WEBVTT 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:04.379 Can we worship him just a little bit more? Can 00:00:04.379 --> 00:00:08.320 we lift our hands and praise him? Can we magnify 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:11.939 his name? Clap your hands. Lift your voice unto 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:16.019 the Lord right now. He's a good God. He's a merciful 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:20.660 God. He's done so much for us. I'm grateful to 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:23.579 the Lord tonight. I'm so thankful to be able 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:27.019 to be in the house of the Lord. Thankful for 00:00:27.019 --> 00:00:29.379 his word because if it wasn't for his word, none 00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:33.670 of us would be here. I'm grateful for God and 00:00:33.670 --> 00:00:35.969 his great grace and mercy. Are you happy to be 00:00:35.969 --> 00:00:37.770 in the house of the Lord on a Wednesday night? 00:00:40.329 --> 00:00:45.030 It's Wednesday night. It is Bible study night. 00:00:45.170 --> 00:00:49.130 It is teaching night. It is that night when we 00:00:49.130 --> 00:00:51.590 get to hear the word of the Lord and it soaks 00:00:51.590 --> 00:00:54.750 into our heart and our minds. There's always 00:00:54.750 --> 00:00:57.729 Sundays. There's always jumping and shouting. 00:00:58.839 --> 00:01:02.280 Jesus healed, he delivered, he raised the dead. 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:05.599 But then at some time he sat down and he taught 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:08.900 his disciples. And we're in the middle of a series 00:01:08.900 --> 00:01:12.359 right now where Jesus, we're teaching from Matthew 00:01:12.359 --> 00:01:15.280 chapter 5 tonight. And the beginning of that 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:19.680 chapter says Jesus, and when he was set, he taught 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:23.159 his disciples saying. And then he went into the 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:25.459 whole bunch of Beatitudes that many of us are 00:01:25.459 --> 00:01:28.989 familiar with. And so it's in that context tonight 00:01:28.989 --> 00:01:31.730 that we bring forth the word of the Lord for 00:01:31.730 --> 00:01:34.230 you tonight. I would ask you to open your Bible 00:01:34.230 --> 00:01:38.689 to Matthew chapter 5, verses 13 through 16. We 00:01:38.689 --> 00:01:42.170 will read that. Many of you are familiar with 00:01:42.170 --> 00:01:45.049 this passage of scripture. And this is what we 00:01:45.049 --> 00:01:48.170 will be teaching from tonight. I give honor to 00:01:48.170 --> 00:01:50.250 everyone that is here tonight. I give honor to 00:01:50.250 --> 00:01:53.659 our pastor and sister Linda. I'm not here tonight. 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:56.519 Give honor to everyone who's here. Thank you 00:01:56.519 --> 00:01:59.980 for the leadership that we do have. God is good 00:01:59.980 --> 00:02:04.599 to us. He is good to us. In a little while, in 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:06.700 a few minutes from now, we'll be able to gather 00:02:06.700 --> 00:02:09.319 at this altar. Whatever need that you brought 00:02:09.319 --> 00:02:11.680 into this place tonight, God wants to meet it. 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:14.560 Whatever your situation, whatever your problem, 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:16.620 after this Bible study is completed tonight, 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:19.400 we invite you to this altar and bring your needs. 00:02:19.500 --> 00:02:23.580 Come boldly before the throne of grace. He doesn't 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:26.719 only meet needs on a Sunday afternoon or a Sunday 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:28.520 morning, but he does it on a Wednesday night 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:31.680 also. And this altar will be open in a little 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:34.159 while from now for you, for those needs to be 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:37.460 met. Matthew chapter 5, verses 13 through 16. 00:02:37.639 --> 00:02:41.969 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt 00:02:41.969 --> 00:02:48.430 loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It 00:02:48.430 --> 00:02:50.689 is then good for nothing but to be thrown out 00:02:50.689 --> 00:02:54.169 and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light 00:02:54.169 --> 00:02:56.849 of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot 00:02:56.849 --> 00:03:00.770 be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it 00:03:00.770 --> 00:03:05.050 under a basket but on a lampstand. And it gives 00:03:05.050 --> 00:03:09.370 light to all who are in the house. Let your light, 00:03:09.469 --> 00:03:13.150 our focus verse tonight, let your light so shine 00:03:13.150 --> 00:03:17.110 before men that they may see your good works 00:03:17.110 --> 00:03:22.729 and glorify your father in heaven. And tonight 00:03:22.729 --> 00:03:26.819 I want to bring to you this lesson. that is entitled 00:03:26.819 --> 00:03:30.379 The Mission of a Disciple or The Mission of the 00:03:30.379 --> 00:03:33.560 Disciple, whichever one you want to choose. Let 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:35.639 us pray and ask the Lord to bless us tonight 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:38.060 and speak to our hearts in this place tonight. 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:47.840 Hallelujah, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus, 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:50.800 for your goodness. Hallelujah. We praise your 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:53.460 name tonight, O Lord God. We thank you, Lord. 00:03:54.219 --> 00:03:56.340 Speak to our hearts and our minds tonight, O 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:59.560 Lord God, so that we would leave this place tonight 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:02.699 with instructions, O Lord God, on how to better 00:04:02.699 --> 00:04:05.740 serve you, on how to better be a disciple, how 00:04:05.740 --> 00:04:08.939 to better be a witness, O Lord Jesus. O Lord 00:04:08.939 --> 00:04:11.800 God, in these days that we're living in, O Lord, 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:16.680 hallelujah, Jesus, in your name, O Lord. Thank 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:20.939 you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Hallelujah. You may 00:04:20.939 --> 00:04:25.860 be seated. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verses 00:04:25.860 --> 00:04:30.220 11 through 12 says, the Apostle Paul writing 00:04:30.220 --> 00:04:33.040 to the church in Thessalonica, he says, therefore, 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:37.759 we also pray always for you that our God would 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:42.060 count you worthy of this calling and fulfill 00:04:42.060 --> 00:04:45.560 all the good pleasure of his goodness and the 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:51.550 work of faith and with power. That the name of 00:04:51.550 --> 00:04:55.569 our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you 00:04:55.569 --> 00:05:00.850 and you in him. According to the grace of our 00:05:00.850 --> 00:05:06.029 God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's a truth 00:05:06.029 --> 00:05:12.310 about God. God's design for the church is to 00:05:12.310 --> 00:05:18.870 embody his glory. The truth for our life is... 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:24.579 In every aspect of our lives, I will demonstrate 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:32.220 God or we will demonstrate God's glory. Being 00:05:32.220 --> 00:05:35.920 called to be a witness in a court of law may 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:40.600 be an anxiety -filled process. Witnesses are 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:43.259 often called to testify in court for important 00:05:43.259 --> 00:05:47.050 reasons. When a witness is called forward, attorneys 00:05:47.050 --> 00:05:50.889 believe their witness's word can help make or 00:05:50.889 --> 00:05:55.189 break the case for them. The defendant is hoping 00:05:55.189 --> 00:05:59.189 to be saved by the witness. The plaintiff is 00:05:59.189 --> 00:06:01.589 hoping that the witness will bring a conviction. 00:06:03.089 --> 00:06:06.870 The process can seem so ceremonious and procedural, 00:06:07.089 --> 00:06:12.069 but the witness must show up at a court at the 00:06:12.069 --> 00:06:16.410 appropriate time. preferably dressed in a respectable 00:06:16.410 --> 00:06:20.350 manner. The witness must also place one hand 00:06:20.350 --> 00:06:22.829 on the Bible and swear to tell the truth, the 00:06:22.829 --> 00:06:24.870 whole truth and nothing but the truth, although 00:06:24.870 --> 00:06:29.129 we affirm that we're telling the truth. Then 00:06:29.129 --> 00:06:33.910 the questions often come from the attorney, the 00:06:33.910 --> 00:06:38.329 lawyer in rapid fire succession. The witness, 00:06:38.509 --> 00:06:41.329 as they hear the question, they will try to carefully 00:06:41.329 --> 00:06:45.350 remember all the details, knowing every word 00:06:45.350 --> 00:06:49.870 that they speak will be analyzed. Even the witness's 00:06:49.870 --> 00:06:54.670 mannerisms will be critiqued by those who are 00:06:54.670 --> 00:06:59.350 listening, especially if it's a jury trial. And 00:06:59.350 --> 00:07:02.709 before the judge, the witness might sit in her 00:07:02.709 --> 00:07:06.870 chair with her mind racing, realizing... that 00:07:06.870 --> 00:07:09.209 their words or her words might forever change 00:07:09.209 --> 00:07:12.470 someone's life because that is how important 00:07:12.470 --> 00:07:17.569 it is. But although while being a witness for 00:07:17.569 --> 00:07:21.009 God should not produce the same level of anxiety, 00:07:21.509 --> 00:07:25.610 it should be treated with the same level of seriousness. 00:07:27.129 --> 00:07:30.910 Just as in a courtroom, a witness for God is 00:07:30.910 --> 00:07:35.709 expected to act and dress in a certain way. If 00:07:35.709 --> 00:07:39.399 not, their character could be called into question. 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:46.160 A good witness must have an answer ready. We 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:49.199 must be prepared, speaking about us being witnesses 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:52.680 for the Lord now, we must be prepared in what 00:07:52.680 --> 00:07:55.379 we say and don't, because what we say and don't 00:07:55.379 --> 00:07:58.560 say will be scrutinized and will be questioned. 00:07:59.100 --> 00:08:04.399 A good witness does not add to or take away from 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:07.740 the truth. You let the word speak for itself. 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:11.500 And let whatever it is that God has taken you 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:13.620 through, the experience that he's taken you through, 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:17.199 you let that speak for itself. There's no need 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:19.819 to add or take away from the truth of the word 00:08:19.819 --> 00:08:21.959 of God. They'll either take it or they'll leave 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:26.339 it. A major difference between being a witness 00:08:26.339 --> 00:08:30.000 for God and being in a courtroom is the anointing 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:34.779 of the Holy Spirit that is on our lives. Jesus 00:08:34.779 --> 00:08:38.379 himself prophesied in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, 00:08:38.580 --> 00:08:43.019 excuse me, but you shall receive power after 00:08:43.019 --> 00:08:45.899 that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you 00:08:45.899 --> 00:08:50.179 shall be witnesses unto me. Right there Jesus 00:08:50.179 --> 00:08:53.399 is telling us there's no need for you to be nervous 00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:56.100 when you're witnessing to someone. Just tell 00:08:56.100 --> 00:08:58.860 them the truth. Just tell them who I am. You 00:08:58.860 --> 00:09:00.759 have the power of the Holy Ghost living inside 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:04.669 of you. Just let it come forth. We don't need 00:09:04.669 --> 00:09:07.990 to be anxious about being witnesses because we 00:09:07.990 --> 00:09:11.009 know that God has already granted every spirit 00:09:11.009 --> 00:09:15.750 -filled believer the power necessary to be effective 00:09:15.750 --> 00:09:22.169 witnesses. Jesus often, in this verse, these 00:09:22.169 --> 00:09:26.450 few verses that we read in Matthew chapter 5, 00:09:26.649 --> 00:09:32.350 in his... He often used analogies and anecdotes 00:09:32.350 --> 00:09:37.190 to tell his story, to witness, to teach. And 00:09:37.190 --> 00:09:39.789 that would help the listeners to better understand 00:09:39.789 --> 00:09:45.610 his teaching. And this chapter, these few verses 00:09:45.610 --> 00:09:51.649 is no different from what he often does. So while 00:09:51.649 --> 00:09:55.570 most of us will not do a deep dive into theology, 00:09:56.669 --> 00:10:02.929 Most people have used salt. And all people who 00:10:02.929 --> 00:10:08.549 can see know the value of light. Jesus used salt 00:10:08.549 --> 00:10:13.009 and light precisely so we could receive and understand 00:10:13.009 --> 00:10:17.409 his teaching easily. These metaphors describe 00:10:17.409 --> 00:10:22.909 how all of us can be a witness. The word of God 00:10:22.909 --> 00:10:26.620 can be so simple for the... anyone to understand 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:30.919 it yet at the same time it is so deep so none 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:33.139 of us really can have an excuse when we hear 00:10:33.139 --> 00:10:36.879 the word of God to say well I don't really understand 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:39.100 it we can always if we don't understand at face 00:10:39.100 --> 00:10:41.879 value we can always say God open my heart my 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:44.919 understanding because he will not hide his word 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:47.860 from anyone who's open to receiving it from him 00:10:47.860 --> 00:10:54.090 okay salt let's talk about salt and let's Talk 00:10:54.090 --> 00:10:56.730 to the cooks in the room and those who bake. 00:10:57.629 --> 00:11:00.190 Salt is widely considered the most important 00:11:00.190 --> 00:11:03.990 seasoning in cooking. Anyone who cooks will always 00:11:03.990 --> 00:11:07.529 want to make sure that sufficient salt is used. 00:11:08.110 --> 00:11:12.029 So they may ask somebody else to taste it during 00:11:12.029 --> 00:11:14.750 the preparation of the meal. And maybe even after 00:11:14.750 --> 00:11:18.470 the meal has been cooked, they'll ask for someone's 00:11:18.470 --> 00:11:21.759 opinion, someone to taste it. And this is because 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:26.919 everyone who cooks knows the value of salt. Salt 00:11:26.919 --> 00:11:31.940 is a strong ingredient by itself. And one can 00:11:31.940 --> 00:11:36.340 quickly tell if a dish is oversalted if it's 00:11:36.340 --> 00:11:41.000 not used in the right proportion. Salt is a flavor 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:45.440 enhancer. It balances sweetness, suppressing 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:51.149 bitterness, and it intensifies aromas. You didn't 00:11:51.149 --> 00:11:53.230 realize that you were coming to a culinary class 00:11:53.230 --> 00:11:58.129 tonight, but here you are. While other aromatic 00:11:58.129 --> 00:12:01.669 seasonings like herbs and spices add distinct 00:12:01.669 --> 00:12:06.049 flavors, they fail to reach their full potential 00:12:06.049 --> 00:12:10.789 if the dish is not properly salted at first. 00:12:12.070 --> 00:12:17.769 Jesus described his people, us, as the salt of 00:12:17.769 --> 00:12:23.000 the earth. True Christians draw out the essence 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:27.639 of who people are supposed to be. That's who 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:33.740 we are. Jesus, just as salt helps elevate true 00:12:33.740 --> 00:12:38.600 flavors, we who are called according to his purpose 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:42.379 can help to draw people out of the world and 00:12:42.379 --> 00:12:46.139 help them to see who God intended them to be. 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:51.159 All humanity was made in God's image. But unfortunately, 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:54.960 that image has been broken, abused, and watered 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:59.220 down by sin. But a salt of the earth, child of 00:12:59.220 --> 00:13:04.059 God, can look past the brokenness, draw out the 00:13:04.059 --> 00:13:06.960 image of God in that individual that we're witnessing 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:12.200 to, and help restore that person to God's intentions 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:15.860 for their life. That's who we are as the salt 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:19.259 of the earth. However, some Christians have lost 00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:23.879 their saltiness and effectiveness. Jesus did 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:27.659 not mince a word when describing these kinds 00:13:27.659 --> 00:13:31.340 of Christians. In Matthew 5, verse 13, he said, 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:35.460 You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:40.179 loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It 00:13:40.179 --> 00:13:43.669 is then good for nothing. but to be thrown out 00:13:43.669 --> 00:13:49.789 and trampled underfoot by men. Jesus said he 00:13:49.789 --> 00:13:56.029 called them good for nothing. Question I have 00:13:56.029 --> 00:13:59.190 for us tonight, and it's a rhetorical question. 00:14:00.289 --> 00:14:03.649 Who in your life would you describe as a salt 00:14:03.649 --> 00:14:08.470 of the earth, child of God? Second question, 00:14:08.570 --> 00:14:13.830 how? Has this person's life helped bring flavor 00:14:13.830 --> 00:14:20.549 to your own life? That's salt. The next he mentioned 00:14:20.549 --> 00:14:24.570 was a city on a hill. Jesus said that we are 00:14:24.570 --> 00:14:28.889 like a city set on a hill. Have you ever been 00:14:28.889 --> 00:14:33.250 lost, driving somewhere, been on a road trip? 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:36.419 And all of a sudden, everywhere looks the same. 00:14:36.460 --> 00:14:40.139 You get lost. GPS is telling you to go one way, 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:42.320 and you're like, no, I don't think this is a 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:45.639 way that I'm supposed to go. And maybe if you 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:47.759 have other people in the car with you who are 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:49.659 traveling with you, they give their opinions. 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:52.980 GPS is giving their opinion. Everybody is confusing 00:14:52.980 --> 00:14:55.620 everybody, and everybody is saying, no, I think 00:14:55.620 --> 00:14:57.720 this is a way that we. Didn't we pass this way 00:14:57.720 --> 00:14:59.879 before? I thought we just passed this way 20 00:14:59.879 --> 00:15:03.950 minutes ago. Everyone is confused. Just a few 00:15:03.950 --> 00:15:06.929 months ago, I was driving, and I was in, I was 00:15:06.929 --> 00:15:09.190 driving from here to New York, and I was in Virginia, 00:15:09.289 --> 00:15:12.389 and I'd stopped, and after I hit the road again, 00:15:12.549 --> 00:15:15.970 and I was driving and driving and driving and 00:15:15.970 --> 00:15:18.990 driving, all of a sudden, my maps just went out. 00:15:19.970 --> 00:15:22.049 And this direction it was telling me to go in. 00:15:22.470 --> 00:15:24.289 So I said, something doesn't seem right here. 00:15:25.509 --> 00:15:28.230 Pulled off. It told me to go in this direction. 00:15:28.269 --> 00:15:32.080 I pulled off. boot it up again, turn on my phone 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:35.639 again, and lo and behold, back in the other direction. 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:39.240 Go back, go right, go past exactly where I was 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:42.519 going. So sometimes these things work and sometimes 00:15:42.519 --> 00:15:45.940 they don't, and nobody likes that because it's 00:15:45.940 --> 00:15:48.940 just a big waste of time. So traveling can be 00:15:48.940 --> 00:15:51.639 difficult, especially when so many different 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:55.460 locations look the same. But in the state of 00:15:55.460 --> 00:15:59.960 Colorado, for example, navigating can be a little 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:02.299 bit easier because the mountains are always to 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:05.019 the west, right, Brother Clarence, Sister Beth? 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:08.820 The mountains are always to the west. The flatlands 00:16:08.820 --> 00:16:12.039 are always to the east. And so between these 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:14.879 significant markers, anyone remotely close to 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:18.879 the city can quickly orient themselves if they 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:23.440 get lost. Our mission for God should be to stand 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:27.039 out from the world around us. Just as a city 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:30.259 on a hill is easily visible for miles around, 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:33.919 it should be obvious that Christians are who 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:38.460 they say that they are. We live in a world where 00:16:38.460 --> 00:16:41.779 many people are trying even as... Children of 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:44.620 God are trying to fit into the world. And the 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:47.580 world out there is looking for the Marcus. Who 00:16:47.580 --> 00:16:50.340 are the two children of God? And if they're looking 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:52.820 at you and I and they can't tell the difference, 00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:56.120 how are they going to find their way to God? 00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:00.879 We need to be, stand out. Are we going to look 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:03.500 different? Yes. Are we going to act different? 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:07.440 Yes. But the reason that God saved us, one of 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:10.359 the reasons he saved us, to save us from sin 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:13.119 so that we don't spend eternity in hell, but 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:15.400 we get to spend eternity into heaven. But one 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:17.740 of the other reasons that he saves us is also 00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:20.799 for us to reach the world around us. So they 00:17:20.799 --> 00:17:24.750 too would be saved. We should stand out as a 00:17:24.750 --> 00:17:28.009 landmark for others to identify and orient themselves. 00:17:28.170 --> 00:17:31.250 When people are lost, they start looking for 00:17:31.250 --> 00:17:34.710 landmarks. Someone like man of the church exists 00:17:34.710 --> 00:17:38.150 in a world full of confused, lost souls, hoping 00:17:38.150 --> 00:17:41.390 for a solid landmark to look to. In the day and 00:17:41.390 --> 00:17:44.589 age that we live in, many people are looking 00:17:44.589 --> 00:17:47.609 for landmarks. Many people are looking for what 00:17:47.609 --> 00:17:50.329 is true, what is going on. With all that's happening 00:17:50.329 --> 00:17:52.130 in our nation, with all that's happening around 00:17:52.130 --> 00:17:55.609 the world, I've heard commentators after commentators 00:17:55.609 --> 00:17:58.450 on news programs, whether it's just general news, 00:17:58.690 --> 00:18:01.890 whether you're just given economic news. I've 00:18:01.890 --> 00:18:03.910 heard people basically throwing up their hands 00:18:03.910 --> 00:18:07.049 and saying, where are they to look for real answers 00:18:07.049 --> 00:18:10.109 anymore? People are so lost. And this is where 00:18:10.109 --> 00:18:12.690 we are in our world today. But this is what the 00:18:12.690 --> 00:18:15.029 Bible said would be happening. This shouldn't 00:18:15.029 --> 00:18:17.490 be strange to you and I. This is what is going 00:18:17.490 --> 00:18:20.829 to happen. Proverbs chapter 22 verse 28 says, 00:18:20.990 --> 00:18:23.809 do not remove the ancient landmark which your 00:18:23.809 --> 00:18:27.960 fathers have set. We should live in a way that 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:30.920 God's kingdom is readily visible in our lives 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:34.720 and in our communities to receive those sincere 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:37.740 seekers, people around who are looking for God. 00:18:37.819 --> 00:18:41.599 1 Peter 2, verse 9 says, but you are a chosen 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:45.779 generation. A royal priesthood. A holy nation. 00:18:46.099 --> 00:18:50.059 His own special people. Or in another translation 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:54.400 would say a peculiar people. That you may proclaim 00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:57.079 the praises of him who called you out of darkness 00:18:57.079 --> 00:19:01.000 into his marvelous light. News flash for us. 00:19:01.019 --> 00:19:03.440 We're going to be different from the world. News 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:05.759 flash for us. We're going to look different from 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:09.000 the world. We've got to seek God. Seek his face. 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:12.380 Be thankful that he has saved us. And don't worry. 00:19:12.430 --> 00:19:15.970 Worry about how the world will make fun of us. 00:19:16.029 --> 00:19:18.829 How they will tell us how we look. We are supposed 00:19:18.829 --> 00:19:23.009 to look like we are heading on our way to heaven. 00:19:24.829 --> 00:19:28.769 They themselves want change. They themselves 00:19:28.769 --> 00:19:32.849 want to be different from they are. So don't 00:19:32.849 --> 00:19:35.309 worry about the way that they will, what they 00:19:35.309 --> 00:19:38.509 will say about us, how they will criticize us, 00:19:38.569 --> 00:19:41.670 criticize the way that we look, criticize the 00:19:41.670 --> 00:19:44.849 way that we speak. You hold on to truth, keep 00:19:44.849 --> 00:19:47.750 serving God, and those same people will one day 00:19:47.750 --> 00:19:50.950 come to you and want to know the truth about 00:19:50.950 --> 00:19:56.490 God. They need to see Jesus Christ in us, a shining 00:19:56.490 --> 00:20:00.390 city on a hill in an increasingly dark world. 00:20:01.919 --> 00:20:05.240 Okay, so you didn't get salt. You're not about 00:20:05.240 --> 00:20:07.900 the salt thing. You're not about the city and 00:20:07.900 --> 00:20:09.839 the hill. You're not about landmarks. You usually 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:12.519 drive around Winston -Salem. You don't have to 00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:16.039 worry about landmarks and all of that. But what 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:18.460 about the other analogy that he used, a lamp 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:22.180 in the darkness? Everybody knows the value of 00:20:22.180 --> 00:20:26.859 light. Everyone can see and can testify to its 00:20:26.859 --> 00:20:30.079 value. In the darkest hours of the night, even 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:34.279 the cheapest pen lights can seem to be a lifesaver. 00:20:34.460 --> 00:20:37.500 Now everyone just about on their phone, unless 00:20:37.500 --> 00:20:40.640 you have a dumb phone, flashlights are built 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:45.720 into your smartphone. And that doesn't mean if 00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:47.839 you don't carry a smartphone, it doesn't mean 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:51.579 that you're a person. It just means that light 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:56.930 is on many of our... Smartphones. Even the smallest 00:20:56.930 --> 00:21:00.710 light can make a great difference. Lights shine 00:21:00.710 --> 00:21:04.950 brighter the darker the surroundings get. Newsflash 00:21:04.950 --> 00:21:09.069 for all of us. The world is getting darker. Darkness 00:21:09.069 --> 00:21:12.609 is covering the people. Gross dark, I mean, darkness 00:21:12.609 --> 00:21:15.589 to people. Gross darkness and darkness is covering. 00:21:15.650 --> 00:21:17.089 I've kind of flipped that around a little bit. 00:21:17.130 --> 00:21:21.910 I'm sorry. But the world is getting darker. And 00:21:21.910 --> 00:21:24.900 we're going to stand out more and more. In the 00:21:24.900 --> 00:21:28.779 world. So you're either going to have to stand 00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:33.420 out, be a witness to the world, or you're really 00:21:33.420 --> 00:21:35.500 going to have to start going in the other direction 00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:39.339 to look like the world. There's no in between. 00:21:40.460 --> 00:21:44.539 If we have just been coasting up until 2026, 00:21:45.019 --> 00:21:48.759 the coasting is over. We're going to have to 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:51.900 surrender if we want to serve God. We're going 00:21:51.900 --> 00:21:56.319 to look different from the world around us. That's 00:21:56.319 --> 00:22:00.460 just how it's going to be. For a light to be 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:04.099 useful, its rays cannot be inhibited. A hand 00:22:04.099 --> 00:22:06.880 placed over the front of the flashlight can once 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:10.809 again plunge us into darkness. we have an opportunity 00:22:10.809 --> 00:22:14.170 to shine brighter than ever in our world. We 00:22:14.170 --> 00:22:16.690 must make sure that our light is shining brightly 00:22:16.690 --> 00:22:21.509 for all to see beckoning lost and wandering souls 00:22:21.509 --> 00:22:27.329 into the light of God's salvation. But while 00:22:27.329 --> 00:22:31.630 the light of God's word is never a problem, sometimes 00:22:31.630 --> 00:22:36.549 we who are entrusted with God's light can get 00:22:36.549 --> 00:22:41.809 in the way. and cause a shadow to be cast that 00:22:41.809 --> 00:22:47.069 confuses people about who we truly are. It makes 00:22:47.069 --> 00:22:50.710 it difficult for God's light to be seen, and 00:22:50.710 --> 00:22:53.109 usually that comes about because of our desire 00:22:53.109 --> 00:22:57.769 for acceptance by the world. True Christians 00:22:57.769 --> 00:23:01.990 desire for God's light to shine clearly through 00:23:01.990 --> 00:23:06.960 their lives and to not be a distraction. To that 00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:10.220 light. Perhaps this is why Jesus concluded his 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:13.779 analogy with the instruction, let your light, 00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:17.160 in Matthew 5 .16, let your light so shine before 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:20.799 men that they may see your good works and glorify 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:24.990 your Father which is in heaven. We know we are 00:23:24.990 --> 00:23:27.349 being effective witnesses in the world when the 00:23:27.349 --> 00:23:32.049 people see our good works and glorify God. When 00:23:32.049 --> 00:23:35.289 they see our good works, turn their hearts and 00:23:35.289 --> 00:23:38.490 their minds to glorify God. When people see our 00:23:38.490 --> 00:23:42.210 good works and praise us, though, we are doing 00:23:42.210 --> 00:23:47.130 those works for the wrong motivation. When people 00:23:47.130 --> 00:23:49.349 see us, when we're being a witness to people, 00:23:49.569 --> 00:23:53.670 they should see us and want to ask, what is it 00:23:53.670 --> 00:23:56.849 about you? It's not about your nice clothes. 00:23:57.410 --> 00:24:00.710 It's not about just the outward appearance. There's 00:24:00.710 --> 00:24:03.549 something else that I see. There's something 00:24:03.549 --> 00:24:06.609 else that I feel coming from you. That is what 00:24:06.609 --> 00:24:09.210 we're supposed to be drawing people to, that 00:24:09.210 --> 00:24:12.430 light that is shining from us. Not our outward 00:24:12.430 --> 00:24:15.009 appearance. You can't dress good enough to draw 00:24:15.009 --> 00:24:17.869 people to God. There are people out there that 00:24:17.869 --> 00:24:20.450 will outdress us any day of the week. There are 00:24:20.450 --> 00:24:24.170 people out there that have great, great, great, 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:30.480 and abilities that will draw a crowd, a greater 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:34.240 crowd than we could ever draw. But when those 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:37.579 people leave, nothing has changed in their life. 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:41.099 So when they come to us and when they come into 00:24:41.099 --> 00:24:43.980 this place, they need to walk away and feel something 00:24:43.980 --> 00:24:46.259 different, know something different has happened 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:48.759 in their life because they see the light of God. 00:24:48.900 --> 00:24:51.160 When we go to work, when we're in our neighborhood, 00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:53.779 when we're on the street, they should see the 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:56.720 light of God inside of us. People should walk 00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:59.599 by us and they should do a double take. When 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:01.819 they see us, not because you look great, not 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:03.980 because you're wearing the latest anything. It 00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:06.500 should be, whoa, I just felt something from you. 00:25:06.680 --> 00:25:10.380 I see something in you. What is it that is different 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:14.519 about you? That's what people need to see from 00:25:14.519 --> 00:25:20.619 us. We are actually, when we are putting our 00:25:20.619 --> 00:25:23.200 hands over that light or when we are trying to 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:25.740 do things our own way, we are preventing souls 00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:29.160 from reaching the true light. Of the world with 00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:35.400 his Jesus Christ. Who was a light for you? Question. 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:39.799 When you were making your way. Toward Jesus Christ. 00:25:39.900 --> 00:25:43.359 Who was that light for you? And another question. 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:50.140 To whom are you being a light? Today. We should 00:25:50.140 --> 00:25:54.440 desire God to be present in every. of our lives 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:57.740 so that his light can shine through us freely. 00:25:57.900 --> 00:26:01.220 The Holy Ghost must permeate our entire life 00:26:01.220 --> 00:26:06.460 so that we can be effective witnesses. We cannot 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:10.400 expect to glorify God on Sundays and on Wednesdays 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:14.460 and then still be effective witnesses. Can't 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:19.359 have it both ways. Don't walk the fence. Don't... 00:26:20.279 --> 00:26:22.380 Living a life, living a way that you're trying 00:26:22.380 --> 00:26:25.200 to decide whether I should serve God. I'm going 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:27.140 to serve God on Sunday. I'm going to serve God 00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:30.880 on Wednesday. But on Tuesday afternoon, I've 00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:32.579 just got to do my own thing. I've got to have 00:26:32.579 --> 00:26:39.359 fun. Don't serve God that way. We must desire 00:26:39.359 --> 00:26:44.200 to saturate each aspect of our lives to the point 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:46.960 that nothing is being neglected. Perhaps this 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:50.240 is why the Apostle Paul reached. preached or 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:52.640 was beseeched to Romans in Romans chapter 12 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:55.180 verse 1. He says, present your bodies a living 00:26:55.180 --> 00:26:59.759 sacrifice unto the Lord. Nothing was more total 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:02.880 and final in the Old Testament than animal sacrifices. 00:27:03.259 --> 00:27:06.359 Whether it was a bull or a sheep that was slaughtered 00:27:06.359 --> 00:27:10.279 and burned, its entire body was offered as worship 00:27:10.279 --> 00:27:14.339 to God. In the same way as living sacrifices, 00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:19.059 we must make regular trips to the altar. To ensure 00:27:19.059 --> 00:27:22.599 part of our lives, every part of our lives is 00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:25.980 completely offered to God. Don't just give him 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:28.420 that one place and hold on to that other place. 00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:31.420 And I preach to myself tonight. I teach to myself 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:34.599 tonight. Don't give God everything. Surrender 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:40.140 everything to God. So what's our role as a witness? 00:27:41.259 --> 00:27:44.380 Each analogy that Jesus mentioned, salt, city 00:27:44.380 --> 00:27:47.240 and a hill, light and a darkness, all describe 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:49.940 the nature in which we are witnesses for Jesus. 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:53.619 Witnessing is more than an activity that saved 00:27:53.619 --> 00:27:57.059 people do. We are called to be witnesses as part 00:27:57.059 --> 00:28:01.680 of our spiritual genetic makeup. By definition, 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:07.319 witnessing tells a story of your own experience. 00:28:11.069 --> 00:28:15.309 Their witness or the witness's story are inherently 00:28:15.309 --> 00:28:19.269 called to action and persuaded to change their 00:28:19.269 --> 00:28:23.470 way of living. We witness through evangelism, 00:28:23.589 --> 00:28:27.529 through inward and outward holiness, and through 00:28:27.529 --> 00:28:30.569 the very image of God manifested in our daily 00:28:30.569 --> 00:28:36.150 lives. Another question tonight. When was the 00:28:36.150 --> 00:28:38.410 last time that you witnessed to someone of the 00:28:38.410 --> 00:28:44.119 goodness of God? In your life. Evangelism is 00:28:44.119 --> 00:28:46.960 part of the great commission given by Jesus. 00:28:47.259 --> 00:28:51.059 In which he commanded the disciples to go, teach, 00:28:51.380 --> 00:28:55.640 make disciples, and baptize in the name of the 00:28:55.640 --> 00:28:58.660 Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Matthew chapter 00:28:58.660 --> 00:29:04.220 28 verse 19. Baptize in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:07.740 We cannot properly fulfill these commands without 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:11.470 going. We've got to go. Being a witness is active 00:29:11.470 --> 00:29:14.369 and intentional. It is not a passive activity. 00:29:15.089 --> 00:29:17.809 It's good to be home. It's good to pray. It's 00:29:17.809 --> 00:29:19.410 great to do all of that, but there's got to be 00:29:19.410 --> 00:29:22.390 somebody in our lives that we can witness to. 00:29:22.450 --> 00:29:23.809 There's got to be somebody. There's got to be 00:29:23.809 --> 00:29:25.410 a neighbor. There's got to be someone that's 00:29:25.410 --> 00:29:27.710 seeing that something is different. Even if you 00:29:27.710 --> 00:29:30.309 hand out a card and invite someone, just tell 00:29:30.309 --> 00:29:32.930 somebody about your story. We're all witnesses. 00:29:33.089 --> 00:29:36.069 We can tell someone about what God has done for 00:29:36.069 --> 00:29:40.549 us. A witness must be willing to teach, and teaching 00:29:40.549 --> 00:29:42.750 in this sense does not have to be in a formal 00:29:42.750 --> 00:29:45.269 classroom setting or standing behind a pulpit. 00:29:45.349 --> 00:29:47.589 You don't have to be a professional. Rather, 00:29:47.710 --> 00:29:49.829 witnesses must simply be willing to share their 00:29:49.829 --> 00:29:52.609 personal testimonies and the gospel of Jesus 00:29:52.609 --> 00:29:55.569 Christ. Each and every one of us in this place 00:29:55.569 --> 00:29:58.349 now, you and I know enough. And with the experiences 00:29:58.349 --> 00:30:00.670 that we've had with God so far in our lives, 00:30:00.750 --> 00:30:03.369 we know enough to be a witness to someone and 00:30:03.369 --> 00:30:05.910 tell someone about the truth of the gospel of 00:30:05.910 --> 00:30:08.309 Jesus Christ. Not worrying about whether they're 00:30:08.309 --> 00:30:10.269 going to accept it or not, that's up to them. 00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:12.960 Whether they accept it. But it is our responsibility. 00:30:13.480 --> 00:30:16.319 That's what Jesus commanded us to do. Go, go, 00:30:16.559 --> 00:30:18.940 go into all the world. Go to your neighbor. Go 00:30:18.940 --> 00:30:21.700 to your friend. Go to your coworker. Tell somebody. 00:30:21.839 --> 00:30:24.940 Tell somebody about Jesus Christ. Tell them about 00:30:24.940 --> 00:30:27.299 how he healed your soul. Tell them about how 00:30:27.299 --> 00:30:29.559 he saved you. Tell them about how he touched 00:30:29.559 --> 00:30:31.819 your body. Tell them about what he's done for 00:30:31.819 --> 00:30:34.759 you. Tell somebody. Tell somebody. Tell somebody 00:30:34.759 --> 00:30:43.700 about who Jesus is. Intentional lifestyle evangelism 00:30:43.700 --> 00:30:46.740 of this kind produces souls entering the kingdom 00:30:46.740 --> 00:30:49.660 of God through the wonderful gift of the baptism 00:30:49.660 --> 00:30:57.119 in the name of Jesus Christ. As a witness, we 00:30:57.119 --> 00:31:01.640 must also witness, be a witness of separation. 00:31:03.259 --> 00:31:06.500 A preacher once said Christians are to be insulated, 00:31:06.599 --> 00:31:11.559 not isolated. We cannot reach the world while 00:31:11.559 --> 00:31:15.680 hiding from it. We're separated from the world, 00:31:15.819 --> 00:31:18.660 but we're not supposed to go live in a cabin 00:31:18.660 --> 00:31:21.319 on a mountainside someplace until Jesus comes. 00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:26.039 While we must exercise wisdom in where we go 00:31:26.039 --> 00:31:30.279 and be a witness, no one's going to stand behind 00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:32.019 this pulpit and no one's going to say, well, 00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:34.259 I'm going to go to the nightclub tonight because 00:31:34.259 --> 00:31:36.059 that's where I feel God is calling me to be a 00:31:36.059 --> 00:31:39.329 witness. I'm going to go to the bar because that's 00:31:39.329 --> 00:31:41.349 where I feel I'm going to be a witness. No, we 00:31:41.349 --> 00:31:47.109 have better wisdom than that. But a witness cannot 00:31:47.109 --> 00:31:49.569 remain quarantined from the world and expect 00:31:49.569 --> 00:31:53.309 to be a faithful witness. However, being in the 00:31:53.309 --> 00:31:55.569 world does not mean we should act like the world. 00:31:56.289 --> 00:32:00.630 While the popular phrase says in the world but 00:32:00.630 --> 00:32:04.410 not out, but not of the world, not of it, is 00:32:04.410 --> 00:32:08.569 not. necessarily found in a Bible but it's found 00:32:08.569 --> 00:32:11.509 in scripture in so many other words when Jesus 00:32:11.509 --> 00:32:14.910 said in John chapter 17 verses 15 through 18 00:32:14.910 --> 00:32:19.049 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out 00:32:19.049 --> 00:32:21.950 of the world but thou shouldest keep them from 00:32:21.950 --> 00:32:26.190 the evil They are not of the world, even as I 00:32:26.190 --> 00:32:29.569 am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy 00:32:29.569 --> 00:32:33.950 truth. Thy word is truth. As thou has sent me 00:32:33.950 --> 00:32:37.690 into the world, even so have I also sent them 00:32:37.690 --> 00:32:42.250 into the world. When Jesus was praying, he was 00:32:42.250 --> 00:32:45.589 saying, I'm sending them into the world. Keep 00:32:45.589 --> 00:32:49.220 them, protect them. Because they need to be a 00:32:49.220 --> 00:32:51.640 witness. Jesus never called us to be removed 00:32:51.640 --> 00:32:55.759 from the world entirely. When a large part of 00:32:55.759 --> 00:33:00.920 the reason we are here is to be witnesses. Jesus 00:33:00.920 --> 00:33:04.680 does call us out of the world and to sanctification 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:08.799 for his glory. This sanctification is a call 00:33:08.799 --> 00:33:12.160 to be holy, to be more like him, even if it means 00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:15.240 being separate from the ideals and values of 00:33:15.240 --> 00:33:18.579 the world. This type of separation includes distinction 00:33:18.579 --> 00:33:21.799 in many parts of our lives, including dress, 00:33:21.960 --> 00:33:25.700 speech, emotions, and even our thoughts. We must 00:33:25.700 --> 00:33:28.420 live wholly in all these areas of our lives, 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:31.220 and the world will recognize this distinction. 00:33:33.299 --> 00:33:38.920 There is a revival of just swearing all over 00:33:38.920 --> 00:33:41.940 the place. You can't go anywhere without hearing 00:33:41.940 --> 00:33:47.109 somebody. I mean, we are having revival, but 00:33:47.109 --> 00:33:49.490 the devil is also having revival, whether you 00:33:49.490 --> 00:33:52.670 realize it or not. That's what's happening in 00:33:52.670 --> 00:33:55.470 our world. And so we're going to stand out more 00:33:55.470 --> 00:33:58.089 and more. We can't be like the world. But they 00:33:58.089 --> 00:34:00.750 will be drawn. People are hungry. People are 00:34:00.750 --> 00:34:03.839 hungry for God. How can we live righteously without 00:34:03.839 --> 00:34:07.660 falling into the sin of self -righteousness? 00:34:07.700 --> 00:34:11.280 It's not about us. It's about God. Perhaps the 00:34:11.280 --> 00:34:14.119 most powerful witness we have available is the 00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:17.760 act of being progressively formed into God's 00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:21.559 image. Paul prayed in 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 00:34:21.559 --> 00:34:24.000 12, we read it tonight, that the name of our 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:26.780 Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and 00:34:26.780 --> 00:34:29.639 ye in him according to the grace of our God and 00:34:29.639 --> 00:34:33.739 the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is glorified 00:34:33.739 --> 00:34:37.380 in our lives when we are made more like him every 00:34:37.380 --> 00:34:40.400 day. That process of sanctification, that process 00:34:40.400 --> 00:34:42.480 of becoming more and more like him every day. 00:34:42.559 --> 00:34:46.000 And we are continually being enveloped by his 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:49.400 nature. Even though we will never attain perfection, 00:34:49.639 --> 00:34:53.400 because only Jesus Christ is perfect, that does 00:34:53.400 --> 00:34:56.360 not mean we should not strive for perfection. 00:34:57.400 --> 00:35:00.179 Word of God says, be ye perfect as he is perfect, 00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:03.199 that we're striving every day to be more like 00:35:03.199 --> 00:35:07.579 him. We don't strive by our own power, but through 00:35:07.579 --> 00:35:10.539 the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we 00:35:10.539 --> 00:35:13.500 are to cooperate with the work of the Spirit 00:35:13.500 --> 00:35:17.360 in our lives. And finally, since we are filled 00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:21.380 with the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, we have been 00:35:21.380 --> 00:35:24.920 empowered to be witnesses, as Acts chapter 1 00:35:24.920 --> 00:35:30.829 verse 8 says. The image of Christ should be daily 00:35:30.829 --> 00:35:32.829 manifested in our lives through demonstration 00:35:32.829 --> 00:35:37.190 of the power of God. We should expect the supernatural 00:35:37.190 --> 00:35:40.530 to follow us, just as it followed those first 00:35:40.530 --> 00:35:43.969 disciples in Mark chapter 16, verse 20, everywhere 00:35:43.969 --> 00:35:46.230 that they went. And this is a world that we're 00:35:46.230 --> 00:35:50.349 living in more and more every day. In every aspect 00:35:50.349 --> 00:35:54.590 of our lives, I will demonstrate, we must demonstrate 00:35:54.590 --> 00:35:58.210 God's glory. You might be surprised at how much 00:35:58.210 --> 00:36:01.250 God's glory can be reflected in our lives. But 00:36:01.250 --> 00:36:05.469 when God is allowed to saturate and fill every 00:36:05.469 --> 00:36:08.150 part of our lives, it is easy to see how God 00:36:08.150 --> 00:36:11.510 can be reflected in our speech and our dress 00:36:11.510 --> 00:36:14.889 every day. But God's glory should also be demonstrated 00:36:14.889 --> 00:36:18.570 in how we manage our finances, how we make business 00:36:18.570 --> 00:36:21.110 decisions, how we raise our children, and even 00:36:21.110 --> 00:36:30.730 drive in traffic. I'll leave that alone. The 00:36:30.730 --> 00:36:34.269 process of being formed into God's image, as 00:36:34.269 --> 00:36:37.949 I mentioned, sanctification is a lifelong process. 00:36:38.690 --> 00:36:41.610 And it's only completed when we finish our course 00:36:41.610 --> 00:36:44.030 and are received into heaven. I don't want anyone 00:36:44.030 --> 00:36:46.929 to walk away from here tonight thinking that 00:36:46.929 --> 00:36:49.909 you are, you know, you have to be this perfect 00:36:49.909 --> 00:36:52.030 person to be a witness. You have to have it all 00:36:52.030 --> 00:36:55.500 together. If you have a bad day, God is condemning 00:36:55.500 --> 00:36:57.800 you, and that's just how it works. You can be 00:36:57.800 --> 00:36:59.340 a witness to someone even when you're having 00:36:59.340 --> 00:37:06.579 a bad day. It's happened to me. People ask you, 00:37:06.619 --> 00:37:08.559 and you're like, I don't know what they're seeing 00:37:08.559 --> 00:37:16.260 right now. But I don't think I am being the altar 00:37:16.260 --> 00:37:20.820 service person on this Tuesday afternoon. But 00:37:20.820 --> 00:37:23.099 for some reason, there's still... And that's 00:37:23.099 --> 00:37:27.019 how it is. God will help us. We are striving 00:37:27.019 --> 00:37:32.179 every day to be more like him. So we must submit 00:37:32.179 --> 00:37:35.079 to him. Until then, every day we must examine. 00:37:35.260 --> 00:37:37.559 It's up to us. It's our responsibility to examine 00:37:37.559 --> 00:37:40.300 our lives. Pray daily. Read the word so that 00:37:40.300 --> 00:37:45.099 we are transformed every day as he works on us 00:37:45.099 --> 00:37:48.059 like a patient potter who works on unruly clay. 00:37:49.000 --> 00:37:50.920 Another question, another couple of questions. 00:37:51.610 --> 00:37:53.769 What areas of your life do you need to surrender 00:37:53.769 --> 00:37:57.889 to God for his glory? And how will you do that? 00:37:59.869 --> 00:38:02.730 As I close tonight and as the musicians come. 00:38:04.530 --> 00:38:07.050 Part of being a good witness in a courtroom is 00:38:07.050 --> 00:38:10.590 seen in the attitude and demeanor of a witness. 00:38:12.190 --> 00:38:14.869 A flippant witness will not be taken seriously. 00:38:16.269 --> 00:38:18.849 And an arrogant witness will lose credibility. 00:38:20.329 --> 00:38:22.929 A witness who only pleads the Fifth Amendment 00:38:22.929 --> 00:38:27.489 and refuses to speak will be seen as useless. 00:38:28.670 --> 00:38:31.449 The words of a witness will not be viewed in 00:38:31.449 --> 00:38:36.250 a vacuum as if they were words on a page. The 00:38:36.250 --> 00:38:39.570 witness's lifestyle will just be as relevant 00:38:39.570 --> 00:38:44.289 as their words, and our mannerisms could cause 00:38:44.289 --> 00:38:52.039 even a true testimony to be rejected. In the 00:38:52.039 --> 00:38:57.760 book of Acts chapter 16, verse 17, there's an 00:38:57.760 --> 00:39:01.519 example that is given of a true witness with 00:39:01.519 --> 00:39:05.639 a bad lifestyle. There was a demon -possessed 00:39:05.639 --> 00:39:08.340 woman who followed Paul and Silas as they witnessed 00:39:08.340 --> 00:39:13.480 in Philippi. The woman is described as a soothsayer 00:39:13.480 --> 00:39:16.619 or fortune teller, followed them around screaming. 00:39:17.619 --> 00:39:20.960 These men are the servants of the most high God, 00:39:21.179 --> 00:39:26.619 which show unto us the way of salvation. Imagine 00:39:26.619 --> 00:39:28.480 her appearance. Just put yourself right there 00:39:28.480 --> 00:39:32.300 for a moment. There's a soothsayer, fortune teller. 00:39:32.440 --> 00:39:35.320 Imagine what she looked like. She's proclaiming 00:39:35.320 --> 00:39:39.380 this word of God. Interesting that the words 00:39:39.380 --> 00:39:43.139 of this witness are true. And even though she 00:39:43.139 --> 00:39:47.880 was possessed by demons. She told the truth about 00:39:47.880 --> 00:39:51.519 God's word, and she told the truth about Paul 00:39:51.519 --> 00:39:55.780 and Silas. And in this instance, Paul would not 00:39:55.780 --> 00:39:58.559 have agreed with our modern -day marketing adage 00:39:58.559 --> 00:40:03.559 that says, all publicity is good publicity. Because 00:40:03.559 --> 00:40:06.400 while Paul tolerated her antics for a few days, 00:40:06.739 --> 00:40:09.840 he must have been concerned that a woman filled 00:40:09.840 --> 00:40:12.960 with demons was their biggest source. Being their 00:40:12.960 --> 00:40:15.840 biggest source of advertisement in Philippi wasn't 00:40:15.840 --> 00:40:19.860 a good thing. And so Paul had to rebuke her in 00:40:19.860 --> 00:40:24.500 Acts chapter 16 verse 18. Because Paul became 00:40:24.500 --> 00:40:26.980 very grieved and greatly annoyed in his spirit. 00:40:27.380 --> 00:40:32.280 Cast the demons out of her. See, we need to be 00:40:32.280 --> 00:40:37.119 saved from our sins. Not saved to remain in our 00:40:37.119 --> 00:40:40.929 sins. We can come and we can proclaim the gospel 00:40:40.929 --> 00:40:43.070 of Jesus Christ, but there's got to be a change 00:40:43.070 --> 00:40:46.570 that takes place in our lives. We should not 00:40:46.570 --> 00:40:48.550 remain the same. And even though her words were 00:40:48.550 --> 00:40:51.289 true, her lifestyle was not consistent with the 00:40:51.289 --> 00:40:54.170 message and the promise of the gospel of Jesus 00:40:54.170 --> 00:40:58.070 Christ. We must be very careful not to be guilty 00:40:58.070 --> 00:41:01.510 of speaking the correct words to people around 00:41:01.510 --> 00:41:07.530 us, but living incorrect lifestyles. If you would 00:41:07.530 --> 00:41:18.909 all stand. This is how Jesus told his disciples 00:41:18.909 --> 00:41:23.250 and told us how we ought to handle those who 00:41:23.250 --> 00:41:29.329 would tell, teach the truth but not necessarily 00:41:29.329 --> 00:41:33.489 live the truth. In Matthew chapter 23 verse 3 00:41:33.489 --> 00:41:36.460 he says. Therefore, whatever they tell you to 00:41:36.460 --> 00:41:40.280 observe, speaking of the Pharisees, that observe 00:41:40.280 --> 00:41:44.699 and do, but do not do according to their works. 00:41:44.900 --> 00:41:49.840 For they say and do not do. The Pharisees spoke 00:41:49.840 --> 00:41:53.599 one thing but lived another, simply stated they 00:41:53.599 --> 00:41:58.039 were hypocrites. But may such a condemning statement 00:41:58.039 --> 00:42:03.079 never be said of our lives or in our churches. 00:42:04.489 --> 00:42:08.230 A great tragedy in living for God is the near 00:42:08.230 --> 00:42:11.010 miss which someone has all the correct information 00:42:11.010 --> 00:42:16.070 and knowledge about God, but does not translate 00:42:16.070 --> 00:42:22.050 it into daily living. May God help us. Just knowing 00:42:22.050 --> 00:42:26.909 about God is not enough. We must be the salt 00:42:26.909 --> 00:42:32.190 and the light in our world that God has intended. 00:42:33.739 --> 00:42:37.340 This is what Heaven View is trying to do. This 00:42:37.340 --> 00:42:39.920 week, Saturday coming up, we're setting up a 00:42:39.920 --> 00:42:42.920 prayer booth. And we want to pray for people 00:42:42.920 --> 00:42:45.599 because they need to be touched. A couple of 00:42:45.599 --> 00:42:48.159 Saturdays from this weekend, we'll be knocking 00:42:48.159 --> 00:42:51.599 on doors. If you're not even taking part in any 00:42:51.599 --> 00:42:53.920 of that, be a witness to your neighbors around 00:42:53.920 --> 00:42:58.159 you. Tell somebody in your job. Talk to a family 00:42:58.159 --> 00:43:01.090 member. Even though someone may look like they 00:43:01.090 --> 00:43:03.289 don't even want to accept this life, they may 00:43:03.289 --> 00:43:06.250 look like the antitheses of anyone that would 00:43:06.250 --> 00:43:11.469 even walk into a church. Tell them anyway. Tell 00:43:11.469 --> 00:43:15.130 them anyway. As we come to this altar tonight, 00:43:15.329 --> 00:43:19.329 we're going to close out to bring our knees before 00:43:19.329 --> 00:43:22.849 the Lord. I want you to pray and ask the Lord 00:43:22.849 --> 00:43:28.550 for a couple things. You can come. We can pray 00:43:28.550 --> 00:43:31.869 and ask God to help us to be the salt light in 00:43:31.869 --> 00:43:37.650 our world and be that city on a hill. Ask God 00:43:37.650 --> 00:43:40.469 to help us to surrender every aspect of our lives 00:43:40.469 --> 00:43:43.969 to God so that we can be truly witnesses for 00:43:43.969 --> 00:43:49.550 him. And God, help us, give us boldness to share 00:43:49.550 --> 00:43:55.750 our testimony as his witness. That's what we're 00:43:55.750 --> 00:43:59.389 called to do, saints. We're called, he has saved 00:43:59.389 --> 00:44:02.530 us to be witnesses to a world that is dying. 00:44:02.630 --> 00:44:05.929 Not for us to feel comfortable, to gather all 00:44:05.929 --> 00:44:08.269 the things that we can to live in this world 00:44:08.269 --> 00:44:12.670 and be happy and feel good. But he's saved us 00:44:12.670 --> 00:44:16.210 to be a witness to people. He's saved us to reach 00:44:16.210 --> 00:44:19.780 out to someone. and tell them about who he is. 00:44:19.880 --> 00:44:22.900 He saved us for us to tell somebody about your 00:44:22.900 --> 00:44:25.960 testimony, how you got saved, who witnessed to 00:44:25.960 --> 00:44:29.860 you, who told you about who Jesus is, what he 00:44:29.860 --> 00:44:32.579 did in your life, as I mentioned before, how 00:44:32.579 --> 00:44:35.699 he healed your body, how he healed a family member, 00:44:35.880 --> 00:44:38.860 how he healed a friend. He saved us so that we 00:44:38.860 --> 00:44:41.659 could tell somebody, tell somebody, witness to 00:44:41.659 --> 00:44:45.460 someone, express to someone that God loves them 00:44:45.460 --> 00:44:48.960 and he's there for them. We need to tell somebody 00:44:48.960 --> 00:44:52.400 about his great truth. Let's go before the Lord 00:44:52.400 --> 00:44:55.440 tonight and not just go and just, Lord, make 00:44:55.440 --> 00:44:58.219 a deep commitment to him right now. Surrender 00:44:58.219 --> 00:44:59.840 completely to him and say, God.