We Are a Transforming Presence

Introduction:

Now, before we get into today’s sermon, I believe it is important for us to come to an agreement on a couple of things regarding the Church. So, if you agree with the following statements, I want you to say “Amen.”

The Church is not a building.

While this is a beautiful old building and I am anxious to learn more about its rich history, Broomes Island Community Church is not this building.

Should this building ever be destroyed, God forbid, Broomes Island Community Church will not cease to exist.

And that’s because WE ARE THE CHURCH.

When you and I are in this building, WE ARE THE CHURCH.

And when you and I leave this building, WE ARE THE CHURCH.

Okay, so now that we’re in agreement that WE ARE THE CHURCH, what exactly does that mean for us? Over the next few weeks we are going to be in the midst of a sermon series called WE ARE THE CHURCH. Through this series, we are going to dig into God’s Word to discover what He has called the church to be. This morning , the truth I believe God wants to reveal to us, is that THE CHURCH IS A TRANSFORMING PRESENCE…which means, if everything we agreed upon a moment ago is true, WE ARE A TRANSFORMING PRESENCE.

How can we know that to be true, that the Church is a transforming presence?

While Jesus was walking the earth, He served as God’s presence in the world.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples and the Holy Church was born.

The Church is also known as the Body of Christ.

In the absence of Christ’s physical presence here on earth, the Church (as the body of Christ) is now God’s presence in the world.

And if the Church is going to serve as God’s presence in the world as the Body of Christ, it must be a transforming presence because Jesus is a transforming presence.

Through Jesus water becomes wine, the blind are given sight, the voiceless are given a voice, the deaf are made to hear, the lame are made to walk, and the lepers are made whole, and the dead are brought to new life! That’s a transforming presence!

So, what does it look like for the Church to be a Transforming Presence? Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder or guess because Jesus speaks to the transforming presence of the Church in the greatest sermon ever delivered…the Sermon on the Mount.

Scripture

Through the sermon on the mount, which spans chapters 5 - 7 of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus taught His disciples about the Kingdom of God. He opened His sermon by defining the character of Kingdom Citizens otherwise known as the members of the Body of Christ or the Church. After describing the character that defines the Church in Matthew 5:1-12, He went on to paint a picture of what the relationship of the Church to the world ought to look like and this is where we are going to spend our time this morning. Let’s take a moment to read Matthew 5:13-16 together to see what Jesus had to say.

Through the use of the salt and light metaphors, Jesus paints the picture that the relationship of the Church to the world is one of influence.

And if you’re taking notes, what I believe is being revealed to us here through the salt and light metaphors is that A TRANSFORMING PRESENCE EXERTS A POSITIVE INFLUENCE FOR CHRIST IN THE WORLD.

Salt of the Earth

First, Jesus says that “You” are the salt of the earth. The “you” that Jesus is referring to is the Church. It is those of us who have received new life through faith in Jesus as or Savior and Lord.

These words of Jesus mean that WE ARE CALLED TO BE THE SALT OF THE EARTH. You might be wondering what exactly it means for the Church to be the salt of the earth. Well, I don’t think Jesus called out a random metaphor to define the relationship of the Church to the world. I believe He was very intentional in calling the Church the salt of the earth. So, in order for us to better understand what it means for the Church to be the salt of the earth, we have to have an understanding of the purpose that salt served when Jesus was walking the earth.

When Jesus was walking the earth, there was no refrigeration system. So, one of the primary purposes that salt served when Jesus was walking the earth was as a preservative to keep food, and meat specifically from spoiling. In the same way, WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH PRESERVING OUR HOMES, COMMUNITY, AND WORLD FROM MORAL DECAY.

To fully understand the influence that the Church has on the world as salt, it’s important for us to know just how salt prevents food meat spoiling. When salt comes in contact with meat, it draws the moisture out of the layer of meat that it comes in contact with. In the absence of moisture, microorganisms like bacteria and fungus cannot grow. So, essentially, the salt creates an environment that prevents spoilage and decay. We, the Church, are called to play the same role in the world. We are called to create environments in our homes, in our community, and in our world that prevent moral spoilage and decay!

Now, I want to paint a picture for you what is required of the Church to create an environment that prevents moral decay. STORY OF BUTCHERING BLAKE’S HOG AND SALT CURING BACON AND HAM.

There are 3 steps that I believe are essential to using salt to preserve bacon and ham.

You have to take the salt off the shelf. The salt is not useful for the preservation of meat if it just sits on the shelf.

You have to pour the salt out. The salt is just as useless if it isn’t poured out…and just a little sprinkle of salt won’t get the job done. In the case of large hams, it could take multiple cans of salt to properly preserve the meat.

You have to rub the salt into the meat. It can’t just be poured over the meat because it won’t stick that way. If it isn’t rubbed into that top layer of meat, it won’t have a chance to draw the moisture out of it.

How does this relate to the Church as the salt of the earth?

1. In order for the Church to be effective as the salt of the earth, the salt has to come off the shelf. In other words, we have to be willing to be used. Which means we must be willing to step outside the walls of our buildings to exert a positive influence for Christ. We have to move beyond the walls of our homes. We have to move beyond walls of anxiety. We have to move beyond walls of fear; fear of rejection; fear of shame; fear of not being liked. We have to move beyond walls of pride. Only when we are willing to to be used; only when we are willing to come off the shelf can we be a positive influence as salt of the earth.

2. Once we’re willing to come of the shelf and be used by God, we must then be ready and willing to be poured out. Preserving our homes, community, and world from moral decay is going to take everything we have. If you look at our world right now, it is easy to see that enemy is looking to take as much territory as possible. Romans 1:29-32 “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

Our world is becoming increasingly wicked and it is going to take everything we have to hold back the advance of the enemy. There can be no question; no doubt about what the Church is willing to do to preserve our decaying world. Everything must be on the table. We must be willing to give our time, our talents, and our resources without fear of depletion; without fear of running empty; without fear of the well running dry; trusting that He who calls us to pour ourselves out will also fill us up through the power of His Holy Spirit.

3. When we are willing to be completely poured out, we must then be willing to be rubbed into the meat. This means we cannot stand outside of enemy territory and expect to prevent the moral decay of our world. We have to be willing to advance into enemy territory fulfilling our role in God’s plan to free the prisoners and find and rescue the lost. Here is a 3-step battle plan that we can follow in an effort to advance, take enemy territory, and fight to grow the Kingdom of God one citizen at a time.

Pray - the prayers of the righteous our powerful (James 5:16 “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”) Elijah prayed for a drought and it did not rain for 3.5 years. Elijah prayed for rain and it rained for 3.5 years! The prayer of a righteous person is both powerful and effective) Not indiscriminate prayers, but intentional and intercessory prayer.

Plant - the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””) Demoniac wanted to stay with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go and tell others and thousands more were given an opportunity to have a life changing encounter with Jesus.

Persist - so that others may see the hope we have…reframe the attitude that we are one day closer to going home to we have been given one more day to fulfill our role as the preserving agent for our homes, community, and world. (Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”)

So, just to recap, in order to be a positive influence for Christ as salt of the earth preserving our homes, community and world from moral decay, we must be willing to get off the shelf; we must be willing to be poured out; and we must be willing to be rubbed into the meat.

Salt not only served as a preservative during Jesus’ day. It also served, just as it does today, as a flavor enhancer.

How many grapefruit eaters do we have in the house this morning? Raise your hand if you eat your grapefruit with sugar. Now raise your hand if you eat your grapefruit with salt. (DeAnna is the 1st person I met who puts salt on a grapefruit).

Well, there was an actual scientific study performed in 1997 that revealed how salt enhances the flavor of food. And the findings of the study revealed that salt enhances flavor by suppressing bitterness. They discovered that just a little salt suppresses bitterness and enhances sweetness. They also discovered that salt used in greater quantities suppresses bitterness and enhances savoriness. Incredible! In the same way, the Church is called to be the salt of the earth ENHANCING THE LIVES OF OTHERS WHEREVER GOD HAS STRATEGICALLY PLACED US. Perhaps the most effective way we can serve as a flavor enhancer is to demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit to a world that is used to acts of the flesh.

We have an opportunity as the local church to make life just a little sweeter for children in Haiti. (Hope for Haiti Insert).

We are not left without a word of warning from Jesus regarding our influence as salt of the earth. He said “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.” Let’s be clear about something, the fact that the Church is salt; the fact that anyone who calls on the name of Jesus as their Savior and Lord is salt is only the result of the work of Jesus on the Cross-Amen? With that being said, it is actually impossible for salt to cease being salt. Salt, in it’s natural form as sodium-chloride has a such a powerful bond that it cannot cease being salt. But, salt can lose it’s salty effect when it is contaminated by foreign agents. When Jesus was walking the earth, the salt that was collected around the rocks on the shore of the Dead Sea (which is to the east of Jerusalem) was useless for anything other than being thrown down on the road to help keep the dust down. That’s all it was good for because it was contaminated with gypsum. We are God’s Holy Church. To be Holy means to be Set Apart. So while we must be in the world advancing into enemy territory with the good news about Jesus, we must not become of the world. Remember, we are here as the presence of God to influence the world, not be influenced by the world.

After defining our influence in the world as the salt of the earth, Jesus went on to define our influence as the light of the world. He said, “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.”

You see, we are called to be the light of the world SHINING LIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS. I love how Jesus said “let your light shine” indicating that the light never ceases to shine (we’ll talk more about that in a minute). We can let our light shine by modeling Christ through our attitude, our actions, and our words. Unfortunately, all too often we hide our light or fail to let it shine effectively. Sometimes we hide our light intentionally for various reasons…some of which I mentioned earlier…anxiety, fear, pride. But sometimes we hide our light unintentionally. Jesus warns against hiding the light of a lamp twice in the gospels. Here in Matthew, He warns us not to hide our lamp under a bowl (or more appropriately, a bushel basket). And in the Gospel of Luke, He warns us not to hide our lamp under a bed. Again, I believe Jesus used the warnings against hiding a lamp under a bushel basket and a bed quite intentionally. The bushel basket, like this one, was used for work right? It was used for harvesting and gathering. Jesus’ use of the bushel basket hiding a lamp reveals that the busyness of life can prevent us from shining our light effectively. The bed which is used for rest reveals that the desire for comfort can also prevent us from shining our light effectively.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO LET OUR LIGHT SHINE EFFECTIVELY?

Lamp Illustration (oil is God, we are the wick, burner is Christ, spark is the Holy Spirit). We must stay connected to the presence of God to let our light shine effectively. When we do that, you can see that even this small lamp can give light to a large room. Each of us can impact our world in the same way. And even our small fellowship can impact the Broomes Island Community, the surrounding area, and beyond.

As the light of the world, it is important for us to understand that the light we shine is not for us. Jesus said that when we let our light shine, the world will see our good deeds and glorify God. WE ARE CALLED TO BE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD POINTING OTHERS TO THE SOURCE OF OUR LIGHT. The source of our light is God. His word describes Himself as light. The source of our light is Jesus…Emanuel, God with us. As the light of the world, the Church ought to be reflecting the light of Jesus. He is the sun and we are the moon. The sun gives light to the moon. The moon reflects the light of the sun into the darkness of the world. And when the moon is full, or when the Church is fulfilling its influence as the light of the world, light invades the darkness!

Yes, WE ARE THE CHURCH! Yes, THE CHURCH IS A TRANSFORMING PRESENCE! Yes, A TRANSFORMING PRESENCE EXERTS A POSITIVE INFLUENCE FOR CHRIST IN THE WORLD! Yes, WE ARE CALLED TO INFLUENCE THE WORLD FOR CHRIST AS BOTH SALT AND LIGHT!

Do you know what happens when the Church is a transforming presence exerting a positive influence for Christ in the world as both salt and light?

MIRACLES HAPPEN!

Meat destined for decay becomes salt.

Darkness becomes light.

That which was dead is brought to life.

That which had no purpose is given purpose.

MIRACLES HAPPEN!

Let’s close this morning with a sacred act reserved for the Church. We are going to move into a time of Holy Communion as an expression of our unity as the Body of Christ, as a Transforming Presence in our world. And let us not forget that we partake in this sacred act out of remembrance for the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.