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It's good to see you this 
morning. 

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If you have your Bible, please 
open to Matthew chapter 5. 

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Matthew chapter 5. 
It's where we'll be continuing 

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today. 
Last week in Matthew 5, what we 

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saw was the character of Kingdom
citizens in the Beatitudes. 

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We, we saw that they are poor in
spirits, that they mourn over 

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their sin, their meek, they 
hunger and thirst for 

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righteousness, they're merciful,
they're pure in heart, 

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peacemakers, and then finally 
they're willing to suffer for 

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Christ. 
And so we examine what those 

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things mean and how God is 
talking to a people or Christ is

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talking to a people as he's 
presenting these things. 

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He's essentially describing the 
character of someone who 

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undergoes conversion and 
sanctification, right? 

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This is what Christians look 
like, right? 

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This is their character. 
Now that is the kind of person 

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the king produces, you might 
say. 

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But today what Jesus moves into,
he moves from describing our 

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character and who we become to 
describing the influence of that

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character, right? 
What what does it do in the 

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world, right? 
Why is it important as Kingdom 

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citizens to have right 
character? 

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And then what can we expect from
that? 

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And then he answers a question 
that we must ask, which is if 

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this is what Kingdom citizens 
look like, what difference are 

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they going to make in the world,
Right. 

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What what difference are they 
going to make? 

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So are disciples meant to 
retreat from the culture or are 

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they or are they meant to blend 
into the culture? 

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Are we meant to dominate the 
culture? 

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Well, Jesus is really going to 
say none of those things. 

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He says something that I think 
is far more powerful. 

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He, he tells his disciples. 
Now remember, the people that 

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are gathered are his disciples. 
And then there's a crowd of 

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people who have come out to see 
his work. 

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So there's ordinary people 
standing on the hillside. 

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And he tells them that they are 
the salt of the earth and the 

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light of the world and the salt 
of the earth and the light of 

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the world. 
Now, in a world that is dark and

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decaying, in a culture that 
suppresses the truth, in 

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communities that drift toward 
moral confusion, the king has 

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placed his people there on 
purpose. 

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That's what Christ wants us to 
understand today. 

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And so as we consider that, 
let's read the word of the Lord.

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Now, would you please stand to 
your feet in honor of God's 

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Word? 
We're going to be looking at 

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Matthew 5, verses 13 through 16 
today. 

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This is Jesus speaking. 
He says you are the salt of the 

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earth. 
But if salt has lost its taste, 

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how shall its saltiness be 
restored? 

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It is no longer good for 
anything except to be thrown out

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and trampled under under 
people's feet. 

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You are the light of the world. 
A city set on the hill cannot be

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hidden. 
Nor do people light a lamp and 

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put it under a basket, but on 
the stand, and it gives light to

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all in the house. 
In the same way, let your light 

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shine before others so that they
may see your good works and give

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glory to your Father who is in 
heaven. 

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This is the word of the Lord. 
Yeah. 

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I swear to God, let's pray. 
Heavenly Father, we come before 

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your word this morning and we 
humble ourselves before it. 

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Oh God, we recognize that you 
have spoken, and here directly 

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you have spoken through your Son
and Father, we ask that you 

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would grant to us hearts that 
are like fertile soil, that Your

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word could be planted deep into 
our hearts and bear fruits in in

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due time. 
Lord, we ask that you would 

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teach us today by your Spirit 
that you would illuminate the 

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Scriptures for us, that we would
understand them rightly, and 

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Father, that you would apply 
them to our lives through the 

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power of your Spirit at work in 
US. 

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May we honor and glorify your 
great name and all that we see 

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here today and all that we 
become as a result of the work 

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of your Spirit in us. 
It's in the name of Christ we 

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pray. 
Amen, Amen. 

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You may be seated. 
So in the 2nd century, the, the 

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Roman world was deeply Pagan. 
It, it was morally confused. 

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It was often hostile toward 
Christians. 

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And yet something strange began 
to happen in the 2nd century. 

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There would be plagues that 
would sweep through Roman 

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cities. 
Disease would spread. 

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The wealthy would flee. 
The strong would abandoned the 

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weak. 
The sick were often left in the 

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streets to die. 
But the Christians stayed. 

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They they cared for the sick. 
They fed widows. 

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They adopted abandoned infants. 
They buried the dead when no one

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else would. 
Now the Christians did not hold 

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any political power, but they 
did not control the culture. 

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They they were often persecuted 
for their faith. 

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And yet historians note that one
of the reasons Christianity 

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begin to spread so rapidly in 
the first few centuries of human

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history or of of history post 
Christ, right was because 

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believers live differently, 
right? 

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They live differently. 
And a decaying society, a 

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society that was falling apart. 
They preserved compassion in a 

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Dark World. 
They displayed mercy. 

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And people begin to ask why. 
Why did these people who 

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proclaimed Christ live this way?
Why do they go on being 

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persecuted? 
Why do they go on loving their 

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Lord and loving their neighbor 
so well? 

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Well, that's what we mean. 
That's what Christ means when he

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talks about you are the salt of 
the earth. 

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That's what he means when he 
says you are the light of the 

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world. 
This is exactly what Jesus is 

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describing here. 
This is the kind of life that 

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he's talking about. 
He's not calling his disciples 

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to withdraw from the world as we
might be prone to do. 

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He's not calling them to mirror 
the world as we might be prone 

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to do. 
He's calling them to be distinct

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from the world and to influence 
the world. 

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Right. 
And you notice the weight of 

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what he says. 
He says you are the salt of the 

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earth. 
You are the light of the world. 

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Not someday, all right, He not 
if the culture improves and it's

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more likely to accept the 
message. 

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Not if persecution stops and 
you're less likely to lose your 

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life. 
No, it's it's present tense. 

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You are the salt of the earth if
you are the light of the world. 

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You are right now these things. 
All right, Which gets us to the 

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main point, I think, of what 
this passage is teaching us. 

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If you're taking notes, you can 
write this down. 

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Kingdom citizens reflect God's 
glory through faithful presence 

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and good works in a dark and 
decaying world. 

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Kingdom citizens reflect God's 
glory through faithful presence 

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and good works in a dark and 
decaying world. 

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And Jesus is going to show us 3 
truths about our Kingdom 

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influence. 
First, we'll see the Kingdom 

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citizens are the salt of the 
earth. 

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Second, we'll see the Kingdom 
citizens are the light of the 

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world. 
And 3rd, we'll see the Kingdom 

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citizens glorify the Father 
through good works. 

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All right, we'll see our aim, 
our purpose there. 

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So let's see what it means 
first, to be the salt of the 

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earth #1 Kingdom citizens are 
the salt of the earth. 

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Verse 13. 
Let me read it to you again. 

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You are the salt of the earth. 
But if salt has lost its taste, 

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how shall its saltiness be 
restored? 

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It is no longer good for 
anything except to be thrown out

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and trampled under people's 
feet. 

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So our Lord begins here with the
declaration. 

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All right, He's not making a 
suggestion. 

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You might consider being the 
salt of the earth. 

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No, he says you are the salt of 
the earth. 

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It's stunning because again, 
he's speaking to ordinary people

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or ordinary disciples, right, 
fishermen. 

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There's a former tax collector 
there. 

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There there's men who by the 
world standards were really 

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unimpressive or even hated. 
And he looks at them and he 

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says, in effect, you are God's 
preserving influence in the 

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world. 
So you want to notice carefully 

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what he does not say. 
He does not say become salt. 

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He does not say try harder to be
salty. 

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He does not say if you perform 
well enough you may one day 

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qualify as salt. 
No, he he says you are salt. 

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This is identity language. 
Christ is making a declaration 

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about their identity and 
himself. 

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So you don't want to detach 
verse 13 from verses 3 through 

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12, Those beatitudes we looked 
at last week, right? 

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The beatitudes are describing 
the kind of person that the king

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creates. 
Again, he was poor in spirit. 

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He mourns over sins. 
He's meek, He's hungering it for

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righteousness. 
He's merciful, pure, and heart. 

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He's a peacemaker. 
He's willing to suffer for the 

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sake of Christ, right? 
Those people, those kind of 

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people, the people with that 
sort of character, those are the

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salty ones, so to speak, because
influence flows from the 

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character of Christ in you, 
right? 

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It starts in the heart. 
It starts with a heart 

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transformed. 
It starts with a life that's 

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being renewed day by day. 
It starts with the mind that's 

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being transformed. 
It's not conforming to the world

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standards. 
It starts inwardly and it flows 

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outwardly, right. 
So Martin Lloyd Jones, in his 

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preaching on this passage, he 
makes this point. 

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He says our Lord is not 
primarily concerned with what 

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the Christian does, but with 
what the Christian is. 

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The Sermon on the Mount, Lloyd 
says, Our Lord, Jones says, is a

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description of character before 
it is a list of actions. 

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And this is exactly right. 
The world is not preserved by 

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Christians who are trying to 
manufacture influence, right? 

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We don't create our own 
influence. 

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We don't manufacture it. 
We don't become social media 

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influencers, right? 
We live in a world that wants 

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influence. 
This is not how character is 

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created. 
This is not how influence is 

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truly achieved, Right? 
We're not manufacturing. 

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What we see is that it's 
preserved by Christians who have

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been transformed by the grace of
the Lord, that the grace of the 

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Lord affects a life that 
person's transformed. 

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And so the world around them is 
preserved because they become 

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the salt of the earth. 
Now this guards us from 

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moralism, right? 
Because if we reverse the order,

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if we tell people go be salt 
without first grounding them in 

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those beatitudes where there's a
union with Christ, then all that

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you're creating is a Pharisee, 
right? 

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You're creating someone who 
lives moralistically, right, and

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legalistically, and so 
manufacturers their own 

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influence. 
But when Christ changes the 

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heart, when he preserves from 
within, then preserving 

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influence, right? 
That outward preserving that we 

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have becomes inevitable, right? 
You are salt because you belong 

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to the King. 
Is what Christ is saying here 

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that that's why you are salt 
right now? 

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Now, why salt? 
Why does Christ use the term 

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salt or this idea of salt? 
Well, in the ancient world, salt

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was essential. 
Now I've eaten with many of you 

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and you all, not most of you, 
still think salt is essential, 

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right? 
That there was no refrigeration,

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right, kids? 
That we didn't have 

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refrigerators in our homes. 
Meat would decay quickly. 

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Salt was meant to slow the rot. 
It restrained corruption. 

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That's the image, right? 
That's the image that Christ is 

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talking about. 
It's a restraint of corruption. 

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And the image assumes something 
that we must understand it, but 

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it is sobering. 
The image assumes that the world

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around the salty ones is 
decaying. 

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It's decaying. 
Now, why is it decaying? 

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Well, it's decaying because of 
the fall, all right? 

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Because sin has tarnished, 
tainted all of life, all of 

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creation. 
And so Jesus is not naive here 

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about the human condition. 
And Paul writes in Romans one 

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that mankind suppresses the 
truth in unrighteousness, that 

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they know the truth about God, 
but they suppress it, they push 

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it down, they don't want to 
acknowledge it. 

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Paul also writes that they 
exchanged the glory of God for 

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images. 
They exchanged the glory of God 

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for creation. 
They exchange truth for lies. 

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They exchange natural relations 
for unnatural relations. 

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That's decay, right? 
What Paul's describing there is 

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decay in in Ephesians 417 
through 19, Paul says that the 

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Gentiles walk in the futility of
their minds that that they're 

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darkened and understanding. 
They're alienated from the life 

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00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:20,440
of God. 
They're hardened in their 

233
00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,600
hearts. 
That's decay, right? 

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00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,880
What's being described there is 
the decay of the world. 

235
00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:31,040
So left to itself, if we read 
the Scriptures rightly, what we 

236
00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:34,840
can understand is that left to 
itself, humanity does not just 

237
00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:39,320
drift toward righteousness, all 
right? 

238
00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:43,120
It's not like a healing balloon 
that just rises upward on its 

239
00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:44,720
own. 
That's not happening. 

240
00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,280
It's more like a lead balloon, 
right? 

241
00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:50,600
Humanity does not drift toward 
righteousness. 

242
00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,680
It drifts towards corruption 
because the heart of man is 

243
00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:58,960
corrupt by nature, right? 
And end of that corruption, what

244
00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:03,680
does Christ do? 
Well, one, he enters it. 

245
00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:09,000
Two, he lives perfectly and 
sacrifices his life as a ransom 

246
00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:10,960
for all who will call upon His 
name. 

247
00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:17,280
And then he places His church. 
Now church is the word Eklesia 

248
00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:21,320
and it means those who were 
called out, but it's called out 

249
00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:22,280
ones. 
You might say they've been 

250
00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:26,040
called out of darkness as Peter 
does, and into marvelous lights.

251
00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:30,920
They're a royal priesthood, a 
holy nation, right? 

252
00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:34,200
The the scriptures say things 
about what the church is meant 

253
00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:37,040
to be. 
And this is what Christ does is 

254
00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:41,680
he places his church within a 
decaying world and he says you 

255
00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:47,200
are the salt of the earth. 
He doesn't say retreat into 

256
00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:52,040
isolation, right? 
He doesn't say find the most 

257
00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:56,240
remote place that you can gather
all the Christians and create a 

258
00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:59,600
compound there, as nice as that 
might sound to some of us some 

259
00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:04,880
days, right? 
He also doesn't say go mirror 

260
00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:12,840
the culture, go, go be like 
them, Not when Christ prays for 

261
00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,680
the disciples. 
In John 17, he mentions this 

262
00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:19,440
phrase that they are not of this
world. 

263
00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,520
They're, they're created there. 
There's something supernatural 

264
00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:27,960
about them. 
They've been recreated by the 

265
00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:30,080
Spirit of God. 
They are new creations in 

266
00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:31,680
Christ. 
So we're not called the mirror 

267
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:35,240
of the culture either. 
But what we are called to do is 

268
00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:40,560
to be salty, right? 
To restrain the decay of our 

269
00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:42,880
world. 
So Christians are those who have

270
00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:45,200
been called out of darkness in 
the marvelous light, there to be

271
00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,040
holy as Goddess holy. 
They're to be set apart, or in 

272
00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:51,320
other words, they were to be 
different. 

273
00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,800
And we're different not just for
different sake. 

274
00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:58,080
No, we're different because we 
have a union with Christ, the 

275
00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:01,600
Son of God, right? 
We share a new life in him. 

276
00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:07,880
We're Co heirs with the Lord. 
Now, because they are different,

277
00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:14,920
they inevitably act as a 
preservative in society. 

278
00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:18,680
But they are a preservative in 
society, right? 

279
00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:23,720
That the mere presence of a holy
man is a rebuke to sin and 

280
00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:27,240
restrain upon it, right? 
Think, think about that. 

281
00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:31,640
The presence of a holy man is a 
rebuke to sin. 

282
00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:34,760
It's a restraint upon it, right?
Think about it. 

283
00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:39,040
When a Christian refuses to 
laugh at crude jokes, something 

284
00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:45,960
is restrained, right? 
When a businessman refuses to be

285
00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:49,400
dishonest, something is 
restrained. 

286
00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:55,160
When a teenager refuses sexual 
compromise, something is 

287
00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,200
restrained. 
When a church practices 

288
00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:01,440
forgiveness instead of 
bitterness, something is 

289
00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:02,800
restrained. 
You see what we're talking 

290
00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:04,760
about? 
Now, you could go on and on with

291
00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:09,800
lists like that, but the holy 
living of a righteous person 

292
00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,040
restrains evil. 
It absolutely does that. 

293
00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:16,000
The church restrains control 
corruption by truth. 

294
00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:19,480
It restrains corruption by its 
holiness. 

295
00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:23,080
It restrains corruption by 
gospel witness, Right. 

296
00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,880
So, so we don't want to 
underestimate what quiet 

297
00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:32,080
obedience does in a community. 
It it does a lot. 

298
00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:35,520
You may never hold an office, 
right? 

299
00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,840
You may never write a book, but 
your integrity, your marriage, 

300
00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:44,000
your godly marriage, your godly 
parenting, your godly speech, 

301
00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:49,840
your your whole life lived in 
godliness as a Christian. 

302
00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:55,360
Those sort of things slow and 
restrain decay, right? 

303
00:18:55,360 --> 00:18:59,960
That that is the gospel power of
simple faithfulness to God. 

304
00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,320
Just showing up day in and day 
out and doing what we might 

305
00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:08,960
think are mundane things like 
Bible reading, prayer, exhorting

306
00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:12,400
our family to believe and to 
trust in the Lord, walking as a 

307
00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:17,440
godly man, as a friend and a Co 
worker, all sorts of things. 

308
00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:21,800
But our Lord does add a warning 
here, doesn't he? 

309
00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:28,000
But if salt has lost its taste, 
how shall its saltiness be 

310
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,960
restored now? 
In that region, salt was often 

311
00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:35,200
mixed with impurities. 
And so if the true salt leached 

312
00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:40,800
out, what remained looked like 
salt but had no preserving 

313
00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:43,800
power. 
It had to be thrown out. 

314
00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:48,280
It was useless. 
Now Christ is offering a warning

315
00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:50,240
to his people. 
It's a warning to the church. 

316
00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:53,560
Salt that is no longer salty is 
worthless. 

317
00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:56,920
Lloyd Jones presses this home 
for us. 

318
00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,160
He says this. 
He says the church has often 

319
00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:04,680
been most ineffective when she 
has tried most to be acceptable.

320
00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:11,080
When she courts the world's 
approval, she forfeits her 

321
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,000
authority. 
How true is this right? 

322
00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:21,040
Compromise over and over again. 
Compromise with sin destroys 

323
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:24,320
godly influence. 
It destroys it. 

324
00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:26,160
It tears it down. 
When the Church adopts the 

325
00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:30,600
world's moral framework, when we
soften hard truths to avoid 

326
00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,960
discomfort, when we redefine sin
because our culture redefines 

327
00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,480
sin, when our homes look 
indistinguishable from 

328
00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:43,040
unbelieving homes. 
We may still bear the name 

329
00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:45,960
Christian right. 
We may still call ourselves 

330
00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:49,280
Christians. 
But we have lost preserving 

331
00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:53,760
power. 
So I want you to understand that

332
00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:55,960
blending in with the world is 
not mission. 

333
00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:01,280
Now, it's true that in missions,
when we send someone to a new 

334
00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,560
culture, in some sense they 
ought to blend in. 

335
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,040
They need to learn the culture, 
right? 

336
00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:10,200
But they're not going to blend 
into the culture just for 

337
00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,920
culture sake, right? 
Or for blending in sake. 

338
00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:16,160
They're going to learn the 
culture so that they can learn 

339
00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:19,640
how to rightly preach the truths
of the gospel to those people 

340
00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:24,280
rightly live it out, right? 
So blending in is not mission, 

341
00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:29,160
that's failure actually, that 
the church does not preserve the

342
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:33,640
world by becoming like them. 
It preserves the world through 

343
00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,960
distinction, through holiness, 
right? 

344
00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:42,520
Peter says in first Peter 212, 
keep your conduct among the 

345
00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:46,200
Gentiles honorable. 
Keep your conduct among the 

346
00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:50,520
unbelievers honorable so that 
they may see your good deeds and

347
00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,840
glorify God. 
Now, that's salt language, 

348
00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:55,120
right? 
It's very similar to what Christ

349
00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:58,640
is saying here in Matthew 5. 
But what we see that Peter's 

350
00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:03,200
promoting there is a distinct 
conduct, right? 

351
00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:05,800
There's there's a visible 
difference between the way 

352
00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,760
Christ professors live, 
Christians live, and the way 

353
00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:13,400
that the world lives. 
And if there's no observable 

354
00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:16,360
difference between US and the 
world, whether it's in our 

355
00:22:16,360 --> 00:22:20,760
speech or entertainment choices 
or our financial priorities or 

356
00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:25,160
our sexual ethics or our 
forgiveness, then something has 

357
00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:29,400
gone terribly wrong that we're 
missing the point. 

358
00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:37,840
Salt that tastes like everything
else is no salt at all, right? 

359
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:40,720
It's not salty. 
It could be something else, but 

360
00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:44,920
it's not salt, right? 
And Jesus uses the sobering 

361
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:47,280
language. 
It's no longer good for anything

362
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,800
except to be thrown out and 
trampled under people's feet. 

363
00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:54,880
So the King expects 
distinctiveness from his people.

364
00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:57,800
He expects them to look 
different, to act different to. 

365
00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:01,040
And, and when I say that it's 
not about moralism, it's about 

366
00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,480
obeying Christ. 
It's about being fully submitted

367
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:06,880
to his will for your life, to 
what he says. 

368
00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:11,480
And it's saying I'm going to do 
that, going to trust him to 

369
00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,560
create in me the character that 
becomes like his. 

370
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:22,040
I'd like to bring this home, so 
to speak, to Magnolia. 

371
00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:29,000
Even to your daily lives, right?
Faithful presence here matters. 

372
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,480
It matters a ton. 
The the way you live day in and 

373
00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:34,640
day out. 
You might think it's sort of 

374
00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,320
ordinary and doesn't matter. 
And there's a lot of ordinary 

375
00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:41,200
things to it, right? 
Work and school and family life 

376
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,680
and sports and activities and 
church and whatever else, right?

377
00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:50,600
But the way you live in those 
things, faithful presence, those

378
00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,920
things matter. 
You don't have to change the 

379
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:58,560
nation to be faithful, right? 
You, you need to be obedient 

380
00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,080
where God has placed you. 
But to understand that God has 

381
00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:07,240
placed you in a place and he's 
created you in his own image 

382
00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:09,800
with a, a certain personality, 
right? 

383
00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:14,040
You bear characteristics that 
are yours, but you're made in 

384
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,640
the image of God and you exist 
in the place and time and space 

385
00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,880
that he's placed you. 
And you say to those things, I'm

386
00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:26,000
going to be faithful here in the
way that God has created me, 

387
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:28,640
right? 
That matters. 

388
00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,040
You need to be obedient where 
he's placed you. 

389
00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:34,320
You might think about fathers, 
right? 

390
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:38,440
Your steady, humble leadership 
preserves your home. 

391
00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,200
It it preserves your home, right
mothers. 

392
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:46,160
Your consistent faith, your 
gentle strength preserves your 

393
00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:51,440
children and your husband. 
Students, your refusal to join 

394
00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:56,960
in gossip, your refusal to join 
in impurities, your your refusal

395
00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:01,760
to join in dishonesty preserves 
your friends. 

396
00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:05,680
It employs. 
Your integrity preserves your 

397
00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,040
workplaces and church members 
right. 

398
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:10,680
Your unity preserves the body of
Christ. 

399
00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:15,280
So your obedience restrains 
decay. 

400
00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:23,480
So we have to ask honestly, am I
distinct? 

401
00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:34,640
Am I faithful in my speech, in 
my marriage to my spouse and my 

402
00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:40,120
use of technology and my 
financial stewardship and my 

403
00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:43,920
love for the lost? 
Am I distinct and am I faithful,

404
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:49,120
or have I begun to blend? 
Now? 

405
00:25:49,120 --> 00:25:53,200
If the only difference between 
us and our unbelieving neighbors

406
00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:59,440
is that we attend church on 
Sunday, we should tremble at 

407
00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:02,960
this verse. 
We should understand there's not

408
00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:07,480
really a distinction between US 
and them other than time given 

409
00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:11,560
on a Sunday morning. 
You see, the king has placed you

410
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:19,400
in a dark and decaying world on 
purpose, not not really to 

411
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:23,560
dominate it, not to disappear 
into it, but to preserve within 

412
00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:27,560
it by his grace and strength. 
And that's why he says to you, 

413
00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:31,760
you are the salt of the earth. 
You are the salt of the earth. 

414
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,520
You're meant to be a a preserver
within the world. 

415
00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,960
Now let's consider what it means
not only to restrain decay, but 

416
00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,640
to shine in the darkness. 
Kingdom citizens are the light 

417
00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:48,440
of the world .2 like in verses 
14 and 15, you are the light of 

418
00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,520
the world. 
A city set on the hill cannot be

419
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:55,280
hidden, Nor do people light a 
lamp and put it under a basket, 

420
00:26:55,760 --> 00:27:00,120
but on a stand, and it gives 
light to all in the house. 

421
00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:10,760
If salt emphasizes restraints 
right, slowing decay, then light

422
00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:15,240
here emphasizes revelation. 
Salt works quietly, but light 

423
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:19,160
works visibly. 
And again, Jesus begins with 

424
00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:21,320
your identity, who you are, and 
him. 

425
00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:26,160
You are the light of the world. 
That's really sobering language.

426
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:31,840
And I say it's sobering language
because in John 812, Jesus says 

427
00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:40,480
I am the light of the world. 
So he's the light, He's the true

428
00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:42,640
light. 
He's the eternal light who 

429
00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:45,720
shines in the darkness and whom 
the darkness has not yet 

430
00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:51,080
overcome, as we see in John 15 
and now here in Matthew 5. 

431
00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,040
He says to his disciples, you 
are the light of the world. 

432
00:27:56,120 --> 00:28:00,720
How can that be? 
Well, we must understand 

433
00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,240
something really important. 
Christ is light by nature, 

434
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:08,720
right? 
We are light by union. 

435
00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,480
We're light by our union with 
Christ. 

436
00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,160
He shines inherently. 
It's who he is. 

437
00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:21,480
But we shine reflectively. 
We reflect the Son of God. 

438
00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:23,960
Lloyd Jones makes this point 
very clearly. 

439
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,200
Says the Christian does not 
generate light. 

440
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:30,480
The Christian reflects it. 
So we we are not the source of 

441
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,360
light. 
Christ is the source of light. 

442
00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:35,840
We are the instruments, so to 
speak. 

443
00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:39,680
You might think of it this way. 
Just as the moon has no light of

444
00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:44,040
its own but reflects the sun, so
too does the believer reflect 

445
00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:48,400
Christ, right? 
So if you detach light from 

446
00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:53,440
Christ, you, you are left with 
moralism or activism, right? 

447
00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:55,920
We, we would have no light 
source of our own. 

448
00:28:56,360 --> 00:29:01,160
But biblical lights is the 
visible radiance of a life 

449
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:05,480
that's united to Jesus, right? 
Paul says in Ephesians 5 verse 8

450
00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:09,600
For at one time you were 
darkness, but now you are the 

451
00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:12,680
light in the world, right? 
Notice the language. 

452
00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:18,400
You're not merely in the lights,
you are light in the Lord. 

453
00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:22,200
So no union. 
If there's no union with Christ,

454
00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:25,560
then there can be no light. 
That that's the point that's 

455
00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:28,640
being made here. 
So This is why conversion 

456
00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:32,720
matters. 
This is This is why repentance 

457
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:35,040
and faith coming to Christ 
matter. 

458
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,640
This is why regeneration 
matters, right? 

459
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:42,560
Becoming an altogether new 
thing, a new creation in Christ.

460
00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:45,000
This is why sanctification 
matters, right? 

461
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,520
The more we behold the light of 
the glory of Christ, the more we

462
00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:51,600
become like Him. 
So This is why the Beatitudes 

463
00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,600
come first, right? 
The the world does not need 

464
00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,440
religious activity. 
You, you understand, before 

465
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:03,760
Christ came on the scene, there 
was a lot of religious activity 

466
00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:10,320
in the world. 
What it needs is men and women 

467
00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:14,240
who have been made new. 
It needs men and women who have 

468
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,360
been made new. 
And now they're on a mission for

469
00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:21,720
the Lord to live as faithful 
sons and daughters of God. 

470
00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:26,120
But we do not shine because we 
are impressive. 

471
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:31,480
We're not impressive. 
We shine because Christ lives in

472
00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:32,800
US. 
And if Christ is not at the 

473
00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:37,560
center, if communion with Christ
is not real in our lives, or if 

474
00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:43,040
there's no real communion with 
God, then the light dims very 

475
00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:46,120
quickly. 
It might give the appearance of 

476
00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:49,440
light, but it's batteries are 
going to run out. 

477
00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:53,600
This is not about your 
personality, right? 

478
00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:57,480
Maybe you were raised in a 
Christian home, so to speak. 

479
00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:59,720
You were raised at least under 
Christian influence. 

480
00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:02,640
You were raised to go to church.
You were raised to act like a 

481
00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:04,640
Christian. 
And so you have a lot of 

482
00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,640
morality built up in you. 
You have a lot of knowing sort 

483
00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:12,280
of what's good and wrong. 
And, and so you try to do those 

484
00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:14,760
things. 
You try to manufacture light 

485
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,920
through religious activity by 
your personality. 

486
00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:21,160
But this isn't about your 
personality. 

487
00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:25,440
It's not about charisma, it's 
not about the platform you build

488
00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:30,080
or the things that the the, the 
the titles that you hold. 

489
00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:36,240
It's about Christ. 
Do you have fellowship with 

490
00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:41,200
Christ on a daily basis? 
Do you have communion with the 

491
00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:48,280
Lord on a daily basis? 
Jesus then gives 2 images. 

492
00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,400
The 1st is a city set on a hill 
cannot be hidden, he says. 

493
00:31:54,680 --> 00:32:00,640
So in that region, many cities 
were elevated and at night their

494
00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:03,480
lamps would be visible from a 
great distance. 

495
00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,040
If you've ever driven out West 
and you've got to go through 

496
00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,880
Amarillo at night time, you will
feel like you're coming into 

497
00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:16,480
Amarillo for three hours nearly.
You'll see the glow of the 

498
00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:20,120
lights and they get closer, it 
seems, and then you drive and 

499
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:23,960
you drive and you drive and you 
drive forever until you finally 

500
00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:26,320
come into Amarillo. 
Those of you who have been at 

501
00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:32,280
night or shaking your head, all 
right, that's what it would look

502
00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:34,000
like, right? 
The light is visible from a 

503
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,000
great distance. 
You, you couldn't conceal the 

504
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:39,640
light of the cities even if you 
tried. 

505
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:45,080
So the point here, I think that 
Christ is making is a point of 

506
00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:49,080
inevitability. 
It's inevitable that light will 

507
00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:51,400
shine in the darkness. 
It's inevitable that it will 

508
00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:55,360
light up a place. 
True Christianity then, cannot 

509
00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:59,480
remain invisible, Right. 
And so he adds this, He says, 

510
00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:02,680
nor do people light a lamp and 
put it under a basket, but on a 

511
00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,880
stand, and it gives light to all
in the house. 

512
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:07,280
Right. 
This little light of mine, I'm 

513
00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:10,360
going to let it shine. 
Yeah, hide it under a bushel. 

514
00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:13,760
Oh, no, right. 
Going to let it shine. 

515
00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:18,120
So so no one lights a lamp in 
order to conceal it. 

516
00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:22,880
That that defeats the purpose. 
All right. 

517
00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:27,120
You don't go into the dark with 
a flashlight and then turn the 

518
00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,400
flashlight off hoping that'll 
help you see better. 

519
00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:33,680
Lloyd Jones says this. 
He says that the Christian is 

520
00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:35,840
never meant to be secretive in 
his faith. 

521
00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:40,800
He he's not to be obtrusive. 
He's not to be self advertising,

522
00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:43,600
but neither is he to be hidden 
there. 

523
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:47,040
There's something about him that
cannot be concealed. 

524
00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:55,800
Or if you've spent time around a
man or a woman who is godly, you

525
00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:58,240
sense the light in their life 
like you. 

526
00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:01,280
You just know these things to be
evident and true about them, 

527
00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:04,880
right? 
Sometimes you spend time around 

528
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,720
people who you think are godly, 
and the more you're around them,

529
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:10,280
the more you realize there's not
a lot of light here. 

530
00:34:11,159 --> 00:34:15,639
There's a lot of preserving salt
about this life, right? 

531
00:34:15,639 --> 00:34:19,800
So, so you know what it looks 
like the question today is not, 

532
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:24,360
who do I know that does this? 
The question for us is, am I 

533
00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,360
truly lied? 
Am I truly salt? 

534
00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:29,440
Can I discern these things about
my life? 

535
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:32,600
Do I see that I make that I 
preserve things around me 

536
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,360
that'll bring the light of 
Christ into a Dark World? 

537
00:34:37,639 --> 00:34:41,960
Hidden discipleship contradicts 
the King's design for your life.

538
00:34:45,159 --> 00:34:47,600
I want us to be a little bit 
careful here because we might 

539
00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:49,840
think that that means we should 
become performative. 

540
00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:54,280
But the Christ is not looking 
for theatrical righteousness, 

541
00:34:55,159 --> 00:34:56,920
right? 
He's not looking for a 

542
00:34:56,920 --> 00:35:00,120
performative righteousness where
we broadcast our righteousness 

543
00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:03,200
to everyone around us. 
In fact, later in this chapter 

544
00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:06,000
he's going to warn against 
practicing, practicing your 

545
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:08,080
righteousness to be seen by 
others. 

546
00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:12,000
So one, since Christ is saying 
you will be seen, your good 

547
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,960
works will be seen, you will be 
light. 

548
00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:18,920
But in another sense, Christ is 
going to say we don't practice 

549
00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:21,360
righteousness to be seen by 
others. 

550
00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:26,320
You see the difference? 
The issue is whether our 

551
00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:31,440
allegiance to Christ is visible 
at all that. 

552
00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:33,920
Does anyone know that you belong
to Christ? 

553
00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:39,440
Can they see it in your joy, 
right in your workplace? 

554
00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:42,000
Do they know that you are a 
Christ follower? 

555
00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:49,120
Kids, the people you play on a 
sports team with, do they know 

556
00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:55,840
that you're a Christ follower? 
In your extended family, often 

557
00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:57,320
some of the hardest people to 
reach. 

558
00:35:58,240 --> 00:36:00,640
Do they know that you are a 
Christ follower? 

559
00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:04,680
Not because you're obnoxious. 
Why? 

560
00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:06,040
We don't need obnoxious 
Christians. 

561
00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:08,840
The world has plenty of those. 
Not. 

562
00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:14,840
Not because you're loud, but 
because your life is holy unto 

563
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:18,560
the Lord, right? 
If no one can detect your faith 

564
00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:22,040
unless they see you on a Sunday 
morning, then something is 

565
00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:25,600
wrong. 
Because Christ says the city on 

566
00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:29,320
the hill cannot be hidden. 
And if it is hidden, it's not 

567
00:36:29,320 --> 00:36:35,000
functioning as it's designed. 
But light does two things 

568
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:38,080
simultaneously. 
One, it exposes and two, it 

569
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:39,520
guides. 
All right. 

570
00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:42,760
When light enters a dark room, 
it reveals what is there. 

571
00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:49,200
All right, we, we love it in our
house when one of the kids balls

572
00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:51,960
will roll under a couch and we 
have to take a flashlight and 

573
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:54,360
look under the couch. 
Patricia loves this, right? 

574
00:36:55,560 --> 00:37:00,000
It exposes what's under there, 
the dust, the disorder, the 

575
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:02,000
things we would rather not see. 
Right. 

576
00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:06,120
But that's uncomfortable. 
Not as uncomfortable as I'll be 

577
00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:12,280
when I go home today, right? 
Yes. 

578
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:14,440
I'll move the couch as it does. 
Thank you, Brent. 

579
00:37:17,680 --> 00:37:21,200
But first, a nap. 
John 319 says light has come 

580
00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,800
into the world, and people love 
the darkness rather than the 

581
00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:27,200
light because their works were 
evil. 

582
00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:34,160
So light confronts sin, right? 
It's like turning on a light in 

583
00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:38,240
a room full of cockroaches. 
When a Christian refuses to 

584
00:37:38,240 --> 00:37:44,360
participate in gossip, darkness 
is exposed. 

585
00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:49,760
But when a believer speaks truth
about sexual ethics with 

586
00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:53,920
gentleness and conviction, 
darkness is exposed. 

587
00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:59,280
When forgiveness replaces 
revenge, darkness is exposed. 

588
00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:02,920
But but light doesn't only 
expose that. 

589
00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:05,000
I said that was one purpose. 
Another purpose is that it 

590
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,280
guides. 
Light is a guide, right? 

591
00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:11,400
Psalm 119 One O 5 says your word
is a lamp unto my feet and a 

592
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:16,040
light unto my path. 
So light helps people see where 

593
00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:18,680
to step. 
It's it's a guide for them in a 

594
00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:21,600
Dark World. 
But the world is confused. 

595
00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:26,200
Surely we can agree on this. 
It calls evil good and good evil

596
00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:30,200
all the time. 
It celebrates what destroys it, 

597
00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:33,080
mocks what heals it. 
That's darkness. 

598
00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:35,760
There's no way around it. 
That's darkness. 

599
00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:41,080
And into that confusion, the 
Christian is meant to shine with

600
00:38:41,080 --> 00:38:46,680
clarity now, not like a 
self-righteous clarity, but with

601
00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:49,920
gospel clarity, A life 
transformed by the gospel, a 

602
00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:55,160
life that proclaims the gospel 
of a life that lives worthy of 

603
00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:59,720
the gospel it's received are the
transformed life. 

604
00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:07,680
Holiness with compassion, 
conviction with mercy, truth 

605
00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:10,920
with tears. 
All right, Lord Jones emphasizes

606
00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:14,440
that light is something that 
inevitably effects others. 

607
00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:20,600
It cannot help but do so. 
So when a true Christian lives 

608
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:23,760
out the Beatitudes, those 
character traits of a life 

609
00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:32,320
transformed, the world notices. 
Now what I want you to know 

610
00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,440
about the way the world notices 
is really what you ought to know

611
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:37,640
about yourself. 
When you notice holy things, 

612
00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:43,680
sometimes you notice it with 
attraction, a desire to become 

613
00:39:43,680 --> 00:39:47,000
that. 
Other times you notice it with 

614
00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:51,520
hostility. 
That speaks against my nature, 

615
00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:55,200
speaks against my desires. 
Have you ever been offended 

616
00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:59,320
while you're reading God's Word?
I have, right? 

617
00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:05,280
I should be often offended when 
reading God's Word. 

618
00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:09,160
It should confront me. 
Often God's Word reads me. 

619
00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:12,720
To be honest, I don't read it 
right. 

620
00:40:12,720 --> 00:40:16,120
Light always provokes a 
response. 

621
00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:19,240
Always. 
It's either going to be hostile 

622
00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:22,760
or it'll be desires. 
Right. 

623
00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:26,600
The the question is not whether 
your life effects others then is

624
00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:29,320
it? 
The the question is how does it 

625
00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:32,120
affect others? 
Because it does affect others. 

626
00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:37,120
The way you live absolutely 
effects more than just you, it 

627
00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:42,320
affects those around you. 
So, so let me push this in just 

628
00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:46,120
a little further. 
Is your faith public or private?

629
00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:52,320
Does your neighbor? 
I don't literally mean the 

630
00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:54,840
person living next to you, 
although that might count, just 

631
00:40:54,840 --> 00:40:58,560
mean your neighbor. 
Like the people around you, does

632
00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:01,840
your neighbor see a joy of the 
Lord in you? 

633
00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:10,160
Do they see repentance in you? 
Do they see forgiveness in your 

634
00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:13,000
marriage? 
Do they see generosity? 

635
00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:20,280
Do do they see humility, or are 
we the kind of people who 

636
00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:24,320
proclaim Christ and then 
carefully seek to contain our 

637
00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:28,040
Christianity so that those 
things wouldn't be seen? 

638
00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:33,840
Do your family and your friends 
know where you stand on truth? 

639
00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:38,400
Not not just because you you 
know you're bold on Facebook, 

640
00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:42,280
but because you live it 
consistently in your own life, 

641
00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:45,680
right? 
Do do your children see you walk

642
00:41:46,040 --> 00:41:49,640
and lied at the home? 
Do they? 

643
00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:52,000
Do they sense light from you and
salt from you? 

644
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,400
A desire to preserve, a desire 
to shine for the Lord. 

645
00:41:57,760 --> 00:42:00,280
I'll be honest with you, it's 
easy to shine in this room on 

646
00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:04,800
Sundays, isn't it? 
Let's be honest, it's easy to 

647
00:42:04,800 --> 00:42:08,840
show up here to sing songs, to 
pray, seek the Lord. 

648
00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:12,120
It's easy to shine here. 
We were surrounded by people who

649
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:17,000
also want to shine. 
It's a lot harder to shine in my

650
00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:22,160
living room and in my kitchen, A
lot harder. 

651
00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:24,960
It's harder to shine in a board 
meeting. 

652
00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:27,040
It's harder to shine in a locker
room. 

653
00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:30,800
It's harder to shine at a family
gathering where Christ is not 

654
00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:36,880
honored, But that is where light
is needed the most. 

655
00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:40,720
These are the places that God 
has called you to. 

656
00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:47,400
So the world is not helped by 
hidden Christians, brothers and 

657
00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:50,200
sisters. 
It's helped by men and women and

658
00:42:50,200 --> 00:42:52,280
boys and girls who have given 
their life to Christ, who 

659
00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:56,640
quietly, steadily, visibly 
belong to the Lord. 

660
00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:01,600
Christ says you are the lot of 
the world, not because you're 

661
00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:05,600
extraordinary, but because a lot
of the world has taken residence

662
00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:08,320
in you. 
So then, brothers and sisters, 

663
00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:12,440
we must shine. 
We must shine not for the 

664
00:43:12,440 --> 00:43:17,400
applause of man, not for a great
reputation, but because the King

665
00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:21,400
designed you in himself. 
He's created you for this to 

666
00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:23,880
eliminate, illuminate the 
darkness. 

667
00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:30,640
And so now we must ask why? 
Why does he want us shining? 

668
00:43:31,920 --> 00:43:36,760
Verse 16 gives us the ultimate 
aim here #3 Kingdom citizens 

669
00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:39,480
glorify the Father through good 
works. 

670
00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:43,840
Look at verse 16 in the same 
way. 

671
00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:47,600
Let your light shine before 
others so that they may see your

672
00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:51,280
good works and give glory to 
your Father who is in heaven. 

673
00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:57,280
Do you see that this? 
This is the ultimate aim. 

674
00:43:58,160 --> 00:44:00,200
The ultimate aim is not your own
influence. 

675
00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:03,280
It's the ultimate aim is not 
cultural reform. 

676
00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:06,200
The ultimate aim is not your 
reputation. 

677
00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:10,200
The ultimate aim in all of life 
is the glory of the Father. 

678
00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:15,360
Perhaps the Westminster Shorter 
Catechism says it best. 

679
00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:21,360
What is the chief end of man? 
It's to glorify God and enjoy 

680
00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:25,240
him forever. 
That's all right, all right. 

681
00:44:25,240 --> 00:44:31,160
He, he will work out all of 
those things, influence, reform,

682
00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:35,320
reputation, all those things are
not our concern, but the Lord 

683
00:44:35,320 --> 00:44:39,560
will work those things out as 
His glory covers the earth like 

684
00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:43,080
the waters cover the sea. 
He will. 

685
00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:47,000
We have to trust that. 
But we're told, let your light 

686
00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:49,520
shine before others so that you 
may, so that they may see your 

687
00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:53,320
good works. 
Jesus is assuming something 

688
00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:58,040
here, right? 
Kingdom citizens will have good 

689
00:44:58,040 --> 00:45:02,200
works, all right. 
And the Sermon on the Mount, 

690
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:04,880
Jesus assumes things about 
Kingdom citizens. 

691
00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:08,680
He'll say things like when you 
pray, not if you pray. 

692
00:45:08,680 --> 00:45:13,000
When you pray here, he's saying 
Kingdom citizens will have good 

693
00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:16,920
works. 
He doesn't say if you happen to 

694
00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:19,040
perform a few good deeds this 
week. 

695
00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:23,960
No, he assumes an observable 
righteousness about your life. 

696
00:45:23,960 --> 00:45:26,000
But this is not salvation by 
works. 

697
00:45:26,680 --> 00:45:29,640
Scripture is abundantly clear 
that we are not saved by the 

698
00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:32,640
works that we do. 
Ephesians 289 says this, For by 

699
00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:35,600
grace you have been saved 
through faith, not a result of 

700
00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:41,320
works, so that no one may boast.
But if you keep reading, in 

701
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:46,000
verse 10, the apostle Paul 
writes there for we are his 

702
00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:51,000
workmanship created in Christ 
Jesus for good works. 

703
00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:56,040
So you're not saved by your 
works, you're saved by grace 

704
00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:58,960
through faith, but you do become
a new creation. 

705
00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:01,840
You're his workmanship created 
in Christ. 

706
00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:05,640
Now for good works which God 
prepared beforehand. 

707
00:46:05,640 --> 00:46:10,040
Paul writes so that we may walk 
in them, right? 

708
00:46:10,480 --> 00:46:13,560
So you're not saved by works. 
We say this around here quite 

709
00:46:13,560 --> 00:46:15,440
often, I hope. 
And I'll say by works you're 

710
00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:21,160
saved for works. 
You're saved to go do good works

711
00:46:21,320 --> 00:46:25,960
for the Lord. 
Again, Martin Lloyd Jones says 

712
00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:27,360
this. 
He says the Sermon on the Mount 

713
00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:30,160
is not a blueprint for how to 
become a Christian. 

714
00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:32,840
It's a description of how 
Christians live. 

715
00:46:35,120 --> 00:46:38,840
So these good works are not the 
root of salvation. 

716
00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:43,240
Christ is the root of our 
salvation. 

717
00:46:43,240 --> 00:46:45,920
All his work is the root of 
salvation. 

718
00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:50,040
These things, these good works 
we do are the fruit of 

719
00:46:50,040 --> 00:46:54,480
salvation. 
If you you're curious on that, 

720
00:46:54,480 --> 00:46:58,920
you may read John 15 later. 
All right, but we read that 

721
00:46:58,920 --> 00:47:03,280
Jesus is the vine and we are the
branches that we must abide in 

722
00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:05,720
him, for apart from Him we can 
do nothing. 

723
00:47:07,080 --> 00:47:09,640
He goes on to say, if you love 
me, obey my commandments. 

724
00:47:12,760 --> 00:47:16,560
He says, I've written all these 
things to you so that my joy may

725
00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:18,760
be in you and your joy may be 
full. 

726
00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:24,400
All right. 
So in other words, the 

727
00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:29,040
Beatitudes become visible. 
You might think about it like 

728
00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:31,680
this. 
We read last week about the poor

729
00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:36,560
in spirit or poverty of spirit. 
Well, that becomes humility in 

730
00:47:36,560 --> 00:47:40,480
conversation. 
Mercy becomes practical 

731
00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:42,760
compassion. 
Purity of heart becomes 

732
00:47:42,760 --> 00:47:45,840
integrity in private. 
Peacemaking becomes 

733
00:47:45,840 --> 00:47:49,880
reconciliation in conflict. 
You see what these things, the 

734
00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:53,360
good works, these things 
produce, then good, good works 

735
00:47:53,360 --> 00:47:57,320
are simply the internal work of 
grace made visible. 

736
00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:01,440
All right? 
And Jesus says the world should 

737
00:48:01,440 --> 00:48:06,320
be able to see your good works, 
not because you're on a stage 

738
00:48:06,320 --> 00:48:09,080
performing them, not because you
advertise them, right? 

739
00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:13,880
We go get billboards on the 
bypass and put all our good 

740
00:48:13,880 --> 00:48:18,960
works up there. 
No, just a real life, a genuine 

741
00:48:18,960 --> 00:48:22,400
life lived for Christ. 
People will observe your good 

742
00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:26,120
works. 
Now that confronts on us what 

743
00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:32,000
might be a subtle temptation. 
Some of us are content with an 

744
00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:35,960
inward faith that never becomes 
outward obedience. 

745
00:48:35,960 --> 00:48:40,600
All right. 
We're content to say we do 

746
00:48:40,600 --> 00:48:46,960
believe in Christ, but never 
really let that affect our life 

747
00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:52,400
unto obedience. 
We we affirm sound doctrine, 

748
00:48:53,240 --> 00:48:54,440
right? 
We're members of New Life 

749
00:48:54,440 --> 00:48:57,440
Community Church because we were
able to affirm the confession of

750
00:48:57,440 --> 00:49:00,440
faith. 
We even made a profession of 

751
00:49:00,440 --> 00:49:04,600
faith. 
We were baptized or right we we 

752
00:49:04,600 --> 00:49:11,720
agree with confessions. 
We defend truth at times, but 

753
00:49:11,720 --> 00:49:16,440
where are the visible works? 
That's the question, right? 

754
00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:20,840
James 217 says this faith by 
itself, if it does not have 

755
00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:26,680
works, is dead. 
There must be fruits from faith.

756
00:49:27,760 --> 00:49:31,720
If the gospel has truly gripped 
your heart, it will reshape your

757
00:49:31,720 --> 00:49:36,680
life, but that's undeniable 
right now. 

758
00:49:36,800 --> 00:49:42,000
Here is where this first becomes
searching for us because Christ 

759
00:49:42,000 --> 00:49:45,480
says so that they may see your 
good works and give glory to 

760
00:49:45,480 --> 00:49:49,560
your Father who is in heaven. 
Jesus does not say so that they 

761
00:49:49,560 --> 00:49:52,880
may see your good works and 
praise you that that would be 

762
00:49:52,880 --> 00:49:59,240
our fleshly instinct. 
We we like recognition. 

763
00:49:59,360 --> 00:50:04,600
Let's let's be honest, it's it's
nice when someone recognizes a 

764
00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:07,960
good deed. 
We we like being thought of as 

765
00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:14,560
faithful. 
We like quiet admiration, but 

766
00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:20,480
but key Kingdom righteousness 
redirects the attention upward 

767
00:50:22,360 --> 00:50:24,240
again. 
It's like a mirror reflecting 

768
00:50:24,360 --> 00:50:27,400
back to the Lord. 
The aim, then is that when 

769
00:50:27,400 --> 00:50:31,840
people observe your life, they 
do not say what a remarkable man

770
00:50:31,840 --> 00:50:36,400
Alan Garrett is. 
No, they say what a gracious God

771
00:50:36,720 --> 00:50:42,080
Alan has. 
But Lord Jones warns here about 

772
00:50:42,080 --> 00:50:45,680
subtle pride. 
He he points out that it is 

773
00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:47,720
impossible to do the right 
thing. 

774
00:50:48,440 --> 00:50:50,680
Sorry. 
It is possible to do the right 

775
00:50:50,680 --> 00:50:54,600
thing for the wrong reason, 
right? 

776
00:50:54,760 --> 00:50:57,440
It's possible to shine in order 
to be seen. 

777
00:50:57,440 --> 00:50:59,360
We're going to read about the 
Pharisees on the Sermon on the 

778
00:50:59,360 --> 00:51:03,160
Mount and how they're guilty of 
this, that that's precisely what

779
00:51:03,160 --> 00:51:07,000
Jesus is going to condemn later 
in chapter 6. 

780
00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:09,400
He's going to say, beware of 
practicing your righteousness 

781
00:51:09,560 --> 00:51:12,800
before other people in order to 
be seen by them. 

782
00:51:13,520 --> 00:51:17,280
Beware of that. 
So how do you reconcile? 

783
00:51:17,280 --> 00:51:20,480
516 It says light. 
Let your light shine before men,

784
00:51:20,480 --> 00:51:22,440
that they might see your good 
deeds and glorify your Father in

785
00:51:22,440 --> 00:51:24,800
heaven. 
And six, one which says, Beware 

786
00:51:24,800 --> 00:51:27,440
of practicing your righteousness
before others so that you may be

787
00:51:27,440 --> 00:51:30,760
seen by them. 
The difference becomes motive, 

788
00:51:31,320 --> 00:51:35,840
intentions of the hearts. 
And 516 good works are visible 

789
00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:37,800
because obedience cannot be 
hidden, right? 

790
00:51:37,800 --> 00:51:39,720
You're going to live these 
things out. 

791
00:51:39,720 --> 00:51:43,200
It's going to be seen, and the 
glory then goes to God. 

792
00:51:44,400 --> 00:51:48,720
In 6th 1, righteousness is 
performed in order to gain 

793
00:51:48,720 --> 00:51:50,960
applause. 
It's seeking it. 

794
00:51:51,800 --> 00:51:55,480
So one is unavoidable visibility
through a life that's been 

795
00:51:55,480 --> 00:51:57,160
transformed. 
The other is a calculated 

796
00:51:57,160 --> 00:51:59,440
display. 
Let me practice this before 

797
00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:04,400
others so that they might see my
good works and praise me, right?

798
00:52:04,400 --> 00:52:09,240
The Christian does not dim his 
light to avoid attention. 

799
00:52:09,240 --> 00:52:11,080
That's not what Christ is 
teaching here. 

800
00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:15,360
Neither does the Christian 
position himself to collect 

801
00:52:15,520 --> 00:52:19,600
praise, right? 
We live openly, but we live 

802
00:52:19,680 --> 00:52:25,160
humbly before the Lord. 
And then notice the relational 

803
00:52:25,160 --> 00:52:31,880
language that Christ uses. 
Your Father, not my Father who's

804
00:52:31,880 --> 00:52:34,280
in heaven, your Father who is in
heaven. 

805
00:52:36,080 --> 00:52:37,840
That's an intimate language, 
right? 

806
00:52:39,120 --> 00:52:43,000
That's making God the Father, 
our Father. 

807
00:52:45,280 --> 00:52:48,800
The world may not know him right
there. 

808
00:52:48,800 --> 00:52:51,320
We've we, we understand from 
Romans one that they are 

809
00:52:51,320 --> 00:52:54,800
suppressing the truths about 
him, that God has displayed his 

810
00:52:54,800 --> 00:52:57,880
glory in creation. 
It's a testament to who he is. 

811
00:52:58,200 --> 00:53:01,200
And unbelievers suppress that 
truth. 

812
00:53:01,200 --> 00:53:04,600
So the world may not know him, 
or at least they are suppressing

813
00:53:04,600 --> 00:53:09,680
things about him, but through 
your life they can see something

814
00:53:09,680 --> 00:53:14,840
of him. 
When your marriage reflects 

815
00:53:14,840 --> 00:53:19,080
covenant faithfulness, Paul's 
explicitly clear that this is an

816
00:53:19,080 --> 00:53:22,920
image of the gospel of Christ at
work. 

817
00:53:24,840 --> 00:53:28,280
The way a husband loves his wife
like Christ loved the church, 

818
00:53:28,280 --> 00:53:30,720
the way a wife submits to her 
husband like the church submits 

819
00:53:30,720 --> 00:53:33,280
to Christ. 
These things tell the story, so 

820
00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:35,800
to speak, of the gospel of 
Christ. 

821
00:53:39,000 --> 00:53:41,080
And so when your marriage 
reflects covenant faithfulness, 

822
00:53:41,080 --> 00:53:44,880
they see something of the 
Father's steadfast love for his 

823
00:53:44,880 --> 00:53:49,160
people. 
When you forgive someone, they 

824
00:53:49,160 --> 00:53:51,520
see something of the Father's 
mercy. 

825
00:53:52,320 --> 00:53:56,000
When you speak truth gently to 
someone, they see something of 

826
00:53:56,000 --> 00:53:59,240
the Father's wisdom. 
When you endure suffering 

827
00:53:59,240 --> 00:54:02,400
without becoming bitter towards 
God or towards whoever's caused 

828
00:54:02,400 --> 00:54:05,720
the suffering, or what have you,
they see something of the 

829
00:54:05,720 --> 00:54:08,880
Father's sovereign sufficiency 
in your life. 

830
00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:17,600
So your life becomes a window. 
The question is, does your life 

831
00:54:17,600 --> 00:54:24,200
magnify Christ? 
Now I do want us to be careful. 

832
00:54:24,200 --> 00:54:27,560
Many people like to reduce the 
teachings of Christ to like a 

833
00:54:27,560 --> 00:54:31,200
vague niceness, and he was a 
really nice guy. 

834
00:54:32,800 --> 00:54:35,800
Well, Christ is not reducing 
things to a vague niceness. 

835
00:54:36,120 --> 00:54:37,800
He's he's being very specific 
here. 

836
00:54:38,240 --> 00:54:42,320
Jesus says they will see your 
good works, and these good works

837
00:54:42,320 --> 00:54:45,240
are not to be detached from 
truth, right? 

838
00:54:45,240 --> 00:54:48,360
Titus 210 says believers are to 
live this way so that in 

839
00:54:48,360 --> 00:54:52,000
everything they may adorn the 
doctrine of God our Savior. 

840
00:54:52,920 --> 00:54:56,600
So our deeds must adorn our 
doctrine. 

841
00:54:57,120 --> 00:55:00,280
We cannot believe the creeds and
the confessions. 

842
00:55:00,320 --> 00:55:03,560
We cannot say that we believe 
God's word and then live a life 

843
00:55:03,720 --> 00:55:08,400
that is contrary to that. 
Our deeds must adorn doctrine. 

844
00:55:09,280 --> 00:55:13,200
However, your deeds do not. 
Please hear me. 

845
00:55:13,360 --> 00:55:19,880
Your deeds do not replace 
proclamation, they validate it, 

846
00:55:20,760 --> 00:55:22,840
right? 
Salt and light are not silent 

847
00:55:22,840 --> 00:55:25,960
metaphors. 
You cannot glorify the Father 

848
00:55:25,960 --> 00:55:28,920
without people eventually 
knowing who the Father is. 

849
00:55:29,040 --> 00:55:31,280
So witness becomes as salt and 
light. 

850
00:55:31,280 --> 00:55:34,160
Our witness becomes both life 
and lips. 

851
00:55:36,040 --> 00:55:38,800
It's both our deeds and our 
words. 

852
00:55:40,200 --> 00:55:44,680
We live distinctively and we 
speak clearly. 

853
00:55:44,680 --> 00:55:50,760
Brothers and sisters, we show 
mercy and we proclaim Christ out

854
00:55:50,760 --> 00:55:58,200
loud if we have good works, but 
we never speak of Jesus. 

855
00:55:59,880 --> 00:56:03,800
People are going to admire your 
morality without ever meeting 

856
00:56:03,800 --> 00:56:09,120
your Savior. 
If we speak loudly about Christ,

857
00:56:09,440 --> 00:56:11,640
What? 
We live a life that's contrary, 

858
00:56:12,040 --> 00:56:13,720
right? 
Our deeds don't show that we 

859
00:56:13,720 --> 00:56:17,400
really love Christ. 
Then we undermine the message 

860
00:56:17,400 --> 00:56:20,640
that we proclaim. 
You understand what that means? 

861
00:56:20,640 --> 00:56:25,000
Like, this is terrifying for me.
All right, I'm a preacher. 

862
00:56:26,280 --> 00:56:29,800
I'm married to Patricia. 
I have three sons in the home 

863
00:56:29,800 --> 00:56:32,600
with me. 
They hear me often proclaim 

864
00:56:32,880 --> 00:56:39,960
Christ in the pulpit. 
But if the way I live at home is

865
00:56:39,960 --> 00:56:44,320
contrary to the Christ I 
proclaim in the pulpit, then I'm

866
00:56:44,320 --> 00:56:49,920
going to produce sons of Satan, 
most likely. 

867
00:56:50,480 --> 00:56:52,400
Maybe they'll hear the word 
rightly preached. 

868
00:56:52,840 --> 00:56:58,160
But I'm going to undo everything
that I say if I go live, if I go

869
00:56:58,160 --> 00:57:03,520
live disobediently to God in my 
home, that this has to affect 

870
00:57:04,120 --> 00:57:08,880
the man or woman that you are in
places especially like your 

871
00:57:08,880 --> 00:57:13,680
home. 
It has to, right? 

872
00:57:13,680 --> 00:57:17,880
We, we can't just encourage our 
kids to trust the Lord, to 

873
00:57:17,880 --> 00:57:22,840
follow him, to use kind words, 
blah, blah, blah, and then not 

874
00:57:22,840 --> 00:57:27,040
do those things ourselves. 
They're, they're going to look 

875
00:57:27,040 --> 00:57:29,640
at your life, they're going to 
hear the words you're saying, 

876
00:57:29,640 --> 00:57:31,200
they're going to look at the way
you live and they're going to 

877
00:57:31,200 --> 00:57:33,520
say they don't even believe it. 
Why should I? 

878
00:57:35,840 --> 00:57:41,240
It's very, very sobering for me.
I hope it is for you. 

879
00:57:43,920 --> 00:57:48,960
Kingdom Witness is meant to hold
both things together, all right,

880
00:57:49,120 --> 00:57:52,560
Works and words, they should 
align. 

881
00:57:53,680 --> 00:57:56,640
We should have a life that's 
shaped by the Beatitudes, and we

882
00:57:56,640 --> 00:57:58,760
should have a mouth that's 
shaped by the gospel. 

883
00:58:02,960 --> 00:58:06,080
So let me ask you this. 
Where is God calling you to 

884
00:58:06,080 --> 00:58:11,920
visible obedience right now? 
Where is God calling you to 

885
00:58:11,920 --> 00:58:22,680
visible obedience right now? 
Is it in your integrity, doing 

886
00:58:22,680 --> 00:58:25,040
the right thing all the time, 
whether someone's watching or 

887
00:58:25,040 --> 00:58:26,760
not? 
Is it your purity? 

888
00:58:28,040 --> 00:58:30,840
Is it your faithfulness to God 
or your faithfulness to your 

889
00:58:30,840 --> 00:58:36,240
spouse or to your children? 
Is it, is it something like 

890
00:58:36,240 --> 00:58:45,600
hospitality or justice for 
mercy, for evangelism, for any 

891
00:58:45,600 --> 00:58:50,960
other number of things? 
I'm going to ask you to ask God,

892
00:58:50,960 --> 00:58:54,120
where are you calling me to 
obedience right now? 

893
00:58:54,960 --> 00:58:56,760
What are you calling me to do 
today? 

894
00:59:00,360 --> 00:59:03,360
Are the good works that grace 
has prepared for you? 

895
00:59:03,360 --> 00:59:09,520
The answer to that would be yes,
but are you letting fear or 

896
00:59:09,520 --> 00:59:15,560
discomfort delay your obedience?
When people look at your life, 

897
00:59:15,560 --> 00:59:19,600
do they think more of you or 
more of your Father in heaven? 

898
00:59:19,600 --> 00:59:24,320
Do they walk away impressed with
your discipline or are they 

899
00:59:24,320 --> 00:59:27,160
drawn to your God? 
Do they walk? 

900
00:59:27,560 --> 00:59:31,360
Do they see a man protecting his
reputation or a man who wants 

901
00:59:31,360 --> 00:59:35,280
Christ to be honored? 
Right, the the world doesn't 

902
00:59:35,280 --> 00:59:38,480
need polished Christians. 
Holy Christians, yes. 

903
00:59:39,200 --> 00:59:42,680
Polish Christians, no. 
We need transparent Christians, 

904
00:59:43,400 --> 00:59:46,440
men and women who are so clearly
dependent on grace that when 

905
00:59:46,440 --> 00:59:49,880
obedience shows up, God gets the
credit for it. 

906
00:59:50,880 --> 00:59:53,600
That's the aim, right? 
The aim is not cultural 

907
00:59:53,600 --> 00:59:57,360
applause. 
The aim as a church is not 

908
00:59:57,360 --> 01:00:00,200
church growth metrics. 
In fact, we would need to be 

909
01:00:00,200 --> 01:00:03,800
doing the opposite of what I'm 
teaching today to employ church 

910
01:00:03,800 --> 01:00:08,200
growth metrics. 
The the aim is not personal 

911
01:00:08,200 --> 01:00:11,800
platforms. 
The the aim is that in Magnolia 

912
01:00:11,800 --> 01:00:14,880
and beyond, there would be men 
and women and boys and girls who

913
01:00:14,880 --> 01:00:19,000
look at the lives of believers 
and say God must be real. 

914
01:00:22,040 --> 01:00:24,960
That's why we shine, right? 
That that's why we live 

915
01:00:24,960 --> 01:00:27,720
distinctively. 
That's why the king has placed 

916
01:00:27,720 --> 01:00:29,360
you in a dark and decaying 
world. 

917
01:00:29,800 --> 01:00:33,080
It's not for yourself. 
It's for the glory of your 

918
01:00:33,080 --> 01:00:34,760
Father in heaven. 
It's for the good of your 

919
01:00:34,760 --> 01:00:39,000
neighbor. 
So what would this look like if 

920
01:00:39,000 --> 01:00:43,920
we obeyed it? 
If we said, Lord, I see Matthew 

921
01:00:43,920 --> 01:00:47,520
513 through 16, that you have 
called me the light of the 

922
01:00:47,520 --> 01:00:50,040
world, the salt, or you have the
light of the world, the salt of 

923
01:00:50,040 --> 01:00:52,560
the earth. 
You want me to shine before 

924
01:00:52,560 --> 01:00:55,640
others so that they may see your
my good works and glorify You. 

925
01:00:55,640 --> 01:00:59,400
Father, what would this look 
like for me to obey it? 

926
01:00:59,680 --> 01:01:01,560
Where are You calling me to 
obedience? 

927
01:01:03,120 --> 01:01:07,360
I want to offer some pictures of
what this might look like, just 

928
01:01:07,360 --> 01:01:11,000
briefly. 
It would look like husbands who 

929
01:01:11,000 --> 01:01:16,200
lovingly lead their wives with 
steady conviction, men who open 

930
01:01:16,200 --> 01:01:19,360
their Bibles, men who walk 
humbly with the Lord, men who 

931
01:01:19,360 --> 01:01:22,360
protect and provide for their 
families and their churchmen. 

932
01:01:23,760 --> 01:01:26,080
It would look like wives who 
joyfully submit to their 

933
01:01:26,080 --> 01:01:30,240
husbands and the Lord with 
strength and dignity, not weak, 

934
01:01:30,760 --> 01:01:34,760
but strong in faith, steady and 
love, shaping their homes with 

935
01:01:34,760 --> 01:01:37,840
grace. 
It would look like parents who 

936
01:01:37,840 --> 01:01:40,720
take seriously the command to 
raise their children in the 

937
01:01:40,720 --> 01:01:43,720
discipline and instruction of 
the Lord, not outsourcing 

938
01:01:43,720 --> 01:01:47,640
discipleship to the church, not 
leaving formation to the screens

939
01:01:47,640 --> 01:01:51,120
that they have in their hands, 
but intentionally teaching them,

940
01:01:51,280 --> 01:01:54,560
correcting them, modeling for 
them, praying for them. 

941
01:01:56,160 --> 01:01:58,800
It would look like teenagers, 
young men and women who love the

942
01:01:58,800 --> 01:02:03,320
Lord, who fear God more than any
fear of missing out on 

943
01:02:03,320 --> 01:02:06,160
something. 
Young men and women who prize 

944
01:02:06,240 --> 01:02:11,120
holiness and pursue purity. 
Young men and women who tell the

945
01:02:11,120 --> 01:02:14,080
truth even when it costs them 
socially. 

946
01:02:15,640 --> 01:02:18,120
It would look like business 
owners and employees who refuse 

947
01:02:18,120 --> 01:02:22,960
dishonesty, who who would rather
absorb loss than compromise 

948
01:02:23,160 --> 01:02:26,560
righteousness. 
It would look like church 

949
01:02:26,560 --> 01:02:30,120
members who move toward one 
another when there's tension 

950
01:02:30,120 --> 01:02:33,440
between them, seeking 
reconciliation instead of 

951
01:02:33,440 --> 01:02:38,040
harboring resentment. 
And it would look like 1000 

952
01:02:38,040 --> 01:02:39,800
other things that God would do 
among us. 

953
01:02:42,280 --> 01:02:46,200
But what would Magnolia see all 
the people around you see? 

954
01:02:46,200 --> 01:02:48,200
What would your families and 
your homes see? 

955
01:02:49,360 --> 01:02:51,640
What would your your fellow 
church members see? 

956
01:02:53,120 --> 01:02:56,760
Well, they would see salt. 
They would see that decay is 

957
01:02:56,760 --> 01:03:00,520
being slowed, that corruption is
being restrained, that Holmes 

958
01:03:00,520 --> 01:03:03,480
are being strengthened. 
The truths spoken in love. 

959
01:03:04,200 --> 01:03:07,040
They they would see the light, 
which will bring clarity to 

960
01:03:07,040 --> 01:03:09,600
confusion. 
It would bring hope and sorrow, 

961
01:03:09,600 --> 01:03:12,520
stability and chaos, joy that 
doesn't depend on your 

962
01:03:12,520 --> 01:03:16,600
circumstances. 
And slowly, maybe sometimes 

963
01:03:16,600 --> 01:03:19,360
quietly, maybe sometimes 
dramatically, right, people 

964
01:03:19,360 --> 01:03:23,440
would begin asking questions. 
Why are you different? 

965
01:03:24,960 --> 01:03:26,720
Why? 
Why do you forgive that person 

966
01:03:26,720 --> 01:03:30,200
who's wronged you? 
Why do you endure suffering with

967
01:03:30,200 --> 01:03:32,400
so much peace? 
Why? 

968
01:03:32,400 --> 01:03:35,120
Why do you care about holiness 
so much? 

969
01:03:37,440 --> 01:03:41,560
And your answer would be because
I belong to the King of Heaven. 

970
01:03:43,120 --> 01:03:46,760
I'm a citizen of His Kingdom. 
He's made me the light of the 

971
01:03:46,760 --> 01:03:49,680
world, the salt of the earth, by
His marvelous grace. 

972
01:03:52,880 --> 01:03:55,360
Church. 
It's about faithful presence. 

973
01:03:55,360 --> 01:03:56,920
That's what Christ is teaching 
here. 

974
01:03:58,160 --> 01:04:00,680
You're called to be salt and 
light. 

975
01:04:02,400 --> 01:04:05,480
So let me speak plainly to those
of you in here who believe 

976
01:04:05,480 --> 01:04:07,160
today. 
You believe Christ. 

977
01:04:07,160 --> 01:04:08,680
You've trusted him with your 
life. 

978
01:04:10,440 --> 01:04:16,840
Where have you been blending in?
Where has fear silenced your 

979
01:04:16,840 --> 01:04:20,600
obedience? 
Where has comfort dulled your 

980
01:04:20,600 --> 01:04:24,960
distinctiveness? 
Where has private compromise 

981
01:04:25,000 --> 01:04:34,160
weakened public witness? 
I urge you, repent of those 

982
01:04:34,160 --> 01:04:37,400
things. 
Return to Christ, draw near to 

983
01:04:37,400 --> 01:04:39,840
Him. 
Let his grace reshape you. 

984
01:04:41,200 --> 01:04:44,080
Do not shine by trying harder 
today. 

985
01:04:44,080 --> 01:04:51,160
That's not the message. 
You shine by abiding deeper, and

986
01:04:51,160 --> 01:04:54,640
if Christ is central in your 
life, the light will come, the 

987
01:04:54,640 --> 01:05:00,920
salt will be. 
Evidence may also speak to 

988
01:05:00,920 --> 01:05:03,560
anyone here who is not a 
Christian. 

989
01:05:05,080 --> 01:05:08,120
You've not yet repented of your 
sins and placed your faith in 

990
01:05:08,120 --> 01:05:11,120
Christ. 
I want you to understand you 

991
01:05:11,120 --> 01:05:15,880
cannot be salt if you are still 
a part of the decay. 

992
01:05:17,000 --> 01:05:20,320
You cannot be light if you are 
still in the darkness. 

993
01:05:21,200 --> 01:05:24,840
The problem is not nearly merely
that the world is dark. 

994
01:05:24,840 --> 01:05:27,560
The problem is that you are dark
by nature. 

995
01:05:29,080 --> 01:05:31,680
Right. 
Scripture says in Romans 323 

996
01:05:31,680 --> 01:05:34,480
that we have all sinned and 
fallen short of the glory of 

997
01:05:34,480 --> 01:05:37,280
God. 
We saw in Romans one that we are

998
01:05:37,280 --> 01:05:41,160
suppressors of truth. 
We see throughout the Scriptures

999
01:05:41,160 --> 01:05:43,520
that we love ourselves more than
we love God. 

1000
01:05:44,440 --> 01:05:46,600
And that is why decay exists in 
the world. 

1001
01:05:46,600 --> 01:05:50,560
That's why darkness exists. 
It begins in the human heart. 

1002
01:05:52,920 --> 01:05:57,600
But here's the good news that 
the true light has come into the

1003
01:05:57,600 --> 01:06:00,880
world. 
Jesus Christ, the true light, 

1004
01:06:00,880 --> 01:06:04,160
lived the perfectly distinct 
life that you have not lived and

1005
01:06:04,160 --> 01:06:06,840
cannot live. 
He obeyed where you have 

1006
01:06:06,840 --> 01:06:11,360
compromised. 
He has shown His light without 

1007
01:06:11,560 --> 01:06:18,440
dimming, and when He went to the
cross for our sin, what we see 

1008
01:06:18,440 --> 01:06:21,120
there is that on the cross the 
judgment we deserve for our 

1009
01:06:21,120 --> 01:06:26,560
rebellion fell on Him, and three
days later, after his death, He 

1010
01:06:26,560 --> 01:06:29,160
rose from the dead, conquering 
sin and death. 

1011
01:06:29,360 --> 01:06:34,560
And now Christ calls you to 
repent and to believe, to turn 

1012
01:06:34,560 --> 01:06:40,000
from your sins, to trust Him as 
your Savior, and to be united to

1013
01:06:40,000 --> 01:06:43,000
the light. 
Only then will you be able to 

1014
01:06:43,000 --> 01:06:45,200
shine as a light in the 
darkness. 

1015
01:06:47,960 --> 01:06:52,640
Church, this is Our Calling. 
In a dark and decaying world. 

1016
01:06:52,640 --> 01:06:56,400
We reflect God's glory through 
faithful presence and good 

1017
01:06:56,400 --> 01:06:59,040
works. 
We're not going to do it 

1018
01:06:59,040 --> 01:07:01,600
perfectly. 
We won't do it Florida State, 

1019
01:07:01,880 --> 01:07:05,120
but we can do it genuinely. 
We can be faithful here, 

1020
01:07:05,760 --> 01:07:08,440
faithful when we fail, and 
faithful and we succeed. 

1021
01:07:10,920 --> 01:07:13,800
So let us leave here today 
resolved to be distinct without 

1022
01:07:13,800 --> 01:07:17,920
being harsh, to be visible 
without being prideful, to be 

1023
01:07:17,920 --> 01:07:21,280
courageous without being 
arrogance, to be holy without 

1024
01:07:21,280 --> 01:07:25,320
being self-righteous. 
Because Kingdom citizens reflect

1025
01:07:25,320 --> 01:07:28,480
God's glory through their 
faithful presence and good works

1026
01:07:28,480 --> 01:07:31,560
in the dark and decaying world. 
And may it be said of this 

1027
01:07:31,560 --> 01:07:35,720
Church of New Life Community 
Church, not that we were 

1028
01:07:35,720 --> 01:07:40,080
impressive, but that our Father 
in Heaven was glorified and all 

1029
01:07:40,080 --> 01:07:42,840
that we said and did and 
thought, Amen. 

1030
01:07:43,520 --> 01:07:45,960
Let's pray. 
Heavenly Father, we thank you 

1031
01:07:46,720 --> 01:07:49,200
for your word today. 
We thank you that you have 

1032
01:07:49,200 --> 01:07:53,560
called us as Christians salt of 
the earth, light of the world. 

1033
01:07:54,600 --> 01:07:58,040
You've called us out of darkness
and put us, brought us into 

1034
01:07:58,040 --> 01:08:01,600
marvelous lights. 
You've made us new creatures in 

1035
01:08:01,600 --> 01:08:04,280
Christ. 
You've made it possible through 

1036
01:08:04,280 --> 01:08:08,760
regeneration for us to live a 
life that honors and glorifies 

1037
01:08:08,960 --> 01:08:12,000
your great name. 
That's the aim of all of this, 

1038
01:08:12,000 --> 01:08:13,600
Lord, is that we would glorify 
you. 

1039
01:08:14,320 --> 01:08:18,640
And so I ask now, Father, that 
you would help us to examine our

1040
01:08:18,640 --> 01:08:22,560
hearts, to examine our minds, to
examine our actions and our 

1041
01:08:22,560 --> 01:08:32,279
words, and to see to see where 
we've been unfaithful, where we 

1042
01:08:32,640 --> 01:08:36,080
just quite honestly haven't 
wanted to obey your commands in 

1043
01:08:36,080 --> 01:08:41,080
our life, where we've 
pridefully, arrogantly stood 

1044
01:08:41,080 --> 01:08:45,120
against you. 
God, would you reveal that as 

1045
01:08:45,120 --> 01:08:50,279
painful as it is, would you 
reveal those things to us? 

1046
01:08:53,840 --> 01:08:55,640
And would you lead us into 
repentance? 

1047
01:08:57,840 --> 01:09:00,960
Romans tells us that it's the 
kindness of the Lord that leads 

1048
01:09:00,960 --> 01:09:04,840
us to repentance. 
So, Lord, let us be drawn to you

1049
01:09:04,840 --> 01:09:09,600
by your kindness. 
Give us lives that reflect your 

1050
01:09:09,600 --> 01:09:12,479
glory as we become salt and 
light. 

1051
01:09:13,680 --> 01:09:16,800
And Lord, I pray also for those 
who do not believe today. 

1052
01:09:17,479 --> 01:09:19,760
Would you draw them to yourself 
this morning? 

1053
01:09:20,120 --> 01:09:22,000
Let nothing hinder them from 
coming. 

1054
01:09:23,319 --> 01:09:29,359
God, would you grant them faith 
and repentance by Your grace? 

1055
01:09:29,720 --> 01:09:33,240
Would you create in them a new 
heart, a right spirit with you? 

1056
01:09:34,399 --> 01:09:37,600
Would you grant to them your 
Holy Spirit and give them, make 

1057
01:09:37,600 --> 01:09:42,279
them new creations washed by 
regeneration and renewal of the 

1058
01:09:42,279 --> 01:09:46,880
Holy Spirit, that they might 
become the kind of people who 

1059
01:09:46,880 --> 01:09:49,319
adorn the gospel with their 
deeds? 

1060
01:09:49,319 --> 01:09:56,120
I'm going to give you a moment. 
Now they're in your seat to 

1061
01:09:56,120 --> 01:09:59,640
reflect on the message, the 
questions that have been 

1062
01:09:59,640 --> 01:10:03,760
proposed, the words of Christ 
that we've read today, and to 

1063
01:10:03,760 --> 01:10:06,800
respond to the Lord faithfully 
now. 

1064
01:11:12,920 --> 01:11:15,400
Heavenly Father, we thank you 
for your kindness toward us. 

1065
01:11:17,360 --> 01:11:19,840
God, we thank you for the 
faithful life of Christ. 

1066
01:11:21,520 --> 01:11:26,880
He was perfect without sin, 
without blemish, without spot or

1067
01:11:26,880 --> 01:11:31,120
wrinkle. 
Because of your great love, You 

1068
01:11:31,120 --> 01:11:35,560
sent Him to give Himself for us,
to become a sacrifice for us so 

1069
01:11:35,560 --> 01:11:42,000
that we might truly live to be 
reconciled to God the Father, to

1070
01:11:42,000 --> 01:11:48,400
walk in fellowship with you. 
He's our mediator in heaven. 

1071
01:11:48,720 --> 01:11:53,640
He's our advocate. 
And so when we have sinned, when

1072
01:11:53,640 --> 01:11:58,200
we have erred, we have an 
advocate before you, Christ our 

1073
01:11:58,200 --> 01:12:06,360
Lord, so we can repent and we 
can trust that you are faithful 

1074
01:12:06,360 --> 01:12:12,000
and just to forgive us our sins.
Lord, we thank you for these 

1075
01:12:12,000 --> 01:12:17,400
promises, for these truths. 
God, would you help us to live 

1076
01:12:17,400 --> 01:12:22,240
as lights in the world. 
Salt in the earth helps to 

1077
01:12:22,240 --> 01:12:25,840
glorify your great name, to 
honor our Father in heaven. 

1078
01:12:27,920 --> 01:12:30,400
In the name of Christ I pray. 
Amen.