How We Live and Love Like Jesus

Chandler Corzine

Set Apart • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

Matthew 5:13–16

Evangelism

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When we live like Jesus we help people experience the love of Jesus.

Notes

Transcript

Intro:

FW: Good morning

Matthew 5

New Here

Go to another church if you like UConn

How amazing was that final stretch of the game yesterday? If you don’t know what I am talking about, SDSU Men’s Basketball is playing in the school’s first ever NCAA Basketball championship game tomorrow night and they made it there in the most magical of ways yesterday afternoon.

This would be the first major sports championship ever in the city of San Diego, they never won a things. SDSU is like the nations charity case tomorrow, how precious.

Calm down, I actually went to SDSU for a semester, so I can say that I am a very proud alum.

I love sports because I feel like they bring out the best and the worst in people.

We go from living our best life to the saltiest we’ve ever been in seconds.

You want to see the salty side of someone do one of two things, spend time with them when there team loses an important game or if they are some kind of weirdo and don’t have an unhealthy level attachment to a team that doesn’t even know they exist and simply just uses their deep deep emotional connection or financial gain, then you can take that emotionless weirdo to an airport terminal when their plane gets delayed for a few hours.

I hate flying, oh I hate it. It’s dumb. It’s humanity tempting God. But I LOVE watching people express how much they believe they are the center of the whole world when they make sure the whole terminal knows this delay is going to totally ruin their plans.

However, it kills me when the adult toddler is wearing a shirt about Jesus or is holding the latest Christian self help book.

Pastor Jason likes to say, “If you’re the grumpiest person in the neighborhood, if you’re a bad tipper at the restaurant, don’t tell people you’re a Christian.”

In Matthew 5, Jesus address this by saying:

Matthew 5:13–16 (NIV)

13 “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.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

We can sum up this scripture like this, “When we live like Jesus we help others experience the love of Jesus.”

Sadly, the converse is also true, when we live like jerks, we deter people from the love of Jesus.

Some of us are so salty about life, that we’ve taken the light out of our life.

This morning as we finish our series Set Apart, we are going to learn two big lessons from what Jesus had to say about how we should live in Matthew 5.

Pray

How We Can Live and Love Like Jesus

This morning is Palm Sunday, the day of Jesus triumphant entry to the city of Jerusalem with crowds of people shouting, “Blessed is the King of Israel.”

This grand entrance was the acknowledgment and celebration of Jesus as the savior of the world because of all He had done and said over the past 3 years.

For 3 years, everywhere Jesus went, people were changed by the way he lived and loved everyone, regardless of who they were.

He broke down the need to earn God’s love and created access to God for all people.

The life and love exemplified by Jesus is what we dedicate our lives to as Christians and what makes next weekend carry the significance that it does.

TS: The first lesson we can learn from Jesus this morning is:

1) Live a life that people would want to live.

-Not an impressive life to impress others with stuff: social media etc.

-If we live life in misery, no one will want to follow the God we do.

Ecclesiastes 9:7–10 (NIV)

7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

-We are all going to die, life is going to suck and be really hard; however what sets us apart and makes the life of a Christian so different is the hope we have in knowing that this life is not what we live for.

-We have peace in chaos, hope in despair, and joy in all things because we have Jesus as our savior!

-I became a christian because of this concept:

Talk about Steve Jenkins

Never rattled, always kind, makes everyone feel special, prays for people on the spot, lives out the fruit of the spirit

-A great way to understand this is to constantly work on living in a manner that leads you to Jesus.

-If we lead oursellf to Jesus constantly and in all things, we will naturally do the same for others.

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 (NIV)

17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

-We can understand this passage as, “How we live is a direct reflection of what we have our faith in.”

-St. Francis is know for saying, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.”

TS: While I agree that our actions are louder than words, words are still necessary in our world today.

2) Speak often about how God’s love has changed your life.

-If we don’t talk about what God’s done, how are people going to hear about it.

Psalm 71:15–16 (NIV)

15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,

of your saving acts all day long—

though I know not how to relate them all.

16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;

I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.

-The work of God in your life will be the most powerful display of His love to the people that know you.

-We brag about amazing stories and we find opportunities to talk about our passions.

-Raise hand keep raised if this is you:

Has god ever healed your broken heart?

Provided when you were desperate?

Brought you back form rock bottom?

-Salt analogy:

The relationship to talking about what God has done AND living a life like Jesus did is understood really well in this passage in Matthew 5.

Every morning I’ve started swallowing a healthy pinch of water with a big glass of water. It’s not fun at all. Most mornings I dread even the sight of the salt.

However, that same salt sprinkled on some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies or freshly cooked potatoes is necessary.

The same is true about us. We can be the salt of the earth and live virtuous lives, but without telling people of what God has done, we are missing our full purpose.

The life we live is only powerful if it’s partnered with proclaiming the radical hope and healing of Jesus every chance we get!

-I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older I’ve become more tactful and less bold in my ability to tell people about Jesus.

-Telling people about Jesus and what He’s done for you isn’t tacky or intrusive, it’s life changing and necessary.

TS: We are all called to live and love like Jesus. This is an invitation, it’s a command.

Close

Let’s close our bibles up and grad our Easter invite cards.

This morning we are going to take a moment and write down the names of people we need to invite to easter services next weekend.

Write a name on the invite card you got on the way in.

Stand and pray over our invites.

If you would like prayer this morning, we have some of our pastors and leaders available up here.

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