Why should we rethink our faith?  Because if our faith hasn’t transformed our hearts to wake up every day with the purpose to please Jesus, we have missed it.  And we should rethink everything.

Jesus shows up and tells us what it looks like practically to live out our faith.  He shares what it looks like when God’s kingdom is established in our hearts.  We call this sermon, The Sermon on the Mount.  In this sermon, Jesus is introducing us to God’s kingdom.  And when you read what Jesus said, you may conclude, ‘That’s weird’ or, ‘That’s impossible, I could never live like that.’   The reason God’s kingdom sounds so odd to us is that we live in the kingdom of this world, and our kingdom seems normal.  Jesus shows up and says things like, You're blessed when you are at the end of your rope – what?, love your enemy – I don’t want to!, put your money into heaven – how?, and don’t worry about tomorrow – that’s impossible!  

Quick recap.  We said, you cannot live out what Jesus taught.   You can’t.  For us to be disciples of Jesus, for us to practically live out what Jesus taught, we must surrender our lives and be empowered by the Holy Spirit.   Then, we wake up every day with the purpose of pleasing Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:15 He died for all so that all who live - having received eternal life from him - might live no longer for themselves, to please themselves, but to spend their lives pleasing Christ who died and rose again for them. TLB

The first big point is surrender.  

We wake up with the purpose to please Jesus, not ourselves.  It's Christianity 101.

Sam last week shared the beatitudes.  Jesus taught, ‘You are blessed when…’  Those beatitudes will make your head spin.  Why?  Every beatitude that Jesus says leads to a blessed life is the opposite of what our world would tell you leads to a blessed life.  What does it mean when Jesus says, You are blessed when…?  Being blessed means you have something spiritually that no one can take from you.  You find that you are deeply secure in God's love, satisfied in life, and full of joy that isn’t dependent on external circumstances.  You are free from competing and comparing.  Free from pretending and performing.  Free from striving and chasing things of this world.  The beatitudes show us a glimpse of heaven on earth.  They deal with who we are and how we practically live.  When God’s Kingdom is established in our hearts, external things like people, circumstances, and challenges can’t take away God’s spiritual blessings from us.  

The second big point is spiritual centeredness.  

As we live out the Christian life, the beatitudes, we are pursuing different goals than what our world pursues.  It leads us to a radically different life.  A life that experiences real blessing deep in our souls.    

How are you doing so far?   Are you still interested in being a disciple of Jesus?  Don’t answer out loud, but do you want to hear more, or is your head spinning and wondering why you are here?  I ask because this is where many people part ways with Jesus.  Many want the golden ticket to make it into heaven, but many don’t want to change anything.  We want God, but we want to keep pursuing the things of this world.  We want to go back to the kingdom we grew up in.  A life where we stay in control, stay selfish, and live to please ourselves.  Why?   We live in a world, a kingdom, that chases fun, chases feelings of happiness, chases comfort over challenges, and chases checking out over making changes.  So, when Jesus tells us about His kingdom, the idea of surrender that will cost us something just seems abrasive, almost offensive.  A life that would pursue God above anything else in this world seems like an interruption.   So, how are you doing so far?

Let’s keep reading the Sermon on the Mount.   

Matthew 5:13 Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. 

14 Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 15 If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. 16 Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine!  Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. MSG

Same verses, NIV translation.

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 by men. 

14 You are the light of the world. A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. NIV

Sam and I were talking about these verses, and Sam shared this thought with me.  The beatitudes are like the formula to live out a Christian life.   And when you add all of them together and live them out, you are salt and light to everyone around you.  Think about it.

Blessed are those who recognize their deep need of God.  Plus, blessed are those who feel like they lost everything, they are embraced by God.   Plus, blessed when you're content with just who you are, no more, no less.  Plus, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Plus, blessed are the merciful, full of grace and forgiveness.  Plus, blessed are those when you get your inside world, your mind and heart, put right.   Plus, blessed are the peacemakers; they don’t avoid conflict; they bring God into the challenges, conflicts, and tensions.  Plus, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.  Live those beatitudes out, and you are salt and light in this world.

Jesus says, when you surrender your life and pursue God’s goals, you are the salt of the earth.   You are the light of the world.   It’s you.  That’s why you are here.  Jesus wants to establish God’s kingdom in your heart so that you will go make a difference.  How you do it is up to you, but you’re here to make a difference.  You are not here to just cross off days on the calendar, floating along, or just check out.  You are at your best when you connect with others, when you encourage, build up, and protect others.  It’s one of the indicators that God’s kingdom has been established in your heart.

Hearing this, what do most people ask?  They want the details.  How?   What are the rules?  What are my next steps?  How much will it cost me?  How much time will it take?  My answer?   Who cares about the details?  Be creative.  Have fun.  Your life isn’t about ‘color by the numbers.’  That’s boring.  That’s predictable.  Your life is about doing something beautiful.  I didn’t say big.  I didn’t say successful.  I didn’t say you would be rewarded for it.  I said, Do something beautiful.  Something original to you.   

Jesus didn’t give us details. Jesus said: ‘Be salt and light and be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God.’

Here is my big point for today.  

Others will see you and conclude something about God.  

If you are real, if you are authentic, if you are salt and light, they will conclude beautiful things about God.  You matter.  How you live matters.

I want to give you a starting point and talk about what is at risk.  Here is a starting point.  Stop trying to figure out the details and start with those closest to you.  Your goal should be that those closest to you love and respect you more than those who don’t know you as well.  I didn’t say those closest to you will respond the way you want.  I didn’t say you will be a success.  I said it’s your goal.  

Years ago, when the girls were very young, I wrestled with the point of my life.  Nothing was happening the way I wanted.  I was really frustrated.  I was reading a book for guys, and something impacted me.  The author said, “Your wife will only have one husband.  Your kids will only have one dad.  So be the best husband and the best father you can be.”  It wasn’t new information, but it put things in perspective for me.   It changed everything.  The greatest starting point to be salt and light is with those closest to you.

It’s the husband and father who wakes up every day with the purpose to please Jesus.  He wakes up, not pursuing what the world offers, but a deep spiritual centeredness in his soul.  Because he is so centered and kind, he brings out the God flavors and colors in his home.  And he is willing to pay the price to make it happen.   

It’s the wife and mom who wakes up every day with the purpose to please Jesus.  She wakes up, not pursuing what the world offers, but a deep spiritual centeredness in her soul.  Because she is so centered and kind, she brings out the God flavors and colors in her home.  And she is willing to pay the price to make it happen.    

It’s the single man or woman who wakes up every day with the purpose to please Jesus.  They wake up, not pursuing what the world offers, but a deep spiritual centeredness in their soul.  Because they are so centered and kind, they bring out the God flavors and colors in their world around them.  And they are willing to pay the price to make it happen.   

Where do you start?   In the relationships closest to you.   

Second question.  What is at risk?  There really is a loving God, and there really is a hell, and you really have a role to play.  Scripture is very clear: for those who reject God, there is a punishment called hell.    

2 Thessalonians 1:7 And so I would say to you who are suffering, God will give you rest along with us when the Lord Jesus appears suddenly from heaven in flaming fire with his mighty angels, 8 bringing judgment on those who do not wish to know God and who refuse to accept his plan to save them through our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 They will be punished in everlasting hell, forever separated from the Lord, never to see the glory of his power. TLB

Can I ask you something?   Do you think about this often?   The great story of God and how He entered earth in the form of Jesus to die for our sins so that we could avoid the punishment of hell and enjoy a relationship with Him.  That story is reality.  It’s unfolding now.  It’s everything.  It’s one of the reasons we do church and plant new churches.  It’s why Jesus said, ‘You are salt and light, be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God.’

The greatest thing we can do is be aware that people who have rejected Christ, according to scripture, are forever separated from God in hell.  I think the greatest thing we could think about and focus on is how we can impact people to open their lives to God.  I don’t know of a greater purpose you could be a part of.  

I took my dad to a Penn State game years ago.  We are sitting in a crowd of 106,000 people.  My dad asked, 'Do you know what I think about when I'm in a crowd like this?'  I thought, I do dad, I've been with you for over 50 years.  My dad said, I wonder if Jesus came right now, how many would go to heaven.  My dad always kept God's reality infront of him.

I want to tell you three things about people far from God.  

First, chances are, they aren’t coming to church.  That makes you their best understanding of God.  Remember, others will see you and conclude something about God.  Think about that.  This year, think about all the parties and family functions you will go to.  How many people at that party go to church?  How many of them know about God’s unbelievable, reckless love for them?   Chances are, most people you hang out with don’t go to church and don’t fully understand who God is.

Quick Note: If everyone you hang out with goes to church, you need more friends.  Go do something that forces you to meet new people, something fun.  Seriously, if all your friends are Christian, that’s not a good thing.  Chances are, you are in a bubble, and you need to pop it.   

Every person you meet at those parties who doesn’t know about God’s love, you are their best understanding of God.  That makes you the salt and light to them.  I didn’t say to be some weird religious person trying to make Jesus look good to them.   Don’t get an unusually big bible.   Don’t be weird.  Just be people.  At your next party, you should ask yourself, “Who here doesn’t know about God’s love?”   Pray.  Then go hang out with them.

Secondly, chances are, if they believe in God, they think God is an angry God who can’t wait to judge them.  That means how you treat them might be the only way they understand who God is.  

I was at a wedding reception, and a lady at my table said she could never go back to church.  I asked why.  She said that if she ever entered the building, God would strike her and the building with lightning. 

Think about that.   This year, you get a chance to be with hurting people, and God placed you there on purpose.  What they need is love.  What they need is someone to listen to them.  Maybe the best thing for you to do is keep quiet.  Seriously.  Just be there like a friend.  This world doesn’t need deeper discipleship; it needs someone to love them.

If this is a tension point for you, if you need help understanding this, read how Jesus treated the woman caught in adultery.  Read how Jesus treated the woman at the well.  Read how Jesus was attacked by church people when He was hanging out with the worst sinners in the town.  Jesus didn’t hang out with sinners to validate their sin.  Jesus was around them because they needed Him.  You are the salt and light.  It’s why you are here on this earth.  It’s why Jesus established God’s kingdom in your heart.

Third, chances are, they will never listen to a pastor, but they will listen to you.  Again, think about this.  This year, you will be next to hurting people who don’t go to church.   God places you next to them.  They aren’t going to listen to the pastor.   They will assume a pastor is fake, but they might listen to you.  

Imagine the moment you share with them that God’s grace has changed your life.  Imagine the moment you share with them that you were busted up, but God is in the process of healing you.  Imagine the moment you share with them who Jesus is to you.  At that moment, you are salt and light in a demonic culture that is rotting away.

Years ago, I drank coffee with a guy almost every day for years.  We had talks about God now and then, but I never pushed in on him.  One day, I went into the coffee shop and heard awful news.  He killed himself.  He was in his apartment, alone, and had just ended it.  None of us had any clue he felt so alone, felt depressed, had so much pressure that he didn’t reach out to all of us around him.  I don’t know where he is today.  I do know that I feel a sense of loss because I didn’t take the initiative to talk about Jesus with him.  

Please hear me.  You are the salt and the light of this world.   To avoid this truth, to ignore it, means you lose your saltiness, you lose your shine.  Who do you know who needs to hear about God’s grace?  I ask because there really is a loving God, there really is a hell, and you really play a role.

I want to follow up with you and ask another question.  Is this what you thought Christianity was?  Jesus shares the beatitudes and then boom, says, “You are salt, you are the light.”   Notice, Jesus didn’t say, “Gather around me, disciples.  Here is what we are doing to build My kingdom.  Go find a church that you might attend now and then.  Make sure you do the least possible.  Avoid serving.  Avoid giving.   Avoid the community.  Expect those who are paid to do all the work, not you.   Complain about that church often, specifically that people need to do more for you.  And when you leave church on Sunday, ignore the scriptures and focus on your life and how you can check out.”  

No, Jesus said, “You are the salt, you are the light.”

I believe this is why many North American Christians walk this earth dazed, confused, tired, and many are checking out.  Why?   Because they don’t embrace what Jesus taught, ‘You are the salt and light.’  They don’t understand who they are, so they go to church.  They sit in worship sets.  They look for programs.  They crave deeper teaching, whatever that is.  They look for bigger, better, more exciting anything.  They are looking for bigger homes, newer cars, higher incomes, and greater vacations, while people around them are spiritually dying, and unless they give their lives to Christ, they are going to hell.   

Hear me, I’m not trying to be edgy, but when we live like this, when we check out, by our actions, we are telling people, “I found Jesus, and I’m really not going to do a thing for you.   You might go to hell, and I’m not going to do much about that.”  That’s why Jesus talks about losing your saltiness.

I must make this clear.   This has nothing to do with guilt.   It has everything to do with helping people discover the grace of God that will transform them.  Enjoy your family.  Enjoy your time away.  Enjoy a better job.  But in all of it, understand, you are the salt.  You are the light.  That’s who you are.  So, go bring out the God flavors and the God colors of this world.

Questions.

Do you believe Jesus is the answer to every struggle you have in life, or is He just a show?

Where are you with Jesus and God’s kingdom?  Is it something you want to surrender your life to?  Maybe you’ve gone numb to the things of God, church, the mission of Jesus, and today you want to recommit your life.  Or do you want to go back to the kingdom of this world unchanged?

Those closest to you, what would they say about you?  

When others are around you, what might they conclude about God?

Did you know there really is a loving God, and there really is a hell, and you really have a role to play?

Jesus said, ‘You are salt and light, be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God.’

Remember, others will see you and conclude something about God.