Exalting the Gospel, Not Ourselves
Notes
Transcript
Opening
Opening
Good morning!
-Exciting Times!!!!
With summer upon us and things not as they would normally be it has been an adjustment. One of those adjustments is something many people are really bummed out about....the Summer Olympics.
I don’t know about you, but I love watching the Olympics, whether summer or winter. When I was a kid I had a VCR in my room and if I couldn’t watch some of it I would tape it so I could watch it later.
Reflecting on the Olympics reminded me of a big Olympic moment that happened at the summer Olympics in 1996 in Atlanta....
1996 Summer Olympics
-Izzy
In 1996 the U.S.A. Women’s Gymnastics team, known as the Magnificent Seven, was filled out by a small unknown gymnast name Kerri Strug, who was overshadowed by gymnastic powerhouses like Shannon Miller and the Dominiques Moceanu and Dawes. Miller was that year’s reigning national champion and on her way to becoming the most decorated American gymnast in history, and Moceanu and Dawes were both former national champions as well.
Now, I was in the 6th grade and did enjoy the all the events in the Olympics but truth be told, i had a bit of a crush on D. Moceanu so it made it a little easier to be glued to the gymnastic events.
Up to this point, American women’s gymnastics had never had a gold medal in the all around competition and high hopes were made for this team to finally do that and beat the Russians who had dominated the sport.
I remember the night of the all round competition. My family gathered around the T.V. watching the whole thing on July 24th, like most of America I’m sure. It was thrilling, competitive, suspenseful..everything you’d expect from something that captivated a nation.
Although the team did well in the beginning of the competition, Moceanu fell on both of her vault attempts. I was heartbroken....JK.
The race was tightening for the gold as the events were being finished. And it was going to come down to the vaults. For the American team it wasn’t any of the powerhouse gymnasts that you would want in a moment like this, it was Kerri Strug, the shy over looked gymnast from Arizona who had to pull it off.
On the first of her two vaults, she fell, landing wrong on her ankle and limping back to the starting line, visibly injured. She later said that when she landed she heard something pop, which was one of her tendons snapping. Her leg was numb but she decided to complete her second vault. She sprinted down the runway, executed a clean vault, and landed solidly on both of her feet, the grimace on her face revealing the obvious pain that she was feeling standing on her injured ankle. After the few seconds necessary to stick her vault and give the customary acknowledgement to the judges, Strug collapsed to the mat and cried for help. Her courageous vault earned Strug a 9.712 score, more than enough to secure the gold medal for the American team.
It was a truly captivating moment that had you glued to the TV watching to see what was going to unfold from all this. It had America’s and the World’s attention.
I don’t share this with you because of nostalgia or because I’m a huge Olympics enthusiast. As I reflect on that moment that was so captivating, you could cut it with a knife, I’m reminding of something we as Christians have that is more captivating and powerful and life-changing then that moment 24 years ago.
The Gospel message is for all and we have a mission, all believers, to bring that to a world so desperately in need of it. When we live our lives on mission in accordance with that message the world can’t help but be captivated by the cross.
It is the power of God that brings salvation.
And it’s the message that fuels our text this morning as we are called to, by Christ Himself, to be the salt and light to this world.
Pray
As the body of Christ, we are to be the salt and light of the earth.
As the body of Christ, we are to be the salt and light of the earth.
Body Intro
As we dig into our text this morning we see in these three verses that there are two word pictures that bring a great amount of impact for us. They tend to be this launching point for what is to come in the Sermon on the Mount and even what came before them in the Beattitudes. Spoiler Alert- Everything that Jesus is preaching about in the Sermon on the Mount explains to us on how we should live as salt and light.
The Power of the Gospel
This passage demonstrates for us the power of the gospel.
The Gospel message is the most powerful message on this planet and it yields the power to penetrate the hearts of those that hear it.
The Gospel message is the most powerful message on this planet and it yields the power to penetrate the hearts of those that hear it.
Do we believe that?
Does that resonate with us?
Are we listening?
People who are lost need to hear the gospel for salvation. People who have salvation need to be constantly reminded of the power of that life transforming message.
People who are lost need to hear the gospel for salvation. People who have salvation need to be constantly reminded of the power of that life transforming message.
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.
Just reflect on that truth for a moment......The Gospel has the power to save. People who think it’s nonsense are perishing right in front of us but THE GOSPEL MESSAGE CAN SAVE THEM!
We cannot take that lightly. This is a powerful message that saves people........That’s not some metaphor or good saying. That’s the literal truth. THE GOSPEL SAVES!
Does your life reflect the saving nature of that message?
Are your word’s and actions showing the world around us the power and saving nature of that message?
What consumes you? Is it the Gospel? Is it the need for those to hear it and know and believe it?
Church, judging by many of our Facebook timelines and social media accounts, our focus is not on the power of this message for the lost world around us. Shame on us.....Forgive us Lord.
There is power here and as we look at these three verses Jesus lays out for us the expectation for what should consume us and how we should relate to the world around us.
SALT
SALT
Read Matthew 5:13
The first picture Jesus brings to us is that of us being salt.
It can seem rather odd for him to relate us..to salt. A table condiment. But the reality is that salt was incredibly important for them during this time and Jesus i’m sure had a few reasons for using it that resonated with who he was preaching to.
First, Salt was often used as a preservative to keep things from rotting. They would take salt and rub it into meat so it would not spoil and it would help keep bacteria from poisoning the food. It was so important that wars were fought over salt.
Second, salt was then and is mainly used today for flavoring things.
Have you ever tasted a dish without salt and immediately thought, this needs salt. It’s important to us for our food. Anyone ever eat a french fry or popcorn without salt? Do I need to say more?!
Salt can either increase our desire for a food or often the lack of will quickly deter us from eating it.
Now you might be looking at this verse going what is he talking about salt losing it’s taste and being made salty again.
Not to get too bogged down in the science but most salt in the ancient world was obtained through salt marshes rather than by evaporation of salt water. Sodium chloride is a stable compound which means salt doesn’t lose its taste. But salt from marshes had lots of impurities. The salt was more soluble than those impurities and it would literally leak out leaving behind a residue that was worthless.
Here’s the point-
We are to be the salt of the earth. Jesus tell us at the start of this section. But what exactly does that mean?
Jesus was directing us to look at salt so we can see the relation behind it’s function for preservation and flavor so we could see our function for preservation in this world and our need to make things better.
Simply put salt keeps things from going bad and makes things better.
5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.
As we go about our daily business, the Gospel has to be at the foundation of everything we do, so that it’s literally salted all over every interaction we have.
We have been called into Holiness. Once we place our trust in the power of the cross their is a new nature. This is his warning about salt losing it’s taste. If we aren’t living our life under the power of the cross, pointing people to it then we are like salt with no flavor. And salt with no flavor is no good.
What sets you apart believer?
Do you know? .......The Gospel does.
As believers our goal should be to live our lives in such a way that others say, “what is different about them?”
15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.
Your job is NOT to defend your political stance or your party politics or blast people with your unbiased opinions. Your faith in Christ Jesus demands that you are sharing and proclaiming the Gospel. End of story.
As believers we must recognize our first priority on this planet is to be God focused above all else. We are the salt of earth. We have responsibility to maintain Holiness and to make things better but remember, it’s not about our definition of better. It’s all about God’s definition of better.
This leads us into Jesus’ next description for us.
Light
Light
The second picture that Jesus brings is that we are to be the light of the world.
If you notice Jesus is using very real, literal, everyday, tangible examples for us that we can relate to.
The desire for us to be light is very similar to the desire for us to be salt. It’s all about the influence we have in this world.
The need to be the light though is different as it places more of a focus on our visibility to this world and making the truth known to those around us.
Light is not an unknown theme in scripture. We see it throughout the O.T. and N.T.
And we are the light of this world because of the where our light comes from. Take note, everything we have comes from above.
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
So, it is not by our own doing that we are light but it is because of what He is doing through us.
In verse 14 and 15 Jesus gives us these examples of a city on a hill and light on its stand. They fulfill their functions because they are elevated up to be seen by lots of people. In the same way, through our good works, our commitment to Christ and continual desire for His righteousness to reign in our lives we too elevate the cross to be see by the masses.
Do not be mistaken here.... to be elevated has nothing to do with us. If you are the one being elevated in this scenario you have so deceived yourself as our exultation does not come from our own hand.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Light is piercing.....blinding really. Not many things have such a power that leaves us so defenseless. But that is exactly what Jesus is calling us to be here. A light that is so bright, that it is blinding to a dark world that leaves them defenseless to their sin and a realization that they need a savior.
Jesus is calling us to be a light that is so bright that it is blinding to a dark world and shows them their need for a Savior.
Jesus is calling us to be a light that is so bright that it is blinding to a dark world and shows them their need for a Savior.
Because when we cry out to Him in our state of defenselessness, he will not abandon us there. He is our protection from the darkness.
8 But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
That is the power of the cross. It is a beacon of light that brings hope to a lost world and we are to shine that light.
Have you ever found yourself in complete darkness. The moment a light is turned on, it pierces that darkness and illuminates whatever is around.
We are to be a light to this world that is seen, not hidden.
For the believer there is no place for passivity or working in the shadows. We are to be out, front and center in this world so that His light can be seen.
For the believer there is no place for passivity or working in the shadows. We are to be out, front and center in this world so that His light can be seen.
Read Verse 16
That’s the culmination of verse 16. We need others to see our good and Godly works. Not so we can boast but so that through what we are doing and saying and preaching and proclaiming we can give all glory to our Father who is in heaven.
Closing
Closing
The command in these verses is found in the word YOU. Jesus is speaking to us as what we are, not what we are to become. That is really important for us. It’s not something we are working towards. We are being told, this is what you are.
When we are in Christ Jesus we are a new creation.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
We are to put off that old self.....because it did not have the gospel at its core. It did not seek to know and love and serve our Lord. It was not the salt of the earth and it was not the light of the world.
This is especially a needed truth for us in the times we find ourselves. The world is divided. The United States is divided, communities, families, the list can go on and on. But that cannot be for His church. We must die to self and exalt the Savior.
We will find these truths to be more needed than ever as many places in our nation and community begin to reopen over the next few weeks. People will be falling on both sides about whether they should or not. We will surely even experience this as we move to reopen our weekly gatherings.
A pastor friend sent out a letter to his congregation letting them know of their plans to reopen. A small section of his letter really jumped out at me. Here is what he said:
“Remember that the Christian life is the call to die: to die to my wants, needs, opinions, and preferences. Let's do our best to communicate to our visitors and neighbors that we are people who love God and neighbor. Let not our attitude hurt our ability to share the gospel.”
What a timely reminder of the need for humility in such times. It’s not about being right. It’s not even about ourselves. It’s about the Gospel. It’s about our Lord.
Let us remember in these times and the times to come....we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Pray