WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.500 If you have your Bibles with you this morning, 00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:02.459 and I hope that you do, 00:00:02.800 --> 00:00:05.459 I wanna ask you to turn to Matthew chapter five. 00:00:05.560 --> 00:00:06.440 Matthew chapter five. 00:00:06.540 --> 00:00:08.960 So you can turn your Bible on or open it up, 00:00:09.279 --> 00:00:11.779 whatever you do to get God's word in front of you. 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:14.700 I want you to turn to Matthew chapter five. 00:00:14.780 --> 00:00:15.740 And as you're doing that, 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:19.280 last year I came across a term that I had to look up 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.600 because I wanted to make sure I had a good understanding 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:25.060 of what this was, okay? 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:26.440 And I wanna ask you this morning, 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:31.280 does anybody here know what a social media influencer is? 00:00:31.780 --> 00:00:32.700 Raise your hand if you know 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:34.579 what a social media influencer is. 00:00:34.900 --> 00:00:37.480 There's only a handful of hands up right now. 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:41.420 So either you are ashamed to let us all know 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:43.880 that you know what a social media influencer is, 00:00:44.140 --> 00:00:45.799 or you're like me, you're just ignorant. 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:48.320 You don't know, you've never heard that term before. 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:50.079 That was me last year. 00:00:50.140 --> 00:00:51.040 And so I looked it up. 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:53.920 I wanted to know what a social media influencer is. 00:00:53.980 --> 00:00:55.299 How could it be so important? 00:00:55.299 --> 00:00:59.719 That it would be an actual term, an actual thing. 00:01:00.339 --> 00:01:03.339 A social media influencer is a user on social media 00:01:03.339 --> 00:01:07.819 who has established credibility in a specific industry. 00:01:08.599 --> 00:01:11.579 All right, so they're already losing me 00:01:11.579 --> 00:01:13.579 calling social media an industry, okay? 00:01:14.579 --> 00:01:17.679 But it says he or she has access to a large audience 00:01:17.679 --> 00:01:19.560 and can persuade others by virtue 00:01:19.560 --> 00:01:22.379 of his or her authenticity and reach. 00:01:22.379 --> 00:01:26.079 Now, if you're like me and you go this afternoon 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:27.319 and you start investigating 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:30.420 who some of these social media influencers actually are, 00:01:30.739 --> 00:01:32.619 you're gonna be thinking to yourself, 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:34.219 these people are flakes. 00:01:35.119 --> 00:01:37.739 These people, I can't believe that anyone 00:01:37.739 --> 00:01:41.419 would generate income that would support 00:01:41.419 --> 00:01:45.379 this kind of behavior, this kind of so-called work, 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:47.719 this kind of activity. 00:01:47.719 --> 00:01:49.060 But I want you to consider 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:53.560 some of the top social media influencers in our day 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:56.200 and what kind of money they bring down. 00:01:57.200 --> 00:01:59.439 Number one is Dan TDM. 00:01:59.659 --> 00:02:01.799 I don't know, maybe some of you kids out there, 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:04.319 teenagers, you might know who Dan TDM is. 00:02:04.900 --> 00:02:06.140 I had never seen him before. 00:02:06.299 --> 00:02:08.120 I Googled some pictures of him 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:09.759 just so I would have some kind of idea 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:10.759 of what he looked like. 00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:14.239 But he brings in $16.5 million a year 00:02:14.239 --> 00:02:15.219 and he is a gamer. 00:02:16.079 --> 00:02:18.719 So he plays video games all day, every day 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:21.759 and he videos himself playing video games 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:24.819 and puts it online and people go and watch that 00:02:24.819 --> 00:02:27.139 and the advertisers and the people that give 00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:28.139 and all this kind of stuff 00:02:28.139 --> 00:02:31.299 racks up $16.5 million a year. 00:02:32.539 --> 00:02:34.180 A young lady by the name of Kayla, 00:02:34.180 --> 00:02:38.960 it seems, is making $150,000 not per year 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:41.900 but per sponsored post. 00:02:42.540 --> 00:02:45.140 So when she puts up a post on social media 00:02:45.140 --> 00:02:47.360 and it gets sponsored by some business 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:50.120 or some brand or this kind of thing, 00:02:50.180 --> 00:02:53.460 she gets $150,000 every time she puts that up there. 00:02:54.180 --> 00:02:56.540 Selena Gomez, you may know as a celebrity, 00:02:56.760 --> 00:03:00.580 she makes $550,000 every time she puts something up 00:03:00.580 --> 00:03:01.340 on social media. 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:04.560 I would be more than happy 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:07.520 to start publishing on social media 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:08.840 multiple times a day 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:13.140 if somebody would agree to give me $550,000 a time for it. 00:03:13.539 --> 00:03:14.360 I don't know about you 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:15.819 but that seems like easy money. 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:17.800 And you go read these things 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:20.080 and it's not really substantive stuff. 00:03:20.180 --> 00:03:21.819 It's not anything that you can use. 00:03:21.900 --> 00:03:22.759 It's just gossip. 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:25.400 It's just totally useless knowledge. 00:03:25.939 --> 00:03:27.699 There's a fellow named Tyler Oakley. 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:30.640 He's an LGBTQ activist 00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:33.819 and he makes $6 million a year 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:40.219 just on being social on social media. 00:03:40.219 --> 00:03:44.500 The last one is a fellow named Ryan. 00:03:44.779 --> 00:03:50.179 He has a page or an account called Ryan Toys Reviews. 00:03:50.180 --> 00:03:52.599 And I don't know if any of you parents 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:55.480 have ever seen Ryan Toys Reviews 00:03:55.480 --> 00:03:57.560 but I'm going to make you feel guilty about it 00:03:57.560 --> 00:03:59.960 because Ryan Toys Reviews 00:03:59.960 --> 00:04:02.879 makes $1 million per month 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:05.860 doing toy reviews for kids. 00:04:06.719 --> 00:04:10.760 The kicker is Ryan is five years old. 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:16.300 Why have we wasted our lives? 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:16.939 Right? 00:04:19.180 --> 00:04:21.939 You know, the rise of the social influencer 00:04:21.939 --> 00:04:25.480 points us to our culture's desire 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:27.139 to improve the self 00:04:27.139 --> 00:04:30.300 or at least to change the self in some way. 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:32.879 And we have this deep-seated desire 00:04:32.879 --> 00:04:36.240 to change ourself in every aspect of life 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.439 from the video games that we play 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:41.920 to the health that we promote in our lives 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:45.079 all the way down to sexuality in our culture. 00:04:46.259 --> 00:04:49.920 This also indicates how desperate people are to be led. 00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:52.420 You know, we live in a culture 00:04:52.420 --> 00:04:53.220 where people are saying, 00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:53.980 I don't want to be led. 00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:55.259 I don't want anybody telling me 00:04:55.259 --> 00:04:56.540 how to do my life 00:04:56.540 --> 00:04:57.259 or where to go 00:04:57.259 --> 00:04:58.720 or what to think 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:00.240 or how to speak 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:01.240 or any of those things. 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:04.699 Yet our culture at its heart 00:05:04.699 --> 00:05:07.400 is desperate to be led. 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:09.379 It wants to be led 00:05:09.379 --> 00:05:10.840 and it's looking for anyone 00:05:10.840 --> 00:05:13.400 or anything that will lead it. 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:14.939 Now, centuries before YouTube 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:16.240 began catapulting 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:19.420 these normal and boring people to stardom 00:05:19.420 --> 00:05:22.060 and before Hollywood 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:24.019 ever captivated the world's attention 00:05:24.019 --> 00:05:27.240 with a few larger-than-life personalities, 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:29.780 Jesus announced that its followers 00:05:29.779 --> 00:05:31.579 would have an impact on the world. 00:05:32.719 --> 00:05:33.859 In fact, he says 00:05:33.859 --> 00:05:35.959 that they're going to influence 00:05:35.959 --> 00:05:37.799 every culture on the planet. 00:05:38.559 --> 00:05:40.039 When you get to the book of Acts, 00:05:40.539 --> 00:05:41.759 the criticism is that 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:43.699 these people are literally 00:05:43.699 --> 00:05:46.019 turning the world upside down 00:05:46.019 --> 00:05:48.439 and it all starts 00:05:48.439 --> 00:05:50.059 when Jesus begins to preach 00:05:50.059 --> 00:05:51.119 in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:05:51.279 --> 00:05:52.219 Matthew chapter 5, 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:54.359 listen to what he has to say 00:05:54.359 --> 00:05:55.439 starting in verse 13. 00:05:56.379 --> 00:05:56.719 He says, 00:05:56.799 --> 00:05:57.839 You're the salt of the earth, 00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:00.239 but if the salt has lost its taste, 00:06:00.359 --> 00:06:03.519 how shall its saltiness be restored? 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.119 It's no longer good for anything 00:06:06.119 --> 00:06:07.779 except to be thrown out 00:06:07.779 --> 00:06:09.839 and trampled under people's feet. 00:06:11.039 --> 00:06:12.279 You're the light of the world. 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:14.239 A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, 00:06:14.599 --> 00:06:16.139 nor do people light a lamp 00:06:16.139 --> 00:06:17.359 and put it under a basket, 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:18.359 but on a stand, 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:20.659 and it gives light to all in the house. 00:06:21.239 --> 00:06:22.339 In the same way, 00:06:22.479 --> 00:06:25.319 let your light shine before others 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:27.980 so that they may see your good works 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:29.899 and give glory to your Father 00:06:29.899 --> 00:06:32.219 who is in heaven. 00:06:33.099 --> 00:06:35.000 Now, as I was thinking about these verses 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:37.519 in the most recent installment of my life, 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:39.579 I ran across a statement. 00:06:39.740 --> 00:06:41.300 Tim Keller, a famous preacher 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:42.360 up in New York City, 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:44.719 he says that we shouldn't underestimate 00:06:44.719 --> 00:06:47.579 what Jesus is doing 00:06:47.579 --> 00:06:48.959 when he stands up to preach 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:50.199 before this group of people 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:50.899 on that mountain. 00:06:50.899 --> 00:06:53.299 You see, we read about it 00:06:53.299 --> 00:06:54.219 in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:06:54.359 --> 00:06:56.879 We read about it in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, 00:06:57.239 --> 00:07:00.579 and it just seems like a string of good advice, 00:07:00.859 --> 00:07:03.639 a string of platitudes, if you will. 00:07:04.359 --> 00:07:05.639 But Keller says, listen, 00:07:05.859 --> 00:07:08.459 don't miss the importance 00:07:08.459 --> 00:07:09.699 and the significance 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:11.899 of what's going on here. 00:07:12.039 --> 00:07:14.599 Jesus is not just coaching people 00:07:14.599 --> 00:07:16.219 on how to have a better life. 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:18.679 He took those people to the mountain, 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:20.300 and he began to teach them 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:22.439 because revolutions were started 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:23.120 in the mountains. 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:25.259 In Jesus' day, 00:07:25.379 --> 00:07:26.740 when somebody had a bright idea, 00:07:26.860 --> 00:07:28.420 when they wanted to see something change 00:07:28.420 --> 00:07:29.100 in their culture, 00:07:29.220 --> 00:07:31.500 when they wanted to gather a group of people 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:33.980 and start a movement in the culture, 00:07:34.060 --> 00:07:35.600 they would take them out of the town. 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:36.660 They would gather them up. 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:39.399 They would kind of sell their idea 00:07:39.399 --> 00:07:41.300 to people in the community. 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:43.460 And then they would take these people out, 00:07:43.540 --> 00:07:44.740 if you will, on a retreat 00:07:44.740 --> 00:07:46.100 into the mountains. 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:47.740 And that's where they would do their teaching 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:49.139 and they're indoctrinating. 00:07:50.139 --> 00:07:52.780 And they would literally start revolutions 00:07:52.780 --> 00:07:53.800 in the mountains. 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:55.980 And so Jesus takes these guys out there, 00:07:56.319 --> 00:07:58.019 and when he stands up to speak, 00:07:58.120 --> 00:07:59.360 he's not just trying to tell them 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:01.540 how to have peace and harmony at home 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:03.439 or how to pay their bills supernaturally 00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:05.340 or any of that kind of stuff. 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:09.579 He's actually ushering in a brand new kingdom, 00:08:10.579 --> 00:08:13.139 a brand new kingdom of people 00:08:13.139 --> 00:08:15.240 who will be completely different 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:17.620 than any other kingdom on earth. 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:20.960 It doesn't matter how long this earth lasts. 00:08:21.460 --> 00:08:23.180 There will never be another kingdom 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:25.340 like the one that he's ushering in 00:08:25.340 --> 00:08:26.519 in these verses. 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:29.680 He's ushering in a kingdom of a people 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:31.519 who would ultimately influence 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:33.820 every culture on the planet. 00:08:35.659 --> 00:08:39.159 It doesn't matter where we're from. 00:08:39.259 --> 00:08:40.700 It doesn't matter where we go. 00:08:41.740 --> 00:08:45.039 God's kingdom spreads out across all of it. 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:51.019 And so, as I mentioned earlier this morning, 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:52.799 the Romans had their day, 00:08:52.959 --> 00:08:54.219 and the Greeks had their day. 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:56.259 And if the Lord lingers, 00:08:56.699 --> 00:08:58.199 people will look back and say, 00:08:58.319 --> 00:08:59.939 the Americans had their day. 00:09:01.819 --> 00:09:04.240 But Jesus' kingdom will never end. 00:09:05.259 --> 00:09:08.319 The sun will never set on his kingdom. 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:10.700 And so later in the Sermon on the Mount, 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:13.580 he will unpack what those differences look like. 00:09:13.700 --> 00:09:16.280 He'll show you what your life, 00:09:16.560 --> 00:09:18.460 how it looks different from everyone else 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:19.660 if you're part of his kingdom 00:09:19.660 --> 00:09:22.400 versus being part of just your community 00:09:22.400 --> 00:09:24.879 in which you live and this kind of thing. 00:09:25.400 --> 00:09:26.920 And I would encourage you to look ahead 00:09:26.920 --> 00:09:28.300 and read through that again. 00:09:28.540 --> 00:09:30.040 I'm sure many of you have spent time 00:09:30.040 --> 00:09:30.900 in the Sermon on the Mount, 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:33.500 but I would encourage you to take a look at it again 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:36.299 this afternoon, sometime this week, 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:38.600 and begin to see how God calls us out 00:09:38.600 --> 00:09:41.480 to be a people separated for his glory 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:42.679 and for our good. 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:45.179 But just look at the headings, if you will, 00:09:45.580 --> 00:09:47.480 in your Bible this morning. 00:09:48.139 --> 00:09:50.200 Just in Matthew chapter 5 here, 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:53.379 the headings aren't inspired by the Holy Spirit, 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:55.539 but they are good summaries. 00:09:55.820 --> 00:09:57.919 Jesus is going to go on to talk about anger 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:00.719 and lust and divorce and oaths and retaliation 00:10:00.719 --> 00:10:01.639 and loving your enemies. 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:03.959 And that's way more than any of us 00:10:03.959 --> 00:10:05.839 can handle all at one time today. 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:08.719 There's going to be a difference 00:10:08.719 --> 00:10:11.319 in how his people act and how they live 00:10:11.319 --> 00:10:12.979 and how they relate to their community. 00:10:13.219 --> 00:10:14.740 And he'll unpack that. 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:17.039 But first he explains the impact 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:18.299 that they're supposed to have. 00:10:18.699 --> 00:10:20.179 And I believe that if he came here 00:10:20.179 --> 00:10:21.479 and stood before us today, 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:24.079 I think if he had the opportunity to stand here 00:10:24.079 --> 00:10:25.679 and we had the opportunity to see him 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:27.299 and hear him like you're seeing 00:10:27.299 --> 00:10:28.699 and hearing me right now, 00:10:29.359 --> 00:10:31.139 I think that he would tell us, 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:33.319 he would take us to these verses 00:10:33.319 --> 00:10:35.899 and he would say, this is who you are. 00:10:37.419 --> 00:10:40.399 Church, this is what you're supposed to be doing. 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:42.739 This is who you are. 00:10:43.739 --> 00:10:45.419 You may think that you're a carpenter 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:46.439 or a truck driver. 00:10:46.719 --> 00:10:48.359 You may think that you're a school teacher 00:10:48.359 --> 00:10:49.559 or a business owner. 00:10:49.979 --> 00:10:51.699 You may think that you're a politician 00:10:51.699 --> 00:10:53.139 or a community servant 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:55.980 or a public servant of some sort, 00:10:56.100 --> 00:10:56.980 but he would say, no, 00:10:57.399 --> 00:10:59.179 this is who you are. 00:10:59.879 --> 00:11:02.519 And this is what you should be doing. 00:11:03.860 --> 00:11:05.919 And he chooses two metaphors 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:08.399 to articulate how we as his followers 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:10.600 are supposed to relate to our culture, 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:13.419 how we're supposed to influence our culture. 00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:15.259 The first one he mentions is salt. 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:17.559 He says in verse 13, he says, 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:18.939 you're the salt of the earth. 00:11:18.940 --> 00:11:21.840 Now there are a lot of uses 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:23.700 in the ancient world for salt 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:26.480 and all those uses kind of spill over in today. 00:11:26.660 --> 00:11:28.360 We could have a Sunday school lesson 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:31.120 on any one of these uses of salt 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:33.540 and we could find meaning in our life. 00:11:33.900 --> 00:11:37.360 Uses like seasoning or healing or destruction 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:39.380 or making of covenants 00:11:39.380 --> 00:11:40.740 and this kind of thing. 00:11:40.820 --> 00:11:42.580 And all those things can be applied 00:11:42.580 --> 00:11:43.860 in some way in our lives. 00:11:43.860 --> 00:11:47.980 But I believe that Jesus is really talking here 00:11:47.980 --> 00:11:50.080 about this idea of preservation. 00:11:51.580 --> 00:11:54.759 Salt is used in preserving things 00:11:54.759 --> 00:11:56.600 that would spoil otherwise. 00:11:58.279 --> 00:12:00.700 And so like salt would be rubbed 00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:02.379 into the meat of his day 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:04.240 so that it wouldn't turn foul, 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:06.659 I believe that Jesus would say 00:12:06.659 --> 00:12:08.060 that Christians are rubbed 00:12:08.060 --> 00:12:09.539 into the fabric of our culture 00:12:09.539 --> 00:12:11.560 to be a preserving agent 00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:13.399 in the lives of those around us 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:15.459 and the cultures in which we live. 00:12:17.199 --> 00:12:18.359 And this is what it looks like. 00:12:18.419 --> 00:12:19.379 It looks like Christians 00:12:19.379 --> 00:12:20.799 being rubbed into the schools, 00:12:20.959 --> 00:12:23.039 administrators, teachers, and students. 00:12:23.479 --> 00:12:25.099 They're being rubbed into the fabric 00:12:25.099 --> 00:12:26.959 of that school system, 00:12:27.059 --> 00:12:28.739 that education system 00:12:28.739 --> 00:12:30.539 for the glory of God 00:12:30.539 --> 00:12:32.919 and for the good of all who participate. 00:12:34.739 --> 00:12:35.599 And I want you to know, 00:12:35.699 --> 00:12:37.199 some of you that have been to Sedona, 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:39.979 you know that we work in the schools 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:40.800 a great deal. 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:43.100 We spend a lot of time 00:12:43.100 --> 00:12:44.720 just loving on the schools. 00:12:44.940 --> 00:12:48.139 We'll go and do landscaping for them 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:49.180 and I don't want you to be 00:12:49.180 --> 00:12:50.720 under any false notions, okay? 00:12:50.779 --> 00:12:52.659 When you go do landscaping in the desert, 00:12:52.800 --> 00:12:53.980 you're not trimming hedges. 00:12:54.980 --> 00:12:57.539 You're digging up cactus, all right? 00:12:57.539 --> 00:13:01.440 It is a major effort of love 00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:04.399 to go and to serve these people this way. 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:06.379 But we spend a lot of time 00:13:06.379 --> 00:13:07.279 working in the schools 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:09.779 and when we arrived in Sedona in 2014, 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:12.399 the first principal that I met 00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:16.019 was a very skeptical Jewish woman 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:17.699 who didn't want to hear anything 00:13:17.699 --> 00:13:19.139 I had to say about Jesus 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:21.139 and really was a little uncertain 00:13:21.139 --> 00:13:22.759 as to whether she should let us 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:25.819 even be nice to her, okay? 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:28.600 Over time, we won her over 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:31.259 and the next principal was a friend of mine. 00:13:31.259 --> 00:13:34.459 And what I want to share with you today 00:13:34.460 --> 00:13:36.180 is that this past school year, 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:37.860 at the beginning of this past school year, 00:13:37.980 --> 00:13:40.940 we were given a new superintendent. 00:13:41.639 --> 00:13:42.940 They hired a new superintendent. 00:13:43.820 --> 00:13:47.720 The elementary school received a new principal 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:50.600 and in the next school year, 00:13:50.680 --> 00:13:52.820 our high school is going to have another principal 00:13:52.820 --> 00:13:55.960 and all three of those administrators 00:13:55.960 --> 00:13:59.860 are going to be numbered among the people of God. 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:02.139 They're all going to be believers. 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:05.539 Now, they're not going to run a Christian school 00:14:05.539 --> 00:14:07.639 as we would know a Christian school, 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:09.860 but they're going to be the salt 00:14:09.860 --> 00:14:12.019 that's being rubbed into the fabric 00:14:12.019 --> 00:14:14.500 of that school system 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:17.159 so that it begins to look different 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:19.199 and sound different and smell different. 00:14:20.460 --> 00:14:22.220 Christians are rubbed into businesses 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:24.179 as CEOs and managers 00:14:24.179 --> 00:14:27.139 and laborers. 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:28.960 Like I said, 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:31.300 you think you have a job to make money, 00:14:32.160 --> 00:14:33.660 but God has given you a job 00:14:33.660 --> 00:14:34.860 to give you a context 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:37.320 to act as a preservative of the culture. 00:14:38.800 --> 00:14:41.019 And so one of the things I love to tell, 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:41.980 and he's not here today, 00:14:42.060 --> 00:14:42.840 so I get to tell it, 00:14:42.900 --> 00:14:44.400 my dad was a truck driver 00:14:44.400 --> 00:14:46.060 for I don't even know how many years. 00:14:46.160 --> 00:14:47.840 From the time I was in kindergarten 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:51.240 until February a year ago, 00:14:51.300 --> 00:14:52.660 I think is when he retired. 00:14:52.740 --> 00:14:53.580 He was a truck driver. 00:14:53.680 --> 00:14:54.940 For most of my growing up years, 00:14:55.040 --> 00:14:56.639 he drove on a team. 00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:59.539 He and a partner would leave on Sunday night at midnight 00:14:59.539 --> 00:15:01.220 and they'd get home on Friday afternoon. 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:03.960 I want you to know that as I was growing up, 00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:05.600 my dad's never preached a sermon. 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:07.519 He's led a few prayers and worship 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:08.539 and this kind of thing, 00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:11.919 but at least two, if not three, 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:13.980 of the riding partners that he had 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:15.259 over the course of those years 00:15:15.259 --> 00:15:16.600 became Christians 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:19.779 because he was being rubbed into the fabric 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:21.600 of the trucking industry. 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:24.200 And so whatever you do, 00:15:24.659 --> 00:15:26.600 you're being rubbed into the fabric. 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:28.980 Christians are rubbed into the communities 00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:30.560 that we live in as neighbors 00:15:30.560 --> 00:15:31.720 and public servants, 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:32.759 as little league coaches, 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:34.500 and the list could go on and on and on, 00:15:34.580 --> 00:15:36.460 but don't miss the fact that Jesus says here, 00:15:36.899 --> 00:15:40.440 you are the salt of the earth. 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:43.180 So whatever you do and wherever you go, 00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:45.740 you are the salt of the earth. 00:15:45.800 --> 00:15:47.500 Not you're gonna be the salt of the earth 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:48.560 or you have the potential 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:49.759 to be the salt of the earth, 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:53.979 but you are the salt of the earth. 00:15:54.859 --> 00:15:56.919 This is what you are. 00:15:57.500 --> 00:15:58.000 And notice here, 00:15:58.099 --> 00:15:59.759 he's speaking to all the people 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:01.219 that are following him that day. 00:16:01.939 --> 00:16:03.079 This is not something 00:16:03.079 --> 00:16:04.699 that he pulled the 12 aside 00:16:04.699 --> 00:16:06.819 to just give them a little private devotion 00:16:06.819 --> 00:16:09.879 and try to kind of encourage them 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:11.279 to be better disciples. 00:16:12.459 --> 00:16:13.239 This is not, 00:16:13.719 --> 00:16:15.439 this is certainly not something 00:16:15.439 --> 00:16:16.379 that he's just given 00:16:16.379 --> 00:16:18.339 to the religious leaders of his day. 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:20.040 This is something that he is sharing 00:16:20.040 --> 00:16:21.540 with all the people 00:16:21.540 --> 00:16:24.420 that are following him on that day. 00:16:24.500 --> 00:16:25.720 And so I want you to know that today, 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:29.180 I'm not preaching this sermon to Fred Stone. 00:16:29.800 --> 00:16:31.820 I'm not preaching it to your staff. 00:16:32.300 --> 00:16:34.600 I'm not preaching it to your Sunday school teachers 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:35.440 or your deacons 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:36.620 or your small group leaders 00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:37.820 or your youth chaperones. 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:40.700 It's for every single one of you. 00:16:40.920 --> 00:16:45.160 You are the salt of the earth. 00:16:46.300 --> 00:16:47.660 And at some point in your life, 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:49.120 when you chose to follow Christ, 00:16:49.219 --> 00:16:52.919 you by definition are the salt of the earth. 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:53.639 Unfortunately, 00:16:54.419 --> 00:16:56.419 that does not necessarily mean 00:16:56.419 --> 00:16:58.860 that you will be a good preservative 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:00.480 because Jesus tells us here 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:05.480 that sometimes the salt loses its saltiness. 00:17:06.139 --> 00:17:07.159 Now, what does that mean? 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:09.920 Well, it doesn't mean that it stops being salt. 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.640 It just means that it loses its effectiveness 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:16.259 because it has become contaminated. 00:17:17.080 --> 00:17:18.480 And what Jesus tells us here 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:20.519 is that when the salt became contaminated, 00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:22.940 people would just toss it out into the street. 00:17:23.660 --> 00:17:25.620 And it would get packed down 00:17:25.620 --> 00:17:27.759 as people walked over and treaded on it. 00:17:27.800 --> 00:17:28.900 It would just get packed down 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:30.220 and become part of the ground. 00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:33.620 Before long, you can't tell the salt from the dirt. 00:17:33.619 --> 00:17:37.079 This salt that was so important 00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:38.579 and used in so many homes 00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:40.619 is now just part of the ground, 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:44.119 part of the dirt that people are walking on 00:17:44.119 --> 00:17:46.679 day in and day out 00:17:46.679 --> 00:17:50.339 is no longer useful as salt. 00:17:51.679 --> 00:17:52.979 So in the summer of 1995, 00:17:52.979 --> 00:17:54.719 I was 19 years old. 00:17:54.959 --> 00:17:56.459 That's been a long time ago. 00:17:56.460 --> 00:17:58.880 But at 19 years old, 00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:01.539 I was on the camp staff at McCall up the road, 00:18:01.620 --> 00:18:02.559 up 178. 00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:06.740 And I sat at the same table in the dining hall 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:07.819 every single meal. 00:18:08.500 --> 00:18:10.740 My table happened to be on the porch 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:13.960 and it was an open air building at that time. 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:17.600 And so every morning I would come in, 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:19.940 I'd pick up these little disposable salt shakers 00:18:19.940 --> 00:18:21.079 that they had put on the table 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:23.240 and I'd try to take some salt out 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:25.000 on my eggs and my grits, right? 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:27.079 What do you think happened? 00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:29.339 Nothing. 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:31.000 I'm gonna tell you, 00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:32.559 nobody spoke up, by the way. 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:34.279 Nothing came out. 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:37.799 Those salt shakers would sit there overnight 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:40.339 and the moisture and the air would get in there 00:18:40.339 --> 00:18:42.059 and it would just clog them up 00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:44.640 and it would make it to where the salt 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:45.720 would not come out. 00:18:45.859 --> 00:18:48.480 And so for about a week that summer, 00:18:48.619 --> 00:18:49.700 as the summer kicked off, 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:51.240 for about a week, every morning, 00:18:51.380 --> 00:18:53.839 I would walk around about half of breakfast time 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:55.799 looking for a salt shaker that worked 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:59.839 because everybody needs salt on their grits, okay? 00:19:00.919 --> 00:19:02.639 Nobody has an amen to that. 00:19:03.639 --> 00:19:05.059 Yeah, I know who you are. 00:19:05.659 --> 00:19:08.079 So finally one morning, 00:19:08.220 --> 00:19:09.559 I got up, I go to breakfast, 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:11.439 I get my eggs and grits and sausage, 00:19:11.539 --> 00:19:12.439 I got it all on the plate, 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:14.199 I'm ready to go and I hit the salt. 00:19:14.579 --> 00:19:15.659 No salt comes out. 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:18.620 I set it down and said, forget it. 00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:21.660 I have not picked up a salt shaker since. 00:19:23.040 --> 00:19:25.080 And it's not because I'm health conscious, 00:19:25.380 --> 00:19:26.460 I'm worried about my heart, 00:19:26.900 --> 00:19:28.519 or because I'm holy, 00:19:28.800 --> 00:19:30.360 or any of those kinds of things. 00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:33.019 It was because the salt had become contaminated, 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:34.420 it was useless, 00:19:34.600 --> 00:19:37.080 and it wasn't worth my effort. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:38.320 Right? 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:42.079 And I want you to think about that 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:46.659 in terms of how insignificant the contamination seems. 00:19:48.019 --> 00:19:49.559 That salt shaker was contaminated 00:19:49.559 --> 00:19:52.059 by the moisture in the air. 00:19:52.220 --> 00:19:54.019 It wasn't dropped in a puddle of water. 00:19:55.179 --> 00:19:57.220 Nobody spilt anything on it. 00:19:58.079 --> 00:20:01.000 It was simply the moisture that came out of the air 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:03.700 that made that salt useless. 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:07.019 Jesus makes you salty. 00:20:07.019 --> 00:20:10.379 But you have to avoid contamination 00:20:10.379 --> 00:20:14.339 if you're going to be a preservative for him in this world. 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:17.779 And here's where it gets a little personal for us, okay? 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:21.700 Because it's real popular these days 00:20:21.700 --> 00:20:24.740 for us to be transparent and honest 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:27.339 and open about our struggles 00:20:27.339 --> 00:20:30.160 and the sin that is in our life 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:31.099 and this kind of thing. 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:32.920 And I'm all for transparency, 00:20:33.279 --> 00:20:35.639 and I think that's a good thing for the most part. 00:20:35.640 --> 00:20:38.500 I probably feel like that most of the church 00:20:38.500 --> 00:20:40.240 is hiding far too much 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:42.600 that they could be released from 00:20:42.600 --> 00:20:44.820 if people were willing to share 00:20:44.820 --> 00:20:46.380 and accept some accountability 00:20:46.380 --> 00:20:48.320 and ask for some help. 00:20:49.320 --> 00:20:50.940 The truth of the matter is 00:20:50.940 --> 00:20:52.540 is that the sin in your life 00:20:52.540 --> 00:20:53.880 that you struggle with 00:20:53.880 --> 00:20:56.900 can be an encouragement to others 00:20:56.900 --> 00:20:59.180 who struggle with that same kind of sin. 00:20:59.300 --> 00:21:01.160 If they see you walking with Christ, 00:21:01.620 --> 00:21:03.740 they can have hope for themselves. 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:06.960 It can become a powerful part of your testimony. 00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:14.359 However, if you continue in your rebellion against Christ, 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:18.400 that may or may not endear you to other people, 00:21:18.920 --> 00:21:22.380 but it will certainly hinder them from coming to Christ. 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:23.500 All right? 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:26.339 And I want you to think about this in two ways. 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:30.140 If you continue in your rebellion today 00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:32.600 in the sins of commission in your life, 00:21:32.600 --> 00:21:35.320 the things that you do that you know displease God 00:21:35.320 --> 00:21:37.080 and keep you separated from Him, 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:41.259 it may or may not make other people think, 00:21:41.380 --> 00:21:43.240 oh, yeah, he's just a regular old Joe, 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:45.020 and he's a lot of fun to be around, 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:46.320 and if there's hope for him, 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:47.100 there's hope for me, 00:21:47.180 --> 00:21:48.060 and that kind of thing. 00:21:49.020 --> 00:21:51.420 But it could hinder them from coming to Christ 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:53.700 if they don't see a difference in your life. 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:57.000 If they see you acting like they do 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:58.440 and living like they do 00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:00.640 and just being here on Sunday morning, 00:22:00.819 --> 00:22:03.980 it could be a hindrance to them actually embracing the gospel 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:06.100 and giving their life 00:22:06.100 --> 00:22:08.160 and trusting Christ for their salvation. 00:22:09.360 --> 00:22:11.340 But it's not just the things that we do 00:22:11.340 --> 00:22:12.940 that we don't want anybody else to know about. 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:15.480 It's the things that we should do 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:17.539 that everybody assumes we're doing, 00:22:17.819 --> 00:22:18.759 but we're not doing. 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:21.340 It's sharing our faith. 00:22:21.339 --> 00:22:24.019 It's proclaiming the gospel 00:22:24.019 --> 00:22:25.359 when we're given opportunity. 00:22:26.539 --> 00:22:29.240 We spend our lives building rapport with people 00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:31.639 and investing in relationships 00:22:31.639 --> 00:22:33.339 and building relational capital 00:22:33.899 --> 00:22:35.480 and this kind of thing, 00:22:35.559 --> 00:22:39.079 and then we never spend it on the gospel. 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:42.299 And if you continue in your rebellion, 00:22:42.879 --> 00:22:43.980 and when I say rebellion, 00:22:44.099 --> 00:22:46.459 I mean refusing to share the gospel 00:22:46.459 --> 00:22:48.899 with your neighbor or your family member 00:22:48.899 --> 00:22:50.459 or your coworker 00:22:50.460 --> 00:22:52.400 or the person at the ball field 00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:53.660 or whoever it may be, 00:22:54.660 --> 00:22:56.980 then that may endear them to you. 00:22:57.319 --> 00:22:59.299 They may not think you're a religious fanatic 00:22:59.299 --> 00:23:00.579 or anything like that, 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:02.980 but it could very well 00:23:02.980 --> 00:23:06.000 cause them to stumble over the kingdom 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:07.539 and miss it altogether. 00:23:08.360 --> 00:23:09.539 As I always want to ask you, 00:23:10.360 --> 00:23:11.519 are you sharing the gospel 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:13.440 with those in your circle of influence? 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:15.880 The people there around you 00:23:15.880 --> 00:23:18.240 that God has put you in their lives 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:19.460 and he's rubbing you 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:21.620 into the fabric of their existence. 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:23.720 Are you using that for his glory 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:25.299 by sharing the gospel with them? 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:31.000 The second metaphor that he uses here is light. 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:33.819 And he says that you are the light of the world. 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:35.559 And whether we're talking about oil lamps 00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:36.420 in Jesus' day 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:38.120 or the flick of a switch 00:23:38.120 --> 00:23:39.660 or the push of a button on our phone 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:40.420 in our own day, 00:23:40.940 --> 00:23:42.019 the lights come on 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:42.900 and the lights come on 00:23:42.900 --> 00:23:42.920 and the lights come on 00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:43.799 for one purpose 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:45.740 and that is illumination, 00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:46.940 revelation. 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:48.559 And again, 00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:49.740 Jesus says to his people, 00:23:49.940 --> 00:23:52.559 you are the light of the world. 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:54.680 This is not something 00:23:54.680 --> 00:23:56.359 you need to go to a class for. 00:23:57.180 --> 00:23:58.519 This is something you are. 00:23:58.660 --> 00:23:59.700 By your nature, 00:23:59.859 --> 00:24:00.940 as a believer in Jesus, 00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:03.460 you are the light of the world. 00:24:03.539 --> 00:24:05.039 And this is so significant 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:08.660 because in John 8, verse 12, 00:24:08.660 --> 00:24:09.519 Jesus says, 00:24:10.080 --> 00:24:12.100 I am the light of the world. 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:13.960 And can, 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:14.660 you know, 00:24:14.759 --> 00:24:16.320 if Jesus walked in today 00:24:16.320 --> 00:24:16.840 and he said, 00:24:17.180 --> 00:24:18.300 I'm the light of the world, 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:19.320 we'd be like, 00:24:19.420 --> 00:24:19.960 hallelujah, 00:24:20.340 --> 00:24:21.080 praise the Lord. 00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:22.400 Everybody look to the light. 00:24:22.660 --> 00:24:23.960 Thank you for showing us the way. 00:24:26.300 --> 00:24:28.360 But then he turns around and says, 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:31.880 you are the light of the world. 00:24:33.420 --> 00:24:33.860 And so I wonder 00:24:33.860 --> 00:24:35.279 what you're shining on today. 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:37.820 I wonder what people see 00:24:37.819 --> 00:24:39.519 because you're the light 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:40.220 of the world today. 00:24:40.299 --> 00:24:41.119 He goes on to say 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:42.299 that a city set on a hill 00:24:42.299 --> 00:24:43.220 cannot be hidden. 00:24:44.659 --> 00:24:45.379 Some of you have been 00:24:45.379 --> 00:24:46.319 to Sedona before 00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:47.279 and I don't know 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:48.079 if you've made the trip 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:48.839 to Cottonwood, 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:49.480 to Walmart, 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:51.559 in the dark or not, 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:53.039 but we don't have 00:24:53.039 --> 00:24:54.200 a Walmart in Sedona 00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:55.659 because we're too good for that. 00:24:58.200 --> 00:24:59.119 People like me, 00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:00.079 we still drive over 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:00.700 to Cottonwood 00:25:00.700 --> 00:25:01.480 so that we can get 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:02.279 to Walmart, okay? 00:25:03.399 --> 00:25:04.299 But if you go 00:25:04.299 --> 00:25:06.220 to Cottonwood at night, 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:07.980 there's this mountain range 00:25:07.980 --> 00:25:09.160 behind Cottonwood 00:25:09.160 --> 00:25:11.900 and over to the right 00:25:11.900 --> 00:25:12.539 as you're driving 00:25:12.539 --> 00:25:13.380 toward Cottonwood, 00:25:13.500 --> 00:25:14.819 you can see these lights 00:25:14.819 --> 00:25:15.920 on the hill. 00:25:16.019 --> 00:25:16.860 It's just dark 00:25:16.860 --> 00:25:17.960 all the way across 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:18.519 and then there's 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:19.900 this little section 00:25:19.900 --> 00:25:21.920 of flickering lamps, 00:25:22.120 --> 00:25:22.539 lights. 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:24.740 That little town 00:25:24.740 --> 00:25:26.100 is Jerome. 00:25:27.100 --> 00:25:27.779 Now, Jerome 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:29.220 only has 400 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:30.539 and something residents, 00:25:31.140 --> 00:25:31.339 okay? 00:25:31.339 --> 00:25:32.339 It's a tiny little 00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:34.059 used up 00:25:34.059 --> 00:25:35.779 copper mining town 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:37.079 is what it is. 00:25:38.079 --> 00:25:39.579 And nobody would know 00:25:39.579 --> 00:25:40.779 Jerome is there 00:25:40.779 --> 00:25:41.439 probably 00:25:41.439 --> 00:25:43.419 except when you go 00:25:43.419 --> 00:25:44.619 to Cottonwood at night, 00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:46.779 there's no mistaking 00:25:46.779 --> 00:25:47.539 that there's people 00:25:47.539 --> 00:25:47.980 over there 00:25:47.980 --> 00:25:48.639 on that mountain. 00:25:49.980 --> 00:25:50.740 And I would venture 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:51.439 to say even 00:25:51.439 --> 00:25:53.240 at only 400 strong, 00:25:53.939 --> 00:25:54.799 they'd never get 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:55.399 enough people 00:25:55.399 --> 00:25:56.859 to turn their lights off 00:25:56.859 --> 00:25:58.099 to hide themselves. 00:25:58.099 --> 00:26:01.059 Jesus says 00:26:01.059 --> 00:26:02.159 a city set on a hill 00:26:02.159 --> 00:26:04.599 cannot be hidden. 00:26:05.379 --> 00:26:06.240 And like all the 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.339 little individual lights 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:08.480 that make that town 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:09.899 visible to those of us 00:26:09.899 --> 00:26:11.019 driving to Cottonwood 00:26:11.019 --> 00:26:11.539 at night, 00:26:12.639 --> 00:26:14.039 so all of us 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:15.399 who belong to Jesus 00:26:15.399 --> 00:26:16.559 are little lights 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:17.399 that are peppered 00:26:17.399 --> 00:26:18.359 across our culture 00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:19.179 for the purpose 00:26:19.179 --> 00:26:21.219 of shining on Jesus 00:26:21.219 --> 00:26:22.959 for our community. 00:26:24.119 --> 00:26:24.699 Specifically, 00:26:25.659 --> 00:26:27.859 so people will see Jesus. 00:26:28.099 --> 00:26:30.179 not so they'll see 00:26:30.179 --> 00:26:32.099 how to manage 00:26:32.099 --> 00:26:33.259 their retirement better, 00:26:34.159 --> 00:26:36.879 not so they'll figure out 00:26:36.879 --> 00:26:38.240 how to have more harmony. 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:39.219 All those things 00:26:39.219 --> 00:26:40.139 are fine and good 00:26:40.139 --> 00:26:40.819 and wonderful, 00:26:41.019 --> 00:26:42.219 but people don't need 00:26:42.219 --> 00:26:43.399 the gospel for that. 00:26:45.199 --> 00:26:46.079 People don't need 00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:46.839 to come here 00:26:46.839 --> 00:26:47.899 and hear God's word 00:26:47.899 --> 00:26:48.819 for that. 00:26:50.719 --> 00:26:51.859 But so people 00:26:51.859 --> 00:26:52.879 will see Jesus 00:26:52.879 --> 00:26:53.740 and so the question 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:54.199 will come, 00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:55.599 what are we illuminating? 00:26:55.879 --> 00:26:56.599 What are we shining? 00:26:56.819 --> 00:26:58.079 What do people see? 00:26:58.099 --> 00:27:00.099 Because we are shining. 00:27:01.199 --> 00:27:02.299 Well, you will expose 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:03.419 sin and evil 00:27:03.419 --> 00:27:04.740 in the world around you. 00:27:05.819 --> 00:27:06.619 Some of you 00:27:06.619 --> 00:27:07.459 who go to work 00:27:07.459 --> 00:27:08.579 and you're not willing 00:27:08.579 --> 00:27:09.519 to cut the corners 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:10.459 or you're not willing 00:27:10.459 --> 00:27:13.539 to fudge the deals 00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:14.240 and this kind of thing, 00:27:14.419 --> 00:27:15.379 your life, 00:27:15.500 --> 00:27:16.199 your light 00:27:16.199 --> 00:27:17.099 will reveal 00:27:17.699 --> 00:27:19.480 faulty and dishonest 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:20.459 business practices 00:27:20.459 --> 00:27:21.439 in your industry. 00:27:22.379 --> 00:27:22.959 And some people 00:27:22.959 --> 00:27:23.559 are not going to like you 00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:23.980 for it, 00:27:23.980 --> 00:27:25.299 but the Lord's honored 00:27:25.299 --> 00:27:25.900 by it. 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:27.200 And others 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:27.920 will be compelled 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:29.200 to listen to what 00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:29.799 you have to say 00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:30.460 about Christ 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:31.200 because he's made 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:31.900 this difference 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:32.660 in your life. 00:27:33.980 --> 00:27:34.759 For you teenagers 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:35.620 and kids 00:27:35.620 --> 00:27:36.500 that go to school 00:27:36.500 --> 00:27:37.640 day in and day out, 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:40.180 if you're living 00:27:40.180 --> 00:27:40.880 for Christ 00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:42.140 and you're shining 00:27:42.140 --> 00:27:42.860 as the light 00:27:42.860 --> 00:27:43.480 of the world 00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:44.420 and what you're 00:27:44.420 --> 00:27:45.200 going to be revealing 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:46.079 is gossip 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:47.740 and careless talk. 00:27:49.659 --> 00:27:50.500 I want you to know 00:27:50.500 --> 00:27:50.960 that when I went 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:51.839 to Spartanburg 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:53.199 to pastor at Philadelphia 00:27:53.199 --> 00:27:53.960 within the first 00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:54.720 six months, 00:27:55.339 --> 00:27:55.939 I got a call 00:27:55.939 --> 00:27:56.839 on a Sunday night 00:27:56.839 --> 00:27:57.819 and it was from 00:27:57.819 --> 00:27:59.379 a lady in our church 00:27:59.379 --> 00:28:00.179 but she was calling 00:28:00.179 --> 00:28:01.319 on behalf of her neighbor 00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:02.179 who was frantic 00:28:02.179 --> 00:28:03.419 and couldn't talk 00:28:03.419 --> 00:28:04.019 about anything 00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:04.599 at the moment 00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:06.460 and what had happened 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:08.179 is this lady's 00:28:08.179 --> 00:28:08.679 little girl 00:28:08.679 --> 00:28:10.179 who was in the sixth grade 00:28:10.179 --> 00:28:12.299 had just hung herself 00:28:12.299 --> 00:28:14.720 and they wanted somebody 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:15.319 to come talk 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:16.019 to this family. 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:19.199 And I can think 00:28:19.199 --> 00:28:20.539 of a hundred 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:21.699 other people I know 00:28:21.699 --> 00:28:22.319 that would have been 00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:23.460 better at that than me 00:28:23.460 --> 00:28:25.819 but God called me 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:26.679 to that place 00:28:26.679 --> 00:28:27.960 and what I found out 00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:29.240 as I talked 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:30.000 to the family 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:31.079 and as we listened 00:28:31.639 --> 00:28:33.079 and unraveled 00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:34.319 the knots 00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:35.059 and the cords 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:36.419 of all this tragedy, 00:28:36.639 --> 00:28:37.439 what we found out 00:28:37.439 --> 00:28:38.339 was this little girl 00:28:38.339 --> 00:28:39.319 in sixth grade 00:28:39.319 --> 00:28:41.079 was being shamed 00:28:41.720 --> 00:28:44.099 and gossiped about 00:28:44.099 --> 00:28:46.679 and kind of ill-treated 00:28:46.679 --> 00:28:47.419 at school 00:28:47.419 --> 00:28:48.919 and this kind of thing. 00:28:48.919 --> 00:28:51.559 And I don't see bullies 00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:52.679 behind every bush 00:28:52.679 --> 00:28:54.119 but something made 00:28:54.119 --> 00:28:54.799 this little girl 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:56.759 so sad 00:28:56.759 --> 00:28:58.419 and so down on herself 00:28:58.419 --> 00:29:00.379 that in the sixth grade 00:29:00.379 --> 00:29:01.939 she hung herself. 00:29:01.940 --> 00:29:05.220 And I wonder 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:06.240 when you go to school 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:06.920 guys, 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:10.320 are you shining light 00:29:10.320 --> 00:29:11.279 on that stuff 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:12.640 to where it's exposed 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:13.940 and squelched 00:29:14.600 --> 00:29:16.299 or do you actually 00:29:16.299 --> 00:29:17.180 pour fire 00:29:17.180 --> 00:29:17.640 on those, 00:29:17.820 --> 00:29:18.559 pour gas 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:19.360 on those fires? 00:29:20.559 --> 00:29:21.299 Are you actually 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:22.320 part of the problem 00:29:22.320 --> 00:29:22.900 with that? 00:29:24.360 --> 00:29:24.620 You know, 00:29:24.620 --> 00:29:25.440 it could be that 00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:27.400 you being the light 00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:27.900 of the world 00:29:27.900 --> 00:29:28.640 shines light 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:29.820 on immoral living 00:29:29.820 --> 00:29:33.180 but whatever it is 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:33.780 you will have 00:29:33.780 --> 00:29:35.259 the answer 00:29:35.259 --> 00:29:36.520 for escaping 00:29:36.520 --> 00:29:37.860 that slavish behavior. 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:39.340 People know 00:29:39.340 --> 00:29:40.300 that they're enslaved. 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:41.259 They may not want 00:29:41.259 --> 00:29:41.660 to admit it 00:29:41.660 --> 00:29:42.320 but they know 00:29:42.320 --> 00:29:43.240 that they're enslaved. 00:29:43.960 --> 00:29:44.420 They're looking 00:29:44.420 --> 00:29:45.020 for somebody 00:29:45.020 --> 00:29:45.860 to lead them 00:29:45.860 --> 00:29:46.520 out of it 00:29:46.520 --> 00:29:48.180 and it could be 00:29:48.180 --> 00:29:48.740 that you're here 00:29:48.740 --> 00:29:49.259 this morning 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:50.000 and you realize 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:50.780 that these things 00:29:50.780 --> 00:29:51.680 are true of you. 00:29:52.520 --> 00:29:53.560 You do pour gas 00:29:53.560 --> 00:29:54.180 on the gossip. 00:29:55.180 --> 00:29:56.280 You are tied up 00:29:56.280 --> 00:29:57.280 in immoral living. 00:29:57.279 --> 00:29:59.319 You are guilty 00:29:59.319 --> 00:30:00.279 of improper 00:30:00.279 --> 00:30:01.680 and scandalous 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:03.779 and dishonest 00:30:03.779 --> 00:30:04.779 business practices 00:30:04.779 --> 00:30:05.859 and it comes 00:30:05.859 --> 00:30:06.539 to your attention 00:30:06.539 --> 00:30:07.139 today that 00:30:07.139 --> 00:30:08.899 you are these things 00:30:08.899 --> 00:30:09.899 because you've never 00:30:09.899 --> 00:30:10.779 been redeemed. 00:30:10.960 --> 00:30:11.399 You've never been 00:30:11.399 --> 00:30:12.180 let out of it. 00:30:12.259 --> 00:30:12.740 You've never been 00:30:12.740 --> 00:30:13.519 bought out 00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:14.259 of that sin 00:30:14.259 --> 00:30:15.980 and that's the message 00:30:15.980 --> 00:30:16.579 of the gospel 00:30:16.579 --> 00:30:17.220 this morning 00:30:17.220 --> 00:30:18.839 is that if you will 00:30:18.839 --> 00:30:20.000 turn from that sin 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:20.700 and if you will 00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:21.639 turn to Christ 00:30:21.639 --> 00:30:22.839 and cry out to him 00:30:22.839 --> 00:30:23.480 for the forgiveness 00:30:23.480 --> 00:30:24.139 of your sin 00:30:24.139 --> 00:30:25.359 then he will 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:26.940 buy you out. 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:28.740 And he will 00:30:28.740 --> 00:30:29.819 rescue you 00:30:29.819 --> 00:30:30.440 and give you 00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:31.460 hope for eternity. 00:30:32.619 --> 00:30:33.779 You'll help others 00:30:33.779 --> 00:30:35.119 grow in their faith. 00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:36.819 I just want to 00:30:36.819 --> 00:30:37.399 ask you a question. 00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:38.139 You take a mental 00:30:38.139 --> 00:30:39.240 inventory right now. 00:30:39.359 --> 00:30:39.940 Do the people 00:30:39.940 --> 00:30:40.759 in your home, 00:30:41.639 --> 00:30:42.139 do the people 00:30:42.139 --> 00:30:43.079 in this church, 00:30:43.279 --> 00:30:43.700 do the people 00:30:43.700 --> 00:30:44.460 in your workplace 00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:45.299 or your school, 00:30:45.420 --> 00:30:46.319 are they growing 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:47.619 in their understanding 00:30:47.619 --> 00:30:49.579 and faith in Christ 00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:50.519 because they're 00:30:50.519 --> 00:30:51.399 being around you? 00:30:51.400 --> 00:30:54.940 If not, 00:30:55.140 --> 00:30:55.860 it might be 00:30:55.860 --> 00:30:56.440 that you're not 00:30:56.440 --> 00:30:57.180 really shining 00:30:57.180 --> 00:30:58.720 light on Jesus 00:30:58.720 --> 00:30:59.240 at all. 00:31:00.140 --> 00:31:00.900 You're shining 00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:01.660 Jesus on 00:31:01.660 --> 00:31:02.960 how to encourage 00:31:02.960 --> 00:31:03.420 other people 00:31:03.420 --> 00:31:04.040 to live better 00:31:04.040 --> 00:31:06.140 and that might 00:31:06.140 --> 00:31:06.600 make them feel 00:31:06.600 --> 00:31:07.519 better for a day 00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:08.400 or for a season 00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:09.040 but it won't 00:31:09.040 --> 00:31:09.680 last them for 00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:10.180 eternity. 00:31:11.860 --> 00:31:12.320 And then finally 00:31:12.320 --> 00:31:13.040 you'll see that 00:31:13.040 --> 00:31:14.040 people begin 00:31:14.040 --> 00:31:14.920 to follow Jesus 00:31:14.920 --> 00:31:15.600 because of your 00:31:15.600 --> 00:31:16.080 testimony, 00:31:16.560 --> 00:31:17.320 because of the 00:31:17.320 --> 00:31:18.080 light that you're 00:31:18.080 --> 00:31:18.800 willing to shine, 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:20.159 because being rubbed 00:31:20.159 --> 00:31:20.940 into the fabric 00:31:20.940 --> 00:31:22.200 is a salty 00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:23.359 preservative of 00:31:23.359 --> 00:31:24.139 this culture. 00:31:25.139 --> 00:31:25.539 And I want you 00:31:25.539 --> 00:31:26.139 to know that 00:31:26.139 --> 00:31:27.419 there is no 00:31:27.419 --> 00:31:28.579 greater experience 00:31:28.579 --> 00:31:31.180 in life than 00:31:31.180 --> 00:31:32.079 to lead somebody 00:31:32.079 --> 00:31:32.619 to Jesus. 00:31:33.399 --> 00:31:34.579 I hope every 00:31:34.579 --> 00:31:35.559 single one of you 00:31:35.559 --> 00:31:36.019 have had the 00:31:36.019 --> 00:31:37.019 opportunity to lead 00:31:37.019 --> 00:31:38.259 somebody to Christ. 00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:40.339 But if you 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:42.019 haven't, I want 00:31:42.019 --> 00:31:43.539 you to know that 00:31:43.539 --> 00:31:44.299 the day you got 00:31:44.299 --> 00:31:46.440 married, the day 00:31:46.440 --> 00:31:47.680 you retired from 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:48.539 your job, 00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:49.659 the day your 00:31:49.659 --> 00:31:51.039 child was born, 00:31:51.539 --> 00:31:52.919 all those things 00:31:52.919 --> 00:31:54.559 pale in comparison. 00:31:55.159 --> 00:31:55.680 And those are 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:56.839 significant things. 00:31:57.059 --> 00:31:57.539 I've gone through 00:31:57.539 --> 00:31:58.339 every one of those 00:31:58.339 --> 00:31:58.919 except for the 00:31:58.919 --> 00:31:59.359 retirement. 00:32:00.259 --> 00:32:00.740 I've been through 00:32:00.740 --> 00:32:01.779 every one of those 00:32:01.779 --> 00:32:02.279 things. 00:32:02.859 --> 00:32:03.440 They're significant 00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:04.399 things but all those 00:32:04.399 --> 00:32:05.139 things pale in 00:32:05.139 --> 00:32:06.399 comparison to seeing 00:32:06.399 --> 00:32:08.099 a sinner cry out 00:32:08.099 --> 00:32:09.740 to Christ and 00:32:09.740 --> 00:32:11.399 receive new life 00:32:11.399 --> 00:32:13.259 in Jesus and hope 00:32:13.259 --> 00:32:14.220 for eternity. 00:32:14.700 --> 00:32:15.299 There is just 00:32:15.299 --> 00:32:16.680 nothing in the 00:32:16.680 --> 00:32:18.639 world like it. 00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:20.200 And this should be 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:21.379 the natural result 00:32:21.379 --> 00:32:23.139 of us living our 00:32:23.139 --> 00:32:24.519 lives around those 00:32:24.519 --> 00:32:25.240 who are close to 00:32:25.240 --> 00:32:25.579 us. 00:32:26.519 --> 00:32:27.339 Jesus says it would 00:32:27.339 --> 00:32:27.919 have been terribly 00:32:27.919 --> 00:32:29.879 wasteful to light 00:32:29.879 --> 00:32:30.680 the lamp and to 00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:31.379 cover it up with a 00:32:31.379 --> 00:32:31.779 basket. 00:32:32.839 --> 00:32:33.700 People didn't do 00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:34.059 that. 00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:35.519 People had sense 00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:36.200 back then. 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:38.799 People in my house 00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:39.740 leave lights on all 00:32:39.740 --> 00:32:40.099 the time. 00:32:40.539 --> 00:32:41.419 They don't have any 00:32:41.419 --> 00:32:41.839 sense. 00:32:42.599 --> 00:32:43.680 In Jesus' day they had 00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:43.960 sense. 00:32:43.960 --> 00:32:45.500 When they lit the 00:32:45.500 --> 00:32:46.400 lamp they put it on 00:32:46.400 --> 00:32:47.319 the stand so that 00:32:47.319 --> 00:32:48.559 everybody in the 00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:50.400 house could see. 00:32:51.920 --> 00:32:52.960 And Jesus says this 00:32:52.960 --> 00:32:54.039 is the way that we 00:32:54.039 --> 00:32:56.240 should function in 00:32:56.240 --> 00:32:57.400 our culture. 00:32:57.759 --> 00:32:59.160 Verse 16 says in the 00:32:59.160 --> 00:33:01.180 same way let your 00:33:01.180 --> 00:33:02.120 light shine before 00:33:02.120 --> 00:33:03.539 others so that they 00:33:03.539 --> 00:33:04.319 may see your good 00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:05.220 works and give glory 00:33:05.220 --> 00:33:06.759 to your Father who is 00:33:06.759 --> 00:33:07.140 in heaven. 00:33:07.240 --> 00:33:08.640 Our very lives should 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:09.720 function as a light 00:33:09.720 --> 00:33:10.720 that leads others to 00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:11.160 Jesus. 00:33:11.160 --> 00:33:13.840 Furthermore when they 00:33:13.840 --> 00:33:15.080 witness our lives when 00:33:15.080 --> 00:33:15.980 they see our good 00:33:15.980 --> 00:33:18.920 works they shouldn't 00:33:18.920 --> 00:33:21.200 be saying attaboy 00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:23.620 patting Josh on the 00:33:23.620 --> 00:33:23.940 back. 00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:25.900 That's not what they 00:33:25.900 --> 00:33:26.420 should be doing. 00:33:27.620 --> 00:33:28.420 Jesus says they need 00:33:28.420 --> 00:33:29.460 to see your good works 00:33:29.460 --> 00:33:30.180 and they need to see 00:33:30.180 --> 00:33:31.940 your life so that they 00:33:31.940 --> 00:33:32.900 will be compelled to 00:33:32.900 --> 00:33:34.320 give glory not to me 00:33:34.320 --> 00:33:36.360 not to us not to you 00:33:36.360 --> 00:33:38.420 but to God who is in 00:33:38.420 --> 00:33:38.779 heaven. 00:33:38.779 --> 00:33:42.660 So as we close this 00:33:42.660 --> 00:33:44.980 morning Keller has 00:33:44.980 --> 00:33:45.859 another thought that I 00:33:45.859 --> 00:33:46.740 like for us to think 00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:47.759 about as we close. 00:33:49.319 --> 00:33:51.000 He says Christians are 00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:53.899 attractive to and 00:33:53.899 --> 00:33:57.019 attracted to people who 00:33:57.019 --> 00:33:58.220 are not like them. 00:33:59.420 --> 00:34:03.519 And I wonder if you are 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:05.920 attractive to and 00:34:05.920 --> 00:34:09.019 attracted to people who 00:34:09.019 --> 00:34:10.019 are not like you. 00:34:10.900 --> 00:34:11.900 Let's just unpack that 00:34:11.900 --> 00:34:12.920 for one second here. 00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:14.500 Are you attracted to 00:34:14.500 --> 00:34:15.539 people who are not like 00:34:15.539 --> 00:34:15.659 you? 00:34:15.720 --> 00:34:17.200 Do you long to be rubbed 00:34:17.200 --> 00:34:18.579 into the lives of those 00:34:18.579 --> 00:34:19.940 around you so that they 00:34:19.940 --> 00:34:22.500 can see Jesus and embrace 00:34:22.500 --> 00:34:23.440 him as their Lord and 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:23.700 Savior? 00:34:23.700 --> 00:34:25.180 You know when I first 00:34:25.180 --> 00:34:26.200 moved to Sedona I 00:34:26.200 --> 00:34:27.599 realized these people 00:34:27.599 --> 00:34:28.500 aren't like me. 00:34:29.760 --> 00:34:31.420 They don't talk like me. 00:34:31.760 --> 00:34:33.019 They don't think like me. 00:34:33.200 --> 00:34:34.559 They don't eat like me. 00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:37.360 I really just don't even 00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:38.400 enjoy being around these 00:34:38.400 --> 00:34:38.719 people. 00:34:39.920 --> 00:34:40.940 You know they don't want 00:34:40.940 --> 00:34:42.840 to eat meat and they you 00:34:42.840 --> 00:34:45.799 know it's just tough some 00:34:45.799 --> 00:34:46.420 days right. 00:34:48.519 --> 00:34:50.019 But then the Lord just kind 00:34:50.019 --> 00:34:51.420 of broke my heart over and 00:34:51.420 --> 00:34:52.320 he said I didn't bring you 00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:53.179 here because all these 00:34:53.179 --> 00:34:54.119 people are like you. 00:34:54.940 --> 00:34:56.239 I brought you here because 00:34:56.239 --> 00:34:57.679 they're not like you. 00:34:58.980 --> 00:35:00.279 And I brought you here so 00:35:00.279 --> 00:35:01.579 that I could rub you and 00:35:01.579 --> 00:35:03.900 your family into the fabric of 00:35:03.900 --> 00:35:06.280 this culture so that they 00:35:06.280 --> 00:35:09.940 might see me and come to 00:35:09.940 --> 00:35:12.280 me for salvation. 00:35:15.220 --> 00:35:17.059 Are you attractive to 00:35:17.059 --> 00:35:18.420 others because you shine 00:35:18.420 --> 00:35:19.619 brightly for Jesus? 00:35:19.619 --> 00:35:21.820 Not just because you're nice 00:35:21.820 --> 00:35:23.320 and easy going not because 00:35:23.320 --> 00:35:25.440 you like to have fun or tell 00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:26.960 funny jokes and this kind of 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:28.019 thing but because you're 00:35:28.019 --> 00:35:29.619 committed to Jesus and 00:35:30.280 --> 00:35:31.880 reflecting him to those 00:35:31.880 --> 00:35:32.880 people. 00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:35.140 You see my fear is is that 00:35:35.140 --> 00:35:37.280 the people in Pickens that 00:35:37.280 --> 00:35:38.579 are not sitting in this 00:35:38.579 --> 00:35:40.720 building today are not 00:35:40.720 --> 00:35:41.940 sitting in a building like 00:35:41.940 --> 00:35:42.660 this today. 00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:44.579 They're not sitting in a 00:35:44.579 --> 00:35:45.820 building like this today 00:35:45.820 --> 00:35:47.099 because they're not 00:35:47.099 --> 00:35:48.220 attracted to it. 00:35:49.039 --> 00:35:51.200 And believe me I'm not 00:35:51.200 --> 00:35:52.180 saying that you need to 00:35:52.180 --> 00:35:53.340 bring in the smoke and the 00:35:53.340 --> 00:35:54.880 lights and all that garbage 00:35:55.420 --> 00:35:56.960 to get people come in. 00:35:56.960 --> 00:35:58.420 I'm talking about how you 00:35:58.420 --> 00:36:00.500 live your life on a daily 00:36:00.500 --> 00:36:01.940 basis before these people. 00:36:02.659 --> 00:36:03.559 Do they look at you and 00:36:03.559 --> 00:36:04.500 scratch their head and say 00:36:04.500 --> 00:36:06.119 what in the world is 00:36:06.119 --> 00:36:07.159 different about that guy? 00:36:08.380 --> 00:36:10.440 Why is that gal so happy all 00:36:10.440 --> 00:36:10.840 the time? 00:36:13.340 --> 00:36:14.780 Are you attractive to 00:36:14.780 --> 00:36:18.099 others or have you or have 00:36:18.099 --> 00:36:20.599 you put them off because all 00:36:20.599 --> 00:36:23.840 you do is demean other 00:36:23.840 --> 00:36:25.079 people around you that 00:36:25.079 --> 00:36:25.840 aren't like you? 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:28.260 Here's the truth. 00:36:29.260 --> 00:36:30.900 What you have to offer a 00:36:30.900 --> 00:36:32.660 hungry lost and dying world 00:36:32.660 --> 00:36:35.059 is infinitely more valuable 00:36:35.059 --> 00:36:37.500 than anything that all the 00:36:37.500 --> 00:36:39.519 social media influencers are 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:41.140 peddling all put together. 00:36:43.420 --> 00:36:44.860 People in our culture are 00:36:44.860 --> 00:36:46.380 longing to see change in their 00:36:46.380 --> 00:36:46.780 lives. 00:36:46.900 --> 00:36:48.700 They're desperate to be led to 00:36:48.700 --> 00:36:50.900 something that is better than 00:36:50.900 --> 00:36:51.860 this present. 00:36:53.400 --> 00:36:55.260 They deeply want to be led 00:36:55.260 --> 00:36:57.200 and I wonder this morning and 00:36:57.200 --> 00:36:58.519 this is what I'm asking you to 00:36:58.519 --> 00:36:58.760 do. 00:36:59.900 --> 00:37:02.139 Will you commit to be a 00:37:02.139 --> 00:37:06.360 cultural influencer for the 00:37:06.360 --> 00:37:08.880 glory of Jesus Christ by being 00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:10.500 the salt and light that he has 00:37:10.500 --> 00:37:12.920 made you and called you to be? 00:37:13.619 --> 00:37:14.200 Let's pray. 00:37:14.539 --> 00:37:16.960 Father God, we're thankful that 00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:19.119 you did not leave us in our 00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:20.799 sinful state, Lord, that when we 00:37:20.799 --> 00:37:22.559 didn't want to be pursued, when 00:37:22.559 --> 00:37:24.019 we weren't even concerned about 00:37:24.019 --> 00:37:25.599 being saved, Father, when we 00:37:25.599 --> 00:37:26.779 didn't even realize we were 00:37:26.779 --> 00:37:28.619 lost, you were coming after us. 00:37:29.839 --> 00:37:32.639 We're thankful that you saved 00:37:32.639 --> 00:37:34.039 us by the blood of your son, 00:37:34.159 --> 00:37:34.960 Jesus Christ. 00:37:35.960 --> 00:37:36.719 And Lord, this morning, 00:37:36.839 --> 00:37:38.420 hopefully we've been reminded of 00:37:38.420 --> 00:37:40.400 just how significant that is and 00:37:40.400 --> 00:37:43.279 just how urgent it is for those 00:37:43.279 --> 00:37:44.759 around us in our culture. 00:37:45.159 --> 00:37:46.960 Lord, in our school, in our 00:37:46.960 --> 00:37:48.859 workplace, in our community, our 00:37:48.860 --> 00:37:50.220 neighborhoods, our ball fields, 00:37:50.420 --> 00:37:52.360 Lord, there are people that are 00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:54.579 desperately longing to be led and 00:37:54.579 --> 00:37:55.960 they're going to be led somewhere. 00:37:56.960 --> 00:37:58.000 The question is whether or not 00:37:58.000 --> 00:37:59.360 we're going to be ready to lead 00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:00.440 them to the gospel. 00:38:01.640 --> 00:38:03.160 And so, Father, we ask you this 00:38:03.160 --> 00:38:05.460 morning to do your work in our 00:38:05.460 --> 00:38:07.820 hearts that we might realize where 00:38:07.820 --> 00:38:10.760 we are failing to be attracted to 00:38:10.760 --> 00:38:12.380 people that aren't like us. 00:38:12.960 --> 00:38:14.300 Father, would you help us to tear 00:38:14.300 --> 00:38:15.820 down those barriers and would you 00:38:15.820 --> 00:38:17.900 help us to have a longing in our 00:38:17.900 --> 00:38:21.320 heart to be rubbed into the fabric 00:38:21.320 --> 00:38:23.660 of their life that they might know 00:38:23.660 --> 00:38:27.120 Christ and have hope for eternity? 00:38:27.960 --> 00:38:30.440 And Lord, if there's anything in our 00:38:30.440 --> 00:38:33.300 life outside of the gospel of Jesus 00:38:33.300 --> 00:38:36.620 Christ and his glory that is pushing 00:38:36.620 --> 00:38:39.160 people away, Father, would you help us 00:38:39.160 --> 00:38:40.900 have the boldness and the courage to 00:38:40.900 --> 00:38:42.559 identify it and be honest about it? 00:38:42.559 --> 00:38:44.279 Would you help us to have the strength 00:38:44.279 --> 00:38:46.719 to turn from it that we might be used 00:38:46.719 --> 00:38:50.299 mightily in these people's lives to 00:38:50.299 --> 00:38:51.340 draw them to Jesus? 00:38:52.159 --> 00:38:54.259 Father, only you can do this work in 00:38:54.259 --> 00:38:54.880 our lives. 00:38:55.460 --> 00:38:57.759 Only you can make us salty and use us 00:38:57.759 --> 00:38:58.320 as light. 00:38:58.719 --> 00:39:00.320 And we're asking you to do that. 00:39:01.619 --> 00:39:03.139 We're going to be faithful to be 00:39:03.139 --> 00:39:04.820 obedient in Jesus' name. 00:39:05.299 --> 00:39:05.679 Amen. 00:39:06.759 --> 00:39:08.119 I'm going to ask Fred to come up and 00:39:08.119 --> 00:39:09.340 lead us as we go.