Sermon Tone Analysis

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).