Matthew 5:13-16 “ I'm comfortable being Different “

Matthew 5:13–16 (NKJV)

13 “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 by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

“ I’m comfortable being different “

In the gospel of Matthew chapter 5

Jesus takes his disciples up on a mountain

And he takes them away from the multitude

The Bible says when he sat down

He opened his mouth

And begin to teach them

And he talks about the right kind of attitude you have to have

We call it the Beatitudes

Note: Whenever Jesus took His disciples to a mountain it was because He had to TEACH them something, SHOW them something & they was ready to RECEIVE something.

Jesus wanted his disciples to be different

But not only he wanted them to be different

He wanted them to be comfortable being different

Because the Lord has empowered them

And have given them authority

To be different but to be comfortable

In their difference

There are some Christians that are different

But they are not comfortable being different

Because they don’t like being the oddball

They don’t wanna be the one that’s noticeable

They don’t want to be the one that’s called Holy Roly

In trying to live for the Lord

They are saved

And because they are saved, they are different

But they’re not comfortable being different

You and I as born again believers

Are different, because the Holy Spirit has separated us

From the world

But in our Difference you have to be comfortable

Being different

Out of the billions and billions of places that you and I can go

The church house

And your personal house

Should be the two MAIN PLACES in the world

That’s different

THE POWER OF THE WORLD (2 Timothy 4:10)

Quote: The people in the early church changed their world. Today the world is changing our churches. Christ put the church in the world, but Satan has put the world in the church. The word “world” really means any thing that comes between you and Christ! If Jesus is not first in your life, then you are becoming WORLDLY! The world separates from Christ. The world is against Christ, the church, and all Christians!

In this narrative Jesus pulls his disciples aside

And he looks them in the face

Matthew 5:13–14 (NKJV)

13 “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 by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Jesus uses light and salt

Suggesting to His disciples

Of the difference that they should make in the world

Because light and salt always change things

Jesus compares them to salt and light

Because salt and light stands out

Salt & Light makes a difference

Light is comfortable being light

And salt is comfortable being salt

Three things, the Lord says about making a difference

And if you’re going to be different

And if you’re going to be comfortable being different

1st Your Difference has to be Modeled

2nd Your Difference has to be Maintain

3rd Your Difference has to be Mimicked

1st Your Difference has to be Modeled

Jesus Wants these disciples to know

That you difference must be model

Because he says you are the salt of the earth

And that you are the light of the world

Note: Modeled — The disciples in all reality is showing the world a PICTURE of Jesus Christ LIFE & MINISTRY. [ MODELED ]

It’s amazing

Because out of all the people Jesus could have chosen

To be different

He chose these 12 men

12 men with different backgrounds

12 men with different beliefs

12 men with different biases

12 men that had different baggages

But he chose these 12 men

This was very interesting

That Jesus chose these 12 men

Because when you look at the profile

Of these 12 men

They look like anything else, but a difference maker

Because when you look at these 12 men

You have to see

What they didn’t have to make a difference

And what they didn’t have is

1st They didn’t have a Platform

When you look at our society today

People that are making a difference

In our society

Are those with the largest platforms

All the businesses that had the PLATFORM for the super Bowl

Doing the commercial half time

All had increase of revenue

Because they had the platform from the Super Bowl

Example:

You could be riding in your car

On the interstate or on Highway 90

And see one of those real big billboards

And on it a

Juicy burger on that Billboard

or

Fresh hot fried chicken on a Billboard

And all of a sudden you got a taste

For what you seen on that billboard

Because that burger and that chicken

Had a platform

And that platform made a difference

Of you deciding to stop

And get chicken or burger

And you wasn’t even thinking about it

Look at the difference it made in your life

Simply because of a platform

These 12 men that Jesus handpick

They don’t have a platform

But not only they don’t have a platform

1st They didn’t have a Platform

2nd They didn’t have Popularity

Once again, in our society today

People that are making a difference

They have popularity

And in our society

If you are popular

People will buy from you

People will wear what you’re wearing

People will go where you go

Even church folks & worldly folks will go and support the most POPULAR CHURCH

If you’re popular enough

You can make some people make a change in their life

In other words be different

If you looked at the Super Bowl a couple of Sundays ago

You seen a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial

With Ben Affleck

And because of the popularity of Ben Affleck

Wearing a Dunkin’ Donuts outfit

The very next day, Dunkin’ Donuts

Sold out their entire inventory

Of that awful ugly Dunkin’ Donuts suit

Just because Ben Affleck had it on

Ben Affleck made a difference

Because he had popularity

These 12 men that Jesus handpick

1st They didn’t have a Platform

2nd They didn’t have Popularity

3rd They didn’t have a Powerful Position

These 12 men

Are not Sadducees

They are not Pharisees

They are not scribes

They are not doctors of the law

They are regular people

They are fisherman

These individuals are not stars

These 12 men are — Walmart greeters , Cashiers, Cooks, Maintenance men, Waitress, Teachers, City & Parish workers, Truck Drivers, Home health workers, Secretary’s

They have no power

They have no pull

They have no prestige

But Jesus looks these 12 men in the face

And he says to them

You are the salt of the Earth

You are the light of the world

You are the difference maker of the world

But here’s the big question to Jesus Christ

If I have a platform

If I have a popularity

If I have a powerful position

How can I make a difference

How can I change the society around me

If I have no platform

If I have no popularity

If I have no powerful position

But Jesus says what you do have

Is a Personality

And if you have a personality that counters the culture

You come in contact with

You can make a difference

Remember, he referred to them

As salt and light

Salt is different than the food

It’s being applied to

Light is the opposite

Of the environment that it finds itself in

Jesus is saying if you have the kind of personality

That counters the culture that you’re in

You will be a difference maker in the earth

If you just don’t act like everybody else

You just don’t wear what everybody else wearing

You just don’t conduct yourself like everybody else is conducting themselves

You can be a difference maker

Just because you’re different

And here in lies the problem

The problem is

You wanna be like everybody else

It’s hard in our society today

To tell the Saints from the sinners

It’s hard telling the church from the world

It’s hard telling who’s on who side

God is not calling us

To be like everybody else

God is calling us to be different

Your difference

Makes you dynamic

We’re not called to be like everybody else

We’re not called to blend in

We’re not called to fit in

We are called to be peculiar

1 Peter 2:9 (KJV 1900)

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

God picked you out to be peculiar

God called you to be peculiar

God called you to stand out

God called you to walk different

God called you to talk different

What makes you different Is that you’re peculiar

Our difference have to be model

You’re not like everybody else

You don’t fit in every circle

That’s why you’re not invited to ever gathering

Because you’re different

That’s why you feel odd

When you go to certain places

You’re not trying to be sedated

You’re not trying to be stuck up

Because you’re different

And you’re comfortable being different

And you’re comfortable not fitting in

You are the salt of the earth

You are the light of the world

1st Your Difference has to be Modeled

2nd Your Difference has to be Maintain