WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.900 Well, good morning, church. Would you turn with me to Matthew chapter 5? 00:00:06.780 --> 00:00:14.200 That's page 760, 760 in the Pew Bible. This fall, we are continuing our journey through 00:00:14.200 --> 00:00:23.559 the Sermon on the Mount to learn what it means to follow Jesus and to be distinctively Christian. 00:00:24.580 --> 00:00:28.519 What does it mean to really follow Christ, to be His church, to be His disciples? 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:36.759 Well, Jesus teaches us that right here in Matthew 5 through 7. We're returning to verses 13 through 16 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:42.519 of Matthew chapter 5. Last week, Pastor Matt unpacked what it means to be the salt of the earth. 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:46.280 Today, we're looking at the second half of that paragraph where Jesus says, 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:52.760 you are the light of the world. So let me pray, and then I'll read again verses 13 through 16. 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:09.180 Father, we ask for you to be making yourself and your word clear and understandable, not just to 00:01:09.180 --> 00:01:18.920 our minds this morning, but to our hearts and to our wills. Lord, we want to be whole people, 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:29.159 holy following you. We know that we need your help, your grace to do just that. So help us now as we 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:35.079 come to your word. Would you give us clarity and would you give us conviction as we consider what 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:41.340 you're saying to us again this morning? Help us to see Christ most of all, our Savior, the light of the 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:48.579 world. In His name we pray. Amen. All right, Matthew 5, 13 through 16. 00:01:48.579 --> 00:01:57.000 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:02.480 It's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:11.000 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:17.460 put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, 00:02:17.460 --> 00:02:23.680 let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:33.640 who is in heaven. I think it's worth remembering that the early Christian movement was small. 00:02:35.219 --> 00:02:40.280 Yes, the crowds were growing at this point in Jesus' ministry, but the disciples, the followers 00:02:40.280 --> 00:02:47.379 of Jesus at this point, were not many in number, and they were not wealthy or powerful or 00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:55.639 all that influential. Doubts must have persisted among the earliest disciples whether their little 00:02:55.639 --> 00:03:02.240 band of men and women could make any difference. What difference could a handful of fishermen, 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:08.719 a reformed tax collector, an ex-zealot, and a couple dozen other rural Galilean peasants make 00:03:08.719 --> 00:03:20.039 in the cold, hard world? The Roman Empire, now there was power. Its military had conquered the world. 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:27.960 The religious establishment in Jerusalem, now there was influence. When they spoke, people listened. 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:34.900 What difference could this small band of Jesus' followers make in a world like that? 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:42.980 Now, from where we sit today, we know a bit of how the story turned out, don't we? The disciples 00:03:42.980 --> 00:03:48.719 turned the world upside down with the message of the risen Jesus, and history shows us how Christianity 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:55.800 shaped the very warp and woof of our culture, of Western civilization, for example. For those of us 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:59.920 in the West, we can't really think about things like justice or education or government or law without 00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:05.639 inevitably depending on the Christian tradition, even if we don't even realize it. By the way, 00:04:05.659 --> 00:04:10.019 if you're interested in learning more about that, there's a book by a guy named Tom Holland called 00:04:10.019 --> 00:04:16.079 Dominion, which is a really interesting account of that. But even if we sit in a different place after 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:22.279 2,000 years of history, I think we can still often feel very similar to those first disciples, can't we? 00:04:22.279 --> 00:04:28.439 We can still feel doubts about whether or not we can make a real difference in the world. 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:32.699 What influence or impact can we really have? 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:43.019 Some of this doubt comes when we look at the world. The problem seems so great. The darkness seems 00:04:43.019 --> 00:04:51.699 so dark. Some of this doubt comes when we look at ourselves. We see our own flaws, our own limitations, 00:04:51.699 --> 00:04:57.240 the older we get. The older we get, we see our own inconsistencies, our own shortcomings, 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:06.279 the gnawing cynicism that grows the older you get. What difference can we possibly make? 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:18.539 But in our text today, Jesus looks at his disciples. Yes, small in number. Yes, neither wealthy nor 00:05:18.540 --> 00:05:23.860 powerful nor significant by the world's standards. He looks at his disciples, a bit doubtful. They're a bit 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:35.540 afraid. He looks at them, looks at us, and he says, you, you are the light of the world. 00:05:35.540 --> 00:05:48.120 Let that sink in. You, Christian, you are the light of the world. 00:05:50.760 --> 00:05:56.600 Is that how you think of yourself? Or do you squeeze yourself into the world's mold? 00:05:56.600 --> 00:06:03.080 Do you think of yourself only as what you can produce, only what you achieve, only how you 00:06:03.080 --> 00:06:09.820 compare to what you see in marketing and in social media? Or do you see yourself the way Jesus sees you? 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:14.820 You are the light of the world. 00:06:17.500 --> 00:06:22.900 Now, think with me for a minute. What does light do? What does light do? 00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:31.779 Now, immediately we think, wow, light dispels darkness. And yes, that's true. But what does it do after it dispels darkness? 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:40.679 You wake up early in the morning, you see the sunrise, and yes, the darkness is dispelled. But then what? 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:43.779 What does the light do? 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:47.839 The light brings out the color in everything. 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:54.319 You see the green of the trees. You see the white of the clouds. The world comes to life with color. 00:06:56.159 --> 00:06:59.259 This is something I learned from Beth, my wife, who was trained as a painter. 00:07:00.219 --> 00:07:07.199 Light can play and shift in a thousand different ways and bring out the richness of what's right before your eyes. 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:12.120 And Jesus says, Christian, you are the light of the world. 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:18.139 You bring out what's possible, what's latent, what's hidden. 00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:23.019 You make brilliant the world around you. 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:32.319 You are not your job or your grades or your bank account or your marital status. 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:36.220 You are light. 00:07:36.220 --> 00:07:45.540 But your very existence in Christ is a thing of beauty that brings out the beauty in the world around you. 00:07:47.340 --> 00:07:49.680 You're a redeemed child of God. 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:54.000 Notice in this paragraph, Jesus calls God our Father. 00:07:54.780 --> 00:07:58.500 Now, that's the first time in Matthew's gospel when Jesus does that, and it won't be the last. 00:07:58.500 --> 00:08:03.899 But that idea takes us right to the heart of the gospel. 00:08:06.060 --> 00:08:09.220 How is it that we are the light of the world? 00:08:10.860 --> 00:08:12.720 I mean, come on, that's a little much, isn't it? 00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:14.560 The light of the world? 00:08:15.579 --> 00:08:19.300 I mean, at best, like, maybe I'm a candle in my living room, right? 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:22.040 But the light of the world? 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:23.839 Yes. 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:26.759 The light of the world. 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:27.759 How? 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:29.879 How can that be? 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:35.860 Because of what God has done in the gospel for you and me. 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:41.399 See, the truth of the matter is, at one time, you and I dwelled not in light but in darkness. 00:08:41.980 --> 00:08:44.659 A little earlier in chapter 4, Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah. 00:08:45.059 --> 00:08:48.240 When Jesus begins his ministry, when he began his ministry in Galilee, 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:52.200 that was the fulfillment of what Isaiah had said hundreds of years earlier, 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:55.039 that people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light. 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:00.019 You see, what Isaiah is describing there is what's… 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:04.639 That's what's true of all of us in our sinful condition in Adam. 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:06.019 We dwell in darkness. 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:12.439 We're in a region of shadow and death where we didn't know God. 00:09:13.439 --> 00:09:17.819 And the gods we thought we knew were idols of our own making. 00:09:17.820 --> 00:09:21.560 But this is the good news. 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:26.180 Into our dark and sinful state, light has dawned. 00:09:26.820 --> 00:09:28.600 Jesus came into our darkness. 00:09:29.300 --> 00:09:33.280 In love, he pursued us into the region of shadow and death. 00:09:34.420 --> 00:09:37.720 In the incarnation, the light entered the darkness, and as John 1 says, 00:09:37.780 --> 00:09:39.760 the darkness did not overcome it. 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:46.919 But here's the really shocking thing about what Christ has done about the gospel. 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:50.740 The true light came into the world, 00:09:51.299 --> 00:09:54.879 and though the darkness could not overcome it, 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:58.379 the true light was willing to be plunged into darkness for us. 00:10:00.340 --> 00:10:02.379 At the cross, the Son of God died. 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:03.519 And what happened? 00:10:03.580 --> 00:10:03.939 Do you remember? 00:10:03.940 --> 00:10:07.960 Remember, the sky turned dark at midday. 00:10:09.880 --> 00:10:15.080 The light willingly went into darkness so that those living in darkness could come into the light. 00:10:16.440 --> 00:10:19.720 And not just come into the light, but become light. 00:10:21.400 --> 00:10:23.100 You see, when Christ rose on the third day, 00:10:23.160 --> 00:10:26.220 he accomplished the complete and utter forgiveness of sins 00:10:26.220 --> 00:10:30.620 and the spiritual regeneration, the rebirth of all who believe in him. 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:34.299 Through faith, we're united to the one who said, 00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:36.039 I am the light of the world. 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:40.580 And united to Jesus, the light of the world, 00:10:41.019 --> 00:10:42.519 we now become light. 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:46.019 Through the Holy Spirit, God dwells in us. 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:48.019 We're partakers of the divine nature. 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:50.519 We've come out of darkness and into his marvelous light, 00:10:50.580 --> 00:10:52.980 as Peter says, or as Paul says in Ephesians 5, 00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:54.620 you've become light. 00:10:54.620 --> 00:11:00.679 So, friend, are you in Christ this morning? 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:04.240 Have you given your life to him? 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:08.000 Have you confessed that he is Lord and God? 00:11:09.179 --> 00:11:10.220 Do you know his grace, 00:11:11.539 --> 00:11:12.519 his free forgiveness, 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:15.000 willingly purchased for you at the cross? 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:17.299 Do you know his unbreakable life, 00:11:17.379 --> 00:11:18.580 demonstrated in the resurrection? 00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:20.620 Have you surrendered to his love? 00:11:20.620 --> 00:11:24.639 If so, 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:29.120 then you are what Jesus says you are. 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:32.580 Because Christ is in you, 00:11:32.620 --> 00:11:33.480 and you are in him, 00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:35.700 you are the light of the world. 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:39.200 That's what's most true about you. 00:11:41.340 --> 00:11:43.820 What's most true about you is not your past, 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:45.899 not your flaws and failures, 00:11:46.060 --> 00:11:47.100 not your family history. 00:11:47.100 --> 00:11:49.500 Because of Jesus, 00:11:49.700 --> 00:11:51.700 you are the light of the world. 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:55.340 Yes, you and I are imperfect. 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:57.300 Yes, we are flawed. 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:00.399 But the light of Christ shines through you 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.879 because he's willed it to be so. 00:12:03.680 --> 00:12:05.460 What he promised through the prophets, 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:07.220 what he began in his incarnation, 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:10.060 what he accomplished in his death and resurrection, 00:12:10.620 --> 00:12:12.019 what he announced at Pentecost 00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:13.860 by the pouring out of his spirit through the apostles, 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:18.200 he's now chosen to continue to advance through you. 00:12:19.620 --> 00:12:21.019 You're the light of the world. 00:12:22.779 --> 00:12:24.080 Christ is in you, 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:26.919 the radiant hope of glory. 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:31.320 You are the brilliance 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:33.639 that will dispel the darkness 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:36.519 and bring out the beauty around you. 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:40.879 I know that sounds hard to believe. 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:45.399 I know we doubt it. 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:48.439 But it's what Jesus says. 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:52.100 And if the risen Lord has said it, 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:53.779 then it must be true. 00:12:57.419 --> 00:12:59.080 Okay, let's go back to where we began. 00:12:59.820 --> 00:13:01.320 Our doubts, our anxieties 00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:03.120 about whether Christians can make any difference 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:04.019 in the world. 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:07.139 Can we, our little band of Christians, 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:08.500 make any difference in the world? 00:13:08.500 --> 00:13:11.460 It's almost the wrong question. 00:13:13.419 --> 00:13:14.179 Jesus says, 00:13:14.860 --> 00:13:15.799 you're the light of the world. 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:17.899 You may feel small or insignificant, 00:13:18.179 --> 00:13:19.679 but by your very existence, 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:21.799 you're bringing light into the darkness. 00:13:23.460 --> 00:13:26.039 You are the sun rising on a world in darkness. 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:28.500 The church is the advance rays 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:29.899 of the coming day. 00:13:30.580 --> 00:13:32.399 The first beams of sunlight 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:33.799 breaking over the horizon, 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:37.840 announcing that the sun will soon rise. 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:40.300 And the earth will be bathed in light. 00:13:41.580 --> 00:13:43.320 It's not a question of whether Christians 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:44.780 can make any difference in the world. 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:46.800 The very existence of the church 00:13:46.800 --> 00:13:48.440 is evidence that God's gospel 00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:50.300 is making a difference in the world. 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:52.560 That the world is swept up 00:13:52.560 --> 00:13:53.540 in His plan of redemption. 00:13:54.360 --> 00:13:55.740 And it is coming to fulfillment 00:13:55.740 --> 00:13:56.660 in His time. 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:02.040 So Christian, you are the light of the world. 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:04.780 Embrace this truth with all the dignity 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:07.039 and all the hope that it's meant to give. 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:09.959 And let your light shine. 00:14:12.959 --> 00:14:14.799 That's the responsibility that we have, 00:14:14.899 --> 00:14:15.319 by the way. 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:17.500 Jesus says it right here in verse 16. 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:18.559 You are the light of the world. 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:22.000 Now, let your light shine. 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:26.539 But how do we do that? 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:29.000 How do we live into this identity 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:30.820 that we have as the light of the world? 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:34.100 What does letting our light shine look like? 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:35.779 How do we apply this great truth? 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:37.000 Well, I think there are three things 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:38.279 that this text points us to. 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:40.899 How do we let our light shine? 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:42.940 And I think we see here 00:14:42.940 --> 00:14:44.019 that we do it corporately, 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:45.940 and we do it practically, 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:48.340 and we do it doxologically. 00:14:48.340 --> 00:14:52.620 So, that's the outline of the sermon. 00:14:52.700 --> 00:14:53.160 If you're wondering, 00:14:53.300 --> 00:14:54.220 where is this sermon going? 00:14:55.060 --> 00:14:56.019 You're the light of the world, 00:14:56.120 --> 00:14:57.600 so let your light shine corporately, 00:14:58.000 --> 00:14:59.759 practically, and doxologically. 00:14:59.960 --> 00:15:02.399 Okay, first, shine corporately. 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:04.240 You know, up to this point, 00:15:04.280 --> 00:15:05.180 as we've been thinking about this, 00:15:05.220 --> 00:15:05.860 it would be easy 00:15:05.860 --> 00:15:07.320 to take everything we've said 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:08.320 about being the light of the world 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:10.620 in a strictly individualistic sense. 00:15:12.920 --> 00:15:14.400 But we must not do that. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.500 The dignity of the gospel 00:15:17.500 --> 00:15:19.419 does reach to each of us personally, 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:21.720 but it's not individualistic. 00:15:21.980 --> 00:15:23.620 It doesn't stop at the individual. 00:15:24.779 --> 00:15:25.500 Jesus doesn't say, 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:27.399 you are the lights of the world, 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:29.399 as if we're just sort of 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:30.419 a collection of individuals. 00:15:31.480 --> 00:15:32.899 He says, you, plural, 00:15:33.199 --> 00:15:34.439 are the light of the world. 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:37.579 You're part of a body, a movement. 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:39.840 You are part of the church. 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:43.420 We need to think not just individually, 00:15:43.740 --> 00:15:44.680 but corporately. 00:15:46.680 --> 00:15:48.220 We let our light shine 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:49.540 first and foremost 00:15:49.540 --> 00:15:50.820 in our life together. 00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:54.320 I think Jesus again makes this point 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:55.379 in his first illustration. 00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:56.960 He says, a city on a hill 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:58.000 cannot be hidden. 00:16:00.100 --> 00:16:02.000 A city is a corporate identity. 00:16:03.700 --> 00:16:06.139 We shine together as God's church, 00:16:06.740 --> 00:16:08.840 and then it becomes unmistakable. 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:09.360 Unmistakable. 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:13.280 The greatest thing that the church 00:16:13.280 --> 00:16:14.720 can do to influence the world 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:16.540 is to be the church. 00:16:20.420 --> 00:16:21.879 If in our life together 00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:25.540 we embodied joyful obedience 00:16:25.540 --> 00:16:26.580 to God's commands, 00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:28.580 if in our life together 00:16:28.580 --> 00:16:30.040 we demonstrated the love, 00:16:30.139 --> 00:16:30.660 the forgiveness, 00:16:30.920 --> 00:16:31.600 the generosity, 00:16:31.800 --> 00:16:32.480 the courage, 00:16:32.820 --> 00:16:33.500 the truthfulness 00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:35.220 that Jesus calls us to demonstrate, 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:38.960 then we would be as unmistakable 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:40.519 as a city on a hill. 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:44.860 And as weary travelers around us 00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:45.960 dwelling in darkness 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:49.759 work their way through the valleys, 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:52.540 they just might see 00:16:52.540 --> 00:16:55.240 that city shining forth 00:16:55.240 --> 00:16:58.639 as a place of refuge and rest 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:00.779 in a place of safety 00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:01.980 and warmth and welcome, 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:04.980 and they'll want to come inside. 00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:08.400 You see, a healthy church 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:09.299 is the best hope 00:17:09.299 --> 00:17:10.539 for a hurting world. 00:17:13.700 --> 00:17:15.440 So as we let our light shine, 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:17.160 we must shine it corporately. 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:19.039 But second, 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:20.180 we have to let it shine 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:20.639 practically. 00:17:20.639 --> 00:17:24.480 What is it that people see 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:25.500 when they see our light shining? 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:26.259 Well, in verse 16, 00:17:26.339 --> 00:17:26.720 Jesus says, 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:27.920 let your light shine before others 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:29.119 so that they may see 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:30.119 your good works. 00:17:32.359 --> 00:17:33.640 The church should be known 00:17:33.640 --> 00:17:35.160 for its practical love 00:17:35.160 --> 00:17:37.059 and not just for those 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:37.859 inside the church, 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:39.220 love for those outside 00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:40.039 the church as well. 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:42.660 Who lights a lamp 00:17:42.660 --> 00:17:43.839 and puts it under a basket, 00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:45.180 Jesus asked in verse 15. 00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:48.359 Of course, the answer is 00:17:48.359 --> 00:17:49.819 nobody. 00:17:49.980 --> 00:17:50.920 Nobody does that, right? 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:51.859 Nobody lights a lamp 00:17:51.859 --> 00:17:53.039 and then immediately covers it up. 00:17:53.079 --> 00:17:53.559 That's pointless. 00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:56.640 It should be the same 00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:57.259 with the church. 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:00.599 Of course, it can feel 00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:02.920 safer and simpler 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:04.619 to just keep the light 00:18:04.619 --> 00:18:05.920 to ourselves, can't it? 00:18:06.980 --> 00:18:07.980 The world's dark. 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:09.059 The world's complicated. 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:10.180 It's messy. 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:12.500 So we can start to think, 00:18:12.579 --> 00:18:13.500 let's just remove ourselves 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:13.980 from the world 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:14.960 and stick to ourselves. 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:19.420 But I like what one writer said. 00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:19.720 He said, 00:18:20.099 --> 00:18:21.920 putting a lamp under a basket 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:23.059 might keep it 00:18:23.059 --> 00:18:24.039 from getting blown out. 00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:26.079 But the price 00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:27.599 for such protection 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:29.200 is darkness. 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:34.460 The church must 00:18:34.460 --> 00:18:36.839 radiate beyond its walls. 00:18:38.139 --> 00:18:39.000 You're the light 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:39.659 of the world. 00:18:40.899 --> 00:18:41.960 And into the world 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:42.619 you must go. 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:46.359 Not to look just like the world, 00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:47.399 not to imitate the world, 00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:48.440 not to become darkness, 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.079 but to shine practically 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:52.000 the light of what Jesus calls 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:52.920 good works. 00:18:56.859 --> 00:18:57.740 When the western half 00:18:57.740 --> 00:18:58.420 of the Roman Empire 00:18:58.420 --> 00:18:59.380 dissolved and collapsed 00:18:59.380 --> 00:19:00.480 in the fourth and fifth centuries, 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:01.259 what did the church do 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:01.900 in response? 00:19:04.779 --> 00:19:05.180 Interestingly, 00:19:05.900 --> 00:19:07.180 in this time 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:07.960 of what seemed like 00:19:07.960 --> 00:19:10.460 utter collapse 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:11.339 of civilization, 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:14.420 the church came forth 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:14.980 with some of its 00:19:14.980 --> 00:19:16.200 most creative power. 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:19.380 in that time 00:19:19.380 --> 00:19:20.100 when it seemed like 00:19:20.100 --> 00:19:22.059 everything was crumbling 00:19:22.059 --> 00:19:22.960 around them 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:24.700 and the world 00:19:24.700 --> 00:19:25.299 as they knew it 00:19:25.299 --> 00:19:26.480 was being totally 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:27.279 thrown apart, 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:30.940 it was the church 00:19:30.940 --> 00:19:33.059 that began to develop 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:34.120 schools 00:19:34.120 --> 00:19:36.019 and hospitals. 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:38.500 They began to create 00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:39.220 institutions, 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:39.960 we might say, 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:41.580 that produced lasting good 00:19:41.580 --> 00:19:42.680 for the lives of those 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:43.620 inside and outside 00:19:43.620 --> 00:19:44.240 the church. 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:48.700 could we be living 00:19:48.700 --> 00:19:50.519 in such a historical moment? 00:19:52.839 --> 00:19:53.960 Rather than simply 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:55.120 denouncing the darkness 00:19:55.120 --> 00:19:56.099 around us, 00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:58.940 do we shine light 00:19:58.940 --> 00:19:59.480 into it? 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:01.900 Do we think and act 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:02.940 creatively to serve 00:20:02.940 --> 00:20:03.759 the common good? 00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:07.359 Don't get me wrong, 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:09.359 evil should be named 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:09.819 as evil. 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:12.259 If the church has lost 00:20:12.259 --> 00:20:13.119 its saltiness, 00:20:13.400 --> 00:20:14.259 what good is it? 00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:16.099 Have you ever just 00:20:16.099 --> 00:20:16.799 eaten salt? 00:20:19.400 --> 00:20:20.460 It hurts, right? 00:20:20.779 --> 00:20:21.720 Like, who does that? 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:21.980 You know? 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:24.839 But after the sting 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:25.579 of the salt, 00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:27.960 there has to be 00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:28.839 the light of hope, 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:31.980 a light that lights 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:32.819 a different path, 00:20:32.859 --> 00:20:33.759 a path of beauty 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:34.480 and life. 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:36.619 We can't just rail 00:20:36.619 --> 00:20:38.000 against the moral evils 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:39.500 that we see around us 00:20:39.500 --> 00:20:42.319 without then repenting 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:43.200 that we haven't 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:43.839 taken our light 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:44.740 into those places, 00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:46.859 without then going forth 00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:47.619 to try to think 00:20:47.619 --> 00:20:48.920 creatively to construct 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:50.279 some kind of thing 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:50.799 that will create 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:51.579 some good there. 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:56.819 So we must let 00:20:56.819 --> 00:20:57.380 our light shine 00:20:57.380 --> 00:20:58.359 practically for the good 00:20:58.359 --> 00:20:58.920 of our neighbors. 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:01.519 But lastly, 00:21:01.700 --> 00:21:02.640 we must let our light 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:03.259 shine not just 00:21:03.259 --> 00:21:04.259 corporately and practically, 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:06.059 but doxologically. 00:21:06.380 --> 00:21:06.920 Now, what do I mean 00:21:06.920 --> 00:21:07.339 by that? 00:21:07.339 --> 00:21:09.439 A doxology is sort 00:21:09.439 --> 00:21:10.599 of a praise, right? 00:21:11.659 --> 00:21:12.419 I mean, the purpose 00:21:12.419 --> 00:21:13.240 in letting our light 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:14.879 shine isn't so that 00:21:14.879 --> 00:21:16.699 we are seen as great, 00:21:17.259 --> 00:21:18.179 but so that God 00:21:18.179 --> 00:21:18.899 is seen as great. 00:21:19.919 --> 00:21:20.720 Let your light shine 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:21.339 before others 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:22.220 so that they may see 00:21:22.220 --> 00:21:22.899 your good works 00:21:22.899 --> 00:21:24.039 and give glory 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:24.919 to whom? 00:21:25.720 --> 00:21:26.559 To your Father 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:27.279 who is in heaven. 00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:30.419 At the end of the day, 00:21:30.459 --> 00:21:31.079 it doesn't really matter 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:32.039 what people think of us. 00:21:33.859 --> 00:21:34.599 At the end of the day, 00:21:34.659 --> 00:21:35.419 most people aren't thinking 00:21:35.419 --> 00:21:36.359 about anyone but themselves, 00:21:36.459 --> 00:21:36.659 right? 00:21:37.339 --> 00:21:40.399 At the end of the day, 00:21:40.439 --> 00:21:40.899 it doesn't matter 00:21:40.899 --> 00:21:42.079 what people think about me 00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:42.740 or you 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:44.039 or Trinity Baptist Church. 00:21:44.099 --> 00:21:44.720 It doesn't matter 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:45.439 what they think about us, 00:21:45.439 --> 00:21:46.159 but it does matter 00:21:46.159 --> 00:21:47.159 what they think about God. 00:21:48.679 --> 00:21:49.139 Of course, 00:21:49.199 --> 00:21:50.539 we want to be liked, right? 00:21:50.659 --> 00:21:51.319 We want people 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:52.220 to love the church. 00:21:53.819 --> 00:21:54.859 But what matters most 00:21:54.859 --> 00:21:55.399 is what they think 00:21:55.399 --> 00:21:56.059 about God. 00:21:57.740 --> 00:21:58.879 And if our good works 00:21:58.879 --> 00:22:00.259 can direct people's attention 00:22:00.259 --> 00:22:01.139 to God 00:22:01.139 --> 00:22:02.579 and to His beauty 00:22:02.579 --> 00:22:03.779 and His glory, 00:22:04.899 --> 00:22:06.819 then it will have been worth it. 00:22:07.339 --> 00:22:11.599 But you know, 00:22:11.639 --> 00:22:12.399 this sort of raises 00:22:12.399 --> 00:22:13.159 an interesting question 00:22:13.159 --> 00:22:13.939 at this point in the verse. 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:16.599 How will people know 00:22:16.599 --> 00:22:17.859 when they see our good works 00:22:17.859 --> 00:22:18.839 to give glory 00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:20.099 to our Father in heaven? 00:22:20.879 --> 00:22:21.699 Will they just sort of 00:22:21.699 --> 00:22:22.720 naturally connect 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:23.699 those dots on their own? 00:22:24.899 --> 00:22:25.839 Will they see Christians 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:26.619 doing good deeds 00:22:26.619 --> 00:22:26.939 and say, 00:22:27.079 --> 00:22:27.480 oh wow, 00:22:27.879 --> 00:22:28.939 glory to God the Father? 00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:33.019 I mean, 00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:33.440 that's not what 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:34.279 my neighbors would do, 00:22:34.360 --> 00:22:34.580 right? 00:22:38.059 --> 00:22:38.940 They probably won't 00:22:38.940 --> 00:22:39.779 connect those dots. 00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:42.360 The only way 00:22:42.360 --> 00:22:42.940 they'll know 00:22:42.940 --> 00:22:43.920 to direct their praise 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:44.559 to God 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:47.160 is because 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:47.880 at some point 00:22:47.880 --> 00:22:50.460 they've actually heard 00:22:50.460 --> 00:22:52.320 the where 00:22:52.320 --> 00:22:52.900 and the why 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:53.500 and the how 00:22:53.500 --> 00:22:54.680 we do these good deeds 00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:55.580 in the first place. 00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:58.299 because we've actually 00:22:58.299 --> 00:22:59.279 told them something 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:00.139 about the gospel. 00:23:01.179 --> 00:23:01.839 We've actually 00:23:01.839 --> 00:23:03.159 shined, 00:23:03.259 --> 00:23:04.319 we've actually shown, 00:23:04.419 --> 00:23:04.899 what's the right 00:23:04.899 --> 00:23:05.980 conjugation of that verb? 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:06.639 We've shoned. 00:23:06.919 --> 00:23:08.119 We've shined our light 00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:10.179 in not just our life 00:23:10.179 --> 00:23:11.119 but with our words. 00:23:13.960 --> 00:23:15.039 We love God 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:16.359 because He first loved us. 00:23:17.319 --> 00:23:18.500 We give generously 00:23:18.500 --> 00:23:19.539 because God the Father 00:23:19.539 --> 00:23:21.299 gave His own Son for us. 00:23:21.439 --> 00:23:21.839 We forgive 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:23.220 because we've been forgiven. 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:24.819 We advocate 00:23:24.819 --> 00:23:25.519 for the helpless 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:26.199 and the vulnerable 00:23:26.199 --> 00:23:28.379 because when we were helpless 00:23:28.379 --> 00:23:29.799 an advocate stood up for us, 00:23:30.179 --> 00:23:31.139 Jesus Christ the righteous. 00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:34.579 We're children 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:35.480 of a heavenly Father 00:23:35.480 --> 00:23:36.259 who makes us reign 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:37.240 to fall on the just 00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:38.019 and the unjust 00:23:38.019 --> 00:23:39.599 and so we shine 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:40.679 our light into the world 00:23:40.679 --> 00:23:42.379 not expecting praise 00:23:42.379 --> 00:23:43.339 or accolades 00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:46.339 but because we want people 00:23:46.339 --> 00:23:48.459 to see how good God is 00:23:48.459 --> 00:23:50.399 and we tell them so. 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:53.539 You know, 00:23:53.579 --> 00:23:54.279 most of the time, 00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:56.480 what can we expect 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:57.299 when we go forth 00:23:57.299 --> 00:23:58.039 doing good works? 00:23:58.519 --> 00:23:58.779 I mean, 00:23:58.819 --> 00:23:59.679 the end of the Beatitudes 00:23:59.679 --> 00:24:00.240 sort of says, 00:24:00.339 --> 00:24:01.059 well, most of the time 00:24:01.059 --> 00:24:02.079 or some of the time 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:02.779 or a lot of the time, 00:24:03.019 --> 00:24:03.699 you can expect 00:24:03.699 --> 00:24:04.220 misunderstanding 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:05.819 or even ridicule 00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:10.480 but there will be times 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:12.699 Jesus promises 00:24:12.699 --> 00:24:15.079 when they'll see 00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:15.599 our good works 00:24:15.599 --> 00:24:16.220 and give glory 00:24:16.220 --> 00:24:17.159 to our Father in heaven 00:24:17.159 --> 00:24:19.899 and we shine our light 00:24:19.899 --> 00:24:20.379 into the world 00:24:20.380 --> 00:24:22.140 not because we want praise 00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:23.200 but because we want people 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.960 to see how wonderful God is. 00:24:28.300 --> 00:24:28.980 So, you know, 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:30.100 in that sense, 00:24:30.340 --> 00:24:31.100 in that sense, 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:33.000 our goal 00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:34.800 in letting our light shine 00:24:34.800 --> 00:24:37.500 is not at the end of the day 00:24:37.500 --> 00:24:39.900 to change the world per se 00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:43.120 but to change the worship 00:24:43.120 --> 00:24:43.680 of the world. 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:47.620 we want the whole world 00:24:47.620 --> 00:24:48.519 to know how great 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:49.620 our Heavenly Father is 00:24:49.620 --> 00:24:52.539 and how great is His Son, 00:24:52.620 --> 00:24:53.220 Jesus Christ, 00:24:53.299 --> 00:24:53.720 our Lord. 00:24:55.580 --> 00:24:56.740 And if going forth 00:24:56.740 --> 00:24:57.720 doing good deeds 00:24:57.720 --> 00:24:59.740 can help create conditions 00:24:59.740 --> 00:25:01.299 where people are loved 00:25:01.299 --> 00:25:02.160 and protected 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:03.019 and safe 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:04.180 and there are just things happening, 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:05.240 if that can give praise 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:05.940 to God the Father, 00:25:06.019 --> 00:25:06.840 then we'll do it 00:25:06.839 --> 00:25:09.759 for His sake, 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:10.839 for His sake. 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:14.159 And seeing that spread 00:25:14.159 --> 00:25:14.799 of the worship 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:15.799 of God the Father, 00:25:17.179 --> 00:25:19.059 that's our greatest motivation. 00:25:19.859 --> 00:25:21.279 That's our greatest motivation 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:22.019 for what we might call 00:25:22.019 --> 00:25:22.959 the mission of the church. 00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:26.379 That's what takes us 00:25:26.379 --> 00:25:27.299 out of the church walls 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:28.819 shining our light 00:25:28.819 --> 00:25:30.299 to the end of the street 00:25:30.299 --> 00:25:31.939 and to the ends of the earth. 00:25:32.879 --> 00:25:34.059 The glory of God. 00:25:34.059 --> 00:25:34.139 God. 00:25:36.839 --> 00:25:37.859 And you know, 00:25:37.899 --> 00:25:39.000 make no mistake about it, 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:41.619 the scope of our calling 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:42.619 as a church 00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:44.099 is global. 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:45.299 It's worldwide. 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:48.759 You're the light of the world, 00:25:49.379 --> 00:25:49.959 Jesus is. 00:25:51.679 --> 00:25:53.339 And at the end of Matthew's gospel, 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:55.019 Jesus will commission the church 00:25:55.019 --> 00:25:56.839 to go to the ends of the earth 00:25:56.839 --> 00:25:58.099 with the gospel 00:25:58.099 --> 00:25:58.899 to make disciples 00:25:58.899 --> 00:25:59.599 and to bring glory 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:00.279 to God the Father. 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:05.159 So there's a bit of a call 00:26:05.159 --> 00:26:06.259 at the end of this passage. 00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:08.839 What will you do 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:10.079 to advance 00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:12.079 this light-bearing mission? 00:26:14.619 --> 00:26:16.179 All of us should begin 00:26:16.179 --> 00:26:17.119 where we are. 00:26:18.859 --> 00:26:20.519 But all of us should pray 00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:22.619 if God wants to keep us 00:26:22.619 --> 00:26:23.220 where we are. 00:26:25.419 --> 00:26:26.939 Pray if there's a place 00:26:26.939 --> 00:26:27.819 where God's light 00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:28.759 needs to shine 00:26:28.759 --> 00:26:30.480 to which He's calling you. 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:31.480 to be a place 00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:32.480 to be a place 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:33.480 to be a place 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:33.819 in the future. 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:35.420 Perhaps it's a professional field 00:26:35.420 --> 00:26:37.160 in desperate need of light. 00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:39.519 Many of you are here 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:39.839 in New Haven 00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:40.299 to study, 00:26:40.440 --> 00:26:41.740 to prepare for your vocational life, 00:26:41.779 --> 00:26:42.400 whatever that might be. 00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:43.559 Are you praying for God 00:26:43.559 --> 00:26:44.900 to give you a vision 00:26:44.900 --> 00:26:45.860 and wisdom 00:26:45.860 --> 00:26:47.460 for how you might be used 00:26:47.460 --> 00:26:49.000 to bring glory to God 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:49.660 in your field 00:26:49.660 --> 00:26:50.259 among the people 00:26:50.259 --> 00:26:51.059 that make up your field, 00:26:51.140 --> 00:26:51.839 among the institutions 00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:52.839 that make up your field? 00:26:52.839 --> 00:26:58.740 Perhaps God's calling you 00:26:58.740 --> 00:26:59.279 to a neighborhood 00:26:59.279 --> 00:26:59.879 in our city 00:26:59.879 --> 00:27:01.059 where light needs to shine. 00:27:02.819 --> 00:27:03.639 How will you go 00:27:03.639 --> 00:27:04.599 and let your light shine 00:27:04.599 --> 00:27:05.059 so that people 00:27:05.059 --> 00:27:06.059 will see your good works 00:27:06.059 --> 00:27:06.819 and give glory 00:27:06.819 --> 00:27:07.699 to your Father in heaven? 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:09.839 Perhaps it's not just 00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:10.299 a profession 00:27:10.299 --> 00:27:11.259 or a neighborhood 00:27:11.259 --> 00:27:12.019 here in New Haven, 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:13.319 but perhaps it's 00:27:13.319 --> 00:27:13.879 a people group 00:27:13.879 --> 00:27:14.259 in the world 00:27:14.259 --> 00:27:15.139 that's not even yet 00:27:15.139 --> 00:27:15.919 heard the gospel. 00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:17.319 Maybe God's calling you 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:18.759 into that great work 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:21.359 of global gospel mission. 00:27:22.839 --> 00:27:28.379 Or perhaps closer to home, 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:29.759 God's calling you 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:31.019 to a family down the street 00:27:31.019 --> 00:27:32.379 that's not yet heard 00:27:32.379 --> 00:27:32.879 the gospel. 00:27:35.019 --> 00:27:36.359 You are the light 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:37.159 of the world. 00:27:38.639 --> 00:27:40.059 Let your light shine. 00:27:41.539 --> 00:27:42.699 Let the brilliance 00:27:42.699 --> 00:27:43.959 of Christ in you 00:27:43.959 --> 00:27:45.779 bring out the beauty 00:27:45.779 --> 00:27:46.240 of the world 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:47.659 God is calling you to. 00:27:49.079 --> 00:27:50.919 And may God get all the worship 00:27:50.919 --> 00:27:52.419 He so rightly deserves. 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:54.539 Let's pray together. 00:28:05.939 --> 00:28:07.000 Father, we pray 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:11.039 that you would encourage 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:11.659 our hearts. 00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:15.099 Lord, often the task 00:28:15.099 --> 00:28:16.720 feels so daunting before us. 00:28:16.799 --> 00:28:18.519 We can see how broken 00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:19.819 and difficult things 00:28:19.819 --> 00:28:20.659 are around us. 00:28:20.660 --> 00:28:23.279 And yet thank you 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:24.580 for the bracing confidence 00:28:24.580 --> 00:28:25.380 that we hear 00:28:25.380 --> 00:28:26.160 in this passage 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:27.200 that you've promised us. 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:29.740 That as we let our light shine, 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:32.940 others will see our good works 00:28:32.940 --> 00:28:33.880 and give glory 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:36.340 to you, Father in heaven. 00:28:37.300 --> 00:28:39.300 Help us not to lose confidence 00:28:39.300 --> 00:28:40.180 in your promise 00:28:40.180 --> 00:28:41.279 that this is so. 00:28:42.800 --> 00:28:44.480 And would you be directing us 00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:46.140 how we might use 00:28:46.140 --> 00:28:46.660 the gifts, 00:28:46.820 --> 00:28:47.380 the talents, 00:28:47.500 --> 00:28:48.040 the abilities, 00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:48.799 the desires 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:49.799 that you've given us 00:28:49.799 --> 00:28:51.920 to see more and more 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:52.700 of your light shine. 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:56.220 God, the last thing 00:28:56.220 --> 00:28:56.920 we want to do 00:28:56.920 --> 00:28:59.099 is take this great light 00:28:59.099 --> 00:28:59.960 that you've given us, 00:29:00.019 --> 00:29:01.000 that you've made us into 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:02.839 and hide it 00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:04.039 because we're afraid 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:05.700 or because we're distracted. 00:29:07.420 --> 00:29:08.879 Lift up our gaze, God, 00:29:09.619 --> 00:29:11.680 to the beauty, 00:29:11.799 --> 00:29:12.379 to the adventure 00:29:12.379 --> 00:29:13.539 that you're calling us to 00:29:13.539 --> 00:29:14.259 as your church. 00:29:20.099 --> 00:29:21.299 And would we follow you 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:22.599 and let our light shine. 00:29:23.299 --> 00:29:24.319 In Jesus' name, amen.