WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.520 We are working our way through Matthew's Gospel in our morning service just now, and we've 00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:14.839 come to chapters 5, 6 and 7, which I think I have to say are three of the most important 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:17.320 chapters in the whole Bible. 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:26.160 And there are certain passages in the Bible that you would really be wise to just have 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.280 a good familiarity with. 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:33.880 Passages like Romans 8, which contain so many of the amazing promises that are Irish 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:35.640 in Jesus Christ. 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:40.280 The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, 6 and 7, is like that. 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:46.960 It's a section of scripture that we really need to know incredibly well. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:52.120 And the reason for that is because this chapter is describing what life should be like as 00:00:52.120 --> 00:00:54.679 a disciple of Jesus. 00:00:54.679 --> 00:01:00.840 This whole sermon is setting out what life in God's kingdom is meant to be. 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:06.239 And Jesus outlines the kind of characteristics, the kind of priorities, the kind of lifestyle 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:08.599 that he expects of his people. 00:01:08.599 --> 00:01:10.599 And it's really important to recognize that. 00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:14.920 The Sermon on the Mount does not tell us how to become a Christian. 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:20.240 The Sermon on the Mount tells us how to live as Christians. 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:27.879 And it's got so much to teach us about all the different aspects of a Christian living. 00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:33.519 This year in St. Columbus, we have made 2020 a year of encouragement. 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:40.119 And that means that we want over the next 12 months for you all to be really encouraged 00:01:40.119 --> 00:01:42.640 as followers of Jesus. 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:44.759 In particular, we're focusing on the three areas. 00:01:44.759 --> 00:01:46.640 You can see the bottom of the slide. 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:50.879 We're talking, encouraging us to talk to one another, but even more so to talk to God in 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:56.519 prayer, encouraging one another in our Christian walk as we, you all have to head off to work 00:01:56.519 --> 00:02:01.120 and you need tomorrow and all the pressures and difficulties that may bring responsibilities 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:03.319 at home or challenges of old age. 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:07.680 We want to encourage you as you walk through your daily lives as Christians. 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:13.319 But we also want to encourage us, encourage you to share your faith. 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:21.560 And it's that aspect of our year of encouragement that our passage today is focusing on because 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:30.439 we're coming to verses 13 to 16 of Matthew 5, which in many ways are all about our witness 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:34.159 as Christians to the world around us. 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:38.479 Jesus said, you are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:40.599 its saltiness be restored? 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:44.159 It's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:45.159 feet. 00:02:45.159 --> 00:02:46.159 You're the light of the world. 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:50.280 A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:52.439 basket but on a stand. 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:54.919 And it gives light to all in the house. 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:59.719 In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:05.199 and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:08.639 Last Sunday morning, we were looking at the famous section at the start of the Sermon 00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:13.319 on the Mount called the Beatitudes, which you can see from verse 2 down to verse 12, 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:18.399 which is a section of scripture that really highlights the character traits that God 00:03:18.399 --> 00:03:20.319 is looking for in his kingdom. 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:24.199 He's not looking for people who are strong, tough, powerful, ruthless. 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:31.239 He's looking for people who are meek, who are merciful, who are peacemakers. 00:03:31.239 --> 00:03:38.199 And in so many ways, the characteristics that Jesus admires are the very opposite to the 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:42.759 characteristics that the world around us admires. 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:45.759 I think a great example of this is you could title it for all the Beatitudes. 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:50.079 A great example is the one verse 7 where it says, blessed are the merciful. 00:03:50.079 --> 00:03:58.120 So I want you to imagine that you're looking for a promotion and you're looking at an advert 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:03.519 for a promotion in your company or another company to a management position and you see 00:04:03.519 --> 00:04:07.799 a list of characteristics that they're looking for. 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:11.680 Would you ever see the word merciful in those characteristics? 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:15.400 No, you wouldn't. 00:04:15.400 --> 00:04:21.240 But now you imagine that something goes horrendously wrong at work tomorrow. 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:26.080 What is the one thing that a good boss will be in that situation? 00:04:26.080 --> 00:04:30.800 They'd be merciful. 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:35.519 And here's where we see one of many, many ways in which what Jesus prioritizes is so 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:42.120 different to the world around us and also so, so much better. 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:50.240 And at the heart of this new life that Jesus is calling us into is that word blessed. 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:54.199 You see that it says it again and again and again through the Beatitudes there. 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:55.839 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 00:04:55.839 --> 00:04:56.839 Blessed are those who mourn. 00:04:56.839 --> 00:04:57.919 Blessed are the meek. 00:04:57.919 --> 00:05:00.839 And that's a really fascinating word. 00:05:00.839 --> 00:05:06.959 At a very simple level, you'll often hear it said that to be blessed means to be happy. 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:09.079 And there is a lot of overlap there. 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:15.759 But I think that I would want to say that blessed is much, much, much, much bigger than 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:17.559 just happiness. 00:05:17.559 --> 00:05:28.039 It speaks more of being in a position of incredible privilege, security, peace and contentment. 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:33.800 It's a position that comes from being in a covenant relationship with God, where we 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:42.400 are God's special people and we enjoy all the incredible blessings that that can bring. 00:05:42.400 --> 00:05:47.480 And what I want us to notice is that that word blessed is pointing us all the way back 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:51.520 to one of the most important passages of the Bible, way back in Genesis. 00:05:51.520 --> 00:05:57.280 So if Matthew 5, 6 and 7 is really important, Genesis 12 is also incredibly important. 00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:00.919 And Don read that passage for us in Genesis 12, 1 to 3. 00:06:00.919 --> 00:06:07.279 In this passage, God is coming to a man called Abraham, whose name was later changed to Abraham, 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:09.159 you may have heard of. 00:06:09.159 --> 00:06:15.559 And God comes to him and says, I am going to be your God and you and your descendants 00:06:15.559 --> 00:06:18.159 are going to be my people. 00:06:18.159 --> 00:06:25.599 And a key part of God's initial promise to Abraham is that Abraham is going to be blessed. 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:28.760 So God says to him, go from your country and your kindred in your father's house to 00:06:28.760 --> 00:06:30.160 a land that I will show you. 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:36.920 And I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great. 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:40.000 Abraham and all his descendants are going to be blessed. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:46.520 They're going to enjoy many, many extraordinary privileges from being in a relationship with 00:06:46.520 --> 00:06:47.520 God. 00:06:47.520 --> 00:06:53.000 All of that is a kind of shadow of the blessings that we have in Jesus Christ. 00:06:53.000 --> 00:07:00.879 And now by faith, we share in all these blessings through our relationship with God in Christ 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:01.879 Jesus. 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:06.319 That's emphasized by Paul in Galatians chapter 3 where he says, No then, that it's those 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:09.879 who are of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:13.319 And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preach the 00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:17.040 gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, In you all the nations shall be blessed. 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:23.439 So then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:27.760 So basically what that's saying is that just as God promised to bless Abraham way back 00:07:27.760 --> 00:07:29.360 in Genesis 12. 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:36.879 Now through faith in Jesus Christ, we enjoy that same blessing. 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:41.040 But there's something else really important that gets emphasized in Genesis 12. 00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:43.680 And this is what I want us to notice. 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:50.840 Not only will Abraham himself be blessed along with his family, but they are going to be a 00:07:50.840 --> 00:07:53.800 blessing to the rest of the world. 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:54.800 You see that at the end. 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:57.079 It says, I will bless those who bless you. 00:07:57.079 --> 00:08:02.560 In him who dishonours you, I will curse in you all the families of the earth shall be 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:05.160 blessed. 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:12.319 And so Israel in the Old Testament, the descendants of Abraham, whilst they enjoyed many blessings 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:18.959 themselves at the same time, they were always meant to be a blessing to others, a light 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:22.680 to which all the other nations of the world could look. 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:27.120 And now in the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus is describing life in his kingdom, which is 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:32.360 effectively the new Israel and exactly the same principle applies. 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:39.519 So what I'm trying to say is this, we as disciples are immensely blessed. 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:47.279 But it's also essential that we are a blessing to others in the world around us. 00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:51.960 And that's part of the reason why I think Jesus follows exactly the same pattern in 00:08:51.960 --> 00:08:53.240 the Sermon of the Mount. 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:56.039 He talks all about the blessings that we have in the Beatitudes. 00:08:56.039 --> 00:09:02.919 And then in verse 13, he goes on to talk about the impact that we are to make on the world. 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:06.559 We as Christians are to be a blessing. 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:12.799 We are to be like salt and we are to be like a light. 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:21.599 And here we discover the fundamental truths that lie at the heart of our witness as disciples. 00:09:21.599 --> 00:09:24.519 So if you think about this week ahead as a Christian, you think, well, I want to witness 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:29.519 to my colleagues, I want to witness to my family, I want to witness to my friends. 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:31.359 What's Jesus asking you to do? 00:09:31.359 --> 00:09:36.519 Well, that's what I want us to look at together today. 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:38.480 Jesus uses two metaphors. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.919 The first is salt. 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:43.279 So as disciples, we are meant to be salt. 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:44.360 And what does that mean? 00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:45.679 What's Jesus getting at? 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:49.879 Well, we could spend a lot of time focusing on the properties of salt itself. 00:09:49.879 --> 00:09:54.639 I've heard one or two sermons that kind of focus on salt and talk about it as it's white 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:56.159 and it's this and it's that. 00:09:56.159 --> 00:10:00.079 And there's lots of lessons arising from the properties of salt. 00:10:00.079 --> 00:10:01.759 And that's all very helpful to think about that. 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:06.679 But what I want us to do is actually just look at that verse, verse 13, and try and think 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:11.960 about the kind of main message that that verse is conveying to us. 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:15.240 Whenever you go to a verse in the Bible, it's always good to ask yourself the question, 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:18.279 what's the key word in that verse? 00:10:18.279 --> 00:10:20.519 It isn't always one, but very often there is. 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:26.240 So look at verse 13, ask yourself, what is the key word in that verse? 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:29.000 And I'll give you a clue. 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:34.000 It's not salt. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:41.440 I think the key word in that verse is saltiness. 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:47.600 And that may sound a bit nitpicky, but it's important to recognize that the emphasis in 00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:53.559 Jesus's words is not so much on the salt, but it's on the saltiness of the salt. 00:10:53.559 --> 00:10:59.519 And the point he's trying to make is that it's the distinctiveness of the salt that is most 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:05.919 important, the taste, the saltiness of the salt is what makes it effective. 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:11.159 And without it, salt stops being effective and it's ultimately useless. 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:15.519 And here, Jesus is highlighting what is really the main point running through the whole Sermon 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:21.559 on the Mount, the fact that as disciples, we are to be different. 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:25.159 And that's why the Sermon on the Mount is so relevant, because today, living as a disciple 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:32.000 of Jesus means being different from the world around us, as emphasized by all that Jesus 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:33.479 is saying here. 00:11:33.479 --> 00:11:38.319 It's our saltiness that distinguishes us from the rest of the world. 00:11:38.319 --> 00:11:41.919 And the key point is that saltiness is unmistakable. 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:48.119 Those of you who eat porridge, if you don't put salt in porridge, you notice it's very, 00:11:48.119 --> 00:11:49.759 very noticeable. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:54.360 As disciples, our distinctiveness should be unmistakable. 00:11:54.360 --> 00:11:59.120 In other words, people should be able to tell that we're different. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:03.799 We should be bearing witness to that fact in our lives. 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:06.000 And of course, the key question is, well, how do we do that? 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:10.039 And we'll come to that in a moment. 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:14.159 The other thing that Jesus is highlighting in this verse is that we need to protect our 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:19.639 saltiness, because if it's lost, then how can it be restored? 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:24.799 If you were to go back and read through the Old Testament, you'd see that Israel repeatedly 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:27.199 lost its saltiness. 00:12:27.199 --> 00:12:31.679 It was this chosen nation there to be different, to stand out from the rest of the world. 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:35.960 But again and again and again, they decided they saw other countries and thought, oh, 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:37.000 let's do what they're doing. 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:38.000 Let's copy them. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:39.000 Let's follow them. 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:42.559 And as a result, they lost their distinctiveness. 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:45.919 And we face exactly the same temptation. 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:51.319 So when someone hurts you, the world says, get them back. 00:12:51.319 --> 00:12:53.679 Disciples have to be different. 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:58.839 When you're attracted to someone, the world says, go and have a bit of fun. 00:12:58.839 --> 00:13:00.959 Disciples have to be different. 00:13:00.959 --> 00:13:05.639 And all around us, we see people aiming for more money, more power, more success, more 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:07.879 possessions, more status. 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:10.120 Disciples must be different. 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:14.399 The Christian church must never lose its saltiness. 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:18.799 So step one for witnessing is that we have to be distinctive. 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:25.120 Now it's very easy to think, well, the best way to do that is to cut ourselves off from 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:27.039 the world. 00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:30.519 So if you have to go to work tomorrow and you're working with people who are aggressive, who 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:37.399 are cold, who are harsh, who are selfish, if you have to go and meet some other people 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:41.240 who are just pushing for more money or more status in life, it's so easy to think, well, 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:45.240 the best way I can be different is if I just keep away from people like that. 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:51.919 If I hide and cut myself off, and instead I'll devote myself to church stuff, I'll spend 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:56.720 more time just at church things and I'll avoid the rest of the world. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:59.159 Well, is that what we should do? 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:02.159 Well, I don't think so. 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:05.279 Jesus says, you are the light of the world. 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:09.279 A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:14.439 basket but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house. 00:14:14.439 --> 00:14:19.159 In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:23.360 and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:26.079 As disciples, we are a light. 00:14:26.079 --> 00:14:29.759 And again, we could say many things about the properties of light, but again, we have 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:32.319 to ask what's the main point Jesus is making? 00:14:32.319 --> 00:14:33.799 What's the key word? 00:14:33.799 --> 00:14:34.799 Is it the word light? 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:37.039 I don't think it is. 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:42.480 I think the key word is the word shine because that's what Jesus is saying, your light has 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:44.959 got to shine. 00:14:44.959 --> 00:14:50.199 Jesus does not say that we are to keep ourselves to ourselves to maintain our saltiness. 00:14:50.199 --> 00:14:52.319 He does not say that we are to avoid the world. 00:14:52.319 --> 00:14:58.879 In fact, he says the complete opposite as disciples, we're a light that should never 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:06.399 be kept under a basket, we're to shine openly and brightly, giving light to all around us. 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:12.120 So I think the main point here is in terms of the idea of visibility. 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:17.720 So our distinctiveness as Christians has got to be seen. 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:19.600 It has to be visible. 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:24.519 And the only way it will be seen is if we have contact with the world around us. 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:26.240 That means we must never cut ourselves off. 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:28.779 We must never be isolated or separated from the world. 00:15:28.779 --> 00:15:32.720 We must always be visible. 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:34.840 And that raises a crucial question. 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:38.759 We look at these verses where it says you've got to be salt and you've got to be light. 00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:45.440 Where in your life do you fulfill what this verse is saying? 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:48.000 Is it here on a Sunday? 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:49.360 No. 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:56.680 It's tomorrow morning at work or at uni or at home or on the school run or whatever 00:15:56.680 --> 00:15:57.680 you're doing. 00:15:57.680 --> 00:16:02.360 Now, coming together on a Sunday to worship is absolutely essential as part of discipleship 00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:06.360 and other parts of the Sermon and the Mount will emphasize that being together here is 00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:08.759 part of the blessedness of being a disciple. 00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:12.279 But being a disciple is not just about being blessed. 00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:16.360 It's about being a blessing to the world around us. 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:22.399 That's why these verses are not lived out primarily at St. Columbus at the top of the 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:25.759 Royal Mile at 11 o'clock on a Sunday morning. 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:30.519 They are lived out when you go and play fiver side football, when you meet people for a 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:35.360 coffee, when you go to a meeting, when you help out in a youth club, when you go to a 00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:40.759 parent council meeting, whatever it is, your job, your hobbies, your home, your weekly 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:48.600 routine, these are all such brilliant witnesses, witnessing opportunities. 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:53.240 And that's because it's by doing these things that people will see you. 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:59.439 They will see your distinctiveness as a Christian and you will be a light. 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:05.600 And this is where it's so important to remember some of the biggest theological truths that 00:17:05.600 --> 00:17:07.680 we hold to. 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:14.799 So we would want to say that as a church we have a very big view of God. 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:19.360 We will want to say that God is in control of every aspect of this universe. 00:17:19.360 --> 00:17:24.759 You can't go and find any square inch of this universe that is not under God's control. 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:30.640 You can't find any tiny aspect of our lives that's not under His sovereignty. 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:35.519 God is massive and He is in control. 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:40.879 And that means that wherever you are tomorrow morning is exactly where He's put you, because 00:17:40.879 --> 00:17:44.400 that's exactly where He needs you. 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:50.879 And we must never, ever forget that, the importance of where God places us on a Monday morning 00:17:50.879 --> 00:17:52.920 or a Wednesday afternoon. 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:57.120 I think that's particularly true regarding our labors and our work. 00:17:57.120 --> 00:18:01.800 Paul writes in Colossians, whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for 00:18:01.800 --> 00:18:06.080 men knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. 00:18:06.080 --> 00:18:09.519 You are serving the Lord's Christ. 00:18:09.519 --> 00:18:15.960 And that is such an important message of encouragement for all of us, because it's very easy to think 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:21.800 that you're not really much used to God unless you're doing some sort of work of ministry, 00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:28.559 unless you're a pastor like me or a minister in training like Calum or a church worker, 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:30.599 a youth worker, a missionary. 00:18:30.599 --> 00:18:34.839 It's very easy to think that, well, yeah, these are the people who are really living 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:38.039 their lives as salt and light. 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:40.039 It's not true. 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:44.079 The Sermon of the Mount is reminding us that whatever your routine is, it's an amazing 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:51.119 opportunity from God to be distinctive, to be salty, and to be clearly visible to others. 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:55.119 It's an amazing opportunity for you to be a light. 00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:02.000 So step one for witnessing, for sharing our faith, we need to be salty, distinctive, and 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:04.559 clearly different from the world. 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:12.399 Step two for witnessing, we need to be shining lights, always visible, and in regular contact 00:19:12.399 --> 00:19:15.799 with the world around us. 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:21.519 And both of these things that we're saying are still quite general. 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:23.399 How exactly do we do that? 00:19:23.399 --> 00:19:27.599 How do we show the world that we are disciples? 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:30.000 How do we witness to others? 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:35.759 Well, there's lots of possible answers to that, and these are all very legitimate answers. 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:40.240 So some people would say, you must share your faith with someone, and that's a brilliant 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:41.240 thing to do. 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:45.880 Some people would say, you need to challenge somebody about where they stand, and that's 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:46.880 true as well. 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:51.120 You need to invite someone to an event like Sam's Praise, and please do invite your friends 00:19:51.120 --> 00:19:52.120 to that. 00:19:52.120 --> 00:19:56.960 People might say, you need to ask good questions and try and stimulate gospel conversations. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:00.400 These are all immensely important. 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:02.200 They're all incredibly valuable. 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:10.079 They're all necessary things in terms of how we witness. 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:17.199 And Jesus doesn't mention any of them. 00:20:17.199 --> 00:20:22.079 So what does Jesus identify as the key to being salt and light? 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:23.879 Can you see the answer? 00:20:23.879 --> 00:20:26.439 It's your light of the world. 00:20:26.439 --> 00:20:30.199 A city set in a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a 00:20:30.199 --> 00:20:34.359 basket but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:43.599 In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:48.079 and give glory to your Father in heaven. 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:55.719 That's telling us that the most basic and fundamental activity of witnessing is good 00:20:55.719 --> 00:20:56.719 works. 00:20:56.719 --> 00:20:59.559 Now, that doesn't mean the other things aren't important. 00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:06.599 They are incredibly important, but fundamentally, at the heart of witnessing is good works. 00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:11.039 And that makes perfect sense in terms of the images that Jesus has used because both salt 00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:14.679 and light have a good effect. 00:21:14.679 --> 00:21:19.279 Salt preserves against corruption, and it enhances flavor. 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:23.599 Light removes darkness, and it provides illumination. 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:28.159 Our good works are works that do good. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:31.040 Works that have a good effect on the world. 00:21:31.040 --> 00:21:36.680 So speaking well to others, showing kindness, working hard, being honest, helping people 00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:41.720 who are in need, showing hospitality, sharing our belongings, encouraging people, listening 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:47.720 to people, loving our neighbor, these are all the practical core outworkings of being 00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:50.240 salt and light. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:54.200 And it's absolutely essential. 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:58.759 If I wasn't feeling unwell, I would be going to town on this point. 00:21:58.759 --> 00:22:04.559 It's absolutely essential that we make that a priority in our lives, and we must never, 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:07.880 ever, ever replace it with something else. 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:13.759 So for example, I absolutely love theology. 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:18.279 I would spend all day every day studying theology, reading books, looking at it. 00:22:18.279 --> 00:22:24.559 It's absolutely incredible discovering more about what God has done. 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:26.839 And I love doing that. 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:36.519 Theology is immensely important, but it is no substitute for good works. 00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:42.399 It is no substitute for loving your neighbor and for doing good to those who are around 00:22:42.399 --> 00:22:43.399 us. 00:22:43.399 --> 00:22:47.519 Jesus didn't say, in the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:51.240 see how much stuff you know and give glory to your Father who's in heaven. 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:53.839 He didn't say anything like that. 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:58.680 He's placing such a strong emphasis on our good works. 00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:06.319 Our witnesses, witness as Christians, is based on a life of actions that are good. 00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:13.359 Now the whole idea of good works is something that can easily make us think, well, Thomas, 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:20.879 you're sounding a bit kind of wishy-washy today, but it actually makes perfect theological 00:23:20.879 --> 00:23:29.219 sense because our good works as citizens of God's kingdom are part of the whole restoration 00:23:29.219 --> 00:23:33.679 of creation that the whole message of the Bible is talking about. 00:23:33.679 --> 00:23:36.479 Bible begins with God creating the world perfectly. 00:23:36.479 --> 00:23:40.719 It's then broken and cursed because of our sin, and God initiates this great plan of 00:23:40.719 --> 00:23:41.719 rescue. 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:47.839 It culminates in Jesus Christ who wins victory over death and who is going to restore all 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:52.799 creation so that in the future it's going to be restored to everything it was meant 00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:53.799 to be. 00:23:53.799 --> 00:24:01.240 But right now, there's a glimpse of that restored creation here and now. 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:05.600 And the glimpse is in the church of Jesus Christ. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:13.079 So all the goodness, the brilliance, the wonder of the new creation, we should be able to 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:17.879 see glimpses of that in the way in which you and I live our lives and the way in which 00:24:17.879 --> 00:24:20.439 we treat one another. 00:24:20.439 --> 00:24:26.119 And I don't need to tell you that the world around us is rotting in sin. 00:24:26.119 --> 00:24:29.039 Therefore it desperately needs salt. 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:32.919 And I don't need to tell you that the world is full of darkness. 00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:40.960 But it desperately needs light, and Jesus is saying the salt and the light is you as 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:43.720 His disciples. 00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:49.600 And so just as we are immensely blessed to know Jesus, and if you come to know Jesus, 00:24:49.600 --> 00:24:52.720 if you don't know already, you will be immensely blessed. 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:58.759 But you are equally then meant to be an amazing blessing to others. 00:24:58.759 --> 00:25:05.640 And by those works, by those good works, as Jesus says, people will give glory to our 00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:08.400 Father who is in heaven. 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:11.359 And that's something that we always want to remember, that when we're thinking about 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:17.680 witnessing, that's our goal. 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:20.559 Our goal is not that we would be a huge church. 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:25.839 Our goal is not that we would have an ever greater status because we're being a successful 00:25:25.839 --> 00:25:26.839 congregation. 00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:35.480 Our goal is that God would be glorified, and that He would get all the honour. 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:41.000 The last thing I want to say is that all of this means that there's a very important distinction, 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:45.839 I think, that we have to recognise in terms of our witnessing. 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:50.399 When I say that good works are so immensely important, I'm not making it an either or. 00:25:50.399 --> 00:25:54.199 I'm not saying, you know, oh well, some people will share their faith with their friends, 00:25:54.199 --> 00:25:55.679 other people will do good works. 00:25:55.680 --> 00:26:00.400 I'm not making that kind of false dichotomies, very much a both and. 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:05.519 Inviting people, challenging people, sharing our faith with people is immensely important 00:26:05.519 --> 00:26:09.039 when the opportunity arises. 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:12.920 But these kind of opportunities where you get to have a conversation about Jesus with 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:20.200 someone, these things happen, well, for most of us, not that often. 00:26:20.200 --> 00:26:22.360 It's something that's occasional. 00:26:22.359 --> 00:26:28.439 So we have what I would call an occasional witness where maybe somebody will ask you, 00:26:28.439 --> 00:26:31.000 what does it actually mean to be a Christian? 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:32.519 I want to know more. 00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:35.039 What does it mean to know Jesus? 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:41.079 You may have that kind of opportunity from time to time, but I think for most of us we 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:45.839 would agree that these things are occasional. 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:50.399 These opportunities to witness happen when the occasion arises. 00:26:50.400 --> 00:27:00.240 But our good works, our visible saltiness, that's not an occasional witness. 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:04.280 That's a constant witness. 00:27:04.280 --> 00:27:09.920 And so every day is an opportunity to maintain that witness. 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:15.080 Every time you go to work is an opportunity to show the kind of characteristics that Jesus 00:27:15.080 --> 00:27:17.880 outlines in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:27:17.880 --> 00:27:22.560 Every day at university is an opportunity to have the right attitude that honors Jesus. 00:27:22.560 --> 00:27:26.080 And the amazing thing about that constant witness is that nobody can stop you doing 00:27:26.080 --> 00:27:28.000 it. 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:32.440 So you can ask someone to church and they'll say, oh no, I don't want to go. 00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:36.200 You could challenge somebody to have a conversation and they might shut you down straight away, 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:40.280 but no one can stop you from being kind to them. 00:27:40.280 --> 00:27:44.120 No one can stop you from taking an interest in their lives, from being a good colleague, 00:27:44.120 --> 00:27:47.000 a good friend, a good support to them. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:52.680 And the key point of that constant witness is that people are watching you even when 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:55.720 you don't realize. 00:27:55.720 --> 00:28:02.960 And so on every occasion, people are seeing how we live and our good works stand out for 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:03.960 us. 00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:13.559 And of course, the opposite is true as well, that failure in our good works, it makes for 00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:17.319 a constant bad witness. 00:28:17.319 --> 00:28:25.399 And what I want to really emphasize is that if our constant witness is bad, our occasional 00:28:25.399 --> 00:28:30.480 witness will mean nothing. 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:36.919 So if I'm a difficult colleague all the time, and then all of a sudden I'm like, oh, but 00:28:36.919 --> 00:28:42.839 come to Sam's praise because this is a great event, I don't think my invite is going to 00:28:42.839 --> 00:28:45.039 have much effect. 00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:49.159 Our constant witness is so important. 00:28:49.159 --> 00:28:54.799 And so all in all, these three fundamental steps of being a witness are set before us 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:56.599 in these verses. 00:28:56.599 --> 00:29:02.879 We need to be distinctive, we need to be salty, we need to be visible, we need to shine as 00:29:02.879 --> 00:29:09.679 lights and the way that we demonstrate that is by our good works. 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:15.240 And I think this is one of the many, many, many, many occasions where everything that 00:29:15.240 --> 00:29:20.519 Jesus says is just proved so right by our experience. 00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:27.840 Because I've heard so many people say that when they became a Christian or were thinking 00:29:27.840 --> 00:29:35.160 about being a Christian, they would look at Christians they knew, and they just saw that 00:29:35.160 --> 00:29:42.279 there was something different, and that was a huge attraction to them, and a huge tool 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:45.360 in God's hands to bring these people to faith. 00:29:45.360 --> 00:29:50.840 That is the kind of witnessing that the Sermon on the Mount is talking about, and may God 00:29:50.840 --> 00:29:55.360 make us all disciples like that. 00:29:55.360 --> 00:30:00.519 Amen, let's pray. 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:11.000 Father, we thank you so much for the amazingly clear and relevant teaching of the Sermon 00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:13.160 on the Mount. 00:30:13.160 --> 00:30:18.519 We know that our world so desperately needs salt and light. 00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:24.079 We pray that as we go out into our lives this week that we would be so, that in every way 00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:30.119 you would help us to live lives of good works that will give glory to you. 00:30:30.119 --> 00:30:35.359 Not in order to make us Christians, but because we're Christians, we pray that we would have 00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:43.399 a constant witness that's powerful and genuine and honouring to you. 00:30:43.399 --> 00:30:46.839 We pray that that would be the foundation which would then mean that when the occasional 00:30:46.839 --> 00:30:51.919 chances to speak of it, the gospel come that everything fits together. 00:30:51.919 --> 00:30:56.679 Please help us Lord to have our priorities right in this way, and help us in all things 00:30:56.680 --> 00:31:05.720 just to be drawn towards what you want, not what the world around us may tell us is more 00:31:05.720 --> 00:31:07.320 important. 00:31:07.320 --> 00:31:09.519 Please lead and guide us in all that we do. 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:13.600 We pray that everyone here would be a witness for you in the week ahead. 00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:29.759 In Jesus' name, Amen.