Words From The Word Of God
A topical, and expositional study from the Word of God, in order to Glorify and Exalt our Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; that we may reach the world with the Gospel, and grow in the Grace and knowledge of Him.. Grace and Peace to all, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(Isaiah 52:7) "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"(Isaiah 55 10-11) 10) "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:"11) "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."(John 3:16)“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”(John 14:1-7) 1)"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me."2)"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."3)"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."4)And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."5)"Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?"6)"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."7)"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him."(Romans 10 :9-10;13) 9)"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."10)"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."13)"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
All Done For The Glory Of God and To Exalt Jesus Christ The Lord!!!
Words From The Word Of God
Salt and Light: Living Righteously in a Dark World
The Sermon on the Mount presents Jesus' radical reframing of what it means to live righteously in a hostile world. In this profound exploration of Matthew 5:10-16, we examine how Jesus transitions from the Beatitudes to the challenging call for believers to be "salt and light" amid persecution.
Jesus doesn't sugarcoat the Christian experience. He guarantees that those who live for righteousness will face opposition: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake." This persecution comes not for self-righteousness but specifically for living according to God's standards through Christ. The promise attached to this suffering isn't earthly comfort but heavenly reward—a radical perspective shift that challenges our natural inclinations.
The metaphors of salt and light reveal our spiritual purpose with striking clarity. In ancient times, salt preserved, purified, and symbolized covenant loyalty. When Jesus declares, "Ye are the salt of the earth," He's calling us to preserve truth in a corrupt culture while warning that salt without its distinctive quality becomes "good for nothing." This directly confronts the modern impulse to dilute biblical truth for cultural acceptance.
Similarly, as "the light of the world," believers carry the responsibility to illuminate darkness. Throughout Scripture, light represents truth, revelation, and God's presence. Our witness should shine openly—not for personal recognition but to direct attention heavenward: "that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
This teaching stands in stark contrast to contemporary Christianity's frequent compromises. Many churches water down the gospel to appear relevant, forgetting that our calling isn't to fit in but to transform. Jesus reminds us that authentic discipleship costs something. As He later told His disciples, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."
Are you living as salt and light? The call requires courage, conviction, and a willingness to face opposition. But it carries the privilege of participating in God's redemptive work in a broken world, guiding others from darkness into His marvelous light.
John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
If you haven't received Jesus Christ by Faith, as your personal Lord and Savior; I strongly encourage you to do so before it is eternally too late!!!
If you need someone to pray with you please feel free to contact us here at Words From The Word Of God!!!
Via:
Email: jeffthomas4Christ@yahoo.com
Cell Phone: (864) 309-9087
Hello and welcome to this another edition of Words from the Word of God. Thank you all so much for joining us today, as I'm excited for us to join back together in our study through the Gospel of Matthew, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and as we go through, as the Lord leads, the Gospels, book by book. But we'll, as always, go as the Lord leads, but I'm so excited to be back with you today. We join back together in chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew. We've already and we've come as far as verse 12, but for the context of the, for the message today, we want to drop back to verse 10, at which we know is the end of what is known as the Beatitudes, so famously known as the Beatitudes. But this is again Jesus' sermon on the mount. He has gone up to a mountain there in Galilee, and we must remember that, and this is. He's seen the multitudes come to him. He sat down after he ascended up on the mountain and he began to teach, and that's where we find ourselves. So we come along here in verse 10, at the end of the Beatitudes, he says blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake.
Speaker 1:Notice the wording here why we are persecuted For righteousness' sake, not for our sake, not for self-righteousness' sake, not for any other reason, but for righteousness' sake. And how is righteousness in our lives? We are made the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. And that comes through repentance and faith, turning from the world, turning to God, by placing all of our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And when we do this and we begin, as we will see down through verse 16 where we read, as we will see down through verse 16 where we read, as we begin to be that salt on the earth and we begin to be that light of his righteousness to this world, we will see that right here there's persecution. And he tells us that there's going to be persecution here.
Speaker 1:If you notice the wording he says Blessed are they which are, which are notice the tense persecuted present tense continually persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you Notice the wording here and persecute you. Notice the wording here. Notice the wording Blessed are ye when men shall that means they're going to it's a guarantee Revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you. Notice falsely, that is, in a deceitful fashion. For my sake, so, righteousness sake and Christ's sake, is the reason we suffer persecution, no other reason than that, and we will find out in the end of verse 17 whose glory is deserved here, who deserves all the glory and praise for us living in a certain way, as we will cover in the message today.
Speaker 1:But verse 12, he says Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they, the prophets which were before you. Prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is this for good, for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under the foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle in the King James, but the actual Greek there, in their day it was a lamp. So neither do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel or under a basket or, so to speak, to hide the light in their homes. No, they put it, but on a candlestick or a lampstand, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house, all that are in the house, meaning the world. That's what he's talking about here. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and what Glorify you, pat you on the back, make you feel good about yourself. No, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven.
Speaker 1:We are guaranteed to be persecuted if we live in the way Jesus is commanding us to live here in this scripture text today. If you will, I want you to turn over with me to John, john chapter 15. If you want to listen to the message and then go back and listen to it and go along with these scripture references, I encourage you to do so. But for the timing of the message, we'll go ahead and read it. John, chapter 15, beginning in verse 13. This again is Jesus speaking, and this is as he is on his way to the cross the Last Supper on his way to the cross, from the Last Supper, on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, on the way to being betrayed and falsely arrested and accused of being a blasphemer and put to death. So we know if we look upon his cross that there is persecution there. We know when we look upon his cross, there is great sacrifice to be made for his cause. He said if a man will follow after me, he must take up his cross daily and follow me. We are to expect persecution if we are living according to verse 13 through verse 16 of Matthew, chapter 5.
Speaker 1:But let's look right here, in John, chapter 15, what Jesus says to his disciples, which speaks to us if you are truly born again and a follower of Christ and a disciple of his teachings, a learner of his teachings, then this applies to you. He says greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever. I command you Henceforth. I call you not servants, for servants knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father. I have made known unto you. Praise God for the word of God that we can read his blessed words. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain. For that whatsoever, ye shall ask of my Father, in my name, he may give it you, verse 17,. These things I command you that ye love one another.
Speaker 1:Verse 18, very significant and goes right along with Matthew, chapter 5, verses 10 through 12. Here he says if the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you for his sake, for righteousness sake, which we are in Christ and we have Jesus to claim as our Lord and our Savior. For his sake, remember verse 20, the word that I said unto you the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my sayings, they will keep yours also. But all these things he tells us why the world persecutes us, why they revile us, why we are encouraged to persevere.
Speaker 1:Through the persecution and the reviling and the false accusations and so on and so forth, the world points their finger at us and says look at him. He's not a perfect example of what Christ should be. That's why it's so important for us to live righteous, that our testimony stands. He says but all these things will they do unto you. Speaking of those in the world for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
Speaker 1:They are lost and undone. They are blinded by the darkness. The apostle Paul would say If our gospel be hid, it is hid from them in the world who have been blinded by the God of this world. They are following after the God of this world, satan himself. He is their father. If you're lost and undone without Christ in your heart, you are following after your father the devil, as Jesus told the Pharisees and the scribes there in John, chapter eight, verse 44, he said ye are of your father the devil, you are of your father the devil.
Speaker 1:So if you're lost and undone it's not that I'm condemning you, but it's what the truth of God's word says you will persecute born-again believers because they grind against everything that you represent in this world. Born-again believers, you will be persecuted. You will be reviled because you're not of this world. That's why I have a problem with Christians today who pray a simple prayer in an emotional experience and say oh well, I can go out now and live like I want to because of grace, I can do whatever I want to and I have forgiveness. No, that's not scriptural, that is not by the word of God. That is not what the word of God tells us. We are called to come out and be separate, saith the Lord.
Speaker 1:Paul says be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, which is your reasonable service. We are to be transformed, not conformed. And if we live conformed, if we live transformed excuse me, I'm the only human if we live transformed lives, which Jesus tells us here in Matthew, chapter 5, verse 12, he says rejoice in me exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven. So for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? Proverbs, chapter 1, verse 1. A hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick that it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men see we are. We are rubbing, and I don't want to get them ahead of myself here, but you know, you heard those things. Salt rub salt in the wound. That's when you want to irritate someone.
Speaker 1:So when we live as we're supposed to, in righteousness and for Jesus' sake, being conformed to his image. Born of God, born of the spirit, born from above, truly born again into the family of God, a true child of God, we will strive to live and be conformed more and more each day to Christ's image. But we don't just hide that testimony. No, we are commanded to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and we are told that we will be persecuted for doing so. We are told that we will be reviled for living and talking a certain way, because it grinds against the world. It grinds against the world in its system. It grinds against the prince of the powers of the heirs, and even his demons will come against you at times, but they know who Jesus Christ is and we know that Jesus has overcome the world, amen. And we know that we are overcomers in him. We know that by the word of God.
Speaker 1:First John, in his first epistle. He tells us that in chapter five, If you have time, go over there and read it. But we're told that if we live a certain way, if we live as the salt of the earth and the light to the world, then and we live as we're supposed to, in the righteousness of Christ in our hearts, born of the Spirit, led every day by his Spirit. That is why it behooves us, my friends, to start your day off in prayer and the word of God, getting your heart right spiritually to serve him that day, getting your putting on the whole armor of God, as Paul tells us. He says, because we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities of powers, rulers of this evil world and I know I'm not quoting that verse, but you know where I'm coming from Ephesians, chapter 6,. But the key thing here is we wrestle not against flesh and blood. You see, they have an influence, the world has an influence pushing them, the governments of this world that trying to stomp out religious or excuse me, I don't like the word religion, to stamp out the Christian faith, the true born-again believers, the martyrs.
Speaker 1:Many Christians have been martyred for the cause of Christ throughout the history of the church, beginning with the apostles and coming forward. You know, as James would be the first martyr in the book of Acts, and then of course, stephen there in Acts, chapter 7. But of the apostles, james was the first one to be martyred and every apostle of the 12 was, except for the apostle. John was martyred for the cause of Christ. John suffered the martyrdom of a long life, of a true born-again believer. But he did along the way suffer persecution from Nero who tried to boil him in oil and he wouldn't boil. That's why they call John a friar A little humor there. But in all seriousness, john was the only one who died the martyrdom of a long life, as he died in his late 90s, if I'm not mistaken, as Jewish history tells us.
Speaker 1:But let's get back to our scripture here in Matthew and look at us and look at the message today. You know that was just the starter, you know. But we must understand, as we enter into this, the salt and light, the price of living righteous in the world, the price of living righteous in the world, world, the price of living righteous in the world. And Christ here instructs us how we are to live spiritually. And if you don't see this, I pray that the Holy Spirit would open the eyes of your heart and mind to see this as we go along today. But let's read verse 13 down through verse 16 again and then we'll break it down as the Lord leads.
Speaker 1:He says Ye are the salt of the earth. But if the salt hath lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is since for good, for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under the foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that ye may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven.
Speaker 1:The Sermon on the Mount Jesus redefines righteousness for the Jewish people of that day. In contrast to the external religious performance of the scribes and Pharisees that have been taught to them over many years, his teaching introduces a faith that transforms hearts instead of an outward show of religion. Today, as we focus on these verses here in Matthew, chapter 5, we are reminded that true disciples are not meant to simply believe. They are called, and we are called to influence the world. Jesus uses powerful imagery here, that of salt and light, to capture our responsibility to preserve God's truth and shine his light and love in a dark, decaying culture. His purpose is clear here Our lives are, to point people not to ourselves but to our heavenly father, drawing lost souls to the saving light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Matthew chapter excuse me me, matthew, verse 13,. He says, right here ye are the salt of the earth.
Speaker 1:In ancient times, salt was more than a seasoning as it is today. It was a vital preservative. It was a vital purifier and a symbol of covenant loyalty. If you, you know, and the Jews in that day would have thought of this, especially the scribes and the Pharisees, they would have thought of this, even the Sadducees. Leviticus, chapter 2, verse 13, says and every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt, neither shalt thou offer. Here in Leviticus, salt was used to denote purity before God In the purity, the purifying of the offering, the meat offering, and in fact that's where we have given rise to the word salary.
Speaker 1:If you think of the Romans, the Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt. It doesn't seem like much for their service in fighting the wars, but, as history will tell us, they were paid with salt many times. It was a very valuable commodity and that's what gives the rise to the word salary. Or you remember the saying a man is not worth his salt. That's kind of where that saying comes from.
Speaker 1:Or rubbing salt in a wound, they, that is the only uh, you know, preserve or, excuse me, the purifier of a wound that they really had at that time. And I, roman soldiers, would often rub salt in their wounds because it was an antiseptic, you see, and just as the salt prevents food from spoiling, in that day we as believers are charged with preserving Notice, I said, preserving the truth of God's word of men amid a corrupt culture. You know, it saddens my heart to know that many are watering down the word of God today. Many have turned the gospel into wealth, health and prosperity, not preaching the true gospel of the word of God. They are not preserving the truth of God's word. In many, especially the popular churches of today I can't contemporary, excuse me contemporary churches today especially, many are watering down the word of God. They are watering down the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and leading many to hell, as they do this because they are denying the very power of the word of God by not preserving the truth of it.
Speaker 1:You know, purification signifies purity and, as we just talked about there in Leviticus, it signified purity in worship, urging us to maintain a holy, unblemished character. Jesus has a reason for everything he says here in the Sermon on the Mount. But Jesus warns if the salt has lost his savor, it is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men In his day. Impure salt, exposed to moisture and mixed with other contaminants, became worthless and was cast out. Our witness, with compromise to worldly values, our effectiveness as followers and witnesses for Christ and living for the glory of our Father in heaven, diminishes greatly.
Speaker 1:We must remain distinct and steadfast in our stand for the Lord. If you claim to be a born-again believer and you go out and live in the world and the world looks upon you and they see no difference, you have no witness for the Lord. If you compromise what the truth of God's word is to a world where you try to be relevant to a world and trying to draw the world in, as many churches are doing, they want to be relevant to the world. Instead of bringing the world in through the truth of God's word and making them relevant to righteousness, they want to be relevant to the world saying oh well, we must do this to be relevant, we must do this to be popular? It is not. Living righteous is not a popularity contest.
Speaker 1:As we just read when we began this service, we are a persecuted minority, the true born-again believers. It is not for popularity. You are guaranteed. Jesus said they will persecute you, they will revile you, but you're blessed because great is your reward in heaven. And he says right there in verse 12, it says rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. Not you will have a reward in heaven. He said great is your reward in heaven.
Speaker 1:And we know that the apostles and the prophets have been persecuted before we ever thought about being born again. Believers so, and we can know that through church history. We can know that through the scriptures, isaiah being one who was sown in half by King Manasseh, as tradition holds. But he tells us, if the salt has lost its savor, if we dampen the word of God, if we dampen our testimony, if we compromise With the world, if we try to be relevant with the world, trying to be like them, to draw them to Christ, that's the wrong way to live. We are too, and we must remain distinct and steadfast in our testimony and our lives lived for the Lord.
Speaker 1:Salt is not made to be heard, it's made to be tasted, it's made to be a preservative, it's made to be a purifier. And if we come to them with the truth of God's word, there is no more powerful purifying agent than the word of God. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting to the asunder of the joints and marrow and the soul and the spirit, and is a discerner of the and intents of men's hearts. And they cannot stand if they're in darkness. They will either do two things they will reject the truth of God's word or the Holy Spirit will let that light shine into their heart and they will fall under conviction. And they will be convicted of their sin and of their judgment, that's upon their sin and the condemnation. They're standing in and give their heart and life to the Lord Jesus because they see his light, his love and the righteousness that is lived out in your heart. He says not only that, but in verse 14, he says ye are the light of the world. You're the light of the world.
Speaker 1:In scripture, light all the way through is synonymous with truth, revelation and unmistakable presence of God. Jesus would say I am the light of the world. God in the beginning. It says in Genesis, chapter 1, chapter 1, verses 1 through 4, in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was out, formed and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of darkness was upon the face of the deep and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and God said let there be light and there was light. Light be, light was, and God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided light from the darkness. And then from that point on, as you read through scripture, light is synonymous with righteousness, and God and his Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ especially, everything to do with the Lord, is and righteousness is light, but darkness, just as light is synonymous with that, darkness is synonymous with death, darkness and sin. It's all throughout Scripture. So there's significance when Jesus says we are the light to the darkness of this world. That's what he's telling us.
Speaker 1:The psalmist reminds us that God's word is a lamp. That God's word is a lamp, he says in Psalm 119, 105, psalm 119, the longest chapter in scripture, almost the center of the Bible, talks about nothing but the word of God, praising nothing but the power of the word of God. He says thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, a lamp that lights the darkness around us and a light to help us see ahead as we travel this path of life. This path of life, moreover, christ himself again declares in John 8, chapter 8, verse 12, I am one of his, I am statements, I am the light of the world. One of his, I am statements, I am the light of the world.
Speaker 1:Jesus proclaims that his followers, his disciples, are the light of the world, meant to be seen and not hidden. He said. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, just as the elevated cities there around Jerusalem, especially over the Sea of Galilee. I believe it was in Sapheth. There was a city that was set upon a hill and at nighttime the fishermen would, even if it was, say, kind of cloudy in the star they didn't have the stars go by If they saw that light in the distance, they knew that was the, I believe, northern end of the Sea of Galilee and that light would direct their way of going.
Speaker 1:And that is how God's light, god's word, god's righteousness, the righteousness of God in us, in Christ Jesus, is the way we're supposed to live. We're supposed to live as a light, a beacon of hope to those in the world. Light dispels darkness. Our testimony must reveal the truth and goodness of God in Christ Jesus, helping others to see clearly in a confused world, in a time when many fear persecution and ridicule what we talked about when we began today. You know Jesus said he told his disciples there in John 15, but we must understand something there is no amount of persecution, there is no amount of ridicule, there is no amount of abuse that we could and you can think of it.
Speaker 1:At its worst, that is worse than what Jesus suffered at a cross, called a cross at Calvary, where he shed and bled every drop of his precious blood in the ground there that you and I would have the right to declare the righteousness of God in him. He was made sin. Who knew no sin? I heard a pastor or evangelist, or whatever he was, the other day saying Christ was this sin and that sin, and he was using cuss words and everything else so much he was having to bleep his words out and he was preaching from the word of God in doing this and saying Christ was this and Christ was that. He was holy and undefiled, separate from sinners. He was sinless. He had no guile or deceit in his mouth. The word of god tells us no, our sins were placed upon him on that cross and it is put through his sacrifice that we see every time we look into his face hanging on that cross, as he says father, forgive them, for I know not what they do. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? It is finished. We know, because the sacrifice that he made is greater than anything that you and I could ever suffer here on the face of this earth.
Speaker 1:Our witness should shine openly, not for personal glory Listen closely, my friends Not for personal glory, but so that others may see our works, our fruit produced in us by the blessed Spirit of Christ in our hearts, bringing those works forward. Not for our glory, not for us to be patted on the back and say, oh, you got a great following. No, it's not about popularity. It's about living in a way that glorifies God, our Father in heaven. He says right there, at the end of well, let's just read verse 16 again. He said let your light so shine before men that they might see your good works and glorify your father the first time the jews had heard your father. Can you imagine?
Speaker 1:We are used to hearing this now, but can you imagine hearing that, for the first time since the Old Testament, Matthew refers to God, elohim, jehovah, the Jehovah, god, as our Father, speaking of that blessed relationship, not an outward religion, but a changed heart, a transformed heart by the spiritual birth, by the regeneration of the spirit. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and he declares us righteous as we are justified. We are justified by his resurrection. We are justified just as if it never happened and our sin record is wiped clean. There was a great price paid for that. Paul said you are bought with a price, and that price was the life and the blood of Christ. And how dare us do anything for any other reason than to bring glory to the one that made it so by sending his own son to die in our place at a place called Calvary? We should do everything that we do, not for personal glory, but to bring glory, honor and praise and magnification to God, our Father, and to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ and the saving knowledge of his gospel to a lost and dying world.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's our good works, but Paul tells us in Ephesians, chapter 10, we are God's workmanship in Christ Jesus. I tell you what. I'm not even going to quote it because I'm going to quote it wrong, but let's just read it right quick. Lord, just put this on my heart. Turn over with me, if you will, to Ephesians, chapter 2. Ephesians, chapter 2. I'll get there in just a second, chapter 2, verse 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. It is nothing of us. Christ says it's our work, but it's him working through us. The righteousness is being worked out.
Speaker 1:Paul tells us to work out our righteousness in fear and trembling. Work out our righteousness in fear and trembling. Work out our faith in fear and trembling, not in fear of God, what he's going to strike us dead. Not that kind of fear, but reverential trust, knowing that we're bringing him glory. By the way, we're living in this dark world. Living in this dark world, folks, we are to let our light shine. In our modern world, the call by our Lord and Savior to be salt and light is just as urgent today as it ever was. If I may say, it's probably more urgent today than it even was in the darkness that Jesus walked.
Speaker 1:We must not allow compromise, cultural relevance to erode our witness. We must not allow persecution, we must not allow their reviling, because we know it's been told by us, it's assured that our Savior has told us it's going to happen. We must stand firm in biblical truth and doctrine, even when it is counter-cultural, boldly share the hope of the gospel through our words and deeds. Let your life be a clear indicator of the love and redemption available in Christ. Like a city Set on a hill or a bright lamp in the dark room.
Speaker 1:Our righteousness in Christ can guide others out of despair, out of the darkness that they're in. You see, they have no other witness but us. We are his body, we are to be his representatives here on the earth. And if they don't hear the word of God from us, if they don't, if they don't hear the witness from us, who are they going to hear it from? They're not going to hear from each other, they're not going to hear it from the news, they're not going to hear it from the government, only by his body.
Speaker 1:Preachers, teachers, evangelists, witnesses. You say, well, I haven't been called to any of that. Jesus said go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And he said that to his disciples, his followers, his learners you are a disciple if you are truly born again. You have no excuse. You've been given the commission to go forth and tell others about Jesus Christ and the saving knowledge of his gospel.
Speaker 1:Remember every act of righteousness should not point glory to ourselves, but should point gloriously to God, our Father, not for our own achievements, not for recognition of our own achievements. We can do nothing without Christ, but with Christ we can do all things because he's the one that strengthens us. But he said if you abide in me and I in you, you can do all things, because without me you can do nothing. So it's all because of Christ. He made it available to us and let's tell others about it Today.
Speaker 1:If you are in the world and you find yourself in the darkness and the brokenness of this world, you're feeling hopeless and helpless, with no way out. I want you to know today that Christ's light is here to guide you. His gospel is not about works-based righteousness, no, not about what you do or what you don't do. It's about what he did and who he was, and what he did on Calvary's cross when he died to pay your sin debt in full and shed every drop of his precious blood to redeem you off the slave market of sin and bring you out of that dark world into his glorious light, the light of the glorious kingdom of heaven, where you are born again, born of the Spirit, born from above, and you're given this invitation to be born into the family of God and go from a sinner to a son and daughter of the Most High God.
Speaker 1:God would tell us the Lord, god would tell us Jehovah. God would tell us in Isaiah 1, verse 18, come now. That is not a word of time, that is a word of pleading. Come, please, and let us reason together, saith the Lord Jehovah, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Jesus died so that his love might shine forth through us and so that every lost soul might be drawn to his saving grace.
Speaker 1:If you have never experienced this transformation, please surrender your heart today to him, today, and let his spirit purify and bolden you and make you a part of the community whose purpose is to shine his light in every corner of this dark and broken world.
Speaker 1:Well, brothers and sisters, as we leave today, remember, remember this you are the salt that preserves truth and you are the salt that preserves truth and you are the light that dispels darkness in this world. Embrace, and may we embrace, this divine calling with courage and conviction, not with conformity and relevance to the world. Do not hide your light. Let it shine so that all may see and glorify our Father in heaven. May we, through every word and deed, point a desperate world to the hope found only in Jesus Christ. With that I say go forth, fully empowered by his spirit, to fulfill your calling as a beacon of his light, love, mercy and grace and righteousness in this dark world. Thank you all so much for joining me today. Thank you so much, lord, for giving us this from your word, this portion that we all need. I thank you all for joining us. Look forward to the next time that we can share in a word from the word of God. God bless you all.
