You Are . . .

Doxology:

This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!

Scripture Reference: Matthew 5:13-16 .

Speak to the conference… Thank everyone who did come to the conference.

Our job now is to keep it going. We have had three amazing nights of worship and praise, but we have to make sure that just because the conference is over, we don’t fall backwards. We have to keep the flame alive. Our text today helps us to understand the importance of that:

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.

Context

We cannot forget context. We are coming off of an eight week series over the beatitudes. The beatitudes are character traits that we as Christians are suppose to portray in our lives. They describe not only what a Christian is supposed to do, but more importantly what a Christian is supposed to be.

These character traits define who we are in Christ, because they are only possible by being in Christ. They describe the transformed individual. It is from that mindset that Jesus now continues in this text.

Each verse begins with a pronoun: You, they, your. These pronouns are referring to those who have been described in the beatitudes, to the Children of God.

He is tying this passage to what He has just spoken concerning the beatitudes. He wants you to know… WHO YOU ARE!!!

That is the title of the message today: “You Are… “

And who are we? In Christ:

Content

Called On

The calling of Jesus upon the church is twofold.

In verse 13, He says, “You are the salt of the earth...”

In verse 14, He says, “You are the light of the world...”

God has called on you to do two things: stay salty and shine brightly.

You Are A Purposed Individual

Notice first the emphasis of “You are...” “YOU… are the salt of the earth; YOU… are the light of the world.”

You have been given purpose in Christ Jesus. You have been called on to serve.

Notice that in this text, Jesus is not saying what He has been called to do. In the Gospel of John, we see the “I AM” statements of Christ, but that is not what He is doing here. Here is talking about what you are called to be.

Is that not amazing that Jesus has called us, the church, to be a part of His mission. He has given us purpose within His Kingdom. I don’t know about you, but that is one the most humbling things in the world for me. The fact that God Almighty, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, has called on me to be a part of what He has already got going on is absolutely amazing.

God could accomplish His perfect will without you or I, but He chose to make us a part of the plan. Praise God! God has commissioned me with a purpose for the Kingdom.

Did you know that God has commissioned you? That’s right. You have purpose inside the Kingdom of God. We all do. We all have been called and commissioned to serve in the Kingdom of God. As a child of God, you have purpose.

You Are A Powerful Individual

Salt

Salt is used to season things. That is what it says, “how shall it be seasoned?”

Life without God is bland. You know what I am talking about. Before you knew God, you just went through the motions. You just did whatever, whenever and hardly ever did you feel as if you were actually making a difference in life....not a real difference.

After becoming a child of God, you are able to see the bigger picture. It is not just about here and now. We are living for eternity. We are living and working for a far greater purpose than money, reputation, or even simply having a good time. We are living and working for the purpose of salvation. That is a game changer.

Salt is also used to preserve things.

Back in the day, before we had all the refrigeration technology that we have today, meat was given a salt bath. It was covered in salt to draw the water out of it and to preserve it.

When we are born into this world, we are born with a sin nature. That sin nature, being in opposition to God, causes spiritual decay and rot. The church is called to be the salt of the earth. We are called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who will listen and everyone that we know, so that this spiritual decay can be stopped. The Gospel brings healing and restoration.....it brings life.

Light

Light is designed to change the whole environment in which it is introduced. If there is no light, darkness is all that exists. In darkness, one cannot see where they are going, they cannot see the obstacles in front of them. In the darkness, one must move slowly and with caution. You cannot be confident when you are in darkness. You cannot move with conviction when you are in darkness.

But once the light comes on, it changes everything. It allows one to see what lies ahead. It allows one to move with precision and with intention. You are now able to move quickly without fear of what you might run into or what trap you might fall into. The light changes everything.

Here is the thing. Salt and light can’t help but to be what they are. They are designed to be change agents.

Let me say it another way. They are designed to influence. That is what they do. They can’t help it. It is just what they do. Salt will always influence whatever it is put on and light will always influence whatever it shines upon.

As a child of God, YOU ARE designed to influence everything you come into contact with. It is just who you are. God has designed you that way. Now we all have been gifted in different ways to accomplish this task, but we all have been gifted with that task, to influence.

Now when I say that, it instantly makes some people draw up. It makes them nervous. “Brother Thomas, you don’t understand. I am just not an outgoing person. I don’t do well with lots of attention. I crumble under pressure. I don’t want people to look at me or notice me. I just don’t think I can be this person that you are talking about.”

Can I let you in on a little secret? You don’t have to try to make people notice you, they already do. People are naturally inclined to pay attention to other people. People already watch what you do, even though you are not trying to stand out. People are already listening to what you say, even though you are not going out of your way to make sure they hear you.

Here is the good news. The power of influence, as we talk about it here in this context comes simply from being what they are. Salt doesn’t influence a meal because it is trying real hard to do so. Salt influences a meal simply by being salt. You don’t have to dress it up. You don’t have to change its color. You don’t have to add anything else to it in order for it take affect. All you have to do… is apply it.

Light does not influence the room it shines in because it is trying real hard to do so. It influences the room it is in simply because of what it is. You don’t have to dress it up either. You can. You know they make all these different colored bulbs now. You can even get a bulb that has all the different colors built into it, and even the capacity to hook it up to Alexa. You can say, “Alexa, change the light to pink” and it will change the light bulb to where it shines pink in your room.

But let me tell you a secret. That bulb fulfills its purpose the best when it is shining white. When you change its color, it still puts off light (which is cool for the kids I guess), but it does not light up the room as well as when it does when it is shining white.

Here is what I am saying. Your God-given ability to be an influencer does not come from trying really hard to influence others. It does not come from being seen and heard. It does not come from getting dressed up, wearing extra makeup, or any other external factor. Your God-given ability to be an influencer works best when you are simply being what God has called you to be. That’s it.

In other words, you don’t have to try to influence others. You will naturally influence others by simply fulfilling the call of God upon your lives.

Now for some, that may mean that you get up in front of crowds and preach a message. For others, it may come from doing work behind the scenes that never gets seen. Regardless of what it is, we have all been called on to serve within the Kingdom of God to make an eternal impact on others.

Called Out

Matthew 5:13 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.

After telling us that we are called on, Jesus tells us that we are called out. In other words, we are to be different. During the process of salvation, a transformation takes place. You are not the same person that you used to be. God has changed you. God has made you into something new.

You have taken on a new nature and that nature that God has given you makes you stand out.

Jesus gives us a warning here. “… but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” In other words, if the salt loses its ability to be an influence on the things it is introduced, it is no longer good.

He is telling us that the only way that we can continue to make a difference in other people’s lives is to maintain our saltiness. Our saltiness, comes from the fact that we are tapped into His presence.

Now please do not miss this. The warning Christ gives us does not have to do with talent. It does not have to do with skill-sets. The warning has to do with our ability to maintain our flavor. Do you know how you do that. You stay close to God. He is the well that we draw from. He is the source of our saltiness.

This means that the most important thing for a Christian to do is to maintain their relationship with Christ.

Yes… it is that simple. I know that all the Christian bookstores have their shelves lined with books on Christian living, but I am telling you that the key to Christian living is as simple as maintaining a close relationship with the One who saved you, changed you, and equipped you for the work of ministry. That’s it.

He called us to be influencers, but the way that is accomplished is by allowing Him to work through us in our everyday lives. The only way that is possible, is for us to be close enough to Him to hear His voice.

Matthew 5:14–15 NKJV

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.

Here, Jesus takes things a step farther. Not only are we to maintain our relationship with Christ, we are not to be ashamed of that relationship with Christ.

The very purpose of a light, is to reveal those things which are hidden in darkness. When you turn on a light, then cover up that light with a basket, or some other object, you are keeping the light from doing what it was designed to do. It can longer be effective, if you are blocking it from shining.

As Christians, we are sometimes guilty of doing the same thing. God has put this light inside of us. This light’s name is The Holy Spirit. It is God’s presence within us that causes us to shine. We welcome His presence in our lives because we know the benefits that come along with it, but sometimes we worry about that light shining into the lives of others, so we try to cover it up. We refrain from praying to God over our meals because we don’t want others to think we are super spiritual; we are to afraid to walk away from a dirty joke because we don’t want to offend anyone; we feel led to pray with someone or over someone, but we are afraid it might offend them if we ask to do so right in the middle of the grocery store.

When we cover up the light of God, it keeps that light from shining into other people’s lives. It keeps us from making the greatest influence that we can by restricting the light coming out of us.

See even in this room, there is still darkness. We have every light in the ceiling turned on right now, but if you look down at the floor in front of you, you will still see shadows lurking underneath the pews. We don’t have any of the lights dimmed; we don’t have any of the lights covered up; we have not restricted the light in this room in any way, and there still remains darkness.

Even when you are shining at your brightest, you will not reach every person. Even when you are operating at full capacity, your light will not reach those who are hiding under the pew. The only way they are going to see the light is if they decide to come out.

Here is what I am saying. You don’t have to worry about shining your light in unwelcome places. Those who do not want to be in the light will purposely find ways to stay out of it. But there are thousands of others who welcome that light. They are struggling in the darkness. They are truly praying that a light would shine in the midst of their darkness. They more than welcome the light, they are desperate for it. And God has called on you to be that light in the midst of their darkness.

Called Up

Matthew 5:15–16 NKJV

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.

Jesus says that we are to position our light in a way that it shines upon all who are in the house. We are not to suppress the light, we are to shine it, and shine it brightly. Why? So that those who are currently not in the light can experience it. Our goal is to help as many as we possibly can find Jesus.

We do this by sharing Jesus. We show them how God has changed our lives through our actions and our words, and this shows them that they can have it too.

God loves them… they just don’t know it yet.

God wants to save them… they just don’t know it yet.

God wants them to experience deliverance… they just don’t know it yet.

God wants them to have peace… they just don’t know it yet.

God wants them to be secure in their faith… they just don’t know it yet.

So God has called us to look up, to reach up, and to point up, so that others might do the same.

God says, let your little light shine.

Commitment