WEBVTT 00:00:04.379 --> 00:00:07.500 Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Trinity 00:00:07.500 --> 00:00:10.460 Sermons. This week we're continuing our sermon 00:00:10.460 --> 00:00:13.039 series, Summer on the Mount, where we are diving 00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:16.739 into Jesus' sermon on the Mount, one of the most 00:00:16.739 --> 00:00:20.260 important collection of teachings in the Gospels. 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:23.640 And this week we are joined by guest preacher, 00:00:23.739 --> 00:00:26.399 Reverend Peter Blundell, who's going to talk 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:30.609 to us about salt and light. These are two images 00:00:30.609 --> 00:00:34.070 that Jesus uses to show us what the life of his 00:00:34.070 --> 00:00:37.590 followers should look like. And so tune in to 00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:40.549 find out more about whether you are salty and 00:00:40.549 --> 00:00:43.210 full of light and what that looks like in our 00:00:43.210 --> 00:00:51.670 lives today. Good morning church. Today's reading 00:00:51.670 --> 00:00:54.789 is taken from the book of Matthew chapter 5 verses 00:00:54.789 --> 00:01:01.229 13 to 20. You are the salt of the earth. But 00:01:01.229 --> 00:01:04.189 what if the salt loses its saltiness? How can 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:06.969 it be made salty again? It is no longer good 00:01:06.969 --> 00:01:09.689 for anything except to be thrown out and trampled 00:01:09.689 --> 00:01:13.189 on the foot. You are the light of the world. 00:01:13.890 --> 00:01:16.890 A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither 00:01:16.890 --> 00:01:19.250 do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. 00:01:19.909 --> 00:01:22.150 Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives 00:01:22.150 --> 00:01:25.569 light to everyone in the house. In the same way, 00:01:25.689 --> 00:01:28.430 Let your light shine before others, that they 00:01:28.430 --> 00:01:32.049 may see your good deeds and glorify your Father 00:01:32.049 --> 00:01:35.650 in heaven. Do not think that I have come to abolish 00:01:35.650 --> 00:01:39.189 the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish 00:01:39.189 --> 00:01:42.849 them, but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, 00:01:43.010 --> 00:01:46.349 until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest 00:01:46.349 --> 00:01:49.049 letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by 00:01:49.049 --> 00:01:51.969 any means disappear from the law until everything 00:01:51.969 --> 00:01:56.709 is accomplished. Therefore, anyone who sets aside 00:01:56.709 --> 00:01:59.469 one of the least of these commands and teaches 00:01:59.469 --> 00:02:01.930 others accordingly will be called least in the 00:02:01.930 --> 00:02:04.829 kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and 00:02:04.829 --> 00:02:07.750 teaches these commands will be called great in 00:02:07.750 --> 00:02:11.310 the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless 00:02:11.310 --> 00:02:14.270 your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:16.870 and the teachers of the law, you will certainly 00:02:16.870 --> 00:02:20.449 not enter the kingdom of heaven. This is the 00:02:20.449 --> 00:02:26.090 word of the Lord. Well, good morning. Good to 00:02:26.090 --> 00:02:29.150 be back here again. It's been a year. So if you 00:02:29.150 --> 00:02:31.990 were here a year ago and you came back, well, 00:02:32.110 --> 00:02:35.830 it's on you. It's on you. My name's Peter. Thank 00:02:35.830 --> 00:02:37.569 you, Kerlin, for that reading. Really appreciate 00:02:37.569 --> 00:02:39.129 it. He did it at the first service as well. That's 00:02:39.129 --> 00:02:40.810 why he's leaving. He said, I don't need to hear 00:02:40.810 --> 00:02:49.990 this one twice. It's it. This famous sermon that 00:02:49.990 --> 00:02:52.189 we're studying as a church, the Sermon on the 00:02:52.189 --> 00:02:55.659 Mount, Without question, greatest sermon ever 00:02:55.659 --> 00:02:58.919 preached. I think we'll agree on that one. Which 00:02:58.919 --> 00:03:02.180 also means, don't look at me, all right? There's 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:03.759 Jesus, that sermon, and then whatever you're 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:08.180 about to hear. Barra's very different. It begins, 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:11.520 as you remember, with those first eight foundation 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:14.159 stones. We call them the Beatitudes. They build 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:16.560 one on top of the other. That's the foundation 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:18.939 of a follower of Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus 00:03:18.939 --> 00:03:21.370 started that. You might have read to the end, 00:03:21.389 --> 00:03:23.530 and I'd encourage you to read to the end of the 00:03:23.530 --> 00:03:25.909 Sermon on the Mount as soon as you can to get 00:03:25.909 --> 00:03:27.830 the whole picture. By the way, I'd encourage 00:03:27.830 --> 00:03:30.330 you to have your Bibles open right now to follow 00:03:30.330 --> 00:03:32.409 what's going on. Matthew chapter five, it would 00:03:32.409 --> 00:03:35.050 be really helpful. When you get to chapter seven, 00:03:35.069 --> 00:03:39.409 Jesus finishes with a parable. And the parable, 00:03:39.469 --> 00:03:43.469 as he effectively says, you need to have foundations. 00:03:44.870 --> 00:03:50.590 And if you listen to what I say, If you hear 00:03:50.590 --> 00:03:52.770 my teaching, not just about those beatitudes, 00:03:52.870 --> 00:03:54.750 but all the way through the rest of my teaching, 00:03:55.110 --> 00:03:58.150 and you don't apply these truths to your life, 00:03:58.729 --> 00:04:01.229 Jesus is really blunt. He says you're a fool. 00:04:02.710 --> 00:04:04.810 Jesus said that, I wouldn't say that, but Jesus 00:04:04.810 --> 00:04:08.550 said that. True wisdom according to Jesus is 00:04:08.550 --> 00:04:10.770 to listen to his teaching and then to obey it. 00:04:11.050 --> 00:04:13.810 So with that in mind, and before I say anything 00:04:13.810 --> 00:04:18.509 else, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we are so 00:04:18.509 --> 00:04:21.990 grateful that you have a better plan for our 00:04:21.990 --> 00:04:25.769 lives than we do. Holy Spirit, we invite you 00:04:25.769 --> 00:04:29.149 to speak to us through the scriptures. We give 00:04:29.149 --> 00:04:32.069 you permission to challenge us and to equip us 00:04:32.069 --> 00:04:35.870 so that we live godly lives that obey your son 00:04:35.870 --> 00:04:40.209 Jesus and make us shine as witnesses to him in 00:04:40.209 --> 00:04:45.149 this dark, lost, sin -soaked world. and we ask 00:04:45.149 --> 00:04:48.610 this confidently in the mighty name of Jesus 00:04:48.610 --> 00:04:52.410 our Lord. And everyone said, amen. Thank you 00:04:52.410 --> 00:04:56.370 for saying that. So that reading we had, it is 00:04:56.370 --> 00:04:58.370 actually quite a short reading as far as number 00:04:58.370 --> 00:05:02.110 of verses go, but it's jammed packed with stuff. 00:05:02.439 --> 00:05:05.160 And I'm not clever enough. I really am from the 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:07.439 shallow end of the pool. I'm not clever enough 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:10.459 to cover all of those verses in one talk or do 00:05:10.459 --> 00:05:12.399 justice to it. I'm just going to confess that. 00:05:12.779 --> 00:05:15.720 So I'm going to focus most of this talk on the 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:18.680 first verses, verses 13 through 16. But I don't 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:20.959 want to miss out on the other verses. So I think 00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:22.899 the phrase in this country is I'm going to use 00:05:22.899 --> 00:05:25.319 the Cole notes. Cole's notes, is that right? 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:28.680 You're gonna get the Coles notes of verses 17 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:31.579 through 20, but please don't dismiss them just 00:05:31.579 --> 00:05:33.819 because I'm gonna talk about them relatively 00:05:33.819 --> 00:05:37.519 briefly. Here's the context of all that's going 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:43.300 on. Jesus is about to make some extravagant claims. 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:47.480 Claims about himself, claims about his disciples, 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:51.379 and claims about the kingdom of God. And Jesus 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:56.019 was, he was acutely aware that his teaching, 00:05:56.759 --> 00:05:58.579 and particularly his interpretation of the Jewish 00:05:58.579 --> 00:06:00.720 scriptures, that's what we call the Old Testament, 00:06:01.819 --> 00:06:04.759 his teaching was gonna challenge and it was gonna 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:08.459 upset the religious leaders, the established 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:10.240 ones. And we know that. If you look on through 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:11.839 the biographies of Jesus, that's what happens. 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:14.779 They're really shoved off with Jesus. Because 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:20.500 in their eyes, Jesus was unschooled. Jesus didn't 00:06:20.500 --> 00:06:23.139 have any pedigree. He hadn't gone to one of their 00:06:23.139 --> 00:06:28.730 seminaries. He was a nobody from backwards Galilee. 00:06:29.329 --> 00:06:34.290 And that led to the inevitable questions. What 00:06:34.290 --> 00:06:39.490 authority, Jesus, do you have? What authority, 00:06:39.610 --> 00:06:42.250 Jesus, do you have to speak about the scriptures? 00:06:43.709 --> 00:06:47.230 What authority, Jesus, do you have to make these 00:06:47.230 --> 00:06:51.790 extraordinary claims about yourself? What authority, 00:06:51.930 --> 00:06:54.470 Jesus, do you have to make, as we will discover 00:06:54.470 --> 00:06:57.509 in this passage by the way, these mind -blowing 00:06:57.509 --> 00:07:02.189 claims about your disciples. What authority, 00:07:02.209 --> 00:07:06.550 Jesus, do you have to make such challenging commands? 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:11.360 So that's what's going to happen as Jesus teaches 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:13.620 this sermon. There are people even in the crowd 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:16.420 who are judging him, who are dismissing him, 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:19.339 who are taking offense to what he is saying. 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:22.000 And as we go through those earlier verses, you're 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:26.300 gonna see again why they were offended. So what 00:07:26.300 --> 00:07:29.759 Jesus is doing in verses 17 through 20 is he 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:33.480 is preempting these questions. He's giving them 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:37.129 the answers, as it were, ahead of time. So first 00:07:37.129 --> 00:07:41.250 of all, in verse 17, he made it clear, abundantly 00:07:41.250 --> 00:07:44.910 clear, that he was not going to abolish the law 00:07:44.910 --> 00:07:46.689 and the prophets. I'm not gonna do that, he said. 00:07:48.269 --> 00:07:50.449 We know, we believe that the Jewish scriptures 00:07:50.449 --> 00:07:52.750 were inspired by God the Holy Spirit. In fact, 00:07:52.850 --> 00:07:54.209 we believe that the Christian scriptures, the 00:07:54.209 --> 00:07:57.350 New Testament, likewise, 2 Peter chapter three, 00:07:57.730 --> 00:08:00.970 tells us that. Which means that there can never 00:08:00.970 --> 00:08:05.529 be. any discord or disconnect or disunity or 00:08:05.529 --> 00:08:08.509 division between the second person of the Trinity, 00:08:09.449 --> 00:08:12.709 God, Jesus, fully God, fully human, and the third 00:08:12.709 --> 00:08:14.470 person of the Trinity, God, the Holy Spirit. 00:08:14.689 --> 00:08:17.829 You can't have any discord between them. So all 00:08:17.829 --> 00:08:21.029 the Holy Spirit inspired to be written out, Jesus 00:08:21.029 --> 00:08:25.829 will never undermine or contradict. That's why 00:08:25.829 --> 00:08:27.509 he makes it very clear. I've not come to do that. 00:08:28.899 --> 00:08:33.179 Second, Jesus was going to fulfill the law and 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:36.820 the prophets. And he achieved this in two ways. 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:43.039 First, Jesus kept every single command of the 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:46.759 law. And in doing so, he led a perfect life, 00:08:47.179 --> 00:08:52.039 100 % perfect. To quote a well -known phrase, 00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:55.360 Jesus lived the life that we should have lived. 00:08:56.650 --> 00:08:58.669 And then, although he's innocent, because he's 00:08:58.669 --> 00:09:02.289 100 % perfect, he chose to take our punishment. 00:09:03.409 --> 00:09:05.470 The punishment is for failing to keep the law. 00:09:05.649 --> 00:09:07.470 It's death. You don't get repetitive mistakes 00:09:07.470 --> 00:09:12.029 that way, by the way. You know, done. Jesus took 00:09:12.029 --> 00:09:14.889 our place. So he lived the life that we should 00:09:14.889 --> 00:09:18.149 have lived, and then he died the death that we 00:09:18.149 --> 00:09:21.990 should have died. And that leads to verse 20. 00:09:22.049 --> 00:09:23.470 If you will Bible open, please look at verse 00:09:23.470 --> 00:09:27.320 20. and you'll see as it were, and if then, if 00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:32.679 this, then that. If someone chooses to ignore 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.620 Jesus and all that he's done for them, his death 00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:38.659 on the cross, what we will celebrate at the communion, 00:09:38.759 --> 00:09:40.840 the communion is just the gospel in a beautiful 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:43.759 way portrayed every week of what Jesus has done 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:47.059 for us. But if you say no to Jesus, no to his 00:09:47.059 --> 00:09:50.120 death, and that's your choice, someone forces 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:54.639 you to come into the kingdom, then There's the 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:58.440 then. If you do that, then if you want to come 00:09:58.440 --> 00:10:01.440 into the kingdom of God, if you want to have 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:04.080 an eternity in what is an infinitely better place 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:06.960 than the alternative, which is hell, which is 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:09.820 awful, where there is no love and no life and 00:10:09.820 --> 00:10:12.659 no joy and no beauty and no goodness and no honor 00:10:12.659 --> 00:10:15.120 and nothing good. Who wants to spend eternity 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:17.100 there? Don't put your hand up, please. You're 00:10:17.100 --> 00:10:18.639 going to say, no, I don't want to go there and 00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:21.480 I don't want anybody I know to go there. So we 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:23.440 all agree, I don't want to be there, well in 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:24.940 which case I want to be here, but if you want 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:30.820 to be here, but you don't want Jesus, what happens? 00:10:32.820 --> 00:10:34.620 Well, Jesus says in verse 20, there's only one 00:10:34.620 --> 00:10:36.159 way you're going to get there without Jesus, 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:38.919 and that is you need to be perfect. You need 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:42.220 to get every single command. That's what he's 00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:45.779 saying. Okay, put your hand up if you're perfect. 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:50.169 Yeah, absolutely, big surprise. Okay, let's not 00:10:50.169 --> 00:10:53.509 kid ourselves. We have a 100 % failure rate in 00:10:53.509 --> 00:10:56.509 perfection. And don't feel bad about it. You're 00:10:56.509 --> 00:10:59.649 in good company, all of us. None of us is good 00:10:59.649 --> 00:11:01.389 enough to go to heaven. And please don't be one 00:11:01.389 --> 00:11:03.450 of those people who need to have a head shake 00:11:03.450 --> 00:11:05.429 when they say, well, I'm not that bad. I'm in 00:11:05.429 --> 00:11:11.409 the top 90%. No, you're not. Join me in the bottom 00:11:11.409 --> 00:11:17.340 five. And I'm being nice to myself. Okay? But 00:11:17.340 --> 00:11:21.559 there is another if then implicit in that. If 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:26.820 a person is humble, we do lack humility most 00:11:26.820 --> 00:11:29.279 of the time, don't we? If a person is humble 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:31.899 and chooses to confess that Jesus is Lord, that 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:36.139 means he is God, then his death will be a substitute 00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:39.000 for them and his position of righteousness will 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:42.259 be freely given to them. That is one meaning 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:45.649 of what he meant by I've come to fulfill. But 00:11:45.649 --> 00:11:48.789 there was a second meaning of what he meant to 00:11:48.789 --> 00:11:52.210 fulfill the law and the prophets He said what 00:11:52.210 --> 00:11:54.830 he meant was that he was revealing that his words 00:11:54.830 --> 00:12:03.129 his actions and his claims all of them are Backing 00:12:03.129 --> 00:12:05.970 up what the scriptures say in other words. He's 00:12:05.970 --> 00:12:09.789 saying all of the scriptures point to me He's 00:12:09.789 --> 00:12:12.669 the fulfillment of every previous revelation, 00:12:13.029 --> 00:12:16.929 prophecy, promise, or expectation. In a nutshell, 00:12:17.629 --> 00:12:21.210 the whole of the Bible is centered on one person, 00:12:22.190 --> 00:12:26.509 Jesus. That's it, it's all about Jesus. The Old 00:12:26.509 --> 00:12:29.149 Testament scriptures point to and are fulfilled 00:12:29.149 --> 00:12:32.610 in Jesus. The New Testament, Christian scriptures 00:12:32.610 --> 00:12:36.970 all throw from Jesus' teachings, his commissions, 00:12:37.389 --> 00:12:40.850 his actions, his crucifixion, resurrection, and 00:12:40.850 --> 00:12:44.990 ascension. That's my Coles Notes of those verses. 00:12:45.049 --> 00:12:46.909 You can see where there's so much there, and 00:12:46.909 --> 00:12:49.230 I also apologize for you for going through that 00:12:49.230 --> 00:12:52.690 so quickly. But I want you to keep that in mind 00:12:52.690 --> 00:12:55.509 because there's some outrageous stuff we're gonna 00:12:55.509 --> 00:12:58.570 look at in verses 13 to 16, and we've got now 00:12:58.570 --> 00:13:02.259 that in mind as we look at them. In verses 13 00:13:02.259 --> 00:13:04.759 to 16, that's where we're gonna focus, what Jesus 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:09.740 was doing was summarizing the function of believers, 00:13:10.139 --> 00:13:12.000 those are the people who've confessed that Jesus 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:13.919 Christ is Lord, believed in the resurrection, 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:16.899 Romans chapter 10 verse nine, and are now following 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:18.879 him obediently. If you love me, you'll obey my 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:21.279 commands. That's what I mean when I say a Christian, 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:25.899 a disciple, a follower of Jesus, all right? Those 00:13:25.899 --> 00:13:29.460 who do that in the world, their function is in 00:13:29.460 --> 00:13:35.000 one word, Influence. Whoever lives according 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:37.679 to those beatitudes will influence the world 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:43.259 as salt and light for God and for good. So let's 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:45.039 look at those two things, salt and light. We'll 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:48.740 start with salt. Salt has always been valuable 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:52.840 in human society. Roman soldiers were often paid 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:55.220 in salt. That's the root of the word salary. 00:13:56.440 --> 00:13:58.759 You've probably heard the phrase, not worth his 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:00.840 salt. That's where it came from, not worth his 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:05.200 salary, didn't do anything. A function of salt, 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:08.759 not the, but a function of salt is to prevent 00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:15.100 food from being bland, insipid. It gives taste 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:21.440 and flavor. You see, without Jesus, life is bland. 00:14:22.659 --> 00:14:26.580 And the world around us proves that. But Christians, 00:14:26.580 --> 00:14:30.440 we have savor in life. We have Jesus. Jesus promised 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:34.340 to give us life and life in all its fullness. 00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:37.899 I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase, rubbing 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:39.919 salt in the wound. You're familiar with that 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:42.360 one? Have you ever had a wound and salt got in 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:46.559 there? Ow! Okay, why? Because salt stings when 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:49.399 it's in a wound. But in the process, it acts 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:53.019 like an antiseptic and it helps in the healing. 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:58.100 What does that mean, Christian? It means we are 00:14:58.100 --> 00:15:02.340 called to sting the world. We're called to prick 00:15:02.340 --> 00:15:06.320 the world's conscience. We're to make the world 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:10.279 uncomfortable in the presence of God's holy gospel. 00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:12.600 And too much of the church, when they hear that, 00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:15.460 go, oh, no, I don't want to do that. I want to 00:15:15.460 --> 00:15:18.500 be nice to the world. I want to stroke the world, 00:15:18.620 --> 00:15:21.179 say, there, there. I want to be liked by the 00:15:21.179 --> 00:15:26.919 world. That's not what Jesus is saying So too 00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:29.399 often we haven't been salty because we've been 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:33.100 afraid of offending We fail to confront people 00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:35.500 in their lostness and their desperate need to 00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:38.320 be saved from their sin It is the same as somebody 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:41.539 who is sick going to their doctor and the doctor 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:43.080 looking at them and going like you're really 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:44.879 sick I mean you need some help you need this 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:47.480 medication, but not wanting to to say something 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:49.559 They wouldn't like to hear so instead the doctor 00:15:49.559 --> 00:15:52.570 says you're fine You're great, continue as you 00:15:52.570 --> 00:15:55.929 are. Have a great week. We think that doctor 00:15:55.929 --> 00:15:59.889 should lose their license. That's awful. Well, 00:15:59.889 --> 00:16:03.450 we Christians do the same thing when we don't 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:07.029 teach them the truth. A gospel that does not 00:16:07.029 --> 00:16:10.830 confront sin is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:16:11.389 --> 00:16:15.129 It is a false gospel. Gospel means good news. 00:16:16.370 --> 00:16:19.769 If we were salty, if we are salty, we will love 00:16:19.769 --> 00:16:22.940 people. and we will love them enough to create 00:16:22.940 --> 00:16:26.000 a thirst in them for the truth. It is unloving 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:30.539 not to tell them the truth. For Christians, though, 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:34.259 to positively influence the world, as salt, we've 00:16:34.259 --> 00:16:37.559 gotta leave the salt shaker. Salt is no use. 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:39.639 You can go to a restaurant, there's a salt shaker. 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:43.720 If you don't shake it out, so what? What's the 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:45.620 salt shaker? Well, it's the church in that sense, 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:49.379 the body of Christ. If we don't leave and go 00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:52.399 out into the marketplace, we're not going to 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:56.000 be salty in the world. It also means, though, 00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:59.899 that we can't go en masse as a holy huddle, because 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:01.679 few things are more horrible than eating a piece 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:06.380 of over -salted food. Okay, so we can't be passive, 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:08.700 we can't be disobedient, we've got to get out 00:17:08.700 --> 00:17:12.559 there. Because the cleansing and curative properties 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:16.259 of salt are only effective once the salt has 00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:20.180 been spread out and then rubbed in. That's what 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:22.799 we're called to do. But you know, having said 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:25.839 all that about salt, the primary characteristic 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:30.380 that Jesus was emphasizing here is that of preservation. 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:36.079 I had the privilege of being the sub -Sahara 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:38.490 chaplain. for Alpha, if you've ever heard the 00:17:38.490 --> 00:17:40.950 Alpha course, that was what I was, for a number 00:17:40.950 --> 00:17:44.210 of years. And I was also pastoring a church in 00:17:44.210 --> 00:17:46.769 South Africa, in Pretoria. And I came across 00:17:46.769 --> 00:17:50.150 this extraordinary, delicious food called Biltong. 00:17:50.289 --> 00:17:54.069 Anyone had Biltong? A few hands go up, you're 00:17:54.069 --> 00:17:56.410 lucky sometimes. Every one of you, the rest of 00:17:56.410 --> 00:18:01.750 you, I weep for you. If you've had jerky, Biltong 00:18:01.750 --> 00:18:06.430 is infinitely better, all right? It is a cured 00:18:06.430 --> 00:18:08.690 meat, don't get me wrong, it's rubbed with coarse 00:18:08.690 --> 00:18:11.690 salt, and when you've done it properly, it keeps 00:18:11.690 --> 00:18:16.730 indefinitely. When Jesus said, you are the salt 00:18:16.730 --> 00:18:20.849 of the earth, what he was stating is that the 00:18:20.849 --> 00:18:24.509 earth is rotten. It's rotten to the core, it's 00:18:24.509 --> 00:18:28.150 broken, it's fallen, it's sinful, it's evil. 00:18:28.670 --> 00:18:32.869 It's like uncured meat. which if untreated will 00:18:32.869 --> 00:18:38.029 putrefy and become polluted. Interestingly, in 00:18:38.029 --> 00:18:40.150 the world today, it's changed in the last few 00:18:40.150 --> 00:18:42.549 years. I think you'll find that most people agree 00:18:42.549 --> 00:18:45.170 with that statement. They agree with the Bible. 00:18:45.470 --> 00:18:48.069 A few years back, a decade or two, they say, 00:18:48.089 --> 00:18:50.029 no, no, we're doing well, we're getting better 00:18:50.029 --> 00:18:51.829 and better. And now they read the newspaper like 00:18:51.829 --> 00:18:54.809 the rest of us, we go like, no, we're not. But 00:18:54.809 --> 00:18:59.769 where we disagree is with the reason why we're 00:18:59.769 --> 00:19:03.150 in such a mess. and why individually we continue 00:19:03.150 --> 00:19:08.250 to mess up. We Christians, we know why. We know 00:19:08.250 --> 00:19:11.109 the cause is our sinful rebellion against God's 00:19:11.109 --> 00:19:14.990 holy rule. We said no. And we know that the gospel 00:19:14.990 --> 00:19:20.569 is the only solution to that rebellion. But you've 00:19:20.569 --> 00:19:22.930 probably discovered, as I have, that the world 00:19:22.930 --> 00:19:27.630 doesn't like the gospel because the gospel is 00:19:27.630 --> 00:19:32.329 exclusive. It doesn't give an alternative. It 00:19:32.329 --> 00:19:36.130 says this is the only way. It unequivocally states 00:19:36.130 --> 00:19:41.869 that Jesus and only Jesus is Lord. That only 00:19:41.869 --> 00:19:43.769 Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. 00:19:44.109 --> 00:19:46.869 That it's only through Jesus it's possible to 00:19:46.869 --> 00:19:49.390 come into a right relationship with the Father, 00:19:49.509 --> 00:19:53.089 be adopted as his child, become his much loved 00:19:53.089 --> 00:19:56.569 son or daughter. The world doesn't like that. 00:19:56.690 --> 00:19:59.430 If you reject the gospel, you desperately try 00:19:59.430 --> 00:20:04.930 and find Any other answer? John 3, 19. This is 00:20:04.930 --> 00:20:08.950 the verdict. Light, that is Jesus, has come into 00:20:08.950 --> 00:20:12.630 the world, but men love darkness instead of light. 00:20:13.750 --> 00:20:17.509 And so we turned away because our deeds were 00:20:17.509 --> 00:20:23.049 evil. Friends, the gospel is the only thing that 00:20:23.049 --> 00:20:27.109 works. The only hope for our world is Jesus. 00:20:27.470 --> 00:20:29.750 It's not government, it's not business, it's 00:20:29.750 --> 00:20:34.069 not politics, it's not whatever it is. It's Jesus. 00:20:34.869 --> 00:20:39.230 Only Jesus. There is no alternative to Jesus. 00:20:41.490 --> 00:20:44.450 Now when Jesus said you and you alone are the 00:20:44.450 --> 00:20:46.630 salt of the earth, he's actually there stating 00:20:46.630 --> 00:20:51.190 a fact. So the very fact that if you belong to 00:20:51.190 --> 00:20:54.069 Jesus Christ, if you're his follower, you are 00:20:54.069 --> 00:20:59.319 fact salt and you are fact. lights in this world. 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:03.220 So salt and light represent what Christians already 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:05.920 are. The question is, will we become what we 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:08.220 already are? So here are the two questions that 00:21:08.220 --> 00:21:10.759 really we should be asking on the basis of this 00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:17.180 passage. Will we be tasteful salt? Will we be 00:21:17.180 --> 00:21:20.519 effective life? And in a very real sense, Jesus 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:23.480 has given it to us to live this out. We can be 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:28.259 disobedient. or we can be those two things. As 00:21:28.259 --> 00:21:32.559 individuals, we do this with our holy lives and 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:34.599 our godly character. That's where it starts. 00:21:35.880 --> 00:21:39.400 Unashamed of you, living for Jesus in every situation 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:42.720 in which we find ourselves. I'll make a guarantee 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:48.000 to you, a salty, spirit -filled Christian working 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:51.200 in their factory will have a wonderfully positive 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:53.779 effect on everyone around them. You live this 00:21:53.779 --> 00:21:57.089 way, you will impact people in a positive way. 00:21:58.329 --> 00:22:00.849 Now, I find it curious that holiness and godliness 00:22:00.849 --> 00:22:04.349 in recent years has been given a bad press, not 00:22:04.349 --> 00:22:06.130 just in the world, but actually sometimes in 00:22:06.130 --> 00:22:08.750 the church. I've actually had people come up 00:22:08.750 --> 00:22:12.269 and say to me, and I'm gonna quote them, well, 00:22:12.390 --> 00:22:15.670 you know, nobody likes a holier -than -thou judgmental 00:22:15.670 --> 00:22:19.650 git, do they? And I hear what they're saying, 00:22:20.150 --> 00:22:22.609 but I look at them and go, that is such a parody. 00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:27.519 of the truth. And so I ask them this very simple 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:32.039 Sunday school question, okay, well who was the 00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:34.339 holiest person who ever walked on planet Earth? 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:36.819 And they know the answer, you know the answer, 00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:40.220 the answer's Jesus. Was he holier than thou? 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:44.880 Was he a judgmental git? Or did the crowds flock 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:47.019 to be with him? There were a crowd of people 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:49.069 there at the Sermon on the Mount. And you know 00:22:49.069 --> 00:22:51.410 what happened when they flocked around him? Their 00:22:51.410 --> 00:22:56.089 unholiness, their rottenness didn't taint Jesus. 00:22:57.329 --> 00:23:01.109 They didn't make him unholy, no. The opposite 00:23:01.109 --> 00:23:04.849 happened. Jesus' holiness raised everybody up, 00:23:05.009 --> 00:23:09.650 because that's what holiness does. The purity 00:23:09.650 --> 00:23:12.289 of Jesus did not condemn the sinner. Jesus said, 00:23:12.329 --> 00:23:15.430 John 3 .17, I did not come to condemn the world, 00:23:15.650 --> 00:23:19.569 but to save it. The pure of Jesus made him attractive 00:23:19.569 --> 00:23:24.269 to them. Oh yes, genuine holiness always exposes 00:23:24.269 --> 00:23:28.670 impurities, but it also raises sights and it 00:23:28.670 --> 00:23:32.549 stimulates us to something better. That's what 00:23:32.549 --> 00:23:37.289 he's about. This, friends, is the difference 00:23:37.289 --> 00:23:41.029 between true righteousness that comes from God 00:23:41.029 --> 00:23:45.730 and attracts the unrighteous and self -righteousness. 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:49.920 Self -righteousness that always condemns the 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:53.079 unrighteous, rejects them, and makes them feel 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:57.900 unwelcome. So it is as salt of the earth that 00:23:57.900 --> 00:24:03.259 our holy God portrays his purity through us, 00:24:03.339 --> 00:24:06.640 his holy children. I want you to think about 00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:09.299 this for a moment and recognize that most of 00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:14.319 everything that is good, right, true, and beautiful 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:20.710 in this world is as a result of the gospel expressed 00:24:20.710 --> 00:24:26.170 by godly, holy, salty Jesus followers. In other 00:24:26.170 --> 00:24:28.589 words, if we want the world to be a better place, 00:24:29.109 --> 00:24:31.809 then we better share the gospel. We better be 00:24:31.809 --> 00:24:34.730 salt. I don't want you to be naive. The Bible 00:24:34.730 --> 00:24:37.710 is clear. There will be two opposite responses. 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:41.400 Some will say, this is a sweet aroma, hallelujah, 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:44.359 this is what I need, thank you. And others will 00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:46.660 say, that's a horrible stench, I hate your judgmental 00:24:46.660 --> 00:24:50.000 attitude. And they will reject and even persecute 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:55.220 us. But never let the idea of being unpopular 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:59.700 deter you. Come what may, choose to be salty, 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:03.039 choose to positively influence this world with 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:06.650 the gospel. So in summary about salt, salt gives 00:25:06.650 --> 00:25:09.869 flavor to life. Salt stings in order to heal. 00:25:09.990 --> 00:25:13.970 Salt preserves in a debased society and salt 00:25:13.970 --> 00:25:17.549 creates a thirst for the gospel truth. But what 00:25:17.549 --> 00:25:22.009 about light? Well, light exposes what has been 00:25:22.009 --> 00:25:25.190 hidden. Light reveals what has been forgotten. 00:25:25.309 --> 00:25:29.759 Light is a prerequisite of life. signifies holiness 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:32.920 and purity, like enlivens, like dazzles. Think 00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:37.039 about shekinah glory. And light illuminates the 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:41.200 way forward out of darkness into hope. If you 00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:44.559 have your Bible, look at verse 14. It is one 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:48.140 of the most astounding, extraordinary statements 00:25:48.140 --> 00:25:50.980 that has ever been pronounced about any disciple 00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:52.720 of Jesus. I want you to see it for yourself, 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:54.440 because otherwise you'd think I'm making it up. 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:56.960 And if I said this statement, you would reject 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:59.630 it. Thankfully, this statement was made by Jesus. 00:25:59.930 --> 00:26:03.789 This is what Jesus said, you, you, said Jesus, 00:26:04.210 --> 00:26:07.130 looking at these ordinary people who from the 00:26:07.130 --> 00:26:10.609 standpoint of the world were uneducated and unimportant, 00:26:11.109 --> 00:26:15.849 you and you alone are the light of the world. 00:26:17.210 --> 00:26:20.190 And the unavoidable implication of what Jesus 00:26:20.190 --> 00:26:23.150 is saying here is that the world is in a state 00:26:23.150 --> 00:26:27.410 of darkness. and Christians are the only light. 00:26:28.349 --> 00:26:30.190 And that is another reason why the gospel is 00:26:30.190 --> 00:26:34.329 unpopular with so many people. I'm sure you're 00:26:34.329 --> 00:26:36.369 aware that we live today in what is called the 00:26:36.369 --> 00:26:39.869 information age. If you wanna know something, 00:26:40.089 --> 00:26:44.470 anything, Google it. We have information overload, 00:26:44.609 --> 00:26:47.430 we're a mile wide, we're an inch deep. Information 00:26:47.430 --> 00:26:52.680 though is not the same as knowledge. Knowledgeable 00:26:52.680 --> 00:26:55.920 people can cut through the information. They 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:59.339 can help us to understand. Now the world calls 00:26:59.339 --> 00:27:02.960 people like that experts. And especially recently, 00:27:03.339 --> 00:27:05.200 experts have been afforded great status and great 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:07.700 power. Therein is the essence of the problem. 00:27:08.700 --> 00:27:12.160 We have put knowledge, we put experts on a pedestal. 00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:16.039 We've forgotten something far more important. 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:22.910 Wisdom. Knowledge, for example, was the ability 00:27:22.910 --> 00:27:26.190 to invent the atomic bomb. Wisdom was knowing 00:27:26.190 --> 00:27:29.970 whether to use it. Or as the Irish say, knowledge 00:27:29.970 --> 00:27:33.109 is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, and wisdom 00:27:33.109 --> 00:27:37.309 is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. So 00:27:37.309 --> 00:27:41.609 what we need, what we desperately need is godly 00:27:41.609 --> 00:27:46.170 wisdom. The world lacks godly wisdom. As a result, 00:27:46.250 --> 00:27:48.250 the world is in a state of terrible darkness. 00:27:48.710 --> 00:27:52.109 And here's what Jesus is saying. Only the Christian 00:27:52.109 --> 00:27:54.930 has been given godly wisdom by the Holy Spirit. 00:27:55.490 --> 00:27:58.750 Which means that only the Christian can give 00:27:58.750 --> 00:28:03.250 any helpful, profitable, eternal life enhancing 00:28:03.250 --> 00:28:05.890 advice. I told you that statement was outrageous. 00:28:07.269 --> 00:28:09.990 Unsurprisingly, it offends countless people. 00:28:10.930 --> 00:28:14.710 But if you are a follower of Jesus, then this 00:28:14.710 --> 00:28:18.779 outrageous statement is now true of you. That 00:28:18.779 --> 00:28:21.559 said, before we get carried away, we need to 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:24.259 remember that the one who told us that we are 00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:28.200 the light of the world also said, I am the light 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:31.240 of the world. He claimed that for himself. And 00:28:31.240 --> 00:28:33.359 these two statements therefore must be taken 00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:36.700 together. The Christian is only the light of 00:28:36.700 --> 00:28:39.539 the world because of their relationship to Jesus, 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:44.680 the light of the world. And Jesus claimed that 00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:48.349 he'd come to bring light, his promise. was that 00:28:48.349 --> 00:28:51.049 whoever chose to follow him as their only Lord 00:28:51.049 --> 00:28:53.809 would not walk in darkness, but would have the 00:28:53.809 --> 00:28:57.390 light of life. So not only have we received light 00:28:57.390 --> 00:29:01.349 from Jesus, he also makes us light. We become 00:29:01.349 --> 00:29:04.369 transmitters of light. And you might be thinking, 00:29:04.410 --> 00:29:07.670 how on earth does that work? Well, it's not by 00:29:07.670 --> 00:29:12.289 imitation, it's by derivation. Let me explain. 00:29:12.369 --> 00:29:15.339 If it was by imitation, That means the source 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:17.680 of light must come from within me. The buck stops 00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:19.599 with me. I've got to imitate Jesus. He's light. 00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:23.779 I've got to bring light from somewhere. But if 00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:26.960 this light is by derivation, then the source 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:30.640 by definition is outside of me. Because to derive 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:35.460 means to draw from an objective source. Now we 00:29:35.460 --> 00:29:37.980 bear clear responsibility to the extent to which 00:29:37.980 --> 00:29:40.880 light is visible in our lives. If you're following 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:43.059 Jesus, you are light, but how much is shining? 00:29:44.529 --> 00:29:48.470 but it only comes from Jesus the source. And 00:29:48.470 --> 00:29:50.109 maybe you're still confused by that. Let me use 00:29:50.109 --> 00:29:52.029 another illustration. Let's pretend this is a 00:29:52.029 --> 00:29:55.950 light bulb. Okay, I put that light bulb into 00:29:55.950 --> 00:29:58.670 the socket and it shines. We don't congratulate 00:29:58.670 --> 00:30:02.009 the light bulb. Well done. Okay? It's shining 00:30:02.009 --> 00:30:04.349 because it's got a connection to an electrical 00:30:04.349 --> 00:30:07.150 source. It's deriving its power from the source. 00:30:07.390 --> 00:30:10.349 If I unscrew that light bulb, it's incapable 00:30:10.349 --> 00:30:13.109 of shining. I can put it alongside other light 00:30:13.109 --> 00:30:14.869 bulbs that are shining and say, go on, imitate, 00:30:15.009 --> 00:30:19.130 go on, you can do it. It can't. Okay? It can't. 00:30:19.869 --> 00:30:23.210 It only brings light if it's got a connection. 00:30:24.210 --> 00:30:26.650 We only bring light if we're connected to Jesus. 00:30:27.109 --> 00:30:30.029 Now why did Jesus... call us the salt of the 00:30:30.029 --> 00:30:32.329 earth before he called us the light of the world. 00:30:33.069 --> 00:30:38.349 The order, friends, is important. First, we Christians, 00:30:38.529 --> 00:30:41.049 we negatively impact the world. There is a positive 00:30:41.049 --> 00:30:43.890 thing, we prevent putification, we stop it rotting 00:30:43.890 --> 00:30:48.710 so fast, but we're called to sting people out 00:30:48.710 --> 00:30:52.150 of their apathy and their moral depravity. We've 00:30:52.150 --> 00:30:53.809 got their attention, but we don't stop there. 00:30:53.809 --> 00:30:56.569 We just stop there, they just be condemned. No 00:30:56.569 --> 00:31:00.240 hope. Then we shine the light of the gospel. 00:31:01.019 --> 00:31:03.380 Then we talk about our faith in Jesus. Would 00:31:03.380 --> 00:31:06.960 it be like a city on a hill, which you can see 00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:08.900 during the daytime, but when it's dark, you can 00:31:08.900 --> 00:31:11.779 really see it because the light shines brighter 00:31:11.779 --> 00:31:15.359 the darker it is. And the world is dark at the 00:31:15.359 --> 00:31:19.839 moment. No sane person, says Jesus, lights a 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:22.140 lamp, hides it under a bowl. What a ridiculous 00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:26.400 idea. They put it so people can see. Which means 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:28.619 Jesus is saying, Christian, you cannot be hidden. 00:31:29.519 --> 00:31:33.319 A secret Christian is incongruous. You can't 00:31:33.319 --> 00:31:36.700 be a hidden light. He was warning his disciples 00:31:36.700 --> 00:31:40.099 then and his disciples now. There's a real danger 00:31:40.099 --> 00:31:43.220 that you might behave in this ridiculous, futile 00:31:43.220 --> 00:31:46.819 manner. Don't do it. You'll be ineffective, useless, 00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:49.900 and disobedient. That's something we want to 00:31:49.900 --> 00:31:54.019 avoid, isn't it? But at all costs. Now I'm not 00:31:54.019 --> 00:31:55.619 gonna stop there, I'm gonna finish though with 00:31:55.619 --> 00:31:57.900 some practical stuff because at the end of the 00:31:57.900 --> 00:32:00.359 day we wanna know, well how do I do this? How 00:32:00.359 --> 00:32:03.339 do I show the world that I'm salt and light? 00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:07.680 Well first, most important, we need to spend 00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:13.380 time with Jesus. Quantity time and quality time. 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:18.680 Not as a squeezed in afterthought, but as a first 00:32:18.680 --> 00:32:22.359 priority. Make it your daily habit to listen 00:32:22.359 --> 00:32:25.559 to Jesus as you read your Bible as you pray. 00:32:25.559 --> 00:32:28.039 Remember we're deriving our light from Jesus, 00:32:28.339 --> 00:32:30.680 the wisdom of God. If you want to be salty, if 00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:33.460 you want godly wisdom, we receive it only from 00:32:33.460 --> 00:32:37.400 Jesus, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit. Second, 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:41.500 we must choose to live a holy life. That's a 00:32:41.500 --> 00:32:47.589 choice. Hear this statement. Godly lives are 00:32:47.589 --> 00:32:51.950 the single most effective way of making the gospel 00:32:51.950 --> 00:32:56.190 attractive and believable. You can share the 00:32:56.190 --> 00:32:57.910 gospel with somebody, but if your life is not 00:32:57.910 --> 00:33:02.890 godly, it's not believable. Godly lives are the 00:33:02.890 --> 00:33:07.309 single most effective way of making the gospel 00:33:07.309 --> 00:33:12.450 attractive and believable. Every single day, 00:33:12.710 --> 00:33:16.220 invite the Holy Spirit to fill you. to renew 00:33:16.220 --> 00:33:18.319 your mind so you can take every thought captive 00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:20.920 to Christ. Invite the Holy Spirit to strengthen 00:33:20.920 --> 00:33:23.559 you and equip you to live out those beatitudes, 00:33:24.779 --> 00:33:27.059 to soften and purify your heart, to make you 00:33:27.059 --> 00:33:29.559 hunger and thirst for righteousness, to reveal 00:33:29.559 --> 00:33:31.880 that you are poor in spirit, to keep you meek 00:33:31.880 --> 00:33:34.019 and merciful and give you the desire to be a 00:33:34.019 --> 00:33:38.880 peacemaker. Third, Jesus recommended in verse 00:33:38.880 --> 00:33:42.279 16, Let your light shine before others so that 00:33:42.279 --> 00:33:44.680 they may see your good deeds and praise your 00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:47.420 Father in heaven. That's a very practical statement. 00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:50.220 Let's not spiritualize that. It means you and 00:33:50.220 --> 00:33:52.720 I, we need to be intentional about carrying out 00:33:52.720 --> 00:33:56.799 good deeds in our communities. This is a well 00:33:56.799 --> 00:33:59.039 -known phrase, but let's look at it again. People 00:33:59.039 --> 00:34:02.279 don't care how much you know until they know 00:34:02.279 --> 00:34:05.299 how much you care. That's what we're showing 00:34:05.299 --> 00:34:09.059 them. They're only interested when they are. 00:34:09.150 --> 00:34:11.449 then we can share with them the gospel of grace, 00:34:11.489 --> 00:34:14.210 because it leads to the fourth point. When they 00:34:14.210 --> 00:34:16.570 wanna hear, they respond to those good news, 00:34:17.250 --> 00:34:21.710 the good deeds, are you able then to clearly 00:34:21.710 --> 00:34:25.389 explain the gospel and do so in simple English? 00:34:26.150 --> 00:34:27.789 Every Christian should be able to do that. If 00:34:27.789 --> 00:34:29.789 you don't know how to do that, please ask one 00:34:29.789 --> 00:34:32.829 of your leaders. I know they'll be happy to help 00:34:32.829 --> 00:34:37.219 you. Friends, we're living in the midst of men 00:34:37.219 --> 00:34:40.179 and women who are in the state of gross darkness. 00:34:41.639 --> 00:34:44.039 Their only hope is that we will be salt and light 00:34:44.039 --> 00:34:46.619 to them. You know they're watching us, don't 00:34:46.619 --> 00:34:50.800 you? They're watching to see. Do they see anything 00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:54.360 positive and different about us? Because if they 00:34:54.360 --> 00:34:57.900 do, we can tell them the wonderful, amazing news 00:34:57.900 --> 00:35:00.420 that Christ Jesus came into the world to save 00:35:00.420 --> 00:35:03.280 sinners. that he came to give men and women a 00:35:03.280 --> 00:35:05.420 new nature, a new life, and make them children 00:35:05.420 --> 00:35:09.599 of God the Father. So for the sake of the millions 00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:12.519 of lost people in this world who are destined 00:35:12.519 --> 00:35:16.639 to an eternity without God, let's each of us 00:35:16.639 --> 00:35:20.639 choose to make an eternal difference. Let's choose 00:35:20.639 --> 00:35:25.309 to be salty and shine on. Thank you for tuning 00:35:25.309 --> 00:35:27.949 in to this week's episode of Trinity Sermons. 00:35:28.090 --> 00:35:30.869 This sermon was recorded at Trinity Church Streetsville 00:35:30.869 --> 00:35:33.989 on July 13th, 2025.