Better and Brighter

Intro

We have a Serve Day coming up … it’s called Fall Festival. At the Fall Festival, the World outside our window will come to us and we have an opportunity to serve them, provide a safe place for their families to eat, have fun and take home some candy… all the while showing them the love of Jesus.

We are the hands and feet of Jesus to those outside the church. We can do this because you are generous with your time, your talent and your treasure.

Generosity brings change into people’s lives. When you are faithful in your giving and tithing and you show up and you share and you love people, it changes people’s lives.

Series - World Outside our Window.

In my last message, We learned that God has a plan for the world and that plan is us living life on mission. We learned that we are ambassador’s for Jesus. How many of you know that you are an ambassador? Ambassador carries some weight… it’s important because when you are an ambassador, you are speaking for the one you represent…

Today we will continue that idea…

When you and I are living the life that God intended, and we are living it out in our lives, we have the opportunity to make the world better and brighter.

Better and Brighter

Pray

Turn to the person and say you are so glad they came to church… the other one and tell them, they look like they need a little church… my friend.

Matthew wrote this book but he also talks about himself. In our passage today, he talks about his conversion.

Matthew 9:9–13 NLT

9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. 10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” 12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Matthew 9:9–13 “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth.

Notice Matthew is talking about himself in 3rd person. Matthew was a tax collector. He was a Jew working for the enemies of Israel, the Romans. Most of them cheated. But look what Jesus tells him.

“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

Matthew knew something was missing. When Jesus noticed him and invited him to join him, he got right up and did what Jesus said.

10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.

Jesus not only told Matthew to follow him, Matthew invited all his cheating, evil tax collector friends to come have dinner at his house with Jesus. How coo. is that?

Guess who didn’t like this…

11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

Religious people still do that sort of thing. We want them to look clean before they get well. Look what Jesus said…

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.””

What does it mean for Jesus to transform your life? What kind of ripple effect did it have.

Matthew was forgiven and then he brought a bunch of other people to Jesus for dinner who needed to be changed as well.

God doesn’t just reach you. He reaches you to reach another person.

We all have people around us that need to be reached… Family, neighborhood, work… someone in your world. then to vs. 13

Matthew told others about what happened to him. Matthew shows us what we are to be about. He didn’t just say here is what you do, he showed us. He showed us how we can make a difference.

He says here is how you do it. Remember this if you forget everything else. Jesus reached Matthew to reach others…

He came to save people who knew they were sinners. Matthew 9:13 “Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.””

Matthew goes on to share what our role is… our work is… our mission is. He says here is how you can reach the world for Jesus.

People are always saying stuff like… I just want to know the will of god for my life… I don’t know what he wants me to do… Matthew tells us.

He says here is what you are…

Matthew 5:13–16 NLT

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

No secret Christians… let people see your service. Why? so they will see it and praise God for it… and come to know God.

People take the statement of Jesus where he said don’t let your left hand know what the right hand is doing out of context. Jesus is saying that when you do something good, don’t do it because you want to be thanked… He is talking about your motives.

When you do something for someone, don’t hide it. Let them know it’s God through you… Tell them Jesus loves them no matter what they are going through.

Pastor Chris Hodges once said,

Salt makes things better and light makes things brighter.

I want to live a life that makes it better for people… and brings light into their world.

We are salt in the earth and light to the world. YFC was the church coming out of the window and they reached me.

I am a follower of Jesus because the church was salt and light.

Characteristics of Salt

1. Salt Penetrates

Where it snows a lot and roads ice over, they use Salt to penetrate the ice and melt it. We need to live in a way that penetrates the hardness in people’s hearts.

We do this by loving people the way Jesus loves them… by performing acts of kindness towards them.

2. Salt provides traction

Where it’s cold and sidewalks and road freeze, they put out salt to provide traction on the slippery sidewalks. lawsuit at Lakeside

How can we provide traction in a world gone crazy? First we live moral lives so that we are not disqualified. We live like we say we believe, not in a condemning way, but with love.

We also have to speak up for the truth of God’s word on issues like the sanctity of life, sexual morality, poverty, marriage, lawlessness, partying…

3. Salt Provides Flavor

When you move down here to Louisiana, you discover salt seasoning. Salt spreads throughout the food bringing the flavor. It changes the food and brings out the flavor.

We should strive to permeate our culture to make a difference and bring hope in every corner of our community.

We add flavor. Your workplace needs you… your family needs you… our world needs you. Thats why we want to take you on a journey to Know God, find freedom discover your purpose and make a difference.

We add joy… peace and joy …

Hebrews 10:23 NLT

23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Let’s be faithful to the promise that God will use us the make a difference.

4. Salt Preserves

Before people had freezers they would use salt to preserve food.

Colossians 4:6 NLT

6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Salt preserves food from spoiling. It stops things from going bad… it stops decaying.

I don’t want my family to go bad… my friends to go bad… my kids to go bad… my neighborhood to go bad… Things are bad all around us… but I am going to be salt and spread goodness… speak life not death… be an encourager.

Why? Because I don’t want my family to go bad… my community to go bad… my nation to go bad… do I am going to brig the goodness of God into bad situations.

I am going to make a difference in a world that’s decaying around me.

When you offer a kind act, you are obeying the Lord… whether they accept it or not. Maybe you offer to help someone with their bags, and they refuse your help. That’s ok… you offered.

I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people being mean to a server or someone… and I have given them an honest compliment… trying to build them up. It makes a difference.

Salt speaks up. Sorry you are going through that. Is there anything I can do for you?

5. Salt Purifies

It has healing properties. It’s what God does in our lives. You may say, “things are getting worse.” But they can get better. When we are salt, we can make a difference every day.

James 5:14 NLT

14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.

Just one more thing about salt.

6. Salt creates thirst

Eat a bag of Lays Potato chips and what happens? You are thirsty and reach for some tea.

When we live salty lives, we will create in those around us a thirst for what we have. jon Elder

Jesus also said, yes you are salt but you are light.

Characteristics of Light

1. Light Illuminates

It brightens things.

Psalm 119:105 NLT

105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

Light shows the way in the dark. We are living in a world that seems very dark. It’s like driving around with tinted windows and you can’t see… You need some light.

Jesus said we can light up the world. We can be a guiding light with our words… the way we live our life.

Light makes people feel better.

Have you ever noticed that on a cloudy day, it feels colder than on a sunny day in the winter. The light will make it feel warmer.

Let’s live our lives in a way that helps people heal from hurts, hang-up and bad habits… not make them worse. So…

How can you make a difference? Make a decision to bless one person every day. Wake up every day and commit to bless someone.

Speak up

Show up - I don’t have all the answers but I will show up. Notice someone… encourage someone… brighten their day

We can all speak up and show up.

2. Light Ignites

When we practice acts of kindness, it encourages others to do the same.

Food distribution - Rotary and JPSO both helped

Backpack distribution - JPSO helped

Fall Festival - Rotary helped

Hebrews 10:24 NLT

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

3. Light Inspires

In dark times light is a symbol of hope. After Katrina I came in and out of the city a few times. At first it was pitch black driving in at night from the East. Then, a light was turned on on the steeple of the Seminary chapel — beautiful light.

We can inspire others by what we say, what we do, how we behave and what we believe. We just have to live it every day and go outside these windows into the world outside.

Romans 15:13 NLT

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I know things are getting darker, but I am going to get brighter. How about you?

Wrap

We speak up and we show up.

It’s the goodness of God that draws people to him… Rom 2:4

Romans 2:4 NLT

4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Salvation Prayer

Ask: Who will say, I’ll be salt and light in our world?

Have them come to the front and pray over them.