CONTRAST COMMUNITY: SALT
Notes
Transcript
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
「你們是地上的鹽；如果鹽失了味，怎能使它再鹹呢？結果毫無用處，唯有丟在外面任人踐踏。你們是世上的光。建在山上的城是無法隱藏的；人點了燈，不會放在量器底下，而是放在燈臺上，就照亮一家人。照樣，你們的光也應當照在人前，讓他們看見你們的好行為，又頌讚你們在天上的父。
INTRO
INTRO
JESUS LOVES YOU. Tell your church that.
STAND OUT LOOK DIFFERENT. DEEP FAKES! See how well they do.
The number of professionals doing DEEPFAKES is now doubling every six months. Some experts predict that up to 90% of online videos could be DEEPFAKES by 2030!!!!!!
Perfect Intro. We are called to look different, not look the same.
MPS: Jesus calls humble people to be a HOLY influence in a hurting world. This is the main point.
“YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH你們是地上的鹽”
“YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH你們是地上的鹽”
Jesus calls humble people:
YOU: Jesus is speaking to His disciples at this point. Up until this point we’ve talked about the attitude and description of every disciple of Jesus haven’t we? We’ve talked about how Jesus isn’t looking for people who can crush life, but trust in the One who has crushed life for them, we’ve talked about HE calls people who recognize their spiritual brokenness, recognize their need for God’s work instead of their own, understand they live in an unjust world, and believe that what they need most can only come from Jesus and Him alone. All of this speaks to the humility of a disciple of Jesus. And Jesus looks at His disciples. All from different background, all from different walks of life, some poor, some middle class, and He says to them. You are the salt of the earth. Not the Rabbis, not the roman officials, not the religions leaders. You. Humble, dependent disciples. I know we forget this often, but we forget that Jesus’ disciples were very common people. The story of the Bible isn’t that God chose above average people and then just helped them along the way. The story of the Bible over and over again is that Jesus’ calls the broken, the weary, common, ordinary, unimpressive people to accomplish His work on this earth. Here it is no different. One of my favorite verses in the New Testament comes from
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
他們看見彼得和約翰的膽量，也知道這兩個人是沒有學問的平民，就很驚奇；同時認出他們是跟耶穌一夥的，
“uneducated, common men”
When God sets out to make a great nation of one man’s descendants, he starts with a man whose wife is barren. When he wants to choose a king, he picks a young boy whose own father didn’t think he would be king, and so when the prophet comes to anoint one of his sons, Jesse doesn’t summon David until Samuel has passed over David’s older brothers. When God wants to save the world, he sends his Son to become a baby, born to a peasant girl in questionable circumstances, and he sends him not to a great world capital but to a small town in Galilee.”
HE calls humble people. YOU are the salt.
B> To have a HOLY influence:
“salt of the earth地上的鹽”
“salt of the earth地上的鹽”
Jesus uses a common illustration to teach His disciples and us about our identity and calling in this earth.
What was salt used for? Salt had several beneficial uses in biblical times.
Things salt was used for:
Salt was used as a preservative 防腐劑
Salt was used to season food調味料.
Salt was seen as being synonymous with life生命. (had healing properties)STINGS!)
The Salt of the Rabbi”. 拉比的鹽
SALT WAS A GOOD THING. It was beneficial.
Big Picture: salt was beneficial. So right now from the gate we can see how Jesus’ is telling His disciples and us as Christians that we are meant to be a blessing to the world around us. Huge impact in a hurting world. This isn’t something new either. This theme of God blessing His people to be a blessing to the world was from the very beginning. Look with me at
I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
我必使你成為大國， 賜福給你， 使你的名為大， 你也必使別人得福，
“I will bless you to do what? To become a blessing to the nations”. God BLESSES YOU to have a HOLY influence in a hurting world.
Church family, we are called to be a blessing to this world. You are called to be a blessing to this place. There is no coincidence that God has put you in the place that you are in right now. I know that it may not seem comfortable, it may not seem like it makes sense to you, but Jesus is talking to disciples and people who have been oppressed, who will suffer, who will be in very uncomfortable situations and places, and says I have called you to be a blessing to this world. Do you believe this? Do you believe that God has blessed you to be a blessing? God has given you gifts, resources, talents, to bless His people and this world?
But HOW ARE WE A BLESSING? What does this influence look like? It goes back to being salt:
2 ways Jesus says as Christians we are to have influence:
Preserving against moral decay.We can be a guard against the sin that seeks to control our cities and communities. Salt preserved meat from decaying. Jesus seems to be saying that as Christians, as when we live according to the kingdom values, we have the power, the influence, to slow the moral decay in our communities and in our land
When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, people groan.
義人增多的時候，人民就喜樂； 惡人掌權的時候，人民就歎息。
As salt, our presence as Christians bringing the kingdom of God will bless our communities, our land, our families, by slowly down the moral decay that exists. Church family we live in a world that is sick. A world that is sick with sin. Paul tells us that this world, and its system are under the power of Satan. We should not be surprised as the world creeps further and further down a path or moral decay. Yet God has called you to be in the world, but not OF THE WORLD. He has not given us the choice, to blend in or to run away, but to BE IN THE WORLD AND BE DIFFERENT.
Several years ago I was involved in a community and a movement in the church that wanted to be different. They wanted to be different than their parents and they wanted to reach a new generation of people. They wanted to have influence. At the beginning it was really exciting, new ideas for evangelism, new ways to do church, but then instead of being a CONTRAST community that stood out, leadership began making decisions that caused this community to just blend in more and more in the world. The low point of one of these communities was having a witch and a buddhist lead the prayer time at their gathering. No surprise these churches have since shut down and many of them have stepped away from the faith.
Jesus calls us to be a guard against moral decay, we have influence not by becoming like the world, but by being like Jesus IN the world.
2. Bringing life into death. Salt was used to season, to bring flavor, and was synonymous with life. As Christians, the influence, we are called to have is to speak life into a culture of death.
Just this past week Allison and I were able to via FaceTime attend her grandad’s funeral. It was such an incredible service. But the pastor said something that I think we need to remember as Christians. He said, “Many times at a funeral we tend to think that this person is going from the land of the living to the land of the dead. But that is not the case for the Christian. When we die, we go from the land of the dying to the land of the living.” Church family how many times do we forget that? The bible says that this world is spiritually dead. We live in the land of the dying and our influence, to be salt, is by speaking life into a culture of death. Just like salt, sometimes it stings doesn’t it? If you have ever stepped into the ocean after cutting your foot or leg what happens? It stings! but it is also being healed by the salt. Isn’t that what the Gospel of Life does? It stings, it hurts our pride, it comes and does surgery on our hearts, but to bring us to life! Church family, Jesus is calling you to share some things, to speak some truths, that might hurt, that might sting, but it is doing some Gospel healing work.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. Who is adequate for these things?
感謝 神，他常常在基督裡，使我們這些作俘虜的，列在凱旋的隊伍當中，又藉著我們在各地散播香氣，就是使人認識基督。因為無論在得救的人或滅亡的人中間，我們都是基督的馨香，是獻給 神的。對於滅亡的人，這是死亡的氣味叫人死；對於得救的人，這卻是生命的香氣使人活。這些事誰夠資格作呢？
So far, church family we see that Jesus calls humble people to have holy influence in a hurting world. Christianity is not a spectator sport. We are not called to sit on the sidelines. Jesus has called you for something. For a purpose. To be salt.
BUT HOW DO WE DO THAT?
You might be sitting here thinking, Collin I get the humble part. I understand what it means to be humble. But when I think of me, as a single person, as a mom, as a dad, when I think of having a holy influence in this hurting world, that seems too big. Where do I start? What can I do?
Jesus in the following verse, gives us both the way forward, but also a warning that will keep us from having a holy influence in this hurting world.
Jesus says this:
A WARNING: The Problem of Pride驕傲的問題
A WARNING: The Problem of Pride驕傲的問題
“But if the salt loses its taste如果鹽失了味”
“But if the salt loses its taste如果鹽失了味”
Sin is an issue. The sin of pride will keep us from having a holy influence in a hurting world. Listen to Jesus here:
The word for “lose its taste” is the greek word moros=moron=FOOLISH傻子. Sound like another English word? MORON! Yes this is the greek word for where we get the word MORON. This word here is used in the New Testament for foolish or fool. So Jesus says here: if we who are called to be salt, begin to live like a fool, or a moron. The question is: in Jesus’ teaching, who is the foolish person?
But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
凡聽見我這些話卻不遵行的，就像愚蠢的人，把自己的房子蓋在沙土上。
This is arrogance isn’t it. This is pride. Jesus says, if you Christian or non Christian are choosing to live your life, not in obedience to Jesus’ word, not in obedience to what the Bible says, Jesus says you are a moron. You are living like a fool. And what happens to these people?
“It is no longer good for anything結果毫無用處”
“It is no longer good for anything結果毫無用處”
That means ineffective. Jesus says the quickest way for us to lose our effectiveness. To lose our holy influence in a hurting world is to have operate in the sin of pride which says “Jesus, I know your word says this, but I’m choosing to do this instead. I think I know better than you. I know your Word says this about.......but I’m just gonna live my life the way I want”. This isn’t someone who is trying to obey Jesus but still sins, we all do that, this is a prideful person that says, I know what Jesus says, but I am choosing to willfully disobey His words.
And so if that’s how we get put on the sidelines, if that’s how we lose our holy influence in a hurting world, how do we continue to be effective, how do we have this holy influence in a hurting world. Well it would make sense to look at the wise man:
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
「所以，凡聽見我這些話又遵行的，就像聰明的人，把自己的房子蓋在磐石上。
How do you as a mom, as a single person, as a dad who is working, how do you as someone who is experiencing lockdown have a holy influence? We repent of our pride and humbly come to Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help us obey Jesus’ words. It’s not having all the right answers, being the most impressive person, but being a humble disciple, living out and living upon God’s word. Be salt. Be filled with the words of Jesus.
POSITIVE STORY of humble people having a holy influence. No need a teacher or worker. Conrad and Ethan, salt in their workplace. It’s not your words that are doing the saving that are doing the healing that are doing the preserving, it’s Jesus’ words the work of the Holy Spirit. All He asks for is your obedience. That’s it.
STAT OF WHO REACHES PEOPLE and close it
Not deep fakes, but humble people having a holy influence in a hurting world.
Not deep fakes, but humble people having a holy influence in a hurting world.
“If the world does not see Christ in the Christian, where will it see Him? If the ungodly don’t feel the power of Christ’s presence in the actions of His people, how will they feel it?”
“If the world does not see Christ in the Christian, where will it see Him? If the ungodly don’t feel the power of Christ’s presence in the actions of His people, how will they feel it?”
“如果世人沒有在基督徒身上看到基督，哪裡會看到他呢？如果世人在祂子民的行為中感受不到基督同在的力量，他們將如何感受呢？
“如果世人沒有在基督徒身上看到基督，哪裡會看到他呢？如果世人在祂子民的行為中感受不到基督同在的力量，他們將如何感受呢？
Church Family, WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH.
ABORTION, HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE, MIGRANT WORKERS rights, SEX TRAFFICKING, ADOPTION, this is our field that we play in! We have been given the weapons of warfare to engage.
Trampled under people’s feet(humiliated) laughingstock of the community around us. TREAD can also mean authority, where instead of us treading over, we get treaded on. We lose our authority in this world to speak and be salt(reality)- makes us ineffective witnesses.
look at churches in revelation~
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
WHO REACHES WHO STAT> PEOPLE NEED TO BE ENCOURAGED!