WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:25.920 All right, anyway, Happy Chinese New Year. 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:28.080 I have no idea what I just said to you. 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:32.600 But anyway, I have to give special thanks for Kelvin for training me. 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:33.659 He was very patient. 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:37.320 I love Chinese New Year. 00:00:37.420 --> 00:00:39.679 I think it's one of my favorite times of year. 00:00:39.820 --> 00:00:44.500 I love the colors, the festivities, the family time. 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:49.920 And when I first moved to Hong Kong, 00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:54.179 one of my local colleagues was teaching me about Chinese culture 00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:56.239 and all the different things that we do. 00:00:56.239 --> 00:00:58.039 And Chinese New Year came along and he said, 00:00:58.239 --> 00:01:02.539 well, how about you come over to my house for the Chinese New Year meal? 00:01:02.859 --> 00:01:05.120 Now, what a great privilege, right? 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:08.659 So I love food and he said Chinese New Year is all about the food. 00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:11.799 So come along, which I did. 00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:19.179 And when I entered his house, one of the first things I noticed as we came in was something like this. 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:21.500 I don't know if you can all get a look at that. 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:27.039 And he said, this is the tray of togetherness, right? 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:29.420 In Chinese, it's called... 00:01:29.420 --> 00:01:33.260 Whatever. 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:36.460 But in English, the tray of togetherness. 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:39.960 And anyway, he opened it up and it was fantastic. 00:01:40.100 --> 00:01:44.840 My eyes lit up because it was full of what I thought were snacks, right? 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:46.520 And what a great way to start a party. 00:01:46.740 --> 00:01:47.820 You start with snacks. 00:01:47.819 --> 00:01:49.539 And he said, well, it's not quite like that. 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:53.399 They all represent different things. 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:59.479 And so he said, for example, the lotus roots, this represents abundance. 00:01:59.739 --> 00:02:01.459 So, of course, I tried the lotus root. 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:07.699 And then he said, and the dried coconut, that represents togetherness. 00:02:07.819 --> 00:02:09.739 You know, the family, everyone coming together. 00:02:10.419 --> 00:02:12.039 And then there were a whole lot of seeds. 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:14.099 And he said, this is the red watermelon seed. 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:18.639 This represents fertility, that you may have lots of offspring. 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:20.060 So I thought, oh, one day. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:21.900 So I tried a watermelon seed. 00:02:21.900 --> 00:02:24.840 And then the black watermelon seed, what's this one for? 00:02:24.900 --> 00:02:27.219 And he said, oh, it's also fertility, right? 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:28.699 That you're going to have lots of offspring. 00:02:28.859 --> 00:02:30.740 So I tried that too. 00:02:31.460 --> 00:02:35.840 And then there was a candied lotus seed, right? 00:02:35.920 --> 00:02:37.560 So I like anything that's candy. 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:38.320 I tried that. 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:40.420 And I said, what does that represent? 00:02:40.600 --> 00:02:45.219 And he said, fertility, that you may have lots of offspring. 00:02:45.600 --> 00:02:48.219 So at this point, after eating all those seeds, 00:02:48.219 --> 00:02:52.280 I must be the most fertile man in Hong Kong, right? 00:02:53.219 --> 00:02:54.700 And then he says, but don't worry. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:55.140 Don't worry. 00:02:55.200 --> 00:02:55.960 There's one more here. 00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:58.540 Try the candied winter melon. 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:02.259 This represents growth and health. 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:06.239 And considering how fertile you are right now, you're going to need this. 00:03:07.299 --> 00:03:13.719 And anyway, so these are, they're all good things, right? 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:20.039 That we aspire to be or we aspire to get in the coming year. 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:22.919 And a question I kind of ask myself is why? 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:26.219 Why would we desire these things? 00:03:26.579 --> 00:03:30.180 And I guess part of the answer is that we want to feel secure. 00:03:30.739 --> 00:03:33.039 We want to feel successful. 00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:41.639 But I think there's a little part of us that wants it to be our influence on the world. 00:03:41.639 --> 00:03:48.519 But is it how Jesus wants us to be an influence on the world? 00:03:50.679 --> 00:03:57.479 If we are to be abundant, if we are to be prosperous, if we are to be fertile and have lots of kids, 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:02.500 is that the kind of influence Jesus says that's going to make the world stand up and go, 00:04:02.799 --> 00:04:05.560 wow, you guys really have got it together? 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:16.199 And Jesus actually said, no, there's just two things that you need to be to be a real influence on this world. 00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:25.560 So as we enter the year of the monkey, I propose a new tray of togetherness. 00:04:26.340 --> 00:04:28.259 But it's only going to have two elements in it. 00:04:28.259 --> 00:04:35.259 So if we look here, it would just have... 00:04:35.259 --> 00:04:38.159 I just hope I don't set myself on fire here. 00:04:46.019 --> 00:04:49.500 Salt and a candle which represents light. 00:04:50.259 --> 00:04:52.060 Because that's what Jesus said, right? 00:04:52.060 --> 00:04:59.319 If you want to be a real influence on this world, you need to be salt and light. 00:05:00.280 --> 00:05:07.459 And the content Jesus gave us for a salty life was the Gospel of Matthew. 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:09.139 We just read the Sermon on the Mount. 00:05:09.920 --> 00:05:14.120 And when I became a believer, I thought that... 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:15.340 And I started reading my Bible. 00:05:15.340 --> 00:05:21.500 I just thought the four Gospels was the same story told four times that we wouldn't forget it. 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:26.079 And I've come to realize that actually it's not, right? 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:29.899 Each Gospel has a certain emphasis on Jesus. 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:32.879 It brings out certain elements of His ministry. 00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:36.720 But more than that, each Gospel has a certain audience, 00:05:36.819 --> 00:05:39.000 a particular people that they're aiming at. 00:05:39.500 --> 00:05:45.079 And the Gospel of Matthew is written primarily for believers. 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:48.779 To remind them how to live in the kingdom. 00:05:48.779 --> 00:05:52.559 If you were to give the Gospel of Matthew to an unbeliever, 00:05:53.179 --> 00:05:57.839 they could easily come to the conclusion that Christianity is about do-gooding. 00:05:58.019 --> 00:06:00.239 You know, be nice to grandmother and the cat. 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:02.319 But it's not, right? 00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:07.399 We know that the Gospel is about knowing God, right? 00:06:07.539 --> 00:06:10.319 So here it is. 00:06:10.379 --> 00:06:13.419 It's people who have already repented of their bad deeds. 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:14.619 They've believed in Jesus. 00:06:14.839 --> 00:06:16.259 They've received the Holy Spirit. 00:06:16.359 --> 00:06:17.039 They've been baptized. 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:20.420 In other words, they've decided to follow the king. 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:23.879 And now they get to the Gospel of Matthew. 00:06:23.980 --> 00:06:27.260 And Jesus says, this is how you are to live. 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:30.879 This is the lifestyle of the kingdom. 00:06:32.460 --> 00:06:34.280 It's not how to get into the kingdom. 00:06:34.420 --> 00:06:35.439 You're already in the kingdom. 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:39.000 But this is how we live in the kingdom. 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:43.600 Now, if I had to say salt to you, and I'll show you some here, 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:46.579 what is the first thing you think of? 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:54.759 Somebody said salty chips. 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:57.060 That's what I think of, right? 00:06:57.160 --> 00:06:58.180 French fries, right? 00:06:58.319 --> 00:06:59.600 Has to be dipped in salt. 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:04.879 But we kind of associate salt with the kitchen, right? 00:07:06.140 --> 00:07:06.460 No? 00:07:06.640 --> 00:07:07.200 Okay, good. 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:08.939 We're thinking of salt in the kitchen. 00:07:10.200 --> 00:07:12.000 And what's the purpose of salt? 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:17.439 See, adding a little bit of flavor, right? 00:07:17.960 --> 00:07:19.260 So is that what Jesus said? 00:07:19.280 --> 00:07:20.300 I want you to be salt. 00:07:20.400 --> 00:07:22.920 I want you to add a little bit of flavor to this world. 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:24.180 It's a little bit dull. 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:27.319 I mean, that's how your office might look at Christians. 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:29.480 There's Chris the Christian. 00:07:29.579 --> 00:07:32.100 Oh, we just love Chris the Christian in our office. 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:34.139 He just adds so much flavor. 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:39.199 Without Chris the Christian, you know, we would be quite bland. 00:07:40.139 --> 00:07:42.300 Is that probably how our office talks about us? 00:07:43.180 --> 00:07:43.519 No. 00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:44.600 No, right? 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:47.980 We're not really there to add flavor. 00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:51.280 So what did Jesus mean when he said salt? 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:55.839 It actually tells us in Luke's gospel. 00:07:55.979 --> 00:07:56.599 So listen carefully. 00:07:56.699 --> 00:07:57.279 I'll read it for you. 00:07:57.379 --> 00:07:57.559 It says, 00:07:57.819 --> 00:08:03.699 Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:04.500 Now listen carefully. 00:08:05.239 --> 00:08:09.899 It is fit neither for the soil nor the manure pile. 00:08:10.559 --> 00:08:11.919 It is thrown out. 00:08:12.119 --> 00:08:15.199 Whoever is ears to hear, let them hear. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:23.240 Jesus was always using pictures from everyday life that people would understand what he was talking about. 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:28.240 He was using farming analogies, real stories, right, that people could relate to. 00:08:28.719 --> 00:08:34.059 And when he spoke about salt, he said the soil or the manure pile. 00:08:35.419 --> 00:08:36.240 Two things. 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:41.279 So think of ground, dirt, or you're thinking of the toilet. 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:48.019 Now, in Israel, they got all their salt from a place called the Dead Sea. 00:08:48.700 --> 00:08:50.379 Have any of you been to the Dead Sea? 00:08:50.659 --> 00:08:50.799 Can I? 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:52.779 Okay, a few of you, right? 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:59.919 So the Dead Sea is this amazing place where you can literally, you can float in it because it's so dense with salt. 00:09:00.019 --> 00:09:01.680 You float in it and you can read a book. 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:07.919 And I actually, I was in Israel 20 years ago in 1996 as an 18-year-old. 00:09:08.299 --> 00:09:09.439 So there you guys are doing the maths. 00:09:09.939 --> 00:09:16.739 And I thought it would be a great idea to, because there's a picture of me reading a book on the Dead Sea. 00:09:16.839 --> 00:09:19.979 And I went searching for the photo and I found it. 00:09:20.019 --> 00:09:22.599 And unfortunately, it was me without a t-shirt on. 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:27.079 So I thought, what a terrible way to start the new year if I had to show that picture to you. 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:30.479 So I'm going to spare you that scene, right? 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:36.300 But at the Dead Sea, what they would do is they would gather the salt. 00:09:36.420 --> 00:09:42.680 And the salt at the Dead Sea was filled with something called potassium chloride, potash. 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:47.560 Okay, now everyone in Hong Kong, most of us are not gardeners. 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:50.560 But gardeners would light up when I said that. 00:09:50.820 --> 00:09:55.220 Because potash is an essential ingredient in fertilizers. 00:09:55.220 --> 00:10:00.279 So any good fertilizer you buy today, you've got to look out for potash. 00:10:00.460 --> 00:10:05.500 And potash will make the flowers and the fruit grow. 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:11.500 So when Jesus said salt will be good for the soil, of course they all understood it. 00:10:11.580 --> 00:10:13.680 They used salt in fertilizers. 00:10:14.200 --> 00:10:16.779 Salt made good things grow. 00:10:16.779 --> 00:10:23.240 And then he said it was also good for the manure pile. 00:10:24.139 --> 00:10:31.220 Now this might be a surprise to us, but in first century Israel, they didn't have flushing toilets. 00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:34.399 Okay, breathe a sigh of relief. 00:10:34.500 --> 00:10:35.539 That's good, right? 00:10:35.740 --> 00:10:36.639 Not for us. 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:38.439 We have flushing toilets. 00:10:38.440 --> 00:10:44.900 And when I was, I'd been a believer for about six months. 00:10:45.060 --> 00:10:49.880 I did a mission trip up from South Africa to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. 00:10:50.380 --> 00:10:56.560 And literally we just jumped in a van, put a trail on the back, and we went out to all these little rural churches. 00:10:56.860 --> 00:10:59.340 And they also didn't have flushing toilets. 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:02.460 And they had, what they use is something called a long drop. 00:11:02.460 --> 00:11:06.060 And there's nothing elegant about a long drop. 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:10.240 And even less so trying to use one, especially in the dark. 00:11:10.920 --> 00:11:16.500 And anyway, we arrived in one little village, and they were busy making a long drop. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:18.200 And they said, come have a look, right? 00:11:18.259 --> 00:11:19.639 This is village excitement. 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:23.379 Who needs late night TV when you can watch a long drop being built? 00:11:23.660 --> 00:11:25.940 So we all gathered, and we're looking at this thing. 00:11:26.040 --> 00:11:28.200 And he says, okay, we dig a big hole. 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:31.139 And then what we do is we kill a chicken. 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:36.039 And we leave the chicken outside in the African sun to rot. 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:42.519 And once it starts smelling and it gets full of maggots, they then throw it down the hole. 00:11:43.199 --> 00:11:49.740 And of course later when everyone starts using the long drop, those maggots begin to act as a disinfectant and break down. 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:52.539 You know what they break down, right? 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:55.939 So it's the exact same with salt here. 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:00.960 First century Israel, you would go and you would do your business at the manure pile. 00:12:01.139 --> 00:12:04.000 And there would be a big box of salt. 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:09.259 You would take a handful of the salt and you would put it on your business, right? 00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:10.240 You know what you're putting on. 00:12:10.439 --> 00:12:12.139 And it would act as a disinfectant. 00:12:12.199 --> 00:12:16.559 In other words, it would stop bad things from spreading. 00:12:17.980 --> 00:12:20.980 So salt had a positive and a negative quality. 00:12:20.980 --> 00:12:23.860 One, it made good things grow. 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:27.939 And two, it stopped bad things from spreading. 00:12:27.940 --> 00:12:30.740 I hope you see where we're going here. 00:12:34.160 --> 00:12:36.000 You might not guess it, right? 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:39.140 But I like to play squash. 00:12:39.139 --> 00:12:44.539 And I took up the game sort of the end of high school, the beginning of university years. 00:12:45.059 --> 00:12:47.679 And I wasn't a Christian at the time. 00:12:48.199 --> 00:13:00.379 And whenever you see people playing squash, especially men, when we make a mistake, and for me it was quite regular to make a mistake, we tend to swear a lot. 00:13:00.379 --> 00:13:04.439 And then I became a Christian. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:09.860 And I find when you become a Christian, one of the first things Jesus gets hold of is your mouth. 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:12.980 And no one told me to stop swearing. 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:15.120 I just, something changed, right? 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:17.600 Jesus got hold of the way we speak. 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:19.600 And I stopped swearing. 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:22.920 And a very weird thing began happening. 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:27.279 The people I played against, I never told them I'm a Christian or please don't swear. 00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:29.200 But I stopped swearing. 00:13:29.379 --> 00:13:32.600 And soon, they stopped swearing too. 00:13:33.040 --> 00:13:34.480 And then it got even weirder. 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:39.100 When they did swear, they would turn to me and apologize for swearing. 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:47.960 Okay, another thing that I did that I'm really not proud of, but because I'm not very good, I used to cheat. 00:13:47.960 --> 00:13:53.040 Okay, now in squash, it's relatively easy to cheat, right? 00:13:53.160 --> 00:13:55.800 Because you're kind of all in a little box together. 00:13:55.940 --> 00:14:00.540 You can easily claim you were in my way or that ball was in, not out. 00:14:00.580 --> 00:14:03.759 And I'm sure all the guys I played with, they used to cheat as well. 00:14:04.780 --> 00:14:09.060 And being a believer, I thought, well, now I have to be honest, right? 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:15.400 My squash game is going to plummet, but I have to be honest and leave my integrity on the court. 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:25.860 And what I found was, my being honest made the guys I was playing against be honest too. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:29.899 They started being honest about the game that they were playing as well. 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:34.639 And you might think, okay, that's a very silly example. 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:40.519 And believe me, I can give you countless examples of where I've been very poor, salt and light. 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:47.360 But it is an example of how salt can cause good things to grow. 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:51.539 Good things like honesty can grow because of salt. 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:57.720 And it causes bad things to stop spreading, like the way we speak in a negative way. 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:01.299 This has two implications. 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:06.259 The one is the distribution of salt, right? 00:15:06.259 --> 00:15:10.799 So if you go to the kitchen and you're seasoning your steak, you don't need a lot of salt. 00:15:11.439 --> 00:15:16.559 Well, maybe some people like a lot of salt, but you don't need that much salt to season a steak. 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:26.259 One thing we have to understand is that salt needs to be in contact with its environment to work. 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:29.139 In other words, think of that toilet. 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:33.080 It cannot stay in the box to be a disinfectant. 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:37.220 It has to be in contact with the dirt in order to work. 00:15:38.580 --> 00:15:44.100 So there was a girl in our home group back in South Africa. 00:15:44.940 --> 00:15:48.840 And she was working at a law firm. 00:15:49.040 --> 00:15:51.020 And she had quite a difficult time. 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:53.860 And she was the only believer in the office. 00:15:54.560 --> 00:16:00.120 And anyway, she shared with us she just got an offer at a Christian firm, right? 00:16:00.140 --> 00:16:02.220 And she was really excited about this, right? 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:03.560 She had been praying. 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:07.500 And suddenly she found that she had an answer and she was going to go and work at a Christian firm. 00:16:08.340 --> 00:16:11.100 And she went and told our pastor. 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:16.240 She said, you wouldn't believe it, but I now have the job of my dreams. 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:19.879 I'm resigning at the end of the week and I'm going to go and work in a Christian firm. 00:16:20.100 --> 00:16:22.460 And the pastor's face just dropped. 00:16:23.560 --> 00:16:24.240 She said, what? 00:16:24.360 --> 00:16:25.720 I thought you would be happy. 00:16:25.899 --> 00:16:26.840 There's something wrong. 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:29.340 And he said, well, two things. 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:35.660 Number one, you will find out that working with Christians is not the promised land. 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:42.360 There's a lovely little, there's a naughty poem I learned that kind of sums this up. 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:43.540 It goes something like this. 00:16:43.620 --> 00:16:48.820 It says, to dwell above with saints I love, that would be glory. 00:16:48.820 --> 00:16:53.280 To dwell below with saints I know, that's a different story. 00:16:54.680 --> 00:16:56.280 But it kind of sums up. 00:16:56.360 --> 00:17:04.380 I think anyone who's worked in a Christian community, it's not kind of what we build it up to be because we still have our flawed human nature. 00:17:04.380 --> 00:17:08.900 And then he said the second thing to her, which was really full of wisdom. 00:17:09.060 --> 00:17:16.320 He said to her, you know, you might be the only contact those people have with Jesus. 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:25.560 And now you want to take yourself out of that environment and you want to put yourself in an environment where there's just a big lump of salt. 00:17:25.559 --> 00:17:36.899 He said, how about rather praying that someone would join you there and you would have more salt and more light in that situation. 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:40.839 And initially she was really disappointed, right? 00:17:40.899 --> 00:17:42.740 That's not what she was expecting to hear. 00:17:42.879 --> 00:17:48.879 But she didn't take that job and she stayed in the place which she believed God had called her. 00:17:49.299 --> 00:17:53.679 And I think within a year, another Christian had applied and enjoyed her home. 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:57.860 And they were then enjoying being salt and light together in that workplace. 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:05.680 And I hope that is an encouragement to some of us who are in a work situation like that, where we feel sometimes we're alone. 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:06.880 For me, that's true. 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:11.640 I am the only male Christian in my office as far as I know. 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:15.100 And I have to be honest, sometimes it's tough. 00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:20.000 So I'm praying that the Lord will send more Christian brothers to work with me. 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:25.619 But I hope it's an encouragement to you that if you're in that position, it will be the same thing. 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:30.940 Another thing would be the quality of the salt. 00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:34.920 Okay, Jesus said something funny, right? 00:18:35.019 --> 00:18:37.380 So to a chemist, this would be weird. 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:40.660 He said, if salt loses its saltiness. 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:44.579 Now, a chemist would think, well, salt cannot lose its saltiness. 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:46.940 Salt cannot not be salt. 00:18:46.940 --> 00:18:50.900 Salt, again, we need to go back to first century Israel. 00:18:51.100 --> 00:19:00.700 And those sneaky salt dealers, when they were filling bags of salt to get more in, they would take sand and they would mix it with the salt. 00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:06.880 And you'd get home and you'd open your bag and you'd find out, ah, they got us again. 00:19:07.460 --> 00:19:07.660 Right? 00:19:07.740 --> 00:19:09.059 But it would be salt mixed with sand. 00:19:09.180 --> 00:19:13.000 It would be so adulterated that it was useless for nothing. 00:19:13.120 --> 00:19:14.420 You couldn't use it for the toilet. 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:16.120 You couldn't use it as a fertilizer. 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:20.400 They'd throw it outside and everyone who walked past would just trample it. 00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:21.960 They'd just walk all over it. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:30.660 Salt has to be of a quality that is different from its environment. 00:19:30.660 --> 00:19:46.180 If our lives look so much like the world and like everyone else's, we will fail to be salt that we need to be. 00:19:46.180 --> 00:20:03.160 Jesus said, if you want to live a life of influence, if you want to live a blessed life, because let's be honest, that's what we're really after, right? 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:07.060 People really want to live a blessed life. 00:20:07.180 --> 00:20:09.160 And he actually lays it out. 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:10.880 He lays out blessings. 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:16.520 Now, it's probably very different to how we might think of blessing. 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:22.320 You know, just think of when you're typing that email and you say blessing or God bless you. 00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:25.080 What are we really wanting for that person? 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:28.100 How do we want them to be blessed, right? 00:20:28.120 --> 00:20:32.420 Or even when we're talking about them, oh, God has really blessed them. 00:20:32.420 --> 00:20:34.960 Usually, what are we referring to? 00:20:37.820 --> 00:20:44.820 Jesus gives his an example of what it means to live a blessed life, a life that will be salt and light. 00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:45.640 And he says this. 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:51.700 First thing, he says, blessed are the poor in spirit. 00:20:52.600 --> 00:20:59.240 Now, to be poor in spirit is essentially to look at something and say, that's way beyond me. 00:20:59.300 --> 00:21:00.620 I cannot do that. 00:21:00.619 --> 00:21:07.759 But it's to kind of lack self-confidence, but it's to be full of God confidence, right? 00:21:08.639 --> 00:21:13.179 To not really be sure, I can't do this, but wow, I know God can through me. 00:21:13.739 --> 00:21:16.759 Now, the world wants tough people. 00:21:17.199 --> 00:21:20.979 They want aggressive people, people who are full of self-confidence. 00:21:21.199 --> 00:21:22.779 Believe in yourself, you can do it. 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:26.719 And Jesus said, no, be poor in spirit. 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:33.360 He said, we're also to be a people who mourn, right? 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:40.960 In a world that is constantly looking for the next entertainment, we're constantly seeking the next level of entertainment. 00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:43.240 We're always seeking to be happy and laughing. 00:21:43.600 --> 00:21:49.940 And we do that because we don't really want to know about the bad things that are going on in the world, right? 00:21:49.940 --> 00:21:53.660 We try and put them out that's in a different place, a different country, a different person. 00:21:53.840 --> 00:21:55.840 We're not really wanting those things. 00:21:55.900 --> 00:21:57.180 Give us something to laugh about. 00:21:57.680 --> 00:22:02.460 In other words, we are to be a people who weep while others are laughing. 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:07.160 We're to be a people who care about our world. 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:16.220 When we hear something about an earthquake in Taiwan, we don't scroll down and read something else that's a little bit happier. 00:22:16.820 --> 00:22:18.920 That kind of breaks your heart, right? 00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:20.900 Because we're a people that care. 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:28.200 Another thing Jesus said, he said, if you want to be blessed, be meek. 00:22:29.100 --> 00:22:32.920 Now, there's a nice little translation of meek that I like. 00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:37.300 It means to be patiently humble. 00:22:38.380 --> 00:22:39.820 Long-suffering, right? 00:22:40.360 --> 00:22:43.640 We live in a world where we want instant results, right? 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:45.980 Our lives are measured by the courtly prophet. 00:22:46.300 --> 00:22:47.500 What did we do last year? 00:22:47.880 --> 00:22:51.220 Are we beating the next previous courtly prophet? 00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:57.340 To be patiently humble is to rest in God's timing. 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:00.019 Rest in what God has for us. 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:04.259 It's not to be driven by the fact that it has to be accomplished by next week. 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:15.900 Another thing Jesus said, he said, if you want to be blessed, we are to be a people who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:22.240 That means people whose number one ambition in life is to live right, to live for the king. 00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:26.339 It's not to be rich or famous. 00:23:26.519 --> 00:23:28.720 It's not to be the greatest person in your career. 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:31.079 It's to live right. 00:23:31.579 --> 00:23:36.460 Those kind of people are going to be salt and light. 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:41.539 He also said, to be blessed, you're going to need to be merciful. 00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:43.720 I don't know if you... 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:48.779 We live in a world that thrives on vengeance and payback. 00:23:48.779 --> 00:23:56.399 You just need to go to any video store or watch Netflix and you will see the number of things. 00:23:56.599 --> 00:23:57.200 Payback. 00:23:57.539 --> 00:23:58.539 Die hard. 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:00.579 Everything is about vengeance. 00:24:00.779 --> 00:24:02.879 You killed my brother and now I'll get you. 00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:06.960 But we're actually to be a people that forgive. 00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:12.460 We're to be a people that gives people a second chance. 00:24:12.460 --> 00:24:16.660 We're to be a people who don't hold on to grudges. 00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:22.559 When things go against you in the office or at work or at school, we don't hold on to those grudges. 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:24.140 We're merciful. 00:24:26.259 --> 00:24:29.279 Another thing he said we're to be is pure in heart. 00:24:29.360 --> 00:24:31.180 Now, pure in heart doesn't only mean to be clean. 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:36.519 It simply means to be motivated by simple motives. 00:24:36.519 --> 00:24:40.900 We're not mixed in our motives while we do something. 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:43.119 Just simple. 00:24:43.420 --> 00:24:45.319 Driven by simple motives. 00:24:45.779 --> 00:24:46.859 To be pure in heart. 00:24:48.339 --> 00:24:51.379 And then he said, blessed are the peacemakers. 00:24:52.099 --> 00:24:53.519 Now, he didn't say peacekeepers. 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:58.000 Peacekeepers, we just keep our mouths shut and we keep the peace. 00:24:58.079 --> 00:24:58.700 We don't say anything. 00:24:59.019 --> 00:25:03.839 A peacemaker gets involved and tries to make peace. 00:25:03.940 --> 00:25:04.980 Tries to reconcile. 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:12.200 Now, if you've ever tried to be a peacemaker and come between two parties who are fighting, 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:15.440 like a husband and wife or colleagues or friends, 00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:21.059 each party will be utterly convinced that you're taking the other person's side. 00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:25.680 So, it's not a great thing to try and be a peacemaker. 00:25:26.140 --> 00:25:29.240 But Jesus said we are to be peacemakers. 00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:35.519 Now, Jesus was such a realist and he was so honest with us. 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:39.539 He said, you know, if you live a life like this, 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:43.660 it's going to lead to persecution. 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:51.880 Because ultimately, people do not want to be reminded of holiness or godliness. 00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:53.960 They don't want to be reminded of god. 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:58.240 And one way to take that out is through persecution. 00:25:58.740 --> 00:26:02.420 But therefore, Jesus adds one more blessing. 00:26:03.100 --> 00:26:06.840 We look at persecution as a terrible thing, right? 00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:07.880 Something to be avoided. 00:26:08.040 --> 00:26:13.680 Jesus says, when it comes, count it as a blessing. 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:17.420 Count it as a blessing. 00:26:17.860 --> 00:26:25.759 In other words, he's saying, listen, to be salt and light in this world is not going to really pay. 00:26:27.120 --> 00:26:28.820 But it will in the next. 00:26:30.100 --> 00:26:32.519 And that takes faith and trust, right? 00:26:33.259 --> 00:26:34.100 To get through. 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:36.340 Maybe you won't have your reward now. 00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:39.340 But you will in the next. 00:26:41.600 --> 00:26:42.779 What about light? 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:49.680 Light has also a positive and a negative quality. 00:26:51.279 --> 00:26:56.539 The negative quality of light is it exposes bad ways. 00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:00.180 And the positive quality is it shows you the good way. 00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:05.279 So an example would be, have you ever been, you come into your kitchen in the middle of the night, 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:08.420 you turn on the light and you see the cockroaches scurry away. 00:27:09.600 --> 00:27:11.140 Okay, it's happened in our kitchen, right? 00:27:11.140 --> 00:27:14.440 So usually after I've washed the dishes, right? 00:27:14.560 --> 00:27:19.520 But that's an example of exposing the bad things, right? 00:27:20.120 --> 00:27:28.080 Or if you've ever been lost and it's late at night and someone comes along and they've got a flashlight and they turn it on and they show you the way. 00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:29.580 That's an example of light. 00:27:29.579 --> 00:27:33.740 Now Jesus said, I am the light of the world. 00:27:33.799 --> 00:27:35.460 You are the light of the world. 00:27:35.539 --> 00:27:42.699 Now he said that in the gospel of John in the context of a woman caught in adultery. 00:27:42.939 --> 00:27:43.980 So this is the story. 00:27:45.139 --> 00:27:48.960 A group of Pharisees catch a woman in the very act of adultery. 00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:55.220 They bring her before Jesus and they say, Jesus, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 00:27:55.539 --> 00:27:58.519 The law of Moses says she must be stoned. 00:27:58.720 --> 00:27:59.579 What do you say? 00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:06.400 Now they were using that as a trap because the law of Moses did say that she should be stoned. 00:28:06.559 --> 00:28:12.400 But the Roman law said that Jews were not allowed to execute anyone. 00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:19.800 So if he said, yes, she should be stoned, then the Romans are going to get Jesus, right? 00:28:19.840 --> 00:28:21.500 Because he's breaking the Roman law. 00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:26.100 If he says, no, no, don't stone her, then they're going to say, well, you see, he does, he breaks Moses' law. 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:29.440 So they think they've got Jesus trapped. 00:28:31.620 --> 00:28:33.100 Jesus does something, right? 00:28:35.780 --> 00:28:37.860 He bends down with his finger. 00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:41.940 He begins to write in the sand. 00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:53.340 Now to a Jew, that is a picture of someone claiming to have written the law. 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:58.240 It was a gentle picture of Jesus saying, I'm God, right? 00:28:58.340 --> 00:29:02.940 Remember the finger of God on the tablets when he wrote the law. 00:29:03.560 --> 00:29:07.160 You know, people argue and they write about what he wrote. 00:29:07.259 --> 00:29:07.960 That's not important. 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:13.980 It was a picture showing he was claiming to be the one who wrote that law. 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:18.860 And he stands up and he reminds them of another law. 00:29:19.860 --> 00:29:25.160 And the other law said that there had to be two witnesses in a case. 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:33.279 And you could not be a witness if you were guilty of the same crime. 00:29:33.960 --> 00:29:34.160 Okay? 00:29:34.279 --> 00:29:39.060 So if you were a thief, you could not be a witness in a case of stealing. 00:29:39.059 --> 00:29:45.399 So if you've committed adultery, you cannot be a witness in this case. 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:52.460 Now the first thing you'll find is that they catch a woman in the very act of adultery and they bring the woman. 00:29:54.539 --> 00:29:56.619 There's someone missing in the story, isn't there? 00:29:59.000 --> 00:29:59.839 Where's the man? 00:30:01.559 --> 00:30:03.399 I'm presuming he was around, right? 00:30:03.400 --> 00:30:05.580 They caught her in the very act of adultery. 00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:10.240 But the law of Moses said both of them were to be stoned. 00:30:10.500 --> 00:30:16.300 Now so, there's a classic case where these guys were breaking the law themselves already. 00:30:17.460 --> 00:30:26.100 And then Jesus says to them, okay, you who are without sin, you, if you are not guilty of adultery yourself, you throw that stone. 00:30:26.099 --> 00:30:33.639 It doesn't mean you have to be morally perfect before you can execute or punish wrong crimes, right? 00:30:33.679 --> 00:30:38.000 So that would kind of rule out parents punishing their children or policemen or law courts. 00:30:38.459 --> 00:30:42.339 He's saying if you're guilty of the same thing, you can be a witness. 00:30:44.219 --> 00:30:46.379 And slowly, they all go away. 00:30:47.159 --> 00:30:47.839 There's none left. 00:30:47.919 --> 00:30:53.639 You see, because Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they would tell people, don't commit adultery. 00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:56.040 But they themselves did it. 00:30:56.160 --> 00:30:58.920 They had their prostitutes and they had their mistresses. 00:31:00.060 --> 00:31:00.800 And they are dismissed. 00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:03.480 I mean, this is brilliant, right? 00:31:03.600 --> 00:31:07.200 If you are ever in trouble, make sure you get Jesus as your lawyer. 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:08.640 It's fantastic, right? 00:31:08.700 --> 00:31:11.600 This is better than any late night lawyer show. 00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:13.620 He just gets them off the hook. 00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:17.460 And then he says to the woman, he goes, where are your accusers? 00:31:18.100 --> 00:31:19.420 And he said, they're all gone. 00:31:19.540 --> 00:31:22.259 And he said, well, I'm only one witness. 00:31:22.259 --> 00:31:23.879 Neither do I accuse you. 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:26.180 But don't go and do it again. 00:31:27.740 --> 00:31:29.700 He offers her mercy. 00:31:29.960 --> 00:31:32.940 He shows her a better way. 00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:34.900 And then he stands up. 00:31:35.140 --> 00:31:39.039 After everyone has now witnessed what is going on, he says, I am the light of the world. 00:31:39.299 --> 00:31:44.480 If you follow me, you won't get into this kind of mess. 00:31:44.940 --> 00:31:49.079 He exposed her accusers, right? 00:31:49.379 --> 00:31:51.539 His light exposed their hearts. 00:31:51.539 --> 00:31:54.279 His light exposed the woman's heart. 00:31:54.579 --> 00:31:56.180 But he didn't just stop there. 00:31:56.559 --> 00:31:59.619 His light showed them a better way. 00:32:02.500 --> 00:32:04.200 Are our lives like that? 00:32:06.879 --> 00:32:08.480 What are we to do? 00:32:08.619 --> 00:32:12.599 How do we practically do this, right? 00:32:12.599 --> 00:32:17.500 How do we practically live a blessed life, a life of salt and light? 00:32:18.879 --> 00:32:24.139 Jesus said, if you want to do it, you have to put yourself on a lampstand. 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:25.740 That's what a light is for. 00:32:26.259 --> 00:32:27.839 You don't hide it away, right? 00:32:27.919 --> 00:32:31.480 You need it to shine so that people are to see. 00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:39.740 So he is saying, in a sense, we're to deliberately put ourselves on public view. 00:32:40.740 --> 00:32:41.140 Okay? 00:32:41.220 --> 00:32:43.299 So that makes me feel uncomfortable right there. 00:32:43.299 --> 00:32:46.859 But I just want to start with the negative. 00:32:47.819 --> 00:32:51.779 There are certain things that we're not to let shine before the public. 00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:53.599 And Jesus made it quite clear. 00:32:53.700 --> 00:32:55.319 He said your devotions, right? 00:32:55.480 --> 00:32:58.159 When you give, when you pray. 00:32:58.160 --> 00:33:03.279 Those are not to be for the public. 00:33:04.060 --> 00:33:09.740 Because if you have to do them with everyone looking at you, you will get mixed motives. 00:33:10.440 --> 00:33:18.320 So maybe if I had to say to you guys, next week, a TV crew is going to come in. 00:33:18.700 --> 00:33:20.980 And they are going to film the service. 00:33:20.980 --> 00:33:24.860 And they're going to broadcast it live to the whole of Hong Kong. 00:33:28.160 --> 00:33:29.940 Would we dress the same next week? 00:33:31.320 --> 00:33:32.940 Would we worship the same? 00:33:33.900 --> 00:33:35.900 Would we be on time next week? 00:33:37.140 --> 00:33:39.180 You know, I know for us, we wouldn't, right? 00:33:39.220 --> 00:33:41.420 My wife would definitely make me dress differently. 00:33:41.900 --> 00:33:45.519 And we'd probably tell our kids that they really need to behave this Sunday. 00:33:46.140 --> 00:33:49.660 In other words, our motives are changed, right? 00:33:51.400 --> 00:33:55.880 But Christians are to shine. 00:33:56.080 --> 00:33:57.740 We are to have a light that shines. 00:33:57.740 --> 00:34:03.180 And we are to have a higher standard of living morally. 00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:13.179 You see, Jesus came into this world and he hung out with the worst of people. 00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:18.300 He hung out with, when the bad people say, those people are really bad, you know that they're bad. 00:34:18.579 --> 00:34:22.039 Those are the kind of people that Jesus hung out with. 00:34:22.039 --> 00:34:27.599 But he didn't come down and live like they do and took on their standards. 00:34:27.739 --> 00:34:31.099 No, he brought them up to his standard. 00:34:31.840 --> 00:34:34.400 He lifted them up to what he was. 00:34:36.099 --> 00:34:37.400 Only he could do that. 00:34:38.519 --> 00:34:39.739 And people look at that. 00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:43.719 They read the Sermon on the Mount and they look at what he did with life and they say, you know what? 00:34:43.719 --> 00:34:45.079 That's not natural. 00:34:45.939 --> 00:34:46.879 And they're right. 00:34:46.959 --> 00:34:47.679 It's not natural. 00:34:47.799 --> 00:34:49.159 It's supernatural. 00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:56.959 Only through Christ are you able to live a life of salt and light. 00:35:00.259 --> 00:35:01.419 Here's another example. 00:35:01.539 --> 00:35:04.939 Jesus said, in my kingdom, you are not to worry. 00:35:04.940 --> 00:35:07.679 I forbid you to worry. 00:35:08.000 --> 00:35:10.519 And that is why you never see a Christian worried. 00:35:15.460 --> 00:35:19.139 We laugh at that, right? 00:35:19.340 --> 00:35:20.220 I laugh at that. 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:25.059 And when Jesus said it, he didn't mean it as a joke. 00:35:26.139 --> 00:35:28.420 He meant you're not to worry. 00:35:28.420 --> 00:35:39.079 Because when we worry, what we're really doing is we're saying to God, you know, you take better care of your garden and your pets than you do of your child. 00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:42.119 I'm your child and I have to worry. 00:35:43.079 --> 00:35:45.119 You know, the gardens, they all care. 00:35:45.200 --> 00:35:47.400 The birds of the air, they cared for. 00:35:47.460 --> 00:35:48.340 But I'm your child. 00:35:48.440 --> 00:35:49.180 I have to worry. 00:35:52.700 --> 00:35:57.559 Have you ever driven past a church and sometimes they have a big signboard outside? 00:35:58.420 --> 00:36:00.700 You know, so sometimes they have quite clever things. 00:36:00.820 --> 00:36:02.599 Sometimes they're quite cringeworthy. 00:36:02.860 --> 00:36:04.099 This was a really good one. 00:36:04.180 --> 00:36:08.240 It said, why pray when you can worry? 00:36:09.220 --> 00:36:10.320 Now, that's clever, right? 00:36:10.340 --> 00:36:11.180 It says something there. 00:36:11.280 --> 00:36:14.360 Why pray when you can worry? 00:36:17.200 --> 00:36:26.519 You know, I think imagine the influence it would be on the world if Christians didn't worry about the things that the world worries about. 00:36:28.420 --> 00:36:33.619 When you're going through difficult times and difficult seasons. 00:36:35.240 --> 00:36:40.619 And I do think 2016 is going to be a difficult year for some of us. 00:36:41.180 --> 00:36:47.440 And it's going to be a difficult year in your workplaces and in your schools and your universities. 00:36:47.619 --> 00:36:50.059 And your colleagues are going to worry about certain things. 00:36:50.059 --> 00:36:53.340 But imagine they came and you're not worried. 00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:53.900 Well, why? 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:55.420 Why are you never worried? 00:36:56.980 --> 00:36:59.159 Well, because my father's taking care of this. 00:36:59.299 --> 00:37:00.299 And there's a lovely little story. 00:37:00.799 --> 00:37:04.460 There's a girl, a little girl on a train. 00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:08.340 And anyway, they find her on the train and she's on the train by herself. 00:37:08.440 --> 00:37:12.759 And they say, aren't you scared to be on the train by yourself? 00:37:13.300 --> 00:37:14.280 And she said, no. 00:37:14.780 --> 00:37:15.760 Well, why not? 00:37:15.860 --> 00:37:17.300 You're on the train by yourself. 00:37:17.420 --> 00:37:19.660 And she goes, well, my daddy's the train driver. 00:37:21.580 --> 00:37:22.180 You know? 00:37:23.320 --> 00:37:24.540 That's how we should feel. 00:37:24.640 --> 00:37:25.820 Well, my dad's in heaven. 00:37:25.900 --> 00:37:27.220 He's got the whole thing under control. 00:37:28.240 --> 00:37:29.880 I don't know if that's a true story, right? 00:37:29.960 --> 00:37:31.960 It sounds like a preacher story to me, you know? 00:37:32.840 --> 00:37:36.280 But anyway, it gets the point across. 00:37:36.280 --> 00:37:42.019 You know, was that story true, daddy, or were you just preaching? 00:37:42.680 --> 00:37:52.220 So anyway, it really is supernatural to live that way. 00:37:53.360 --> 00:38:02.519 But it is possible when we allow Christ to let us live for him and to allow his life to be lived through us. 00:38:02.519 --> 00:38:08.440 To summarize and to close, I want to close with three points. 00:38:09.719 --> 00:38:14.239 Being salt and light is a costly thing. 00:38:14.340 --> 00:38:17.780 Living a blessed life is a costly thing. 00:38:18.800 --> 00:38:21.920 It is essentially by being something. 00:38:24.900 --> 00:38:30.280 And you need to be in contact with the environment in order to have an effect. 00:38:32.519 --> 00:38:40.460 But a very fundamental question that we've missed out on all of this is the question, why? 00:38:43.259 --> 00:38:45.000 Why would we do all of this? 00:38:45.199 --> 00:38:45.460 Why? 00:38:45.739 --> 00:38:51.320 I mean, if living in salt and life, it's a difficult thing, it's not going to make us popular, 00:38:51.480 --> 00:38:53.940 why would we want to do it? 00:38:54.840 --> 00:38:58.179 Why would we even want to put ourselves out there to shine? 00:38:58.179 --> 00:38:59.500 Why would you want to do it? 00:38:59.500 --> 00:38:59.980 Why would you want to do it? 00:38:59.980 --> 00:39:03.779 And verse 16 makes it clear. 00:39:03.940 --> 00:39:04.460 It says this, 00:39:04.579 --> 00:39:11.279 Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds. 00:39:11.379 --> 00:39:17.099 They may see your life and glorify your Father in heaven. 00:39:18.179 --> 00:39:19.519 They see you. 00:39:19.619 --> 00:39:20.960 They think that's not natural. 00:39:20.960 --> 00:39:29.139 The way you are, the peace you have, the joy you have, the forgiveness that you have, the meekness that you have, 00:39:29.199 --> 00:39:30.559 that is not natural. 00:39:32.619 --> 00:39:35.920 Your life reveals who He is. 00:39:36.039 --> 00:39:38.199 It points people to Him. 00:39:38.199 --> 00:39:41.259 I want to close with this. 00:39:43.639 --> 00:39:49.579 A few years ago, I took a trip to Taiwan to visit a friend in Taichung. 00:39:50.239 --> 00:39:52.099 And I went to church there. 00:39:52.139 --> 00:39:53.739 And of course, I didn't. 00:39:53.779 --> 00:39:56.019 And I still don't speak any go you. 00:39:57.480 --> 00:39:59.299 So they were translating. 00:39:59.619 --> 00:40:05.139 And my friend who lives there, he was introducing me to a few people. 00:40:05.139 --> 00:40:07.879 And he introduced me to this one girl. 00:40:08.139 --> 00:40:11.179 And he said, well, she has an incredible story. 00:40:11.819 --> 00:40:13.139 And let me tell you about it. 00:40:13.219 --> 00:40:16.219 So this girl, she just, big smile on her face. 00:40:16.519 --> 00:40:23.719 And he said, when she was in high school, one of her friends, her classmates, took her to church. 00:40:23.879 --> 00:40:26.139 And she went home and she told her parents. 00:40:26.239 --> 00:40:29.339 She goes, I've gone to church with one of my friends. 00:40:29.379 --> 00:40:32.319 And her parents said, you are not to go to church. 00:40:32.579 --> 00:40:33.759 Those people are bad. 00:40:33.760 --> 00:40:34.820 They just want your money. 00:40:35.020 --> 00:40:36.780 Don't go with them. 00:40:36.940 --> 00:40:40.760 And like a good teenager, she carried on going to church. 00:40:40.900 --> 00:40:42.040 She didn't listen to her parents. 00:40:42.860 --> 00:40:46.040 And anyway, a few months later, she went home. 00:40:46.120 --> 00:40:49.620 And she said, Mom and Dad, I've become a Christian. 00:40:49.920 --> 00:40:51.580 I'm now a follower of Jesus. 00:40:52.540 --> 00:40:54.260 And they were really angry, right? 00:40:54.360 --> 00:40:55.500 They ground her. 00:40:55.580 --> 00:40:56.880 They said, you're not to go out. 00:40:56.980 --> 00:40:57.460 That's it. 00:40:57.820 --> 00:40:59.240 You're staying at home. 00:40:59.239 --> 00:41:04.719 And despite her parents' wishes, she found ways to sneak out and still go to church. 00:41:05.659 --> 00:41:12.439 She came home one day and she said, I need to tell you that I've been going to church and that next week I'm going to be baptized. 00:41:12.440 --> 00:41:19.220 And they said, if you get baptized, you are getting thrown out of this house. 00:41:20.840 --> 00:41:25.780 A week later, she was baptized and she was thrown out of her house. 00:41:27.360 --> 00:41:29.220 Mom and Dad threw her out. 00:41:29.380 --> 00:41:32.000 Now, she was taken in by some of the people in church. 00:41:32.079 --> 00:41:34.700 She went and stayed with them and lived with them. 00:41:34.699 --> 00:41:42.639 But she would go back home to her mom and dad and she would just serve them. 00:41:42.739 --> 00:41:44.299 She would be salt and light. 00:41:44.379 --> 00:41:45.719 She didn't preach the gospel to them. 00:41:45.839 --> 00:41:51.559 She was just in their home, loving them, being salt and light. 00:41:53.099 --> 00:41:58.659 Six months later, both her mom and dad were baptized. 00:41:58.659 --> 00:42:05.219 Because her life pointed to Christ. 00:42:06.980 --> 00:42:08.179 People looked at her. 00:42:08.420 --> 00:42:13.679 Her parents, who knew her so well, looked at the change in her life, looked at what she was doing. 00:42:14.719 --> 00:42:17.059 And her life pointed to Christ. 00:42:18.699 --> 00:42:20.039 That's who we're to be, right? 00:42:20.039 --> 00:42:26.879 We're to be a people who our joy and our glory comes from pointing people to Christ. 00:42:26.880 --> 00:42:30.220 It's the reason that we live the life that we do. 00:42:33.720 --> 00:42:36.039 Thank you for listening. 00:42:38.280 --> 00:42:50.579 And preparing this, my heart, and I think a heart for Watermark, is that we really are a church that wants to care about the world that's going on around. 00:42:50.640 --> 00:42:52.480 We care about the people who are out there. 00:42:52.480 --> 00:42:56.099 We care about the people we're sitting next to in church today. 00:42:56.880 --> 00:43:00.860 How are we doing at being salt and light? 00:43:02.940 --> 00:43:09.240 Is it going to be our ambition to be abundant, to be blessed, to be prosperous? 00:43:09.460 --> 00:43:13.119 Or is it going to be our ambition to be salt and light? 00:43:15.380 --> 00:43:16.840 I'd like to pray for us. 00:43:16.840 --> 00:43:33.340 Father, I begin by asking your forgiveness when I've failed on many occasions to be the salt and light that you've called us all to be. 00:43:33.980 --> 00:43:38.960 And Lord, I thank you that you are a God of mercy and forgiveness and grace. 00:43:38.960 --> 00:43:47.300 I thank you that you're a God who gives us grace that empowers us to live a life that pleases you. 00:43:47.420 --> 00:43:54.199 And Lord, when we stumble and fall, you are still a God who loves us and picks us up and encourages us to go on. 00:43:54.199 --> 00:44:00.259 Lord, I pray for us as we're just about to enter this year of the monkey. 00:44:00.259 --> 00:44:09.739 And Lord, all the uncertainties and insecurities that that might bring, I just pray that our peace and our joy will be found in you. 00:44:09.919 --> 00:44:17.319 And I pray that our desires and motives will be to live a life for you. 00:44:17.320 --> 00:44:21.200 A life that is salt and light to the people around us. 00:44:22.200 --> 00:44:27.080 Lord, we praise you and we thank you that you've chosen us to be salt and light. 00:44:28.420 --> 00:44:30.240 We love you in Jesus' name. 00:44:30.780 --> 00:44:31.019 Amen.