WEBVTT 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:53.600 All right. 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:54.479 Well, hey everyone. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:56.719 How's it going? 00:00:57.679 --> 00:00:58.399 Good again. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:00.640 If you're visiting again, I'm glad that you're here. 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:02.640 As was said, um, I'm not the normal guy. 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:04.400 That's uh Pastor Kirkys away. 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:08.799 This week on a much uh deserved vacation and time with family, step at Camp of the Woods. 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:12.000 Hopefully getting recharged and hopefully he doesn't break something. 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:15.280 Uh or no one in his family does, because that routinely happens. 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:17.920 I think he like broke his back a couple years ago. 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:22.079 Winning a volleyball tournament though, so I guess it was worth it, maybe. 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:23.680 Um my name is Ryan. 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:32.079 I'm one of the uh pastor at Emergence, one of the local churches here, and grateful to share with you guys as we continue in our series on the Sermon on the Mount, and uh excited to jump into that. 00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:33.519 I love the Sermon on the Mount. 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:43.599 It's one of the areas of scripture where we see uh Jesus is laying out his kingdom and the values of his kingdom and what his kingdom is all about most clearly in just an extensive way. 00:01:43.680 --> 00:01:45.760 And so I love that you guys are walking through this. 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:49.680 And today we're gonna be in Matthew 5, 13 through 16. 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:54.319 And it's a short, short, but there's a lot, a lot in these short few verses to get after. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:02:02.159 And so um here at this point in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is starting getting into what his people should should look like and how they should live. 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:12.159 And uh this piece in particular, Jesus says and says that his kingdom, the people of his kingdom, should be distinct and also stand out to the world around us. 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:18.400 And so, borrowing an analogy from a different kingdom from the animal kingdom, uh, we are to be peacocks, not chameleons. 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:21.199 So I want to be peacocks, not chameleons. 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:26.159 We um as a family for the last eight years or so have gone to Wildwood, and um it's been awesome. 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:33.439 A family friend has a house down there, and we get to go, and they're very generous to us, letting us stay in their downstairs rented room place. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:35.199 And um, we have two boys. 00:02:35.360 --> 00:02:37.039 They're now seven and ten years old. 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:42.000 And so any parents of young kids know that vacation isn't really a vacation, right? 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:47.280 One of my friends put it great, they said that um vacation with little kids is not a vacation, it's a relocation. 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:49.199 It's the same chaos in a different place. 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:56.479 Uh and so in Wildwood, you know, you get days where like it's not a great beach day, or you've been at the beach like three days in a row, you need to change it up. 00:02:56.639 --> 00:03:00.639 And one of the lifesavers for us is the Cape May County Zoo down there, about 10 minutes away. 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:03.120 It's an awesome zoo, it's free. 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:05.759 Well, suggested donation, so free. 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:08.400 Uh and so, and but it's so awesome. 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:13.439 You get there and you park and you walk out of your car, and there's peacocks just like hanging around. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:22.479 They're in the parking lot walking there, and they're just there on display, their feathers for all to see, totally just you know, taking in all the perception around you. 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.280 You just kind of zoom in and see their beautiful feathers or whatnot. 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:29.840 Um, and and that's kind of how we're supposed to be on display in the world for the kingdom of God. 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:35.680 Uh, where chameleons, in some ways, are more fascinating than peacocks because they can change what they look like. 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:36.560 That's awesome. 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:42.080 But they do everything possible to just blend into their environment to not be noticed or seen. 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:43.919 And that's not how we want to be. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:47.039 And so Jesus uses two different metaphors here in this passage of salt and light. 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:48.719 And so I'm mixing metaphors a bit. 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:56.319 Um, the the salt is kind of like the feathers that we want to have to put on display, and then the light obviously is the fact that we are to be on display. 00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:59.199 Um, as people of the kingdom, we're not to be hidden, but on display. 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:05.039 And so we're gonna get into why that's important and um the salt that we should have, what that means. 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:06.400 So here we go. 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:08.240 Matthew 5, 13. 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:18.160 Jesus is talking to people who are belong to his kingdom, and he says, You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:23.199 It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:33.920 And so here Jesus compares his people to being the salt of the earth, not salt of earth meaning the ground, but salt among the people, among the cultures around. 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:38.399 And we all know that like when you want salt, you want full flavor of salt. 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:48.160 One of the greatest tragedies and first world problems is like going to a Mexican restaurant and getting chips and salsa, and they give it to you for free, but there's not enough salt on them. 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:49.439 It's like, what's the point? 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:51.439 I want I want salt on my tortilla chips. 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:54.000 It's very disappointing if there's not salt there. 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:57.759 Um, and Jesus says that if salt loses its saltiness, what good is it? 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:03.600 Now, if you know anything about salt, if salt sits around for 10, 50, 100 years, what happens to it? 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:06.160 No, it's still salty. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:07.519 It stays salty. 00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:10.480 Salt doesn't actually lose its flavor, it still stays salty. 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:18.879 But back in ancient Near East and in the time of Jesus, a lot of their salt came from these salt marshes, and so it wasn't just pure salt, it was a lot of impurities mixed in with it. 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:26.399 And so the salt, if it would sit around for a while or be in a different certain environment, the salt would actually leach out of it and it would lose its saltiness. 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:29.439 And then it's not good for anything, it's had to be trampled underfoot. 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:40.720 When it says that, um, it's actually a usage for the salt, it still has some purpose, but it can no longer do what it's really meant to do, which we'll get to, the best things, but it's it's used to be thrown and trampled underfoot. 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:43.839 And so um there was a a habit, and D.A. 00:05:43.920 --> 00:06:00.399 Carson in his commentary says even in modern day Israel, when salt kind of loses its saltiness, it's thrown on the roof of the house where people would actually go up there and they would they would use that flat roof up top, and the salt and the sediment in it would actually help harden the ground and prevent leaks and and you know compact the soil a bit more. 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:02.959 So um that that's that becomes its use. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:07.439 And Jesus says though, but you don't want to lose your saltiness, you want to keep it, you want to maintain it. 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:09.199 So, what does the salt stand for? 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:17.920 Salt, obviously, um one of it is flavor, it provides flavor, and so as God's people, yes, you want to add flavor to the world, um, joy, right? 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.720 It's again, tortillas with salt are the best. 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:22.240 Without salt, not so good. 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:23.439 Um, yes, it's that. 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:31.120 But especially in this time period, while salt was used to flavor food, more importantly, it was used as a preservative of food. 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:33.680 Salt was meant to preserve things. 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:39.759 First sentence they didn't have refrigeration, and so salt was used to preserve things like meats, vegetables, dairy. 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:41.120 It would preserve food. 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:48.079 And so when Jesus says if you taste salt and it lost its tastiness, really the main target frame there is how good of a preservative is it? 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:56.000 They didn't have like you know electron spectrometers back in the day for my science nerds out there that would know what that means, to know the you know the composition of the salt. 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:56.959 Um they taste it. 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:00.480 And so, okay, this is good to ultimately preserve things. 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:10.800 And so, in the same way, we as people of the kingdom of God, right, one of the ways, the the common ways that we should display God's kingdom is we should act as preservatives in the world. 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:18.319 We should be the people, God's people, who prevent and and push back and hold back the moral decay around us. 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:24.079 And so this this passage here is really about uh us as Christians not living a compromised life. 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:34.800 That we want to we don't we don't want to walk and live in this world in a way that we compromise what we believe, what we know the truths of scriptures are, um, both in its truth and also in how we live and walk that out. 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:48.480 Um now, one of the ways that we act as a preservative and stop the decay of morality around us is to simply know what the Bible teaches and to stand firm on that in the light of a culture that might disagree with that. 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:57.439 Interestingly enough, this passage, this section comes right after Jesus just talks about, hey, blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you for my name's sake. 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:09.360 And this is one of the ways where we as Christians, preventing moral decay, right, stand on the truth of God's word, even if it's not popular to the culture around us, even if persecution comes and we're reviled for it. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:17.279 And so, right, in every culture and every age, there's different topics and different themes in scripture and truths of scripture that are gonna clash with the culture around it. 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:20.399 And so, like we we know what the big ones are for our day, right? 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:31.600 What the Bible says teaches that for gender that God created a male and female, and that wasn't something that was assigned up earth, but intended at conception to make male and female and for us to live into that. 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:33.200 That's what the Bible teaches, it's true. 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:40.080 When it comes to sexuality and marriage, that sex is made for one man and one woman in the covenant of marriage for life. 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:41.759 That's what the Bible clearly teaches. 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:50.799 Every child has the right, right to life and full flourishing, regardless of if they're in the womb, womb to tomb, our pastor says a lot. 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:52.240 Like life is to be preserved. 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:54.240 And we're just supposed to stand on that. 00:08:54.960 --> 00:09:03.039 We're supposed to be the people that stick up and to have a heart for the marginalized, the foreigner and the outcast in this world and the sojourner, have compassion. 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:07.440 Even in the midst of those right laws and all that stuff, a heart of compassion for people. 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:12.480 We should be the people that fight for justice, that our systems are fair and just for everybody. 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:20.159 These are God's laws and how He designed the universe to be that we as Christians are meant to preserve and to stand on. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:39.759 And so Jesus, again, in the previous passage, blessed are those who are reviled for my name's sake, as we stand on that, being as a Christian called things like a bigot or a misogynist or weak or you know, prudish, are things where Jesus is like, hey, well done, good and faithful servant. 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:43.039 That we would be labeled that by the world at times as we stand on God's truth. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:52.480 It's not something that we should shy away from or be afraid of, but sometimes it's an indication that we're being faithful to standing on God's truth, even if even if it's unpopular. 00:09:52.799 --> 00:10:01.039 Um now, important caveat here, right, is that uh it's not just that we stand on the truth and know the truth, but it's how we do that that also matters. 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:08.879 Because you don't want to be, Jesus isn't like, hey, good job being reviled and persecuted because you communicated the truth like a jerk, right? 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:22.720 And I I think, you know, I'm gonna go on a little tangent here and just talk about social media world because it's like, I don't know if there's really ever a time to just go to war with somebody on social media. 00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:30.080 Even if it's like, hey, this is what the Bible teaches, this person's saying something against that, and I'm gonna go and go to war with them on social media. 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:32.399 Probably never, never really a great idea. 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:47.600 And I think no matter how you cut it in different categories, that just kind of like is it it remains true because how you stand on God's word and what what's on display as you do that matters almost just as important as you're standing on God's God's word and truth in the first place. 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:50.159 So just to kind of walk through a couple examples here, right? 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:56.879 If it's a non-believer and they're posting something that's against what God teaches and God's word, a few things are going on. 00:10:57.039 --> 00:11:08.000 Either they're entrenched in their position already and are just putting it out there and they're not gonna, they're not there to listen, to receive what you have to say, they're just putting it out there, maybe intentionally, right? 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:10.240 Just like, hmm, let me push this button, see what happens. 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:11.679 There's a little chaos in the world. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:18.080 Um, or they're just they're ignorant of what God's word says, and they're just putting what they what what they believe or what they think out there. 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:26.559 Um, as Christians, we shouldn't be surprised that they would hold those views because they've been discipled by the world, not by not by the scriptures and God's and God's word. 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:36.639 The 1% chance that someone posts something out on social media and they're like, hey, I really just wanted to know what God says about about sexuality. 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:41.279 Um I am a person of peace and I am just looking and curious to what the answer is. 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:47.039 Uh, even in that situation, um it's like it's like a DM situation. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:49.840 If you don't know what that is, because I barely do, direct message. 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:52.720 So if you're on social media, you can like message them directly. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.399 It's like, hey, you seem open and curious about what God's word says. 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:57.919 Let's talk about that on the side. 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:05.919 Because even if you have good intentions and so does the other person, uh the the trolls and the wolves and the the rage baiters don't. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:14.960 And so what ends up happening is now you're trying to maybe stand on God's truth, but it just gets muddied with all the ugliness and all the just worrying back and forth. 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:18.159 And so we really have to question what's the utility in that. 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:24.159 Another situation, do you have someone who's purporting to be a believer who's posting things that are not aligned with God's word? 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:25.840 Like, how do you handle that? 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:32.799 Again, Jesus kind of teaches us, right, Matthew 18, when we have conflict with people within the church, go to them one-on-one at first. 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:35.519 And then if that doesn't work, bring two or three others along with them. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:42.480 There's this idea of, let's see if I can talk to them one-on-one and and work in that way first, right? 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:51.919 And the other consideration is like, if we look at ourselves as, okay, we're the family of God, and maybe we have someone who disagrees with us on a certain position, and maybe it's very important, right? 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:59.200 There's an idea of like, let things within the family stay within the family as much as possible, not airing our dirty laundry out for the world to see. 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:04.320 Because again, how we engage in these things to a watching world matters just as much that we stand on them. 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:15.759 And you know, I think maybe the one exception or an exception would be if someone's like high profile, right, super out there in the culture, like a popular thinker, whether you know Christian, non-Christian, they're putting up these truths out there. 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:25.519 I think, yeah, there's a place, and like God's truths nowhere to be found, to post this is God's truth, but then back away and don't get involved in the back and forth and all that kind of stuff. 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:40.799 Um, I just think we need to think wisely as we're engaging, especially out in like mass media, how are we character matters and what what character gets put on display as we hold out God's truth matters just as much that we hold out, uh hold out God's truth. 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:42.879 Um, so that's in one way, right? 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:44.559 So we are preservatives in the world. 00:13:44.639 --> 00:14:00.000 We present we prevent moral decay from the world going away from God's word and God's truth by knowing the word of God, standing on the word of God, how we communicate the word of God with others, and then also, and most obviously, in our actions, how we actually live our lives. 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:05.440 When Jesus says when if if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be restored? 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:13.120 What he's getting to is when we when we're morally compromised in an area, it's really hard to gain back some sort of moral authority in that area. 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:19.600 It's really hard to preserve what God says is right and good when we are walking in compromise in that area. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:27.279 I share often that I went through a period of my life where I struggled with addiction to substances and and and all that. 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:36.000 And I remember, so I would like to have you know good days and bad days, good weeks and bad weeks, good months and bad months in my addiction over the course of the years. 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:39.600 And my brother was also struggling a bit with some addiction stuff. 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:46.559 And I was in one of my good moments, and I went to him and was like, hey man, um you probably should not do drugs. 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:48.879 And he's like, Yeah, man, how about you? 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:51.440 Uh I'm like, fair point. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:15:01.440 Um because my own life was compromised in that way, I I didn't have any influence to preserve my brother in that moment and to really point him to something. 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:04.399 I I've lost my ability to speak in some way. 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:08.159 And this goes across the board, even it's not the same area of compromise. 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:15.840 If you're walking outwardly in an area, right, contrary to God's God's word, and someone is walking in a different, it's hard, right? 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:17.600 It's just hard to be able to preserve. 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:26.960 And even when it comes to secret sin, right, we can we can be walking in, maybe we have a secret, you know, pornography addiction or you know, gambling habit, or we're gossiping behind the scenes. 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:29.759 We have an area where there's like, we're all gonna sin, right? 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:35.120 So if you're not a Christian out here, you know, spoiler alert, Christians are not perfect for all you know that already. 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:36.080 Like we all have sin. 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:37.679 I have sin, we're gonna have sin. 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:54.080 But these areas where we're constantly walking in sin or morally compromised in an area, um, even if it's hidden, that's going to eat away our ability to stand boldly and with authority in love to help others in their areas where they might be walking in sin. 00:15:54.399 --> 00:16:02.799 And Jesus is saying here, um, when salt loses its saltiness, it's so hard to gain back that place where you can speak into people's lives. 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:06.399 Um, this is not a salvation issue, this is a usefulness issue. 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:11.360 So when Jesus says it's no good to be thrown out, again, um being trampled still has some purpose. 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:17.679 It's just a purpose that is less noble or important use that it could be without losing that saltiness. 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:29.360 It's really interesting in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus uses the same analogy of salt again, but a different context, but to a similar effect, which I think really gets to this last part I want to talk about about how we are preservatives in the world. 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:32.159 This is in Mark chapter 9, and Jesus is talking to his disciples. 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:41.200 He starts telling them that he's going to go to Jerusalem and he's going to be betrayed and he's going to be handed over to the powers that be and be crucified and then rise again. 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:52.879 And the disciples, in this series of stories, first they're arguing with each other about who is the greatest, trying to see which one you know Jesus loves best or will have the best place of honor next to him. 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:58.000 Then there's a story about how there's other people who are casting out demons in Jesus' name. 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:01.519 That's not a part of their clique, and there's jealousy and rivalry going on. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:07.200 And after Jesus gives us hard teaching and about the seriousness of sin, he says this at the end of that chapter. 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:10.640 He says, For everyone will be salted with fire. 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:15.759 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:20.400 Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another. 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:34.960 And so here when he says everyone will be salted with fire, this brings back kind of Old Testament imagery and picture because the fire is the fire of the sacrifice, and salt was often added to the to the offerings. 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:38.000 They would salt salt the offerings with salt. 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:46.160 And what Jesus is saying here is that as you grow as disciples to kind of gain salt as you're as you're lay yourself as a sacrificial altering, right? 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:47.519 Romans 12 language, right? 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:49.839 Present your bodies as a living living sacrifice. 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:56.640 As we present ourselves to God, um, we're we're salted or made salty through discipline as you press in. 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:59.759 And so every disciple of mine, you you need to be salted with fire. 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:02.880 As you lay down yourself as a sacrifice, you're salted. 00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:08.319 You grow in in being a better preservative as you walk in the character of Christ. 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:11.759 And he says, have salt on yourselves to what effect? 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:13.440 Be at peace with one another. 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:19.920 He's getting at the problem that the disciples had in that whole passage of like arguing who's the best and having jealousy and rivalry. 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:22.160 He says, No, be at peace with one another. 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:24.559 That is the salt that you have within yourselves. 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:32.000 And I love that because it points to the importance of relational unity that we have amongst the people of God specifically. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:35.279 In first John chapter 4, John says this. 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:40.240 He says, Beloved, if God so loved us, we also all too love one another. 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:42.319 No one has ever seen God. 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:47.359 If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:48.319 I love this. 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:52.079 John says that God is invisible, he's not seen. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:59.599 But as we love one another, it's like the way that we love each other, as we do that well, God, the invisible God becomes visible. 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:02.240 He's manifested in the way that we love each other. 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:03.599 And Jesus says this too. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:04.240 He says what? 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:09.039 He says that they will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another. 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:23.839 It's really hard for us to be preserved preservatives of culture around us, really hard for us to be ambassadors of reconciliation of people to God if we're not good ambassadors of reconciliation of people to each other. 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:28.160 And so we grow as preservatives for moral decay. 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:31.599 One of the key ways to do that is relational unity with one another. 00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:35.039 And so the questions for us to kind of walk through. 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:39.599 How am I doing as a preservative of the values of the kingdom of God in my life? 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:51.519 How am I at knowing God's word, knowing his truth, being steeped in it, to have a have it in us so that when it is pressed or there is a contrary belief or statement, I can stand on the truth of God's word. 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:56.880 How am I doing at my areas of personal holiness? 00:19:57.119 --> 00:19:59.359 Am I walking in certain sins that I know? 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:02.480 I know God's calling me to lay down and to go to war against. 00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:12.160 But I'm kind of treating it right, it's like I'm treating it like a kitten and petting it on its head when it's really a roaring lion that that's looking to devour me. 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:22.160 Um to be serious about putting the sins to death, not just for your own benefit, but for those around us that we can help them grow in holiness and press more and more into what Jesus has for them. 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:35.359 How am I doing at relational unity and where there's conflict or you know, honestly, I just don't like how someone looks at me, or you know, whatever, from those micro examples to big ones where there's a rift. 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:40.559 I love what Paul says because when it comes to relationships, um, it's not all on us, right? 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:46.960 People also have to make their own decisions, and if they don't want to reconcile, we can't force that, we gotta pray. 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:52.960 But Paul says, if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all in Romans 12. 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:54.880 How are we doing that, living that out? 00:20:55.599 --> 00:21:00.480 And a final note here, because the way this passage ends can seem kind of hopeless. 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:03.359 It's like if salt loses its saltiness, then how can it be restored? 00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:06.240 Um Jesus is speaking in a bit of hyperbole there. 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:13.599 In some ways, if you if you walk in some sort of sin in an area with certain people, yeah, you might never gain that saltiness back. 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:15.279 You might you might kind of lose them forever. 00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:20.400 Um but there there is redemption that God redeems, that God can take broken situations. 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:29.519 And so if you feel like, hey, I really blew it in this area of my life, or maybe for all my life in these ways, that I'm I'm I'm useless for the kingdom of God, that's not true. 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:35.599 Like God has a purpose and plan for you to to when we're gonna see put you on display for his glory. 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:37.839 Um and there's there's redemption in that. 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:43.519 And he can heal, he can restore, he can take broken things and make beautiful things come out of them. 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:48.079 Uh so that's that's the what that's the feathers of the peacock, if you will. 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:50.799 Uh the salt that we're supposed to be, preserves in the world. 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:55.920 And here is the light part in the next verses You are the light of the world. 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:59.759 A city on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it on. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.920 Under a basket, but on a stand. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:04.240 And it gives light to all those in the house. 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:12.240 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. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:13.759 So back to the peacock. 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:16.559 Not only should we have feathers, but they should be on display. 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:20.640 Light, when it's when it's out there, it can't help but to be seen. 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:20.880 Right? 00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:22.640 Light just illuminates, is what it does. 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:26.480 It pierces the darkness, and we're not to hide it and cover it up. 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:29.519 Notice that the light is our good works. 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:33.200 Jesus says, let your light shine so you're they can see your good works. 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:43.680 So what we do in the name of Jesus is good to be on display, not for us and to puff us up with ego and oh, we're so great, look at me. 00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:47.279 But no, God is so great because he's done the work in me. 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:49.599 Again, this passage is not a salvation issue. 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:58.319 This isn't that you you earn your way to God because of your good works, but your good works are on display to give glory to God as we walk in the light of who he is. 00:22:58.559 --> 00:23:00.160 We are not the source of light. 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:02.240 Let's not mistake that either. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:04.240 In John 8, Jesus says this. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:06.720 Again, Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. 00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:11.599 Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:15.839 As followers of Jesus, we have the light of life in us. 00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:20.559 I was thinking of it, and they didn't have this technology back when Jesus was sharing this. 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:26.480 So a little bit of modern day example from a from a candlelight, but we are like bulbs on a dimmer switch. 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:29.440 So Jesus is the source of light. 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:33.359 He's the current that is always full, power flowing through. 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:39.759 But how bright that light is depends on how much resistance that current is coming into. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:44.720 And so the less resistance that's there, the more fully that the bulb will shine. 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:47.440 And in the same way, Christ is our power source. 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:51.519 He's the source of the light that is channeling through us in a sense. 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:57.599 And we shine the brightest when there's less resistance from that current getting through to the bulb. 00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:13.279 And that resistance is when we have pride and fear, and we have, again, these sin struggles, we have distractions, things that we're running after that are like second rate compared to the main things of the kingdom of God. 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:22.400 That's that's the resistance that prevents us from, again, we're supposed to be light on display, as bright as bright can be, from being that out in the world for God's glory. 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:27.200 And I have been sitting with this passage for weeks now, personally. 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:29.920 It's just been working itself in me. 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:35.119 And I love Paul's attitude that he shows and gives us in Philippians chapter three. 00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:44.400 He says this, he says, Indeed, I count everything as loss, because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 00:24:44.960 --> 00:25:13.920 For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:15.119 I love this. 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:26.640 Paul is saying, everything that I count as gain, any anything that I can be proud of in this life, or anything that could I could put ultimate meaning or value in, I count it as nothing. 00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:28.319 And he says as rubbish. 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:34.160 This is one of those words in the Greek that's like a bad word in English. 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:37.680 It's purposefully offensive and vulgar. 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:41.279 But a stronger word than poop. 00:25:41.839 --> 00:25:43.039 And that's what Paul's saying here. 00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:47.200 I count it as as ref as feces compared to Christ. 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:48.960 And so I've really been challenged with that. 00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:52.319 Like even the good gifts that God gives us, like good things. 00:25:52.480 --> 00:26:03.599 Jesus says in one of the gospels, a couple of the gospels, he says, Hey, um, you should hate mother, brother, sister, right, father, in order to follow me. 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:14.559 He's not saying you should literally hate your family, but he's saying your love for me should look so much, so much more, so much higher compared to your love for me, it it looks like hate, right? 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:18.400 It's like the the it's a drastic difference love for Jesus over everything else. 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:21.440 And so I've been kind of just working through this, right? 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:24.880 Of like, man, everything is rubbish compared to knowing Christ. 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:26.000 He's number one. 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:34.319 Even my family, my children, my spouse, my work, my ministry, my friendships, compared to Christ, that's nothing. 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:37.599 And and that's the attitude that we're called to. 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:40.400 And I I pray that we're challenged by today. 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:50.079 Man, to gain Christ, to know him, to walk in the power of his resurrection, is it is it everything to me, where everything else in my life looks like rubbish compared to knowing that. 00:26:50.240 --> 00:27:02.960 Um and I think as we do, right, not only are we better preservatives, but that dimmer switch is bright and puts Christ on display to a world, uh, to draw the world to Christ through us. 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:12.000 Jesus is uh a genius here in putting these two metaphors next to each other because on one hand we're called to be this salt of the earth, um, but also on display. 00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:16.720 And so we're to be distinct from the world around us, which is gonna create conflict. 00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:20.000 But he's like, hey, don't run away and hide under a basket. 00:27:20.160 --> 00:27:21.440 You're meant to be on display. 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:29.519 And so a question is how do we remain in the world and distinct from the world, but not of the world, and let our light be diminished? 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:32.480 And the the key to that is abiding in Christ. 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:34.079 Jesus says this in John 15. 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:37.359 This is where we're gonna kinda have kind of lay on the plane this morning. 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:39.920 He says, Abide in me and I in you. 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:46.880 As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:49.279 I am the vine, you are the branches. 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:53.359 Whoever abides in me and I in him is he that bears much fruit. 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:56.240 For apart from me you can do nothing. 00:27:57.920 --> 00:28:00.960 I myself am a recovering chameleon. 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:09.920 And I don't know if any of you can relate, but I, looking back on my teens and early twenties, that's how I would how I would refer to myself as a chameleon. 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:16.079 I would change my color and shape to the people and situations around me so I could just blend in. 00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:25.200 And that worked really well to uh be liked and to have very little, very little conflict and have a lot of people around me. 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:30.400 But I did very little for the kingdom of God and influencing people towards Christ. 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:38.400 And I wasn't really known or loved for who I am because I just became different to those around me just to avoid conflict and to blend in. 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:46.880 And honestly, when I'm pressed and come across conflict, I can resort back to my chameleon tendencies. 00:28:47.039 --> 00:29:04.160 Um but the more and more I press into Jesus and abide in him, those moments where I'm remaining in him and I'm standing strong on who I am in him, uh, I am uh more of the peacock in this ridiculous analogy we've working with the entire time. 00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:26.240 Um it's by abiding in Christ, by remembering the gospel, the good news that was said earlier in the announcements, and to repeat it is that Christ came and was a representative of all humanity, though we fall away and we sin and we're we're separated from relationship with our heavenly creator and Father because of our sin. 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:33.599 Christ came as our representative and went to the cross, and on that cross died for the sin and consequence of sin for all humanity. 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:36.960 And as he died, he took sin and death in the grave with him. 00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:41.599 But himself, he himself being sinless, death could not hold him. 00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:57.599 He was raised to new life by the power of the Spirit of God, and stands in the heavenly places right now, is seated and ruling and reigning, and says, All who would simply call on my name and believe in me, what I've done for you, you can have the right to become children of God. 00:29:57.839 --> 00:30:03.519 You can be forgiven of sins, reconciled to God, at peace with God in this life and for all eternity. 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:14.720 And the gospel is not something that we as Christians ever graduate on from or move from, but we we sit in the truth of that and let it work itself over us again and again, strengthening us. 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:18.880 And so as we abide in Christ, abide and remain in that gospel truth, right? 00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:26.079 I don't care so much what people think of me in the sense of that they'll might judge me for standing up for Jesus. 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:29.599 Because my life is in him, my value is in him, my worth is in him. 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:32.000 But we need to abide in Christ. 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:36.640 That's where our strength comes from, to stand in this world and not be of it. 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:48.079 Um if you're not a Christian in this room, the first step is to decide today to stop walking in darkness and instead to start walking in the light that Jesus provides, that he loves you. 00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:52.880 Uh you don't have to fear him in the sense that he'll reject you. 00:30:53.200 --> 00:31:02.720 As I said, all the Christians here are sinners, helpless sinners, um, with a holy savior that washes us and cleanses us and welcomes us home. 00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:05.359 And Jesus wants to offer that to you today. 00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:10.640 And um we're gonna have a prayer team after service, and they'd love to talk and walk you through what that means and what that looks like. 00:31:10.880 --> 00:31:13.440 Um but there is rest and life found in Him. 00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:24.160 And for those of us who follow follow Christ today, um man, the the prayer is that we would just burn brightly full of salt for the kingdom of God. 00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:37.680 And so maybe today is an area where we have a chance to kind of sit under the scriptures and and this teaching and to really examine ourselves, Peter says, and Paul says it too as well in the scriptures to say, man, where where am I at? 00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:42.960 Where are the areas of my life where where Jesus today is calling me to take a step of trust and obedience? 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:52.160 And maybe that's that's walking away from a certain sin struggle or an area, maybe it's healing some relationships in my life that are broken and I haven't really put effort into restoring. 00:31:52.240 --> 00:32:04.720 Um, what is that step where Jesus is calling me to be more salt in the world around me so I can be a brighter light for my friends and neighbors and in my workplace, in my school for the for the glory of God? 00:32:04.880 --> 00:32:06.400 And uh it's my prayer that we can do that. 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:08.000 Let me let me pray for us. 00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:17.039 God, we thank you so much for the truth of your scriptures that we can go to and we can we can trust in a hundred and hundred and ten percent. 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:26.960 And we just thank you so much that you're a God of mercy and grace, and you don't save those who are awesome, but you save the sick and the needy. 00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:39.440 And we can be real and honest about our sin and our weaknesses and have joy knowing that you don't you don't meet us in our perfection, but you meet us in our mess. 00:32:39.599 --> 00:32:45.039 And you say, Um, I will I will make you beautiful and uh and follow salt. 00:32:45.119 --> 00:33:15.519 And so I just pray for everyone in this room today, um, no matter how this is hitting them, whether it's a it's a call to just remembrance or if it's a call to repentance and and confession, uh, if it's a call to salvation to come to you for the first time and and give their lives to you as a God who's good and worthy of our worship and and trust, uh, Lord, that you just do your work and that even as we go to these next songs, you continue to work uh your goodness and grace into the lives of our hearts as we sing to you. 00:33:15.680 --> 00:33:17.440 We pray all that in Jesus' name, amen.