Sunday Service 2-12-2023

We're talkin about being the light today too. And Matthew some exciting things going on. I don't know if any of y'all heard what's going on at Asbury University. It's a Methodist School up in Kentucky and I didn't I didn't pay much attention to the history of things, but they said in the 70s A Revival broke out on that campus and it just kind of started the Jesus movement up there the early seventies. And, and they said, what was crazy? They meant for Chapel. Last Monday. And the service hadn't even started. And the students started falling on their faces, The Faculty started falling on their faces confessing and praying and he's gone. And the chapel has not been empty in like 148 hours. That people are just pouring in and it started moving to high school campuses other Christian universities. I had the opportunity to be up at Louisiana College or our Southern Baptist school. And he had a thousand college students are in high school students.

And in God was just doing a lot of things dealing with some stuff. I had a really interesting the, the speaker called out the men while they were there. A lot of it was dealing with, who do you pick for a spouse? And what do you look for in these relationships? You been in. And he said guys, I mean, I hate to tell you this, your wives as a spiritual leadership of your homes and he said, you need to step it up and he said girls, why do you want a guy that is nothing spiritually. Don't be running and breaking up with him at the end of the meeting. But maybe you need to and it was just a challenge time talkin about

What God wants for us and wanting the best for spiritually. So I would say I was excited to be up there. Pray for the Revival spreading you know that they've had one going on up and I'm not sure what you call it actually North Albany somewhere kickball up there and there's been a lot of negative comments made about things. I mean, I've known people that have gotten saved giving up, alcoholism giving up drugs, giving up things, and they want, if they want to poke the pastor in the eye because he he shares a Pulpit somewhere else with somebody that may be crazy, you know? But it's it's not it's it's God's word going out and, you know, I get to get at. What do you think? Are you going? Should we go? You know, and I said, you know, you going and do an assessment. I'm not sure if they're finished up there or not, but he was supposed to be a three-day Revival and it's gone for two months. now, up there, and in a lot of wives have been been touched by it, we have to leave to be careful sometimes about

How much people have to agree with us? How about things and still be in God's willing and God's grace? we're looking today and it was really, I'm not a Big, I'm a horrible speller to start off with a, my parents had spent a lot of money sending me. This very expensive prep school and and I'll be the nurse recycle, I'll be taking notes. And she'll look over at my notes. So go. What's that word? I'll tell him to go poop. At least you got the first letter, right? Stop. Looking at my notes. Mind your own note. She's like your parents need to get a refund school cuz you're a functional letter and I'm spelling and a couple thing, you know, now that I can just talk to my phone now. Hey, how do you spell? And it will spell it for me. My five year old granddaughter help me with that.

But when I was reading through, you know, where that we're just God take us the next couple weeks. I've been praying about it, just led me back to kind of The Sermon on the Mount and it had to be attitudes blessed, blessed blessed, and we did that two years ago. So I just wanted us to start looking at the sermon, the mouth, Matthew 5, 6 and 7. And I don't know how long we'll be looking at it for the next couple weeks. But it came out with in, in the Bible, I was using. It said some limited's, what is that? I mean that was the heading over these versus what we're looking at here. And I was like

Okay, I help you out with the definition. A state of being similar to something, a comparison. Between two things I'll never forget. I had a first sergeant in the company and he was we had a couple of soldiers that they, they, they weren't the brightest. And he was in the parking lot and and he was chewing on privates medley and and about something. And he's like, Smedley, these rocks are smarter than you. I don't even want to say, you're dumb as a rock. These rocks are smarter than you. He said, you know, I watch this. He threw the Rocks. He said, stay since medley, the rocks are staying, I can tell you to stay and you're gone dude. So I'm not even comparing you to a rock. But that's that's kind of the compressor comparison. We're getting into one of my glasses salt. Anybody ever been doomed to a salt-free diet? Miss Janice goes crazy because the first thing I do when food comes out, is grab the salt shaker.

And and everybody's like, why are you doing that? You didn't even taste it.

I wouldn't have missed Cindy's job for anything because I guarantee you get the complaints about is too salty. It's too spicy, it's not spicy enough. It's not no matter whatever you make. Somebody's got a food preference about what they're eating. And and how they watch. I'm still Dennis goes crazy cuz I saw with everything in my blood pressure is still okay you know it may get me a 70 or 80 but I'm going to eat. Happy food.

I'm always going on the food thing. I'll be there sometime with somebody.

Janice is Mom was 90 and they started, she shouldn't eat this. She shouldn't eat that she shouldn't I'm like, come on really? You know, when you're cranking through your 90s, you get to eat whatever you want. It goes on here, going back to Matthew, you are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot of men. I'm a history guy. So I start looking up how things kind of came about. and sometimes I just scratched my head, you know, some of the things people eat your like What was the process for them to eat that? I grew up north in in, they would eat birch bark off the trees. They would go peel the bark off the trees and boil it and eat it. Am I That is horrible, who came up with the wet see bark, the Beavers do it. So, it's got to be good for us and I'm like so when I started diving into salt, salt came from The animals. Would go to where the mineral deposits were. and, Somehow somebody said, well, if the camels licking that rock, it's got to taste good. And some honey. Hey, use this in a soup. I mean, that was literally the way they found it. They said they fought for the animal trails. And then when the salt deposits started,

Drying up around the oceans and stuff. And there were certain places where salt was gathered and then they struck gold when they're in a cave and they found pure salt deposits underground and they said there was a time and it's so went for more than gold that it was so sought after and so desire. And in the Caravan routes will be carrying just loads of salt. And it became a bartering tool. The places that had it all the sudden it's like the fight was found oil. Originally you know, they they woke up rich one day and so for sure. And our next five years, talking about what it actually is, what we just do. We've heard the term salt of the earth. There are a lot of terms that we use. Dad. Disappearing fast, the younger generation has no clue about things that we say one time. I said something about hitting the mark. What is that hitting the mark? Salt, the Earth week we've thrown in a round that they look at me their life. What is what is that mean? I remember, you know growing up as a kid that uses the Real McCoy. You know what week? We heard that term, nobody, it was talking about liquor. That there was a bootlegger off of New Jersey Connecticut, bringing in liquor and and it was McCoy was the grill stuff in the counterfeit stuff and that's why they started the term. You got The Real McCoy On it but it just goes on and on. And on with terms we heard is a kid, probably not allowed to say it.

The first word. Has to do with being poor, how poor you are and a bodily function being poor. I mean I died her until I found out when when I was in Chattanooga that they would buy people's urine for the tanneries. And they would pay people for that to tan the weather and and so the poor people would save up, bring it in, sell it to the factory. And so, we use that term for a long time throwing around, but the salt of the earth, Webster's definition of a person or group of people of great. Kindness, reliability, and honesty. So, when somebody calls you the salt of the earth, it is a good thing, at least, for now until we decide to change the meaning of it, looking at Salt to self and then go into this sodium chloride. Is an extremely stable. And it doesn't lose its flavor. And it's shorter like they they tell us as a beekeeper that you seal, your honey is good for a thousand years. I don't know why they found jars of Honey places and this is 500 years old. I don't care. I'd be the one wanting to taste it. But they say that and they say, salt is the same way as anyone ever had salt go bad.

We had to throw it out anybody. Not really but it says it can happen. And when I got to looking at, what is it that can makes all bad? Because he's calling us as the church as Christians. You are the salt of the earth. Says why salt goes bad? Number one. It contains a chemical impurity. Something has been put into that salt. That shouldn't be there. Whether it was found naturally that way. They said some of the mines where the salt was being found. Also had sulfur also had iron deposits and so the salt wasn't really a high-quality salt. It would have a smell or be something but it would be able to contain an impurity. It shouldn't be there. The second way they said salt goes bad is if it is left. Open it sitting out. It sucks up all the moisture Get sweat. And then it will evaporate. And the salt will condense somewhere else where the evaporation and let what you're left with is a residue of pace. Something that isn't really salt. The in the sodium chloride 8, they had all the chemistry stuff for me. I was not a chemist either, so I won't, I won't go there. But it's talking about the two things that cause salt to go bad impurities and absorption of things around. It moisture or water. And what a great picture. Hi for us as Christians. He says. It gives this statement to a bunch of people that are here in Christ. I mean, he he he went out and this was The Sermon on the Mount was probably the largest crowd of people. And he found a spot where he could speak. And thousands of people could hear him without a megaphone. Back injury. During we live there. There was a high school that was built. and, It's kind of our church was trying to buy it and we couldn't buy it because it was in the National Historic register. And I said why it's falling down. Have you ever been in the auditorium? And I was like no one of those old men with the old oak auditoriums and stuff on the floors. Supposedly in this building, you can stand in the front and Whisper In the back, row can hear you perfectly acoustically. It was so balanced. So it got in the stork register over the Acoustics in the auditorium. And where Jesus gave in and has been ulcers conjecture about where he actually gave The Sermon on the Mount. That there was a place where he could look up and sort of get an echo and the people could sit and look down and see him. And so, all these hundreds and hundreds of people are sitting there and he says, you are the salt of the earth. And at this time, Salt was just Really a couple hundred years old in the traveling part of things, they tried to say, it was 800 BC or something, when it started actually being what he tells the people he said you are the salt of the earth. Not if you feel like it, if you want to be like it and he goes on and they knew what salt was that was the preservative that was used for fish and food. But if the salt loses, its flavor, and in for them, they had a lot of it wouldn't of purification. There wasn't the FDA and there, wasn't any of the health department stuff? So they got what they got. and he goes on and it says, If you lose your flavoring, your good-for-nothing, and so is Christians. We've all met somebody that it's sometime in their life, had an incredible impact on people. And then, they didn't. What happened? Not too many years ago. Christianity Today is one of the big Christian magazines here listed the 10. Most influential Pastors in America, the rising stars that the fastest-growing churches. The coolest guys, within two years of that article, 3 of the top 10 crashed and burned for marital infidelity They lost their Ministries, they lost their families here, they were, you know, sorta like the equivalent of cover of Time Magazine, they had the testimony, they were doing incredible work and then they didn't anymore. and when he's talking about the assault, You know, looking about what is it that you bring in? It has to be exposed to it for me. Ruin this, I have to put something into it or put it into something to make it no longer pure and fit for use. An absorbent. The conference, I went to this weekend. They should, you know what your satistics. Lost people church, people. Divorce rates are the same.

It's a shame. Why? And I think some of that is the absorption the being around stuff. That is not godly. It's not edifying, it's not building us up. We go crazy in my house, trying to watch a show on TV, that's appropriate. I mean, you just like click next click next and always be, you'll be 10-15 minutes into it before the filth Rises its head up and you're like, got to go. And in some people like it's not that bad, it's okay. It's not that bad, they were talking about The things that people are offended about, we are not as a nation offended about Sin and depravity and things like that who were offended by things were to go on chess. Oh, that's just that, that hurt me. I was attacked by what the Bible says and the absorption And in the salt, you know, it was in there talkin about here, the salt was good and then it got around all the stuff and it went somewhere else. And what you were left with, was it? It looks like if it is sore but when you taste it there's no taste left on it. In our Christianity, very much has has come to a point where we're okay with whatever. You know, and end in sin Reigns. And in he's talkin here that that you were not given the option. He said you are the salt. What are you doing with it? Where is it going? And when you lose your flavor, you're worthless, you're cast out and instead and fortunately in the churches I I saw some statistics said there's 1500 churches a month closing in America. All denominations. Open, their doors are folding up for whatever reason. The old, the wonderful generation has passed on the church was important Church matter. Nobody stepped up to take the place of some churches that need to fold. That genus is rain for so long. They need to go. But when they talk about the salt of the earth, he said you're passed out on the ground. I never forget the first time I ate was in Georgia. And big snow and ice storms. And I'm like, where is where the snow trucks? And it looked to me like the what? I sent the salt trucks snow plows and things like that and just sent a guy with an old man on the back of the shovel throwing sand out and he's like, that's our snow removal right there. You better go and go quick. Up. North they would they would dump so much salt. That 23 foot on the side of the road would be dead. Come spring because it was so much salt in the in the runoff would go. Course, your car. You had any place nicked a rush would just devour your muffler system. and I was not one of those people that wash their car every week to keep it off.

What were called to be the salt of the earth, he goes from there and in Jesus's picture in comparison to what he's showing him to. He moves on to the second part verse 14, a city on the hill. You know, in and that was the story of Rome. Being built on the hills and being seen by everybody. I don't know how much of that carried over into Jesus words here. Putting 14, you said you're the light of the world. A city that is set on the hill cannot be hidden. He doesn't give the option again. He says the first when he says, you're the salt of the earth and he says you're the light of the world, a lot of times Christians want to Kind of situation Lee decide. How much you're going to engage, how much they're going to be.

It's sort of like, you go to a class a mandatory class carry. I'm sure has been to some of the plants safety meeting classes. You ever have that guy that has to keep raising their hand asking questions? Usually about 5 minutes, faculty meeting for teachers there. Be that one. Key sure you're ready to get out of there. This principle. I just have a question about next semester and see them after the meeting. See if they were dismissed and go but put the asking the questions and any comes out, he doesn't say if you feel like being a white, if you feel like me in the salt because most of the time, we don't feel like it We would rather just be left alone. Do our thing and not have to take front and center Focus. A city that is set on a hill, cannot be hidden nor do they why do lamp and put it under a basket. But on a lamp stand, that gives light. To all those that are in the house. I had a once again moving to Georgia in, in the 70s, there were things. I had never seen in New York. Now, I did remember Cole the coal truck would come and dump the coal and you'd have to shovel it in shovel it in the furnace. And that's that's how you got warm. You had hot water radiator, heaters that would pain and and go around the house.

Coal oil. Lamps. I can remember being it and houses we called it The Ridges. The hollars don't ask me how you spell holler but when Janice and I were first married, we lived in Walker horror. And even send letters to people. The holler The Cove, you don't, people would get the mail. I mean, they knew they knew it was going but I can remember lighting. I just kerosene and coils the same thing. They would like lamps and and that's a lot of them didn't have running electricity to where they were and they would like these lamps. On kerosene and coal oil. I also got the baptism there about Appalachian medicine. When I watched a buddy step on a rusty nail Is Papa said, come here. Put your foot up for kerosene in the hole. The kids screaming and he looked at anything wrong, I'm good. I'm good. The way it goes into the oil and it lights up, and it puts a lot of soot on your ceiling and things like that. But the lamp stands were put up where they would put these lamps, where they would like the room up, where they wouldn't be blocked. Could be seen, and it gives life to all that are in the house. Nnn, he's talking about our faith, our life walk. That is Christians. This is what you should be. This is what you should look like that. When you come in. There's no doubt about your faith walk. I get asked all the time. Do you think so? And so is a Christian, sometimes about a president Sometimes it's about our neighbor. Or 16 says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in Heaven. It's it's not just about being nice guy doing nice things for people. There are a lot of lost people that are the finest human beings on the Earth. They would do anything for you, Anytime Anyplace anywhere and there's a lot of church people, not so much. Nnn I'm, I'm amazed that. The drunks in the potheads, we pushing you out of the ditch. And your church friends will be driving by honking and waving. About it, taking pictures to put on Facebook. And who it is? It really? You know helps you let your light shine before men that they may see and glorify your father. It's not just about doing nice stuff. It's why I did. Because God has told me, this is how I need to live my life. This is how I need to act. I need to help when I see somebody in need. I need to recheck up, you can't fix everybody. I tell people that Jesus didn't fix everybody. And you look at the study at the people that Jesus impact, I mean there was a lot of sick people around and The numbers that he healed and he had a reason and for most of the sick people it was to bring them to a Saving Face and Christ, not just a medically healing but the spiritual healing going on and that's what we're supposed to be on this salt-of-the-earth. Wine on the hill. that the end state is that they glorify

where on the hill seen by all. We can't turn it on. Turn it off. I told the story over and over again. I hated Having my soldiers, start coming to my church.

Because they had seen me sometime weeks, and months, and days. And, and, and I wasn't always mr. Sunshine. And I'm thinking here they are. I mean there was a confetti, there was It was one guy that I was, I was trying to put out of the army and not being not being nice. I was nice. But he just wasn't doing his job. And our church would have Would anybody like to say something? And I would have the microphone. And this guy that I was trying to put out, the Army would start waving And they all start hollering Bob, Bob, Bob. And I just got to go over and Give me the microphone. Y'all need to pray for me. I'm having a really bad time at work. Nobody likes me. They're trying to put me out in the church is going terrible. That's terrible. And I was the guy doing it. and and, and finally, they

They started in a. Special meeting kind of thing, wanting to help Bob. And Get in touch with the general to see if we could the mean guy. That was being mean to him would stop and and I was like some of my background about and you've been there. Work is work and life is life. I had a supply sergeant one time. That would read his Bible all day long. I mean he would come to work PT would be done. You'll be reading his bible. Supply room was in Mass. We were out of everything. Nothing was ordered but he loves Jesus. And I was like, that's not it and I ended up putting him out of the army, he just he wouldn't do his job. He wouldn't he drew a paycheck did nothing and he looked at me. So And all this time, I thought you were Christian. Ouch. Now, for some of us would we know those people to try to take advantage and, and read more into it hiding, our lights. Why, why is it? We don't Want to make a big deal. I remember going to Janet's to school one time back in but rosepine Louisiana, and I was having lunch with the principal there and and all this, and all the sudden, this kid stood up in the lunchroom, And started preaching. I mean, Jesus and Bible and seeing and repentance. For the whole cafeteria. And people were laughing at them, people were picking the principal kind of went Johnny, come on, down off the table and the kid tears, streaming down his face. And I had to think about that. I should, you know,

I wouldn't have the boldness to do that. I mean he has to be so burdened by a lost and dying world that he stood up and there was no doubt where he stood and then when you looked around, how many Christian people were there kind of Crazy guy. Crazy guy. What type of light do we show in our house? It's, it's always interesting. When the pastor shows up, unannounced. Now I Janice and I serve the church, one time it was on top of Lookout Mountain. they were all millionaires, every member of the church was a millionaire There was only at that time, he was only about 13 left, but you didn't show up at their house, you you made an appointment, and sometimes you had to wait a month or two. To drop by for South Louisiana. You can just knock on the door. Come in. No, you'll get the excuse to close the couch and I might come see. My house know, that's life. but, what, what do we show, what are we You know, see sometimes, and most of all what do our children or grandchildren, see out of us. There's there's nobody here that I've been embarrassed coming to your home. So, but there I've been in other churches where I've been embarrassed and I'm not you know, that there is Things in moderation are probably okay. It's when it's Xs.

But but what is the I mean is our faith Sunday in church and then we walk at forget I had one of my deacons that worked in the Walmart. I was in Walmart and I heard the F-word going and I heard you cussing going and I heard the and I came around the corner, it was him shooting out a bunch of employees.

And I wouldn't have senior pastor so I kind of deferred to that but you're sitting in deacons meeting in your life. Wonder why people may not want to come to our church? Well, if it was any of those employees that had to hear that probably don't want to and what our good works. What are the expectations of us? To show our good works and I've kind of touched on that. It's, it's do what you can when you can

I know we struggled a lot of times, how do you help somebody? We go back and forth with. I got $100 if I give it to him, what are they going to do with it? And I'm just like you have to get a piece that if God lays it on your heart to help somebody you've help, what they do is between them and God, you've done with God laid on your heart, you made the effort, you tried to it to reach out. to the are takeaways. Are we solved? Are we like Is there's a lot more. And in The Sermon on the Mount that the cheese. I mean this was this was the church, this was to start. This was the things that Jesus was sharing as important. That. You need to eat when you hear the message of Christ. What you do with it? I am a man. I've got some friends that they will spend hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours in the Deep theological stuff. And, you know, there's a place for that. But when you look at the messages of Christ, if it was that important have been pouring out, Deep spiritual about how you can dissect a Greek word, 45 different ways. And then the time it's been wasted I never forget. I sat with one person. I should. Have you ever shared Christ? With anybody else. Well, no, but I told him how to conjugate the verbs. Mike and that my friend is not going to keep somebody from hell. You know, and I'm not anti academic, I'm not anti-intellectual but the time is so short, we have so little opportunities to share the hope of Christ. How is our time spent You know, and we have that fleeting moment and it's gone or kids grow up so fast. And the impact that we've had upon them is so short. Let's pray. Father God. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your love. Help us to understand and help us to live in your wonderful and precious name. Amen.

Call. Cheese.

What are the Reverend side?

Call.

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