02.365 6 says this, and this is Isaiah speaking about God's chosen servant, speaking about the Messiah. 00:22:03.333 --> 00:22:08.932 6 says, I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness. 00:22:09.665 --> 00:22:12.099 So many hints to the Beatitudes. 00:22:12.099 --> 00:22:14.032 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 00:22:14.032 --> 00:22:15.732 I've called you in righteousness. 00:22:15.732 --> 00:22:18.133 I will take you by the hand and keep you. 00:22:18.133 --> 00:22:19.965 I will give you. 00:22:19.965 --> 00:22:26.665 And here's that word, covenant I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations. 00:22:28.299 --> 00:22:30.865 I will give you as a covenant for the people. 00:22:30.865 --> 00:22:33.299 I will give you as a light for the nations. 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:49.766 And so when we combined covenant and light, salt and light here, we see these ideas coming together that Jesus disciples are called to carry out, continue the mission that Jesus brought. 00:22:51.232 --> 00:22:58.465 Now, before we continue, I want to take a step back and just pause and address these difficult sayings about salt. 00:22:58.465 --> 00:22:58.665 Right. 00:22:58.665 --> 00:23:02.066 Because you saw in this verse you are the salt of the earth. 00:23:02.066 --> 00:23:06.700 But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 00:23:06.700 --> 00:23:09.365 Who else finds that confusing? Anybody. 00:23:09.365 --> 00:23:12.465 Anybody else here studied any chemistry? 00:23:13.299 --> 00:23:15.133 I know at least one of us have. 00:23:15.133 --> 00:23:17.900 So there we go. There's another. 00:23:17.900 --> 00:23:20.965 You know that something can't become something it's not. 00:23:20.965 --> 00:23:26.432 I mean, things can combine and form and shape, but salt can't become not salt. 00:23:26.432 --> 00:23:28.465 It's. It just is what it is. 00:23:28.465 --> 00:23:30.365 It's either salt or not. 00:23:31.333 --> 00:23:38.066 Part of the hard part is, is that word salt has lost its taste, that word translated every other way. 00:23:38.066 --> 00:23:43.732 It's translated in all of Scripture and in all of Greek literature. 00:23:44.500 --> 00:23:47.700 It's never translated this way in any other instance. 00:23:47.700 --> 00:23:53.566 It's always translated something more like to become foolish. 00:23:53.566 --> 00:23:58.232 In fact, it sounds like our word for moron, Moreno. 00:23:58.232 --> 00:24:04.465 If you've become a moron, if you've become foolish, if you've become useless, it's often translated that way. 00:24:04.465 --> 00:24:09.066 And so many have taken this to see if salt is no longer of use. 00:24:09.099 --> 00:24:10.133 If salt. 00:24:10.133 --> 00:24:16.365 In fact, many times when salt was mined, it was contaminated with other materials, especially around the Dead Sea in this culture. 00:24:16.365 --> 00:24:21.133 So if it's if it's no good for eating, if it's no good for preserving, what do you do with it? 00:24:21.133 --> 00:24:23.165 You just got to get rid of it. 00:24:23.165 --> 00:24:24.833 Just throw it on the road to be trampled. 00:24:24.833 --> 00:24:26.633 We put salt like that on the roads too. 00:24:26.633 --> 00:24:28.133 We use it. You understand. 00:24:29.232 --> 00:24:34.766 What it means though ultimately is this both salt and this picture of light. 00:24:34.766 --> 00:24:36.432 a city on a hill cannot be hidden. 00:24:36.432 --> 00:24:38.299 You can't hide a city that's lit up. 00:24:38.299 --> 00:24:39.500 You can't do anything to hide it. 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:41.299 You see it from miles and miles away. 00:24:41.299 --> 00:24:41.965 Here's the point. 00:24:41.965 --> 00:24:48.865 And I want you to write down this one word whether something is tasteless or if you tried to hide it under a bushel. 00:24:48.865 --> 00:24:51.865 The one word is it's impossible. 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:53.299 Salt can't not be salt. 00:24:53.299 --> 00:24:55.500 The city light can't not be light. 00:24:55.500 --> 00:24:58.465 It's impossible. 00:24:58.465 --> 00:25:04.032 Here's what this means for us, for the Christian, what we're going to see with this last point. 00:25:04.032 --> 00:25:06.766 The calling we have. 00:25:06.766 --> 00:25:11.299 It is impossible for the Christian to not be this. 00:25:11.299 --> 00:25:20.566 The calling to be a picture of Christ's work on this earth, the calling to live out the picture of his covenant to the world, the calling to be a light to the world. 00:25:20.566 --> 00:25:24.665 It's impossible for the Christian to not do that. 00:25:26.766 --> 00:25:31.965 Just as it's impossible for salt to not be salt, just as it's impossible for light to not be light, for light to not shine. 00:25:31.965 --> 00:25:36.465 It is impossible for the Christian to not tell the world about who Jesus is. 00:25:36.465 --> 00:25:37.299 Look at number four. 00:25:37.299 --> 00:25:42.833 This is the last ingredient here that helps give us direction and how we are called to live. 00:25:42.833 --> 00:25:46.633 Number four Jesus is showing them by doing all this. 00:25:46.633 --> 00:25:49.165 Here's the point. 00:25:49.165 --> 00:25:54.932 He's showing them that this is the fulfillment of a forgotten purpose. 00:25:55.566 --> 00:26:00.900 He's showing them that he is fulfilling a forgotten purpose. 00:26:01.032 --> 00:26:07.633 Jesus, by talking about salt and light here, he's pointing forward to the end of Matthew and the last three verses of Matthew. 00:26:07.633 --> 00:26:09.066 We've talked about this passage a lot. 00:26:09.066 --> 00:26:10.365 Who knows what it's called? 00:26:12.032 --> 00:26:13.133 The Great Commission. 00:26:13.133 --> 00:26:14.465 Everyone should know. 00:26:14.465 --> 00:26:19.833 If I ask you where the Great Commission is, you should know the end of Matthew, the last few verses, the Great Commission. 00:26:19.833 --> 00:26:22.965 It's the last few words he tells to his disciples. 00:26:22.965 --> 00:26:37.266 And when someone gives you their last few words, you know they're really important and they shape up the way we approach everything, go into all the world, make disciples, teach them what I have commanded you, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:26:37.266 --> 00:26:40.165 The key word there is go make disciples. 00:26:40.165 --> 00:26:42.965 Go. 00:26:42.965 --> 00:26:47.465 And that is the primary task of the church. 00:26:47.465 --> 00:26:53.833 And I don't just mean the staff or me or the elders. 00:26:53.833 --> 00:26:56.900 That is the primary task of Christians. 00:26:58.099 --> 00:27:02.133 Go make disciples, go into the world. 00:27:02.133 --> 00:27:03.900 That's what we've been called to do. 00:27:03.900 --> 00:27:07.133 Go tell others about what Jesus has done in your life. 00:27:09.232 --> 00:27:17.299 And the problem with the Jews at this time is they had forgotten that Jesus is just reminding them of what they had been told. 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:20.465 I've listed in your notes Genesis 12 one through two. 00:27:20.465 --> 00:27:31.266 This is God's initial covenant with Abraham and the key word Genesis 12 one through two I have blessed you. 00:27:33.266 --> 00:27:35.865 Sermon on the Mount comes to mind. Beatitudes come to mind. 00:27:35.865 --> 00:27:45.266 You are blessed, I blessed you, I will bless you, and I will make your name great so that you will bless the world. 00:27:45.266 --> 00:27:46.865 You will bless the nations. 00:27:46.865 --> 00:27:48.633 I bless you to be a blessing. 00:27:48.633 --> 00:27:53.700 I've blessed you so that you'll pour out that blessing to the world. 00:27:53.766 --> 00:27:56.465 This is a forgotten purpose. 00:27:56.465 --> 00:27:57.833 We're not to be insular. 00:27:57.833 --> 00:28:04.500 And so when it comes to the church, when it comes to us, there's a lot of misconceptions about church, the way we think about ourselves. 00:28:04.500 --> 00:28:06.133 Okay, we're not a country club. 00:28:07.633 --> 00:28:10.066 Now, look, of course there's a gathering. 00:28:10.066 --> 00:28:11.066 Of course we're gathering now. 00:28:11.066 --> 00:28:12.299 There's a social element. 00:28:12.299 --> 00:28:14.266 I mean, we're going to gather for a worship night tonight. 00:28:14.266 --> 00:28:15.333 We love a good potluck. 00:28:15.333 --> 00:28:16.833 We love to connect. 00:28:16.833 --> 00:28:17.700 Okay? We're Baptist. 00:28:17.700 --> 00:28:20.066 We like to eat. That's okay. 00:28:20.066 --> 00:28:21.266 That's an important part of it. 00:28:21.266 --> 00:28:23.500 But that's not our main purpose. 00:28:23.500 --> 00:28:26.500 We don't gather just for social sake. 00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:29.032 We're also not a hospital. 00:28:29.032 --> 00:28:31.032 You know, many people talk about the church as a hospital. 00:28:31.032 --> 00:28:32.432 It's a place to come and get healing. 00:28:32.432 --> 00:28:33.833 And by the way, that's true. 00:28:33.833 --> 00:28:37.732 We do have to serve in that capacity at times. 00:28:38.133 --> 00:28:44.566 I mean, there are people I've talked with a number of you who have been through seasons of spiritual abuse, and you're still trying to recover. 00:28:44.566 --> 00:28:53.566 You're still not fully sure how to get fully engaged in church because you're still struggling, because it's such a deep injury to be spiritually abused. 00:28:53.566 --> 00:28:55.566 It takes a long time, and that's okay. 00:28:55.566 --> 00:28:56.432 Take your time. 00:28:56.432 --> 00:28:58.232 It takes a long time to get over that. 00:28:58.232 --> 00:29:00.165 And for that person, we are a hospital. 00:29:00.165 --> 00:29:02.099 We are a healing place. 00:29:02.099 --> 00:29:06.133 But anybody who's been in a hospital knows you don't want to stay in the hospital. 00:29:06.133 --> 00:29:07.633 That's the last place you want to stay. 00:29:07.633 --> 00:29:12.032 You want to get healthy and get out and get out and start helping other people. 00:29:12.032 --> 00:29:14.333 That's where you start feeling alive again. 00:29:14.333 --> 00:29:15.700 I get back to the way I used to be. 00:29:15.700 --> 00:29:16.932 I can help others out. 00:29:16.932 --> 00:29:18.633 So we're not first and foremost the hospital. 00:29:18.633 --> 00:29:19.865 We serve in that function. 00:29:20.833 --> 00:29:21.965 Here's what we are. 00:29:21.965 --> 00:29:24.965 We're flashlight shining, salt spreaders. 00:29:25.665 --> 00:29:33.066 We're people who are getting out, serving, telling others about what Jesus has done in your life. 00:29:33.066 --> 00:29:36.465 If you're a Christian, you can't not do that. 00:29:36.465 --> 00:29:37.232 You can't not. 00:29:37.232 --> 00:29:40.432 It's impossible for you to not do that. 00:29:41.266 --> 00:29:42.833 And so here's what I want to do today. 00:29:42.833 --> 00:29:45.833 I want to give us all a challenge today. 00:29:46.165 --> 00:29:49.232 This is going to be uncomfortable, okay? 00:29:49.266 --> 00:29:50.566 It's going to be uncomfortable. 00:29:50.566 --> 00:29:52.900 Just be ready. It will be uncomfortable. 00:29:52.900 --> 00:29:53.932 That's okay. 00:29:53.932 --> 00:29:56.932 It's okay for us to be uncomfortable. 00:29:57.133 --> 00:30:00.633 I mean, look, you're Jesus said you're going to be uncomfortable out there. 00:30:00.633 --> 00:30:04.099 We should start by learning to be uncomfortable in here. 00:30:04.099 --> 00:30:04.865 Here's the call. 00:30:04.865 --> 00:30:07.665 Today we're going to take a step of faith. 00:30:07.665 --> 00:30:11.700 This week, I'm going to call you to take a step of faith this week. 00:30:11.700 --> 00:30:19.833 And if you have those boxes, if you could go ahead and bring those down front, because in just a minute I'm going to ask you to do something. 00:30:19.833 --> 00:30:24.566 I'm going to ask you to take a step of faith and come down front. 00:30:24.566 --> 00:30:28.732 And I want you to grab a small gospel tract. 00:30:30.766 --> 00:30:39.865 I was in the seminary library recently, and I was looking at this book on evangelism, and I was standing there looking at it, thinking about, do I have time to read this? 00:30:39.865 --> 00:30:41.965 I've got some other things I want to read. Should I get this or not? 00:30:41.965 --> 00:30:45.965 And I hear a guy behind me, he goes, that is a great book. 00:30:46.833 --> 00:30:49.532 You should really get that book. 00:30:49.532 --> 00:30:50.833 I said, really, tell me more. 00:30:50.833 --> 00:30:51.633 What makes it so great? 00:30:51.633 --> 00:30:54.633 He said, well, I wrote it. 00:30:54.700 --> 00:30:57.532 Okay, I see where this is going. 00:30:57.532 --> 00:30:59.032 You wrote it, tell me more. 00:30:59.032 --> 00:31:03.465 And we had a good laugh over it and but I bought it, I read it, it was good. 00:31:03.465 --> 00:31:04.299 We met. 00:31:04.299 --> 00:31:07.066 He's a professor at the seminary around evangelism. 00:31:07.066 --> 00:31:07.932 We met this week. 00:31:07.932 --> 00:31:12.465 We just so happened we scheduled it for this week to talk about the book. 00:31:12.465 --> 00:31:13.633 Hey, I want to ask you about the book. 00:31:13.633 --> 00:31:16.032 I want to discuss some things in it. 00:31:16.032 --> 00:31:16.833 I want to learn. 00:31:16.833 --> 00:31:18.365 You're a professor of evangelism. 00:31:18.365 --> 00:31:21.465 I want to talk more about what evangelism means to you. 00:31:21.465 --> 00:31:25.099 And while we met, he told me the story. 00:31:25.333 --> 00:31:42.400 There was this 80 year old man in his church, been a Christian for decades, and he had met with this same group of three guys to golf every Friday for 20 years, and he had been burdened recently. 00:31:42.500 --> 00:31:46.665 I've never told these guys about my hope in Jesus, pastor, will you help me? 00:31:46.665 --> 00:31:48.833 And he said, look, here's a booklet read over this. 00:31:48.833 --> 00:31:49.633 Be ready. 00:31:49.633 --> 00:31:52.165 You never know where God will open the door. You never know. 00:31:53.165 --> 00:31:53.900 So he took the booklet. 00:31:53.900 --> 00:31:54.766 He read it. 00:31:54.766 --> 00:31:56.865 He was waiting. He was ready. 00:31:56.865 --> 00:31:58.465 One day they finished golfing. 00:31:58.465 --> 00:32:05.299 They stop in the clubhouse, they’re having lunch, and one of the guys goes, guys, I've been having the weirdest dreams. 00:32:05.299 --> 00:32:09.432 I have been dreaming about God all the time. 00:32:09.432 --> 00:32:12.766 Do you think he's trying to get my attention? 00:32:12.766 --> 00:32:17.032 And you know, this 80 year old guy was like, maybe. 00:32:17.032 --> 00:32:19.333 Yeah, there's a chance. 00:32:19.333 --> 00:32:21.165 Well, how do I learn more about him? 00:32:21.165 --> 00:32:24.165 Didn't you guys know anything about him? 00:32:24.732 --> 00:32:26.766 And the 80 year old guy goes wait right here. 00:32:26.766 --> 00:32:29.232 I got something in my truck I'm going to get. 00:32:29.232 --> 00:32:32.266 He runs out, he grabs the booklets, he hands them out to his friends. 00:32:32.266 --> 00:32:34.432 Guys, look, I don't know all the answers. 00:32:34.432 --> 00:32:37.865 I think maybe my pastor should be here talking to you, but let's just look at what this says. 00:32:37.865 --> 00:32:38.633 Are you open to that? 00:32:38.633 --> 00:32:40.432 Yes. Please tell me. 00:32:40.432 --> 00:32:42.566 And he walks through those booklets with them. 00:32:42.566 --> 00:32:54.465 And those guys come to know Christ and this 80 year old guy comes back to his pastor and he says, I'm so sad that I've missed so many opportunities. 00:32:54.465 --> 00:32:56.865 All my friends are dying right now. 00:32:56.865 --> 00:33:00.766 They're all friends from high school, friends from growing up. 00:33:00.766 --> 00:33:05.032 My wife's friends are all dying, and I've missed out on opportunities to tell them about Jesus. 00:33:05.032 --> 00:33:07.432 What do I do? 00:33:07.432 --> 00:33:14.665 So he and his wife sat down, and they mapped out, they're going to travel around the country for the next six months going from person to person. 00:33:14.665 --> 00:33:17.665 We're going to try to get to them all before they die and tell them about Jesus. 00:33:17.665 --> 00:33:18.965 Give them the hope in Jesus. 00:33:18.965 --> 00:33:22.766 That's his next six months of his life is given to that. 00:33:24.099 --> 00:33:25.333 So here's what I want us to do today. 00:33:25.333 --> 00:33:27.465 I want you to take a step of faith. 00:33:27.465 --> 00:33:28.566 In just a second. 00:33:28.566 --> 00:33:36.566 I'm gonna ask you to come up, and all I want you to do is just take a tract, and your first step is just going to be to read it. 00:33:36.566 --> 00:33:44.900 And by the way, the guy I met with, he he's the one who wrote the tract, too, he’s a professor of evangelism, wrote the tract that was published by the seminary. 00:33:44.900 --> 00:33:47.833 And by the way, if this tool doesn't work for you, that's fine. 00:33:47.833 --> 00:33:50.432 If you've got one you love and use all the time. 00:33:50.432 --> 00:33:52.865 If you got a way you go about talking with people about the gospel. 00:33:52.865 --> 00:33:59.566 Great use that. I don't, I don't care, but if you don't, maybe try this. 00:33:59.566 --> 00:34:01.665 The first step is just read it. 00:34:01.665 --> 00:34:02.932 That's your first task this week. 00:34:02.932 --> 00:34:04.066 Just read it. 00:34:04.066 --> 00:34:06.432 It's like just read it. 00:34:06.432 --> 00:34:14.166 And then second is to pray every day this week for an open door. 00:34:14.166 --> 00:34:15.599 Every day. 00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:25.565 Leave this out where you do your Bible study, or leave it on your dashboard or wherever you're going to see it, and pray every day for God to open a door. 00:34:27.166 --> 00:34:29.500 Because he will. 00:34:29.500 --> 00:34:35.900 And if again, if this doesn't work, if you feel like this isn't the tool for me to use right now, that's okay. 00:34:37.432 --> 00:34:40.432 But he might he might just use this. 00:34:40.465 --> 00:34:41.900 All you got to do is just read it to someone. 00:34:41.900 --> 00:34:43.932 Can I tell you about what Jesus did in my life? 00:34:45.065 --> 00:34:55.465 So what we're going to do now, Isaac's going to play, and I just want you to come as he plays, grab a tract during this song, pause here and pray. 00:34:55.465 --> 00:34:58.099 Even now, God, would you open the door? 00:34:58.099 --> 00:35:01.500 Would you open a door this week for me to talk about my hope in you? 00:35:01.500 --> 00:35:02.733 For me to be salt and light. 00:35:02.733 --> 00:35:07.032 Because we're not going to hide between the walls just because it's scary outside. 00:35:07.032 --> 00:35:09.099 We're going to go. 00:35:09.099 --> 00:35:14.833 And so come get a tract, pause and pray, and then go back to your seat. 00:35:14.833 --> 00:35:22.032 Because I got one other thing to tell you, one other thing to tell you about how this is going to work next week as I go ahead and lead us, go ahead and come. 00:35:22.032 --> 00:35:23.300 Come on, now's the time. 00:35:23.300 --> 00:35:24.365 Come get a tract. 00:35:23.300 --> 00:39:01.565 (00.35.23.09-00.38.59.09 is music) If you're still gathering those, that's okay. 00:39:01.565 --> 00:39:03.699 Go ahead and grab pause and pray. 00:39:04.766 --> 00:39:08.032 Here's the thing we're going to do next week. 00:39:08.032 --> 00:39:11.065 I want to hear how God worked this week. 00:39:12.365 --> 00:39:15.432 So we're going to have a time in next week's service for people to share. 00:39:15.432 --> 00:39:23.233 Here's how God moved this week when I went by faith, when I prayed for him to open the door for me to share. 00:39:23.233 --> 00:39:26.932 Because that's our primary focus as a church is is outward. 00:39:26.932 --> 00:39:28.166 There's an inward factor. 00:39:28.166 --> 00:39:28.865 Without a doubt. 00:39:28.865 --> 00:39:37.733 We're here today focused on equipping one another, building one another up, focused on growing in Christ so that we can go. 00:39:39.099 --> 00:39:45.500 So next week we're going to have a part of the service or I just give you an opportunity, opportunity to share. 00:39:45.500 --> 00:39:50.266 Now let me say on the front end, some of you want to turn that into a personal sermon. 00:39:50.266 --> 00:39:52.166 That's not what we're talking about. 00:39:52.166 --> 00:39:54.099 Right? We'll shut you down. 00:39:55.932 --> 00:40:02.132 No, share what God did, give a short sentence or two, paragraph or so. 00:40:02.132 --> 00:40:04.333 Here's how God opened the door this week. 00:40:04.333 --> 00:40:07.132 Here's what God did. 00:40:07.132 --> 00:40:15.900 I promise you, if you are praying daily for him to open a door and you're thinking about the gospel and sharing that with others, he will. 00:40:16.532 --> 00:40:23.465 I think too many times we fall into this pattern of just going through the motions of life and forgetting that that's our purpose. 00:40:23.465 --> 00:40:25.233 That's a big part of what we're called to do. 00:40:25.233 --> 00:40:27.699 And by the way, it's the most exciting way to live. 00:40:27.699 --> 00:40:35.166 There's nothing more exciting that you will do than to share your faith with someone else, to share your hope in Jesus. 00:40:36.565 --> 00:40:38.065 So be praying for that all week. 00:40:38.065 --> 00:40:41.500 And if you want more copies of these, there's there's two different covers on these. 00:40:41.500 --> 00:40:43.365 They have the same content. 00:40:43.365 --> 00:40:44.900 They look a little different. 00:40:44.900 --> 00:40:48.233 We had a bunch of old ones we wanted you to use up. 00:40:48.233 --> 00:40:49.800 It's the same material. 00:40:49.800 --> 00:40:53.565 Come grab more if one's not enough for you, if you're like, I could use 100. 00:40:53.565 --> 00:40:55.065 Come get what you want. 00:40:55.065 --> 00:40:55.733 We got extra. 00:40:55.733 --> 00:40:58.132 Now I want to make sure everybody got one. 00:40:58.132 --> 00:40:59.333 But that's our mission. 00:40:59.333 --> 00:41:00.965 That's our focus. 00:41:00.965 --> 00:41:03.132 I’m going to close us in prayer. 00:41:03.132 --> 00:41:05.666 Let me just mention reminder tonight.