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Sermon Notes: notes.cornerstonesj.org
Let it Shine
presence is an encouragement. We thank you that you would be with him while he's away at baseball camp.
And we lift up our brother, Russell. Father, Russell has been through a very difficult time in this last week.
And we pray for our brother. Please, Father, bring healing to him. He must be in pain, Father. We pray for that.
Father, we also pray for our sister, Terri Camlin, as she's recovering still from the surgery.
And we're so thankful what you've done there. And, Father, we lift up BBS to you. Father, we're thankful for all the workers.
We're thankful for the parents that are bringing their children to hear the Bible, to hear what you have to say about the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness,
Father. We're so thankful, Father, we can lift this before you. And we pray in your mighty name. Amen.
Those of you who are standing, stay standing. And those of you who are not standing, get on up. I made a joke.
For the first service, I said, in recognition of all the decorations, I tried to throw in some extra Vs and Vows in the lyrics.
So we're going to do some hymns this morning in my own weird way. So sing nice and loud.
Help me out. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the
Nazarene. And wondered how he could love me, a sinner condemned unclean.
How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be.
How marvelous, how wonderful is my
Savior's love for me. For me it was in the garden, he prayed not my will, but thine.
He had no tears for his own griefs, but sweat drops of blood for mine.
Savior's love for me. He took my sins and my sorrows, he made them his very own.
He bore the burden and calvary, and suffered and died alone.
Savior's love for me. When with ransomed in glory his face
I at last shall see, it will be my joy through the ages to sing of his love for me.
Hallelujah, singing how marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be.
Savior's love for me. His love for me.
His love for me. Praise the
Lord. And we do stand amazed. There is no one like you.
I want to read from Psalm 145, and it's kind of a large bit, so we're going to put the words up on the screen so you could read along.
This is starting at verse 10. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power. To make known to the children of man your mighty deeds and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.
The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in their due season.
You open your hand. You satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him. He also hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the
Lord and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. And even,
I just think, Jesus, when he gave the disciples the disciples' prayer and it started out,
Your kingdom come, your will be done. And I just am reminded that God's kingdom goes forth one soul at a time.
And one soul at a time, and his kingdom goes forth and goes forward in this earth.
So Lord God, we just pray that you would draw us to be the disciples that you have for us to be,
Lord. God, we are so dependent on you for everything,
Lord. Without you, we would have no hope of salvation. We would have no hope of heaven.
We would have no hope of seeing you. Matthew 5, 8 says,
Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they shall see God. Without you, Lord God, we could not even be pure in heart to see you,
Lord. Everything that we have depends on you. God, so just even give us the praises in our hearts to sing you this morning,
I pray in Jesus' name. A burning sun silver moon
O praise Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their
Creator blest, O praise
Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise
Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their
Creator blest, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their
Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise
Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest,
O praise Him, All things their
Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their
Him, O praise
Him, All things their
Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise
Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise
Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise
Him, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise
O praise Him, O praise
Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise
Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise
Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise
Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their
Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise
O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their
Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blest, O praise
Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blast, O praise Him, O praise Him, All things their Creator blast. of sin,
I resign. But gracious Redeemer, my
Savior, if ever
I love Jesus, Jesus, has first purchased my heart before pensions of glory and endless delight in our
Savior Jesus Christ.
Oh God, we bless your holy name. We thank you for this time where we can lift our praises, our song of praise to you,
Lord. We pray that you're glorified. And Lord God, we lift up Pastor Tim as he brings the word.
And we just say all these in Jesus' holy and precious name. Amen. Have you guys heard of the
Sermon on the Mount before? This is the sermon on the castle. Thank you all for coming.
We have kind of a packed house. Thank you, a couple of Karen friends in the back. My cousin Jesse and Amanda, thanks for coming.
Professor from Karen in the back, you'll probably hear him a little bit today. Thank you all for coming.
Doesn't this place look awesome for VBS? Looks so good. Some people in your life you'll recognize are sent by God.
And I think for our church, Drew and Jill Deegan have been sent by God. And they've been such a blessing to our church.
And we have over 50 people helping out with VBS this week.
And they are kind of like the team captain. So it's a team effort, but they have really done just an amazing job.
And I'm just so happy with how the church looks and how it turned out. And why don't we pray?
Father God, thank you so much that we can gather here in your name as your children. You've called us all out of the world to live for you.
And we thank you for the things that you have prepared for us ahead of time to do, that we would walk in them.
We thank you for VBS. We pray that you would send some of your elect children here, Lord. Your elect little ones, that they would come and that they would hear the word and believe that you would save them early,
Lord. And that you would use them for your kingdom. We pray that people would repent and turn to you in Jesus' name.
And we ask for your guide and your Holy Spirit to help me preach the word today, in Jesus' name.
Amen. Alright. So, I am going to be preaching from the
Sermon on the Mound. If you have your Bibles, you can open up to chapter 5. We're going to be in verse 1.
Now, the Sermon on the Mound is probably the most famous sermon that's ever been given by the most famous preacher that who has ever preached.
We all know who that is, Jesus Christ. But not only the most famous preacher and the most famous sermon,
Jesus was also the most famous human to ever live. And not only was he the most famous preacher and the most famous human, he also was the best preacher and the best human to ever live.
Jesus is the only one who has ever lived a perfect life. He's the only one worthy enough to inherit the kingdom of God.
But because of him and what he did when he was here, the miracles and everything that he did were great.
The life he lived was awesome. But him, his main mission, God sent him to die on the cross for our sin.
And God raised him from the dead, giving him the stamp of approval and giving us the hope of eternal life and the forgiveness of sin.
Jesus is better than all of us. And when we read the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, even the
New Testament, but especially the Gospels, we learn very quickly that Jesus is better than us.
Jesus is better than you. Jesus is better than me. Jesus is better than anyone who has ever lived.
And when Jesus, when he preached the Sermon on the Mount, seeing the crowd, he went up and he sat down and his disciples came to him and he opened up his mouth and he taught them.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall be called sons of God, for they shall see
God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you, persecute you, and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?
It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand so that it gives light to all who are in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.
Amen. That's Matthew chapter 5 verse 1 to 16. And that's what I'll be preaching on today.
So let's take it from the top. Chapter 5 verse 1. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
Sometimes, Jesus would see crowds and he would have compassion on them because they were sheep without shepherds. Sometimes he would see crowds to escape.
In this particular instance, it looks like he saw crowds and he took it as a teaching opportunity. And in Jewish tradition, the teacher would sit down when he taught and the congregation would stand up.
So it's kind of the opposite of what we do today. I'm sure you guys like the way we do it better. they did that for a reason, right?
Because they probably preached a little longer. Those who were standing up in the audience, they wouldn't fall asleep when the speaker was speaking, right?
But although that did happen once when Paul was preaching, a young guy was standing near the window and he fell out because Paul preached so long.
But God raised him from the dead. But Jesus was the greatest preacher of all time.
So when he preached, he had authority, none like anyone has ever seen before. Jesus was the best preacher and people knew it.
They knew that he was different. They knew that what he was preaching, he believed. He preached it so confidently that people were like, this is an amazing teaching with authority.
Some people still listened to it even though they didn't believe it, but his disciples came close and his disciples heard the message and were listening to him and came to believe the message.
So Jesus, he opened up his mouth and he taught them and what Jesus is about to teach them on the
Sermon on the Mount is what his disciples is what it's going to be like for his disciples to live in the kingdom.
And Jesus reveals to his disciples who it is that is truly blessed. Do you ever wonder looking out in the world who it is that's really blessed?
Who it is that's living the good life, who's living better than other people? I used to think that.
A man came to me when I was a younger guy and he said, you know, I just want you to know young man, life is a big game.
And I don't know why he told me that, but he felt the need to tell me that. I don't think he was a really wise man, but because he was older,
I thought maybe he was wise and I said, wow, life is one big game, then who are the winners? Who wins the game?
Who's winning life? So I start to think like, hmm, is it the people that have a lot of money?
Because a lot of them seem like they're still miserable to me. Or is it the people that are really happy, even if they don't have a lot or do have a lot?
And I thought, well, it seems like I'd rather be happy than just have a lot of money, so maybe the people that are happy are doing well.
But now I've come to realize that the true winner in life was Jesus. He was the only one that won. He was the only one that lived a perfect life.
But those who believe get to enter into that. And Jesus teaches us who it is that is really blessed.
And not just blessed, but happy. Blessed means happy. These people are genuinely happy. Not just a little bit happy where it goes away, it's temporary, it fades away.
But this is a deep joy of the soul, happy. So I think that Jesus is going to preach a present blessing.
He's definitely going to preach a present blessing in the Sermon on the Mount, but also a future blessing. So he says, these people are blessed right now because they will inherit something greater later.
So, a blessing, a promise, and a reward for the blessed who are blessed right now. Jesus is going to describe the lifestyle or the attitudes of what it's like for those who are called to his kingdom.
Now I used to think that the Beatitudes were blessed attitudes that people naturally had.
And that might be true to some degree and maybe because they're a little bit more humble, they're more open to receive the kingdom of God.
And I used to think that because their attitudes were blessed, maybe they would be saved or have a greater chance of being saved.
And that might be true. But after further study of the Sermon on the Mount, I've realized that I think
Jesus is talking about what life is really like for those who are already saved. Those who are already his disciples.
Those who are already living in the world but are now made new and trying to navigate life.
So, who it is? Do you guys really wonder who it is that are really blessed? Who are happy?
Well, Christ tells us who it is. And because Christ says these things, we know that they're true.
So, spoiler alert, the blessed people are those who already believe.
The believer in life is blessed. Only the believer will enter into life. Only the believer will enter the kingdom of heaven.
As believers, we should be joyful about this. We have eternal life. One time I went to a coffee shop after church, right?
And I walked in there and I ordered something to drink and the girl kept looking at me, staring at me, and she looked like a little bit miserable, but she looked confused.
And then, like, after a while, she was looking at me and she finally was like, why are you so happy?
And then... And I was like, oh, you know, I could have given any answer.
I could have, you know, said, oh, I'm just having a good day today. But I said, I have eternal life.
That's it. I have eternal life. That's really it, though. That's why I'm happy. That's why I'm joyful.
You know, no matter what happens in life, I know that God has saved my soul. And that makes me happy.
That makes me joyful. So those who are saved are genuinely happy and should be happy.
So Christ describes the attitudes of these believers who are not of the world, but are in the world, but will indeed be in the kingdom.
They are not the folk that you may think they are. In fact, I was going to title this message, the title of this sermon, blessed are who?
Because they're not what you think are blessed, right? People think, maybe the world would think that blessed people are those who have a lot of wealth, those who have a lot of money.
Blessed are those that are really good looking. Blessed are those that are big and strong, that have a fancy car, fancy house, that have a good job, that are really successful by the world's standards.
No. That's not what Jesus says. Jesus is very counter -cultural. So he's not going to tell you what you want to hear, but he's going to tell you the truth.
So, he says things that seem a little odd, but they're true. He starts off, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
And in Isaiah 66, it reads, but this is the one to whom I will look, he who is humble and a contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
So the poor in spirit are viewed by God. God is more concerned with the inside of us, right?
Than the outside. And those who are poor in spirit tremble at his word.
They fear him. They have a healthy fear of the Lord. They fear God. That's the beginning of knowledge, right?
But also, don't fear, little flock. It is God's good pleasure to give us the kingdom.
Right? God, who is on the throne, in heaven, who uses this earth as a footstool, it delights him to give us guilty sinners the kingdom of God.
Because of the work that Christ has done for us. The poor in spirit see that they need help.
See, the poor in spirit know that they don't deserve it. We don't deserve the kingdom. We don't deserve to be blessed the way we are.
We don't deserve to see life because of our sin. But God, having mercy and being rich in mercy, has loved us with a great love.
The poor in spirit rightly see who they are. They are self -aware that they are poor, nothing without God, spiritually bankrupt, and they're empty.
But Christ comes and he fills them up with his spirit. Also blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
And this is a mourning over sin. When you become a Christian, you're very aware now of your sin.
You're more aware of how guilty you are, and you see yourself as someone that really needs to be saved, a wretch.
But you look to Christ and you see him as an even greater savior. They see that they are sinners, those who mourn, and they have trouble living in this dark, sinful world.
Things seem to be not as they ought. And this world, let's face it, isn't very comforting.
Not all the time. Not most of the time. Because it's a fallen world. And we're fallen people.
We fall short. And the Apostle Paul understands this very well. He says that the things that I want to do, the things
I want to do, I do not do. And the things that I don't want to do, the thing that I hate, I do. So how is that?
The Apostle Paul is probably one of the greatest men who has ever lived. And he did probably more work for the kingdom than maybe anyone ever.
But he also persecuted the church. So maybe that's why. But I think he's talking about his present self.
Like, I still struggle. I don't do. And the things I don't want to do, that I hate, I somehow do. That's the
Christian life. It's a battle. And he also, Paul, he calls himself
Chief Sinner. And you know who else calls himself Chief Sinner? You guys might know. You might have heard this.
But Jeff Cleaver calls himself Chief Sinner. So when I seen Jeff for the first time, I perceived him to be a very righteous man.
A good man. And when I met him, he says, oh no, I'm Chief Sinner. And it's because Jeff has an awareness that he's a sinner.
So am I. I'm a sinner. We're not any different than the world. We are sinners. But now that we're
Christians and we're born again, we have a greater understanding of sin.
And it does cause us to mourn over sin. Because we have a better relationship with God. We don't want to sin against him because we love him.
So when we do sin against him, we feel it deeply because we love him. And we confess that sin.
But we mourn. Jesus himself, even though he had no sin, was a man of sorrows.
So he had compassion on the world. And I have a friend of mine who's really becoming a man of sorrows.
He mourns over his own sin all the time. Mourns over other people's sin. And he comes to me. He even weeps a lot.
But I think that's good. I think that's evidence that he's a disciple. A born again Christian. Aware of the sin that he has.
The Holy Spirit comes to convict us of our sin. So the Holy Spirit does that for the true believer.
Convicts us of sin. And points us to Christ who can save us. And who has saved us.
And will save us. I also think of a parable that Jesus told.
One where two people went into the temple to pray. One a Pharisee, the other a tax collector.
And the Pharisee prayed, thank you God that I'm not like that tax collector over there. And then the tax collector prayed,
God have mercy on me, a sinner. Please forgive me. And which one was more righteous out of the two?
The tax collector, right? Because he had a mourning over sin. So maybe that's evidence that these attitudes truly are blessed.
God looks at the heart more than the outward appearance. Because the Pharisee, I'm sure, looked better to everyone else on the outside.
People probably thought he was holy. But when God looks at us, he looks right to the heart. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
The meek are those who do not assert their own will or desire on others.
But they live with this relaxed confidence that God is in control. That God has their back.
That God is sovereign over everything. And that God will work things out in their favor in due time.
They have an inheritance. It's the earth. In Psalm 37 it reads, for the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the
Lord shall inherit the land. In just a little while the wicked will be no more.
Though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
The meek are self -aware that they're meek. Did you know that? Moses wrote, he was the writer, right?
Of the law. And he wrote in there, now the man Moses was the most meek man on the face of the earth.
So the meek I think know that they're meek. They know that something's different about them. They know who
Christ is. See, when you're a Christian you don't compare yourself to other Christians or the world.
You look at Christ and you realize you fall short. And looking at Christ and seeing how awesome he is and how perfect he is and how wonderful he is and how loving he is, you realize that you're not it.
You're not Christ. You're not it. But you realize you fall short. We all fall short of the kingdom of God.
But God has made a plan to send his son for us, to save us, to redeem us. But as Christians we now walk in that.
We walk knowing that we're saved. And it humbles us. And we want to be like Christ.
Christ left a kingdom on high to come live in this dark world with us out of love for us.
Now we're more meek and we love other people to a greater degree because we see how
Jesus loved people. It was unlike any other love before. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.
Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Because there isn't a genuine hunger and thirst for righteousness in the world.
It's only those that are Christians that genuinely hunger and thirst for righteousness because true righteousness is from God.
And you start to desire God. You want to be with God. You love God. God is the ultimate source of real righteousness.
And Christians long for God to reveal that to the world and for the world to desire
God and his righteousness. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied now to some degree but will be completely satisfied in the new heaven and the new earth.
They look forward to that. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are self -aware that they fall short and look to Christ and long for his return.
Verse 7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. Something happens when you become a
Christian, a born -again Christian, and you have all this compassion and mercy for people that you might not have had that for before.
Christians understand how much mercy that God has shown them, how much
God has forgiven them, and they extend that mercy and that compassion and forgiveness to other people.
The best people at forgiving others are Christians, or they should be. Christians should
How many times should Christians forgive their brother in a day? Exactly. So almost every time, right?
Every single time. Always forgive. Forgiving isn't just for the other person, but it's for your own soul. When you sit there and you don't want to forgive someone, the person that you're not forgiving is not affecting them in any way.
They're off dancing somewhere. But you are sitting there all bitter thinking about how you don't like that person or you want harm to come on that person or you want that person to say sorry.
You could just forgive them. And it's free. When you understand how much you've sinned against God and how much he's forgiven you, it's easy to extend that forgiveness to other people.
And some sins I think are greater than others, so it's harder to forgive. But God, I think, gives us the strength to forgive any sin, because he's done that.
The merciful are self -aware that they have been forgiven much and have been shown mercy, and so they extend that compassion, mercy, and forgiveness to others.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Psalms 24 reads, Who shall ascend to the hill of the
Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully, he will receive blessing from the
Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the
God of Jacob. Now God is much more concerned with the inside than the outside.
The pure in heart are aware that their desires are different from the desires of the world.
They desire to seek the face of God, and they shall. The pure in heart are self -aware that they were once evil and spiritually dead, until they were given a new heart.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. It's only the pure in heart that get to see
God and live with God, and God chooses to dwell with them forever. And it's when someone hears and believes the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, God gives them a new heart, a pure heart, one of flesh, and everything changes, because once the heart changes, everything changes from the inside out.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Have you ever met someone with an unhealthy desire for quarrels?
Someone who likes to instigate? Someone who's always causing strife? Someone who's always pinning people together?
Someone who's instigating a fight, they want to see a fight? If there's not a fight, they'll make a fight? Some of you might know people like that, you're thinking of them, pray for those people.
But, the peacemakers are not this way. They don't instigate, they don't cause harm for anyone else, they don't want to see harm on anyone else.
They make peace, they don't like to see brothers fighting, especially in the church. They don't like to see brothers disagreeing on things that really don't matter as much, on secondary issues.
It's okay to disagree, Christians aren't supposed to be afraid to debate, or afraid of conflict.
I think if there is conflict, I think Christians usually win in the battle, especially for truth. It's a lot easier to defend the truth, and be a keeper of the kingdom, because we have the truth, and it's a lot easier to defend something that's true than something that's false.
So, Christians destroy arguments, they win every argument. They don't go looking for it, but they can win every argument.
Not because they're good enough, or smart enough, and they know more than the other person, but it's because of the
Word of God. The Word of God is what changes people. And when we talk to people, we do it in love and compassion.
We want to see them come to the Lord. The peacemakers like to bring peace.
And those that were in enmity of God, they also like to bring the gospel to people who aren't saved, because they want to see that peace with God, and that sinner.
So that's part of being a peacemaker. They want to see people come to God. But peacemakers resemble God. Children resemble their parents.
Peacemakers are called sons of God. So, thus, peacemakers resemble God. Peacemakers are self -aware that they reflect the character of their
Heavenly Father. Now, you guys might be able to relate with all those blessings, at least a few of them.
I hope all of them. But how about this one? Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the
Kingdom of Heaven. How many of you are actually willing to be persecuted? How many of you are actually persecuted now?
Or have been persecuted in your life? There's going to be another young preacher preaching next week, who has endured persecution.
He was a born -again Christian in high school, and when he became a born -again
Christian, and when he started living for the Lord, when he came out of the closet as a Christian, and told people that he was a
Christian, people had a problem with that. Right? It's easy to come out of the closet and say, you're gay now, right?
Or you're homosexual or trans, whatever. It's kind of hard to come out of the closet as a
Christian, right? You see persecution. People don't like that. People don't like seeing you do righteous things.
People don't like you giving glory to God. People don't like that. And it's really not them, right?
It's the demons inside of them. We battle against the principalities of the air. But how many of us have really endured persecution?
None of us to the point of blood, right? None of us to the point of death. But when you really are truly living as a
Christian, life is different. You'll notice that the people that used to love you a lot, don't really love you as much.
They actually seem like they're against you now. But that's okay. Do we listen to the people that are against us?
They might want you to stop preaching the gospel. Or do we listen to God? He's the one that sent us anyway, right?
And we know that God is in control. But blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
What do you do when that happens? When people talk bad about you? When people don't like you?
What happens when you get word of that? Do you get mangry? Do you go confront that person? Well, this is what
Jesus tells us to do. Rejoice and be glad. For your reward is great in heaven.
For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. So next time someone comes complaining to you about someone talking bad about you or talking bad about someone else, encourage that person and say rejoice and be glad.
And you might say, oh, it's easier said than done. Well, I think we still should do it though, right?
Rejoice and be glad. So when people are mean to me, want to throw stuff at me, want to fight me, want to argue, get all mad because I just wanted to share the gospel with them,
I feel bad for them. I feel compassion for them. I want them to be saved. But I also rejoice and I'm glad.
Some people tell me they suffer persecution at work and things are hard or you know, in the neighborhood they're in someone doesn't like this person, the family member doesn't like me because I became a
Christian. Rejoice and be glad. That's good. Your reward is great in heaven. As Christians here on earth, we're not so concerned with stacking our treasure here on earth.
But we're concerned with stacking it in heaven. Is it good to do things for rewards?
Yeah, it is. It is good. It's good doing things one, because we love people and we love
Christ, but also because Christ promised us rewards. We can stack treasure in heaven now.
And Jesus is the greatest treasure but he also has a kingdom for us and things that we can hardly imagine what might be there.
So Christians know things that the world does not know. The persecuted are self -aware that they are persecuted for righteousness' sake on Jesus' account.
And the key here is for righteousness' sake and on Jesus' account. People might not like you just because you're mean.
People might not like you just for a different reason. But the blessing comes when you're doing the right thing and you know it and God sent you to do it.
And you do it anyway despite whether people like it or not. But there's a blessing because you did it on the sake of Christ.
Verse 13. You are the salt of the earth but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?
It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. So you are the salt of the earth.
We're the salt of the earth. I think there's a little too much pepper out there. We're called to be the salt.
Salt makes everything better. Christians make the world better. And that's a fact.
Christians make the world better than the world makes the world better. Christians do good things.
Christians love people. Christians love God. Christians have morals. Christians do a lot for this world to help people.
But we're called to stand out. You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. A lot of us try to hide our light. How many of you go to work or school and most of the people that you see day to day don't even know that you're a
Christian? I would check yourself if that's the case, right? When you go to work or school, eventually if you've been there long enough, and for some of us it might only take a week, it might take a day, it might take a year, they should know that you're a born again
Christian. And if not by the way you live, definitely by the way you speak to them.
You should be looking for opportunities to share Christ, to proclaim the gospel, to be the light of the world.
Now why do we not let our light shine? Why do we not proclaim the gospel?
Why do we not do what's right in front of other people? Is it not because we're afraid? We have fear.
We think, oh, that person doesn't want the gospel anyway. They're mean. Or, oh,
I don't know about that person. God, send me, I want to preach the gospel to someone. Oh, not that person over there though. But God calls us sometimes and we know, like, oh, we need to do this.
And it's uncomfortable. We don't want to do it. But I found that it's a lot more uncomfortable when you know the right thing to do and you don't do it.
So you avoid an uncomfortable situation and it's not the loving thing to do, right? The loving thing to do is proclaim the gospel, not be ashamed of the gospel, because the gospel is the power that saves people.
People hear and believe the gospel and are saved. We once heard and believed the gospel and became saved, so we want to spread that message to other people.
We know how powerful the word of God is. But why are we afraid to tell our neighbor?
Why are we afraid to tell our co -worker? Why are we afraid to live different around our friends? How many times does the
Bible say, do not fear? One for every day. 365 times.
So every day, we need to tell ourselves, do not fear. And remind ourselves that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
God has called all of us out of the darkness for a reason. He has rescued us out of the fire.
And it's not just so we can live the same life we are living. Yes, please come as you are. Come to Christ as you are, but don't stay as you are.
Grow in Christ. Become His disciple. Walk in the gifts that He's given you.
Be the light of the world. Let your light shine. There used to be a song I sang when I was a kid. I still remember it.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. It seems like a silly song, but it's the truth.
Let your light shine. Every day, let your light shine. And it says that in the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your
Father who is in heaven. So there are some people out there that see your good deeds, see your good works, and they give glory to your
Father who is in heaven. Isn't that our goal? To give glory to God? Isn't that the chief end of man?
To give glory to God and enjoy Him forever? So if doing good things in front of other people, being the salt and light in front of other people, causes people to give glory to our
Father who is in heaven, then I'm going to do that. Be the light of the world.
The people that are described in the Sermon on the Mount, the people that are blessed, these are the type of people that the world often views as the least, as the last.
But if you know your Bible, you know that in God's kingdom, the first will be last, and the last, first.
In God's kingdom, the last will be first and the first, last. I want everyone leaving here today self -aware that they are very different from the world.
God has designed those of us who believe to act and think very different from the world. There's something that we know that the world doesn't know.
Don't you think we ought to live like it? We're called to be different.
We're called to be the light, drastically different. We're going somewhere totally different than those who don't believe.
Those of us who have been born again, we have the second birth. But those who are not born again, they don't get the second birth.
They get the second death. God has a book of life. And only those who have their name written in that book have eternal life.
And God's going to divide us up. Sheep to his right and goats to the left.
In this world, it kind of seems like, you know, don't be a sheep, you know, don't be a follower. And then people think you're the best because you're the goat.
Not in God's world. God's world is that he is the shepherd and that he loves the sheep.
And the sheep are going to enter into eternal life. The goats, on the other hand, will not.
Thrown into the fire. Hell is a very real place. Many enter through it.
Many enter through that wide and broad gate that leads to hell. But only few find the way to life.
And those who believe in Jesus Christ dying on the cross, and those that believe in their heart that God really rose him from the dead, have this great hope and this great joy of eternal life.
And they know that all of their sins are forgiven. This should cause us to stand out.
Not to hide, but to stand out. To shine the light of Christ. So you,
I want to remind you guys, you are the light of the world. So let your light shine.
Let's pray. Father God, thank you for your word. Thank you for sending your son to die the death that we deserved.
Punishing him, even though he didn't deserve it. And he prayed for those.
The very people who were killing him. We thank you for coming here today.
We thank you for your word. We pray that we really could be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
And people would see us in the way we act, the way we think, the way we do things. And they would see us as different.
But that it would open up an opportunity for us to care for them, but also to share with them who you are.
That you would bring souls to your kingdom. We pray that people repent, turn from sin, a lifestyle of sin, and put their faith in Jesus Christ.
We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Trust in You, Lord.
In the silence I will wait. I will stand upon Your Word.
You're my solid rock and my salvation. My steadfast love won't be shaken.
My soul will wait. My soul will wait for You. My stronghold and my shield.
In the midst of every threat. Throw away the enemy.
They will vanish like a breath. Yes, I know the outcome sure.
Satan's evil plans will fail. In Your power
I'm secure. You're my solid rock and my salvation.
My steadfast hope won't be shaken. My soul will wait.
My soul will wait for You. My comfort, my sure foundation.
My soul will wait. My soul will wait for You. This is love
I can't explain. This is mercy unreserved.
And through Your sacrifice so great I have peace that's undeserved.
For the battle has been won and I fear no shame or loss.
Now the sting of death is gone. You're my solid rock and my salvation.
My soul will wait for You. You're my comfort, my sure foundation.
My soul will wait. My soul will wait for You. will be for us.
We will trust in Savior strong.
trust in Savior. Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord God almighty who was and is and is yet to come. Go in peace.