Dwell With Others

Matthew 5:13–16 (NIV)

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Introduction

How many of you grew up in a house where things worked, but you’d have to finesse them a little bit?

I did.

We had some many things that worked, so long as you opened it up a certain way. And it was common knowledge that you needed to lift when opening. Or push down when closing. Or only push something gently. Whatever the case was, things worked, but you needed to do it a certain way for it to work.

And this has been such a shift now that I am married because this does not work for my family. Things need to work, the way that they are intended to work.

God Dwells In Us

We have been in this series called Dwell, and I hope that it is a series that you will look back on and find different applications for your life that go beyond our current season as a church.

What I have enjoyed about teaching on this idea of Dwell is that it is a reminder that God desires to dwell with us.

There is a pattern, that goes all the way back to the very beginning of the Bible, that God created us to dwell with us.

In Genesis we read that God spoke with and walked with Adam in the garden. There was a closeness between them. Nothing was hidden and nothing separated them.

But then there was sin, and sin separates.

That’s a good one to write down.

Sin separates us from God.

To reconcile what was lost, God sent his son to die in our place, paying the price of sin. And the thing that separated us from God was now paid for and to borrow the words from the Apostle Paul, “Now are we called the sons of God.”

Are We Doing It Right?

Now with all of that said, have you ever wondered if we are doing it right?

Let me rephrase that… if God desired to dwell in us, but sin separated us so God takes care of the sin issue and once again dwells with us… have you ever asked yourself, “Is this why Jesus took care of the sin problem?”

Was it his desire to die in my place so that I could be reconciled with him, and kind of, you know, chill until I get to heaven?

You see, I think this is the great question that we are supposed to wrestle down together Lighthouse. Why did God save me, and what am I supposed to be doing now that I am saved?

It makes me want to look up to heaven and ask him, “Am I doing it right? Is this what you had in mind?”

Last week we dissected this verse, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that God’s spirit dwells in you?”

And what I want to hopefully inspire you to do today is understand that as God dwells with us, there is a response that he asks of us.

Salt of the Earth

So let’s go back to our reading, because there’s something here that I think applies.

In Jesus’ sermon on the mount he makes this statement, “you are the salt of the earth”.

Simply put, salt is a change agent. It changes whatever it touches.

And the choice of words is intentional. Jesus is saying to his audience that you should bring about change to every environment that you are in.

Students, when you step into a conversation at school, the conversation should shift becuase you are there.

Parents, the environment at work should change the moment you walk into a room.

Why? Because that is what salt does. Salt will change what it touches.

And as simple as this illustration may be to make of you, it’s not as simple to live out.

As long as salt is in the salt shaker, nothing is being changed.

It’s not until the salt leaves this environment, and steps into a different environment, does the salt begin to do what it was created to do.

In the same way, until you start to dwell with others do you begin to do what you were created to do.

We were not created to live in the salt shaker, but we were created to Make a Difference. That’s why this is our mission. You will never find fulfillment in your life only doing things that make a difference in your life. When you begin to do the things that make a difference in the life of others, that’s when you begin to start living the abundant life.

Light of the World

Let’s lean in a bit more and read what else Jesus said in Matthew 5. Jesus says that we are the Light of the World.

We are.

Is that hard for anyone else in this tent to accept, or is it just me?

I know me. I know my shortcomings. I know the areas that are deficient. I know the parts of me that are weak. The parts of me that if ever tempted with the right temptation would crumble.

I can’t be the light. There’s no way that I can be the light.

And yet… this is what he says. You’re the light.

He goes on to say that not only should we embrace this idea that I am the light, but Jesus says, let your light shine.

Again Lighthouse, maybe this is just me, and this is my shortcomings, but how can I shine when the bulb is broken?

Jesus is the Light in Me

And then it occurred me… I am not my own light. I am the light of the world because of who is dwelling in me.

Jesus dwells in me, he is living in this temple, and then he says just let my light in you begin to shine! And when you do that, people are going to see your good deeds and they are going to glorify the father!

Listen Lighthouse, I say this with nothing but love, but the world doesn’t need to see you. They need to see God living in you. That’s what makes you different. God almighty makes his home in your heart! Show people that.

Don’t brag about what you’ve done, brag about what God has done.

Don’t show off what you’ve one, show off to others what God has done.

Dwell With Others

And so let me bring us back to my point of today’s message…

As God dwells with us, he asks us to go and dwell with others. To be salt & light.

Let me show you something… let me show you the first miracle of Jesus.

John 2:1–2 (NIV)

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,

and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

This is the first recorded miracle of Jesus in the Bible. Where does it happen? At a wedding.

Jesus wasn’t at the temple. Jesus wasn’t at connect group. Jesus wasn’t at home watching his favorite preacher.

Jesus was at a marriage. Dwelling with others.

You know what happens next right? He turns water to wine and that party gets going!!!

Can I show you another story?

John 4:5–7 (NIV)

So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”

Jesus doesn’t do a miracle here, but he does read this girls mail, teaches her about worship, and then as soon as he’s done talking to her this woman evangelizes her entire town and they all come to faith.

How did that happen?

Jesus posted up at a well. He decided to dwell at a well.

Come on I feel like a rapper dropping bars like that.

John 12:1–3 (NIV)

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Jesus is having dinner with his friends. He’s just dwelling with other people. When he does this we get this incredible moment where Mary opens up a costly bottle of perfume and she wipes his feet with her hair, the perfume and her tears. Jesus said this in response, “This will be an everlasting memorial for her.”

Conclusion

Jesus shows us all throughout his ministry how much of an impact he made when he simple dwelled with others. When he was present with people.

And so he fills us with his presence. He dwells in us. And he tells us to go run the play. Go dwell with others. Show them the light that’s living in you.