Can we worship him just a little bit more? Can
we lift our hands and praise him? Can we magnify
his name? Clap your hands. Lift your voice unto
the Lord right now. He's a good God. He's a merciful
God. He's done so much for us. I'm grateful to
the Lord tonight. I'm so thankful to be able
to be in the house of the Lord. Thankful for
his word because if it wasn't for his word, none
of us would be here. I'm grateful for God and
his great grace and mercy. Are you happy to be
in the house of the Lord on a Wednesday night?
It's Wednesday night. It is Bible study night.
It is teaching night. It is that night when we
get to hear the word of the Lord and it soaks
into our heart and our minds. There's always
Sundays. There's always jumping and shouting.
Jesus healed, he delivered, he raised the dead.
But then at some time he sat down and he taught
his disciples. And we're in the middle of a series
right now where Jesus, we're teaching from Matthew
chapter 5 tonight. And the beginning of that
chapter says Jesus, and when he was set, he taught
his disciples saying. And then he went into the
whole bunch of Beatitudes that many of us are
familiar with. And so it's in that context tonight
that we bring forth the word of the Lord for
you tonight. I would ask you to open your Bible
to Matthew chapter 5, verses 13 through 16. We
will read that. Many of you are familiar with
this passage of scripture. And this is what we
will be teaching from tonight. I give honor to
everyone that is here tonight. I give honor to
our pastor and sister Linda. I'm not here tonight.
Give honor to everyone who's here. Thank you
for the leadership that we do have. God is good
to us. He is good to us. In a little while, in
a few minutes from now, we'll be able to gather
at this altar. Whatever need that you brought
into this place tonight, God wants to meet it.
Whatever your situation, whatever your problem,
after this Bible study is completed tonight,
we invite you to this altar and bring your needs.
Come boldly before the throne of grace. He doesn't
only meet needs on a Sunday afternoon or a Sunday
morning, but he does it on a Wednesday night
also. And this altar will be open in a little
while from now for you, for those needs to be
met. Matthew chapter 5, verses 13 through 16.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt
loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It
is then good for nothing but to be thrown out
and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light
of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot
be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it
under a basket but on a lampstand. And it gives
light to all who are in the house. Let your light,
our focus verse tonight, let your light so shine
before men that they may see your good works
and glorify your father in heaven. And tonight
I want to bring to you this lesson. that is entitled
The Mission of a Disciple or The Mission of the
Disciple, whichever one you want to choose. Let
us pray and ask the Lord to bless us tonight
and speak to our hearts in this place tonight.
Hallelujah, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus,
for your goodness. Hallelujah. We praise your
name tonight, O Lord God. We thank you, Lord.
Speak to our hearts and our minds tonight, O
Lord God, so that we would leave this place tonight
with instructions, O Lord God, on how to better
serve you, on how to better be a disciple, how
to better be a witness, O Lord Jesus. O Lord
God, in these days that we're living in, O Lord,
hallelujah, Jesus, in your name, O Lord. Thank
you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Hallelujah. You may
be seated. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verses
11 through 12 says, the Apostle Paul writing
to the church in Thessalonica, he says, therefore,
we also pray always for you that our God would
count you worthy of this calling and fulfill
all the good pleasure of his goodness and the
work of faith and with power. That the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you
and you in him. According to the grace of our
God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's a truth
about God. God's design for the church is to
embody his glory. The truth for our life is...
In every aspect of our lives, I will demonstrate
God or we will demonstrate God's glory. Being
called to be a witness in a court of law may
be an anxiety -filled process. Witnesses are
often called to testify in court for important
reasons. When a witness is called forward, attorneys
believe their witness's word can help make or
break the case for them. The defendant is hoping
to be saved by the witness. The plaintiff is
hoping that the witness will bring a conviction.
The process can seem so ceremonious and procedural,
but the witness must show up at a court at the
appropriate time. preferably dressed in a respectable
manner. The witness must also place one hand
on the Bible and swear to tell the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth, although
we affirm that we're telling the truth. Then
the questions often come from the attorney, the
lawyer in rapid fire succession. The witness,
as they hear the question, they will try to carefully
remember all the details, knowing every word
that they speak will be analyzed. Even the witness's
mannerisms will be critiqued by those who are
listening, especially if it's a jury trial. And
before the judge, the witness might sit in her
chair with her mind racing, realizing... that
their words or her words might forever change
someone's life because that is how important
it is. But although while being a witness for
God should not produce the same level of anxiety,
it should be treated with the same level of seriousness.
Just as in a courtroom, a witness for God is
expected to act and dress in a certain way. If
not, their character could be called into question.
A good witness must have an answer ready. We
must be prepared, speaking about us being witnesses
for the Lord now, we must be prepared in what
we say and don't, because what we say and don't
say will be scrutinized and will be questioned.
A good witness does not add to or take away from
the truth. You let the word speak for itself.
And let whatever it is that God has taken you
through, the experience that he's taken you through,
you let that speak for itself. There's no need
to add or take away from the truth of the word
of God. They'll either take it or they'll leave
it. A major difference between being a witness
for God and being in a courtroom is the anointing
of the Holy Spirit that is on our lives. Jesus
himself prophesied in Acts chapter 1 verse 8,
excuse me, but you shall receive power after
that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you
shall be witnesses unto me. Right there Jesus
is telling us there's no need for you to be nervous
when you're witnessing to someone. Just tell
them the truth. Just tell them who I am. You
have the power of the Holy Ghost living inside
of you. Just let it come forth. We don't need
to be anxious about being witnesses because we
know that God has already granted every spirit
-filled believer the power necessary to be effective
witnesses. Jesus often, in this verse, these
few verses that we read in Matthew chapter 5,
in his... He often used analogies and anecdotes
to tell his story, to witness, to teach. And
that would help the listeners to better understand
his teaching. And this chapter, these few verses
is no different from what he often does. So while
most of us will not do a deep dive into theology,
Most people have used salt. And all people who
can see know the value of light. Jesus used salt
and light precisely so we could receive and understand
his teaching easily. These metaphors describe
how all of us can be a witness. The word of God
can be so simple for the... anyone to understand
it yet at the same time it is so deep so none
of us really can have an excuse when we hear
the word of God to say well I don't really understand
it we can always if we don't understand at face
value we can always say God open my heart my
understanding because he will not hide his word
from anyone who's open to receiving it from him
okay salt let's talk about salt and let's Talk
to the cooks in the room and those who bake.
Salt is widely considered the most important
seasoning in cooking. Anyone who cooks will always
want to make sure that sufficient salt is used.
So they may ask somebody else to taste it during
the preparation of the meal. And maybe even after
the meal has been cooked, they'll ask for someone's
opinion, someone to taste it. And this is because
everyone who cooks knows the value of salt. Salt
is a strong ingredient by itself. And one can
quickly tell if a dish is oversalted if it's
not used in the right proportion. Salt is a flavor
enhancer. It balances sweetness, suppressing
bitterness, and it intensifies aromas. You didn't
realize that you were coming to a culinary class
tonight, but here you are. While other aromatic
seasonings like herbs and spices add distinct
flavors, they fail to reach their full potential
if the dish is not properly salted at first.
Jesus described his people, us, as the salt of
the earth. True Christians draw out the essence
of who people are supposed to be. That's who
we are. Jesus, just as salt helps elevate true
flavors, we who are called according to his purpose
can help to draw people out of the world and
help them to see who God intended them to be.
All humanity was made in God's image. But unfortunately,
that image has been broken, abused, and watered
down by sin. But a salt of the earth, child of
God, can look past the brokenness, draw out the
image of God in that individual that we're witnessing
to, and help restore that person to God's intentions
for their life. That's who we are as the salt
of the earth. However, some Christians have lost
their saltiness and effectiveness. Jesus did
not mince a word when describing these kinds
of Christians. In Matthew 5, verse 13, he said,
You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt
loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It
is then good for nothing. but to be thrown out
and trampled underfoot by men. Jesus said he
called them good for nothing. Question I have
for us tonight, and it's a rhetorical question.
Who in your life would you describe as a salt
of the earth, child of God? Second question,
how? Has this person's life helped bring flavor
to your own life? That's salt. The next he mentioned
was a city on a hill. Jesus said that we are
like a city set on a hill. Have you ever been
lost, driving somewhere, been on a road trip?
And all of a sudden, everywhere looks the same.
You get lost. GPS is telling you to go one way,
and you're like, no, I don't think this is a
way that I'm supposed to go. And maybe if you
have other people in the car with you who are
traveling with you, they give their opinions.
GPS is giving their opinion. Everybody is confusing
everybody, and everybody is saying, no, I think
this is a way that we. Didn't we pass this way
before? I thought we just passed this way 20
minutes ago. Everyone is confused. Just a few
months ago, I was driving, and I was in, I was
driving from here to New York, and I was in Virginia,
and I'd stopped, and after I hit the road again,
and I was driving and driving and driving and
driving, all of a sudden, my maps just went out.
And this direction it was telling me to go in.
So I said, something doesn't seem right here.
Pulled off. It told me to go in this direction.
I pulled off. boot it up again, turn on my phone
again, and lo and behold, back in the other direction.
Go back, go right, go past exactly where I was
going. So sometimes these things work and sometimes
they don't, and nobody likes that because it's
just a big waste of time. So traveling can be
difficult, especially when so many different
locations look the same. But in the state of
Colorado, for example, navigating can be a little
bit easier because the mountains are always to
the west, right, Brother Clarence, Sister Beth?
The mountains are always to the west. The flatlands
are always to the east. And so between these
significant markers, anyone remotely close to
the city can quickly orient themselves if they
get lost. Our mission for God should be to stand
out from the world around us. Just as a city
on a hill is easily visible for miles around,
it should be obvious that Christians are who
they say that they are. We live in a world where
many people are trying even as... Children of
God are trying to fit into the world. And the
world out there is looking for the Marcus. Who
are the two children of God? And if they're looking
at you and I and they can't tell the difference,
how are they going to find their way to God?
We need to be, stand out. Are we going to look
different? Yes. Are we going to act different?
Yes. But the reason that God saved us, one of
the reasons he saved us, to save us from sin
so that we don't spend eternity in hell, but
we get to spend eternity into heaven. But one
of the other reasons that he saves us is also
for us to reach the world around us. So they
too would be saved. We should stand out as a
landmark for others to identify and orient themselves.
When people are lost, they start looking for
landmarks. Someone like man of the church exists
in a world full of confused, lost souls, hoping
for a solid landmark to look to. In the day and
age that we live in, many people are looking
for landmarks. Many people are looking for what
is true, what is going on. With all that's happening
in our nation, with all that's happening around
the world, I've heard commentators after commentators
on news programs, whether it's just general news,
whether you're just given economic news. I've
heard people basically throwing up their hands
and saying, where are they to look for real answers
anymore? People are so lost. And this is where
we are in our world today. But this is what the
Bible said would be happening. This shouldn't
be strange to you and I. This is what is going
to happen. Proverbs chapter 22 verse 28 says,
do not remove the ancient landmark which your
fathers have set. We should live in a way that
God's kingdom is readily visible in our lives
and in our communities to receive those sincere
seekers, people around who are looking for God.
1 Peter 2, verse 9 says, but you are a chosen
generation. A royal priesthood. A holy nation.
His own special people. Or in another translation
would say a peculiar people. That you may proclaim
the praises of him who called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light. News flash for us.
We're going to be different from the world. News
flash for us. We're going to look different from
the world. We've got to seek God. Seek his face.
Be thankful that he has saved us. And don't worry.
Worry about how the world will make fun of us.
How they will tell us how we look. We are supposed
to look like we are heading on our way to heaven.
They themselves want change. They themselves
want to be different from they are. So don't
worry about the way that they will, what they
will say about us, how they will criticize us,
criticize the way that we look, criticize the
way that we speak. You hold on to truth, keep
serving God, and those same people will one day
come to you and want to know the truth about
God. They need to see Jesus Christ in us, a shining
city on a hill in an increasingly dark world.
Okay, so you didn't get salt. You're not about
the salt thing. You're not about the city and
the hill. You're not about landmarks. You usually
drive around Winston -Salem. You don't have to
worry about landmarks and all of that. But what
about the other analogy that he used, a lamp
in the darkness? Everybody knows the value of
light. Everyone can see and can testify to its
value. In the darkest hours of the night, even
the cheapest pen lights can seem to be a lifesaver.
Now everyone just about on their phone, unless
you have a dumb phone, flashlights are built
into your smartphone. And that doesn't mean if
you don't carry a smartphone, it doesn't mean
that you're a person. It just means that light
is on many of our... Smartphones. Even the smallest
light can make a great difference. Lights shine
brighter the darker the surroundings get. Newsflash
for all of us. The world is getting darker. Darkness
is covering the people. Gross dark, I mean, darkness
to people. Gross darkness and darkness is covering.
I've kind of flipped that around a little bit.
I'm sorry. But the world is getting darker. And
we're going to stand out more and more. In the
world. So you're either going to have to stand
out, be a witness to the world, or you're really
going to have to start going in the other direction
to look like the world. There's no in between.
If we have just been coasting up until 2026,
the coasting is over. We're going to have to
surrender if we want to serve God. We're going
to look different from the world around us. That's
just how it's going to be. For a light to be
useful, its rays cannot be inhibited. A hand
placed over the front of the flashlight can once
again plunge us into darkness. we have an opportunity
to shine brighter than ever in our world. We
must make sure that our light is shining brightly
for all to see beckoning lost and wandering souls
into the light of God's salvation. But while
the light of God's word is never a problem, sometimes
we who are entrusted with God's light can get
in the way. and cause a shadow to be cast that
confuses people about who we truly are. It makes
it difficult for God's light to be seen, and
usually that comes about because of our desire
for acceptance by the world. True Christians
desire for God's light to shine clearly through
their lives and to not be a distraction. To that
light. Perhaps this is why Jesus concluded his
analogy with the instruction, let your light,
in Matthew 5 .16, let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father which is in heaven. We know we are
being effective witnesses in the world when the
people see our good works and glorify God. When
they see our good works, turn their hearts and
their minds to glorify God. When people see our
good works and praise us, though, we are doing
those works for the wrong motivation. When people
see us, when we're being a witness to people,
they should see us and want to ask, what is it
about you? It's not about your nice clothes.
It's not about just the outward appearance. There's
something else that I see. There's something
else that I feel coming from you. That is what
we're supposed to be drawing people to, that
light that is shining from us. Not our outward
appearance. You can't dress good enough to draw
people to God. There are people out there that
will outdress us any day of the week. There are
people out there that have great, great, great,
and abilities that will draw a crowd, a greater
crowd than we could ever draw. But when those
people leave, nothing has changed in their life.
So when they come to us and when they come into
this place, they need to walk away and feel something
different, know something different has happened
in their life because they see the light of God.
When we go to work, when we're in our neighborhood,
when we're on the street, they should see the
light of God inside of us. People should walk
by us and they should do a double take. When
they see us, not because you look great, not
because you're wearing the latest anything. It
should be, whoa, I just felt something from you.
I see something in you. What is it that is different
about you? That's what people need to see from
us. We are actually, when we are putting our
hands over that light or when we are trying to
do things our own way, we are preventing souls
from reaching the true light. Of the world with
his Jesus Christ. Who was a light for you? Question.
When you were making your way. Toward Jesus Christ.
Who was that light for you? And another question.
To whom are you being a light? Today. We should
desire God to be present in every. of our lives
so that his light can shine through us freely.
The Holy Ghost must permeate our entire life
so that we can be effective witnesses. We cannot
expect to glorify God on Sundays and on Wednesdays
and then still be effective witnesses. Can't
have it both ways. Don't walk the fence. Don't...
Living a life, living a way that you're trying
to decide whether I should serve God. I'm going
to serve God on Sunday. I'm going to serve God
on Wednesday. But on Tuesday afternoon, I've
just got to do my own thing. I've got to have
fun. Don't serve God that way. We must desire
to saturate each aspect of our lives to the point
that nothing is being neglected. Perhaps this
is why the Apostle Paul reached. preached or
was beseeched to Romans in Romans chapter 12
verse 1. He says, present your bodies a living
sacrifice unto the Lord. Nothing was more total
and final in the Old Testament than animal sacrifices.
Whether it was a bull or a sheep that was slaughtered
and burned, its entire body was offered as worship
to God. In the same way as living sacrifices,
we must make regular trips to the altar. To ensure
part of our lives, every part of our lives is
completely offered to God. Don't just give him
that one place and hold on to that other place.
And I preach to myself tonight. I teach to myself
tonight. Don't give God everything. Surrender
everything to God. So what's our role as a witness?
Each analogy that Jesus mentioned, salt, city
and a hill, light and a darkness, all describe
the nature in which we are witnesses for Jesus.
Witnessing is more than an activity that saved
people do. We are called to be witnesses as part
of our spiritual genetic makeup. By definition,
witnessing tells a story of your own experience.
Their witness or the witness's story are inherently
called to action and persuaded to change their
way of living. We witness through evangelism,
through inward and outward holiness, and through
the very image of God manifested in our daily
lives. Another question tonight. When was the
last time that you witnessed to someone of the
goodness of God? In your life. Evangelism is
part of the great commission given by Jesus.
In which he commanded the disciples to go, teach,
make disciples, and baptize in the name of the
Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Matthew chapter
28 verse 19. Baptize in the name of Jesus Christ.
We cannot properly fulfill these commands without
going. We've got to go. Being a witness is active
and intentional. It is not a passive activity.
It's good to be home. It's good to pray. It's
great to do all of that, but there's got to be
somebody in our lives that we can witness to.
There's got to be somebody. There's got to be
a neighbor. There's got to be someone that's
seeing that something is different. Even if you
hand out a card and invite someone, just tell
somebody about your story. We're all witnesses.
We can tell someone about what God has done for
us. A witness must be willing to teach, and teaching
in this sense does not have to be in a formal
classroom setting or standing behind a pulpit.
You don't have to be a professional. Rather,
witnesses must simply be willing to share their
personal testimonies and the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Each and every one of us in this place
now, you and I know enough. And with the experiences
that we've had with God so far in our lives,
we know enough to be a witness to someone and
tell someone about the truth of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Not worrying about whether they're
going to accept it or not, that's up to them.
Whether they accept it. But it is our responsibility.
That's what Jesus commanded us to do. Go, go,
go into all the world. Go to your neighbor. Go
to your friend. Go to your coworker. Tell somebody.
Tell somebody about Jesus Christ. Tell them about
how he healed your soul. Tell them about how
he saved you. Tell them about how he touched
your body. Tell them about what he's done for
you. Tell somebody. Tell somebody. Tell somebody
about who Jesus is. Intentional lifestyle evangelism
of this kind produces souls entering the kingdom
of God through the wonderful gift of the baptism
in the name of Jesus Christ. As a witness, we
must also witness, be a witness of separation.
A preacher once said Christians are to be insulated,
not isolated. We cannot reach the world while
hiding from it. We're separated from the world,
but we're not supposed to go live in a cabin
on a mountainside someplace until Jesus comes.
While we must exercise wisdom in where we go
and be a witness, no one's going to stand behind
this pulpit and no one's going to say, well,
I'm going to go to the nightclub tonight because
that's where I feel God is calling me to be a
witness. I'm going to go to the bar because that's
where I feel I'm going to be a witness. No, we
have better wisdom than that. But a witness cannot
remain quarantined from the world and expect
to be a faithful witness. However, being in the
world does not mean we should act like the world.
While the popular phrase says in the world but
not out, but not of the world, not of it, is
not. necessarily found in a Bible but it's found
in scripture in so many other words when Jesus
said in John chapter 17 verses 15 through 18
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out
of the world but thou shouldest keep them from
the evil They are not of the world, even as I
am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy
truth. Thy word is truth. As thou has sent me
into the world, even so have I also sent them
into the world. When Jesus was praying, he was
saying, I'm sending them into the world. Keep
them, protect them. Because they need to be a
witness. Jesus never called us to be removed
from the world entirely. When a large part of
the reason we are here is to be witnesses. Jesus
does call us out of the world and to sanctification
for his glory. This sanctification is a call
to be holy, to be more like him, even if it means
being separate from the ideals and values of
the world. This type of separation includes distinction
in many parts of our lives, including dress,
speech, emotions, and even our thoughts. We must
live wholly in all these areas of our lives,
and the world will recognize this distinction.
There is a revival of just swearing all over
the place. You can't go anywhere without hearing
somebody. I mean, we are having revival, but
the devil is also having revival, whether you
realize it or not. That's what's happening in
our world. And so we're going to stand out more
and more. We can't be like the world. But they
will be drawn. People are hungry. People are
hungry for God. How can we live righteously without
falling into the sin of self -righteousness?
It's not about us. It's about God. Perhaps the
most powerful witness we have available is the
act of being progressively formed into God's
image. Paul prayed in 2 Thessalonians 1, verse
12, we read it tonight, that the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and
ye in him according to the grace of our God and
the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is glorified
in our lives when we are made more like him every
day. That process of sanctification, that process
of becoming more and more like him every day.
And we are continually being enveloped by his
nature. Even though we will never attain perfection,
because only Jesus Christ is perfect, that does
not mean we should not strive for perfection.
Word of God says, be ye perfect as he is perfect,
that we're striving every day to be more like
him. We don't strive by our own power, but through
the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we
are to cooperate with the work of the Spirit
in our lives. And finally, since we are filled
with the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, we have been
empowered to be witnesses, as Acts chapter 1
verse 8 says. The image of Christ should be daily
manifested in our lives through demonstration
of the power of God. We should expect the supernatural
to follow us, just as it followed those first
disciples in Mark chapter 16, verse 20, everywhere
that they went. And this is a world that we're
living in more and more every day. In every aspect
of our lives, I will demonstrate, we must demonstrate
God's glory. You might be surprised at how much
God's glory can be reflected in our lives. But
when God is allowed to saturate and fill every
part of our lives, it is easy to see how God
can be reflected in our speech and our dress
every day. But God's glory should also be demonstrated
in how we manage our finances, how we make business
decisions, how we raise our children, and even
drive in traffic. I'll leave that alone. The
process of being formed into God's image, as
I mentioned, sanctification is a lifelong process.
And it's only completed when we finish our course
and are received into heaven. I don't want anyone
to walk away from here tonight thinking that
you are, you know, you have to be this perfect
person to be a witness. You have to have it all
together. If you have a bad day, God is condemning
you, and that's just how it works. You can be
a witness to someone even when you're having
a bad day. It's happened to me. People ask you,
and you're like, I don't know what they're seeing
right now. But I don't think I am being the altar
service person on this Tuesday afternoon. But
for some reason, there's still... And that's
how it is. God will help us. We are striving
every day to be more like him. So we must submit
to him. Until then, every day we must examine.
It's up to us. It's our responsibility to examine
our lives. Pray daily. Read the word so that
we are transformed every day as he works on us
like a patient potter who works on unruly clay.
Another question, another couple of questions.
What areas of your life do you need to surrender
to God for his glory? And how will you do that?
As I close tonight and as the musicians come.
Part of being a good witness in a courtroom is
seen in the attitude and demeanor of a witness.
A flippant witness will not be taken seriously.
And an arrogant witness will lose credibility.
A witness who only pleads the Fifth Amendment
and refuses to speak will be seen as useless.
The words of a witness will not be viewed in
a vacuum as if they were words on a page. The
witness's lifestyle will just be as relevant
as their words, and our mannerisms could cause
even a true testimony to be rejected. In the
book of Acts chapter 16, verse 17, there's an
example that is given of a true witness with
a bad lifestyle. There was a demon -possessed
woman who followed Paul and Silas as they witnessed
in Philippi. The woman is described as a soothsayer
or fortune teller, followed them around screaming.
These men are the servants of the most high God,
which show unto us the way of salvation. Imagine
her appearance. Just put yourself right there
for a moment. There's a soothsayer, fortune teller.
Imagine what she looked like. She's proclaiming
this word of God. Interesting that the words
of this witness are true. And even though she
was possessed by demons. She told the truth about
God's word, and she told the truth about Paul
and Silas. And in this instance, Paul would not
have agreed with our modern -day marketing adage
that says, all publicity is good publicity. Because
while Paul tolerated her antics for a few days,
he must have been concerned that a woman filled
with demons was their biggest source. Being their
biggest source of advertisement in Philippi wasn't
a good thing. And so Paul had to rebuke her in
Acts chapter 16 verse 18. Because Paul became
very grieved and greatly annoyed in his spirit.
Cast the demons out of her. See, we need to be
saved from our sins. Not saved to remain in our
sins. We can come and we can proclaim the gospel
of Jesus Christ, but there's got to be a change
that takes place in our lives. We should not
remain the same. And even though her words were
true, her lifestyle was not consistent with the
message and the promise of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. We must be very careful not to be guilty
of speaking the correct words to people around
us, but living incorrect lifestyles. If you would
all stand. This is how Jesus told his disciples
and told us how we ought to handle those who
would tell, teach the truth but not necessarily
live the truth. In Matthew chapter 23 verse 3
he says. Therefore, whatever they tell you to
observe, speaking of the Pharisees, that observe
and do, but do not do according to their works.
For they say and do not do. The Pharisees spoke
one thing but lived another, simply stated they
were hypocrites. But may such a condemning statement
never be said of our lives or in our churches.
A great tragedy in living for God is the near
miss which someone has all the correct information
and knowledge about God, but does not translate
it into daily living. May God help us. Just knowing
about God is not enough. We must be the salt
and the light in our world that God has intended.
This is what Heaven View is trying to do. This
week, Saturday coming up, we're setting up a
prayer booth. And we want to pray for people
because they need to be touched. A couple of
Saturdays from this weekend, we'll be knocking
on doors. If you're not even taking part in any
of that, be a witness to your neighbors around
you. Tell somebody in your job. Talk to a family
member. Even though someone may look like they
don't even want to accept this life, they may
look like the antitheses of anyone that would
even walk into a church. Tell them anyway. Tell
them anyway. As we come to this altar tonight,
we're going to close out to bring our knees before
the Lord. I want you to pray and ask the Lord
for a couple things. You can come. We can pray
and ask God to help us to be the salt light in
our world and be that city on a hill. Ask God
to help us to surrender every aspect of our lives
to God so that we can be truly witnesses for
him. And God, help us, give us boldness to share
our testimony as his witness. That's what we're
called to do, saints. We're called, he has saved
us to be witnesses to a world that is dying.
Not for us to feel comfortable, to gather all
the things that we can to live in this world
and be happy and feel good. But he's saved us
to be a witness to people. He's saved us to reach
out to someone. and tell them about who he is.
He saved us for us to tell somebody about your
testimony, how you got saved, who witnessed to
you, who told you about who Jesus is, what he
did in your life, as I mentioned before, how
he healed your body, how he healed a family member,
how he healed a friend. He saved us so that we
could tell somebody, tell somebody, witness to
someone, express to someone that God loves them
and he's there for them. We need to tell somebody
about his great truth. Let's go before the Lord
tonight and not just go and just, Lord, make
a deep commitment to him right now. Surrender
completely to him and say, God.