[The following is a full manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 6th of May, 2018. Look for the video of the service on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Last week we finished up our series based on some of the “I am” statements Jesus made during His ministry. And I actually used a “you are” statement from scripture to do so, where Jesus told Peter he was the rock upon which the church of our Lord would be established. We need to be firm, unshakeable, and steady, like a rock as we add to the foundation Peter began.
Today I want to look at a few more points Jesus made about what we should be. Please listen and follow along as I read from chapter 5 of the Gospel account of the Apostle Matthew, verses 13 through 16, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
Today I want to look at a few more points Jesus made about what we should be. Please listen and follow along as I read from chapter 5 of the Gospel account of the Apostle Matthew, verses 13 through 16, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
--Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, You glorified Your Son by raising Him from the dead after He had spent His time on earth glorifying You. And while He walked this path, Jesus told us that everything we think, do, and say should also be to Your glory. Show us how best to glorify You, please Father. Speak to us now with the message You need us to hear and understand this morning. Help us better serve You and continue Your Son’s mission on earth. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision. He decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished. At its grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of the new church.
Everything had been thought of and included. It was a masterpiece. But then someone said, "Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It is really quite dark in here. How will the church be lighted?"
The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls, and then he gave each family a lamp, which they were to bring with them each time they came to worship. "Each time you are here'" the nobleman said, "the place where you are seated will be lighted. Each time you are not here, that place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God's house will be dark."
Isn’t that a lovely way of telling us why we should come to church and worship together? This little story also paints a clear picture of what goes on in the daily life of a Christian.
We have been given the lamp that sheds the light of our Lord. When we carry it with us, the corner of the world where we are is brightened by the light of Jesus. When we leave it at home, or here in the church building, the part of the world where we go is left in darkness.
It is up to us to carry that lamp. It is up to us to spread the light into the world. It is up to us to dispel the darkness and let the light of Jesus shine.
Our scripture reading this morning comes from what we call Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where He pretty much tells us what it means to be a Christian. Jesus said we are the salt of the earth. Salt adds flavor, doesn’t it, makes things taste better. Someone who is the salt of the earth is a good person that makes the world a little bit better.
Jesus said we are that person and also that we are the light of the world. The Apostle John tells us that in Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men. The life of Jesus lives in us, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, and that makes us the light of men! What an awesome responsibility!
We are that city built upon a hill that can be seen from any side, from any angle. We are visible to the entire world, so that they might see the life of Jesus, the light that is Jesus, within us.
Why is it important to be light? Hear what Jesus instructs us to do, a little further on in Matthew’s account, in chapter 10, verses 27 through 31…
Jesus said we are of such value to our Father God that He knows even how many hairs are on our head. Granted, for some, that’s not too big a number. But there’s two things I don’t want you to miss.
First, we are to “preach from the housetops” what we have heard and read and been told about Jesus. Now preaching doesn’t necessarily mean standing in the pulpit on Sunday morning delivering a sermon. It simply means telling others about Jesus.
And the second point is that we should not be afraid to do so. We should not fear preaching the Gospel. Sure, the world hates Jesus and the Good News He brings, so much so that it kills many who try to do what Jesus commands us. But all the world can do is take our mortal life – our eternal life, our soul, is safely in God’s hands and cannot be killed.
What we have looked at so far was told us by Jesus while He walked the earth during His short ministry. But He also instructed us on what we should be, what we should do, how we should act, after He rose from the grave but had not yet ascended into heaven. Hear His words as recorded by the Apostle Luke, in the 24th chapter of his Gospel account, verse 44 through the first part of verse 49…
Jesus said we are witnesses of all the things He spoke to us, all that was fulfilled through Him, His life, His ministry, His death. And what is a witness expected to do, but to testify. Jesus didn’t say we are to be a witness – we are a witness. Now it is our job to testify to the truth of what we have been told. Because Jesus sent the Promise of His Father God upon us. That Promise is God’s Holy Spirit, living within us, guiding us, speaking for us when we can’t seem to find the words, showing us we don’t need to be afraid.
Our responsive reading this morning contains the scripture that clicked on the little lightbulb over my head back around 2007. Let me read to you from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 10, verses 13 through 15…
You see, I had been teetering back and forth about whether to fully commit to the ministry of our Lord. I struggled with doubts about how could I, of all people, even think about becoming a preacher, a minister, responsible for a flock of my Lord’s sheep.
One day while thumbing through an old book in our church library, written specifically for those in the ministry, I happened upon that scripture. I wasn’t really reading the book, just flipping through it, stopping to read a phrase here and there to get the gist of it. But that passage stopped me cold and I had to keep reading. God spoke to me right there.
Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. But how can they call on Him if they don’t believe in Him? How can they believe in Him if they’ve never even heard of Him? How can they hear about Him if no one tells them? How can someone preach this Good News to them unless they are sent? That very moment, my mind and my heart were settled, and you see the result today.
But it doesn’t stop here. Family, God, through His Son Jesus, has sent us out into the world to shine the beacon of hope, to spread the Good News of salvation, to preach the Gospel so that all might hear, and in hearing, might believe, and in believing, be saved.
Jesus said we are His rock, each of us a foundation stone in His church. We are the salt of the earth, an agent that adds flavor to the world. We are the light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden, shining the light of Jesus for all to see so they can find their way to salvation. And we know we are all this because Jesus said we are!
We must not let Him down. His church depends on us. The world depends on us. Let’s be all that Jesus said we are, to the glory of God our Father. In the beautiful name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You have a role for each of us to fill in Your great plan of salvation. We have been saved through the blood sacrifice of Your Son Jesus. Now it is our turn to help others be saved. Forgive us, please Father, when we hesitate to do Your will. Forgive us when we are too timid to share Your word. Please help us be better servants. Help us glorify You.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, You ask so little of us in return for Your great sacrifice on our behalf. Help us, please Lord, to be Your witness, to testify to the truth, to spread the Good News of salvation You bought and paid for us. Help us be Your church, a church on the move, a church with a mission, a church with a purpose.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision. He decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished. At its grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of the new church.
Everything had been thought of and included. It was a masterpiece. But then someone said, "Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It is really quite dark in here. How will the church be lighted?"
The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls, and then he gave each family a lamp, which they were to bring with them each time they came to worship. "Each time you are here'" the nobleman said, "the place where you are seated will be lighted. Each time you are not here, that place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God's house will be dark."
Isn’t that a lovely way of telling us why we should come to church and worship together? This little story also paints a clear picture of what goes on in the daily life of a Christian.
We have been given the lamp that sheds the light of our Lord. When we carry it with us, the corner of the world where we are is brightened by the light of Jesus. When we leave it at home, or here in the church building, the part of the world where we go is left in darkness.
It is up to us to carry that lamp. It is up to us to spread the light into the world. It is up to us to dispel the darkness and let the light of Jesus shine.
Our scripture reading this morning comes from what we call Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where He pretty much tells us what it means to be a Christian. Jesus said we are the salt of the earth. Salt adds flavor, doesn’t it, makes things taste better. Someone who is the salt of the earth is a good person that makes the world a little bit better.
Jesus said we are that person and also that we are the light of the world. The Apostle John tells us that in Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men. The life of Jesus lives in us, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, and that makes us the light of men! What an awesome responsibility!
We are that city built upon a hill that can be seen from any side, from any angle. We are visible to the entire world, so that they might see the life of Jesus, the light that is Jesus, within us.
Why is it important to be light? Hear what Jesus instructs us to do, a little further on in Matthew’s account, in chapter 10, verses 27 through 31…
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
--Matthew 10:27-31 (NKJV)
First, we are to “preach from the housetops” what we have heard and read and been told about Jesus. Now preaching doesn’t necessarily mean standing in the pulpit on Sunday morning delivering a sermon. It simply means telling others about Jesus.
And the second point is that we should not be afraid to do so. We should not fear preaching the Gospel. Sure, the world hates Jesus and the Good News He brings, so much so that it kills many who try to do what Jesus commands us. But all the world can do is take our mortal life – our eternal life, our soul, is safely in God’s hands and cannot be killed.
What we have looked at so far was told us by Jesus while He walked the earth during His short ministry. But He also instructed us on what we should be, what we should do, how we should act, after He rose from the grave but had not yet ascended into heaven. Hear His words as recorded by the Apostle Luke, in the 24th chapter of his Gospel account, verse 44 through the first part of verse 49…
44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you..."
--Luke 24:44-49a (NKJV)
Our responsive reading this morning contains the scripture that clicked on the little lightbulb over my head back around 2007. Let me read to you from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 10, verses 13 through 15…
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
--Romans 10:13-15 (NKJV)
One day while thumbing through an old book in our church library, written specifically for those in the ministry, I happened upon that scripture. I wasn’t really reading the book, just flipping through it, stopping to read a phrase here and there to get the gist of it. But that passage stopped me cold and I had to keep reading. God spoke to me right there.
Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. But how can they call on Him if they don’t believe in Him? How can they believe in Him if they’ve never even heard of Him? How can they hear about Him if no one tells them? How can someone preach this Good News to them unless they are sent? That very moment, my mind and my heart were settled, and you see the result today.
But it doesn’t stop here. Family, God, through His Son Jesus, has sent us out into the world to shine the beacon of hope, to spread the Good News of salvation, to preach the Gospel so that all might hear, and in hearing, might believe, and in believing, be saved.
Jesus said we are His rock, each of us a foundation stone in His church. We are the salt of the earth, an agent that adds flavor to the world. We are the light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden, shining the light of Jesus for all to see so they can find their way to salvation. And we know we are all this because Jesus said we are!
We must not let Him down. His church depends on us. The world depends on us. Let’s be all that Jesus said we are, to the glory of God our Father. In the beautiful name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You have a role for each of us to fill in Your great plan of salvation. We have been saved through the blood sacrifice of Your Son Jesus. Now it is our turn to help others be saved. Forgive us, please Father, when we hesitate to do Your will. Forgive us when we are too timid to share Your word. Please help us be better servants. Help us glorify You.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, You ask so little of us in return for Your great sacrifice on our behalf. Help us, please Lord, to be Your witness, to testify to the truth, to spread the Good News of salvation You bought and paid for us. Help us be Your church, a church on the move, a church with a mission, a church with a purpose.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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